HOW TO PROPERLY CONDITION YOUR FLOWER BED FOR THE SEASONS
As a proud owner of a healthy flowerbed, it is important to understand the seasonality of your maintenance schedule. It takes a great deal of preparation to grow healthy and beautiful flowers when the primary grow season is in full swing.
There are a variety of things that can be done to ensure that your flowerbeds have the maximum potential to yield healthy and aesthetically pleasing flowers or crops when harvest time comes around.
GARDEN PREP
In this article, we will focus on a few tips for preparing your garden beds for the spring and winter seasons, two of the most critical times for you to take that extra step in protecting your garden beds.
Spring
In the spring, one of the most important tasks to get your flower beds ready for the upcoming growing season is the preparation of the soil in each and every one of your beds.
The first major step in preparing your soil has to do with mixing it up in order to encourage nutrient release and movement of organisms throughout the soil. You should dig deep to ensure that your soil is effectively mixed.
Average plants require somewhere between six and eight inches of freshly mixed soil for their roots to effectively take hold. However, if you are growing any root crops, such as potatoes or carrots, you will have to dig even deeper to give these plants a great chance to root and produce an exceptional crop.
In addition to digging deep, it is also important to fill your flowerbeds with plenty of additional topsoil and organic matter. Compost, cow or horse manure, and shredded leaves can all lead to your flowerbeds being more alive with activity. This will ultimately create soil that is much healthier for the plants and flowers that you decide to plant.
Winter
When winter is approaching, one of the last things you want to think about is the effort you need to put into making sure that your flowerbeds remain viable grow areas throughout Mother Nature’s harshest season.
By removing all annual and herbaceous flower debris from your beds, you will be preventing any unwanted insects from finding a winter haven to hide out in. Some of these pests will spend their winters in the shelter of plant debris that is left in your beds.
When spring comes around, these pests can have a profoundly negative impact on your ability to raise a successful batch of crops.
If you want to ensure that your efforts in the spring will be as effective as possible, it might take a little foresight and winter preparation to allow those efforts to be successful.
By keeping the seasonality of growing plants and flowers in mind, you can prevent the negative consequences that come with a lost growing season. By thinking about certain activities that you can do, in every season, you will be maximizing your ability to raise successful crops year after year.
Sources
dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-prepare-garden-soil-for-planting
extension.iastate.edu/news/2006/oct/072306
THE NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF PREMATURE THATCHING AND AERATING
The process of thatching and aerating our lawns is necessary to ensure the continuing health of our grass. This process allows water and air to permeate deeper into the soil of your yard or lawn. Fertilizer is also able to penetrate all the way down to the root zone, eventually creating a much healthier and thicker lawn.
Most professionals recommend that you aerate and thatch your lawn twice a year, preferably in the spring and fall. However, it is commonly accepted to only aerate your lawn once a year.
If you do choose to take the recommendation of aerating and thatching twice a year, it should be done in certain months. In the spring, it is recommended to thatch and aerate between the months of March and May. In the fall, it is recommended between the months of August and November.
‘Jumping the Gun’
While thatching and aerating is certainly necessary for the long-term health of your lawn, premature thatching and aerating can have serious, negative consequences on your lawn’s overall health.
‘Over-thinning’
Thatching and aerating your lawn before it is ready for such an activity can actually thin it out more than it is able to handle. While it is important to remove buildup of excess dead materials, through thatching, this practice can also severely thin certain areas of your grass.
If you thin your lawn too early, exposing it to harsh elements that it is unaccustomed to handling, it may never be able to effectively recover.
Decrease Potential for the Upcoming Season
One of the primary goals of thatching and aerating is to prepare your lawn for a successful spring and summer growing season. As the weather gets warmer, you are most likely beginning to think about the possibilities of recreational opportunities in your yard.
Having a well maintained, healthy-looking lawn will boost your confidence when it comes to hosting various summer barbecues and ‘get-togethers’ for family, friends, and neighbours.
If you jump the gun when it comes to thatching and aerating your lawn, you might compromise your ability to maintain a healthy, beautiful yard throughout the spring and summer seasons.
When you are looking into thatching and aerating your lawn, it is important to weigh all of the pros and cons, as well as investigate the proper methods and timing for when to engage in the practice of preparing your lawn for spring.
Get Help From The ‘MRG Contracting???
At MRG Contracting, we have years of expertise with thatching and aerating. We are happy to help guide you on your way to a happy, healthy looking lawn. Our professionals have been working in lawn and yard care and maintenance for years.
We are committed to providing excellent advice, as well as top-notch services in the areas of lawn care and maintenance. When it comes to lawns and yards, there is no one better to call than MRG Contracting!
If you are interested in our services, or wish to inquire as to the best steps to prep your lawn or yard, please give us a call today!
Sources
http://www.theaeratorguys.com/questions.html
http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/turf/extension/factsheets/thatch
