Lawn Care Ideas 2
The first thing that you have to consider if you are taking care of your lawn in Michigan is the type of turf you have.
Most Michigan lawns are either fescue or some sort of bluegrass.
Both of these varieties are extremely popular in the northern half of the country due to their cold resilience and their tolerance of shade and drought.
Both are very hardy grasses, but they need to be properly maintained if you want them to live up to their reputation.
Whether you are a fan or reluctant participant in lawn care, Michigan is the state to live in.
Lawn care is a pastime of many a Michigan resident and a healthy-looking lawn is a point of pride in many neighborhoods.
Michigan is blessed with a great climate that is very conducive to great-looking lawns.
First, think about your watering habits.
Oftentimes, people will either just over saturate their lawns or not water them at all.
Both can be bad for your lawn.
In general, lawns in Michigan require about 1-2 inches of water weekly to stay healthy.
If you have an irrigation system, this means you need 10-20 minutes per day of watering.
If you are using a sprinkler, it gets a little harder to water the lawn evenly.
The easiest thing to do is check the soil for saturation after you water.
Stick a shovel into the ground and push it forward.
If the soil 3-4 inches deep isn't wet, then you need to water more.
When the water soaks this deep, it encourages the grass roots to grow deeper and keeps the lawn healthier.
Next, consider your mowing habits.
Too often, people get caught up in keeping a schedule for mowing their lawn, instead of paying attention to what the lawn needs.
In general, you should only cut your lawn when it is dry, and when it gets to be about 3 inches high.
When you do cut, you only want to cut off the upper 1/3 of the grass.
If you cut any more than this, it can open up the grass to disease and pest damage.
Also make sure that your lawnmower blades are sharp, as dull blades can damage the grass and invite similar problems.
In Michigan, this means that during the summer months you may not need to mow as often, because most bluegrass grows best in the spring and fall, when the weather is cooler.
Michigan summers are very hot and the grass sometimes takes break from heavy growth.
If pests are something you think about when you think about lawn care, Michigan has plenty of those as well.
What you want to use is a time-tested method called IPM, or Integrated Pest Management.
In IPM you use biological, horticultural and chemical methods of pest control.
Biological refers to using the natural enemies of pests (such as ladybugs and spiders) to your advantage.
Horticultural refers to things such as mowing high to shade-out weeds.
Chemical refers to chemical pesticides, which should be a last-ditch effort as they can pollute the environment.
If you are devoted to lawn care Michigan has the perfect environment.
The cool, humid weather is perfect for the types of grasses we have, and there's plenty of shade and water to go around.
Even in the case of a drought, we have grass that can withstand it.
If your thing is lawn care Michigan is the perfect state.
Most Michigan lawns are either fescue or some sort of bluegrass.
Both of these varieties are extremely popular in the northern half of the country due to their cold resilience and their tolerance of shade and drought.
Both are very hardy grasses, but they need to be properly maintained if you want them to live up to their reputation.
Whether you are a fan or reluctant participant in lawn care, Michigan is the state to live in.
Lawn care is a pastime of many a Michigan resident and a healthy-looking lawn is a point of pride in many neighborhoods.
Michigan is blessed with a great climate that is very conducive to great-looking lawns.
First, think about your watering habits.
Oftentimes, people will either just over saturate their lawns or not water them at all.
Both can be bad for your lawn.
In general, lawns in Michigan require about 1-2 inches of water weekly to stay healthy.
If you have an irrigation system, this means you need 10-20 minutes per day of watering.
If you are using a sprinkler, it gets a little harder to water the lawn evenly.
The easiest thing to do is check the soil for saturation after you water.
Stick a shovel into the ground and push it forward.
If the soil 3-4 inches deep isn't wet, then you need to water more.
When the water soaks this deep, it encourages the grass roots to grow deeper and keeps the lawn healthier.
Next, consider your mowing habits.
Too often, people get caught up in keeping a schedule for mowing their lawn, instead of paying attention to what the lawn needs.
In general, you should only cut your lawn when it is dry, and when it gets to be about 3 inches high.
When you do cut, you only want to cut off the upper 1/3 of the grass.
If you cut any more than this, it can open up the grass to disease and pest damage.
Also make sure that your lawnmower blades are sharp, as dull blades can damage the grass and invite similar problems.
In Michigan, this means that during the summer months you may not need to mow as often, because most bluegrass grows best in the spring and fall, when the weather is cooler.
Michigan summers are very hot and the grass sometimes takes break from heavy growth.
If pests are something you think about when you think about lawn care, Michigan has plenty of those as well.
What you want to use is a time-tested method called IPM, or Integrated Pest Management.
In IPM you use biological, horticultural and chemical methods of pest control.
Biological refers to using the natural enemies of pests (such as ladybugs and spiders) to your advantage.
Horticultural refers to things such as mowing high to shade-out weeds.
Chemical refers to chemical pesticides, which should be a last-ditch effort as they can pollute the environment.
If you are devoted to lawn care Michigan has the perfect environment.
The cool, humid weather is perfect for the types of grasses we have, and there's plenty of shade and water to go around.
Even in the case of a drought, we have grass that can withstand it.
If your thing is lawn care Michigan is the perfect state.
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