Saturday, July 19, 2014

By Paulette Mason


The spectacular geography of Utah is stunning, from rugged peaks to eerie rock formations. The area near the Great Salt Lake is the site of several small cities where residents bask in a semi-desert climate moderated by the Wasatch mountains. As the population grows, so does the demand for fresh water. Orem lawn care practices focus on maintaining healthy, lush grass without depleting finite supplies.

Owning a home surrounded by lush expanses of grass is an American tradition, but is best suited to ecosystems with enough water to support a wide variety of native plant life, including varieties of grass. A quaint cottage nestled among flowers is appealing, but impractical for semi-arid regions. The costs are higher, and successfully raising a lush green sward takes time and effort.

The most common seed blend used by homeowners is Kentucky Bluegrass, which thrives best in temperatures below eighty-five degrees. When summer heat rises above that level, water stress becomes commonplace, leaving the expanse of grass burnt and yellowed. In a season of bountiful rain, additional watering can help preserve a lush, green appearance, but home gardeners must still practice conservation.

The ongoing drought in the West is hard to ignore, making some question the wisdom of using water to sustain landscaping. Grass needs around an inch of water per week, which may be seasonally adjusted during periods of rain. Even when a sprinkler system is carefully monitored, some waste in the form of runoff is difficult to avoid, and can transport chemical fertilizers into drains.

To be most effective, sprinklers need timers set for early morning hours just before sunrise. If there are several stations, each becomes most effective when run for about thirty minutes, giving the plants time to re-hydrate before the heat begins. While some people prefer watering in the evening, this can cause additional lawn care problems in the form of fungi, which create barren spots when uncontrolled.

Many soils in this region are not grass-friendly, and require the regular addition of fertilizers. For every 1000 square feet of Bluegrass, 2.5 pounds of a nitrogen-based compound helps sustain healthy growth patterns. Adding excess amounts can cause yellowing as root systems struggle to keep pace with rapid growth top-side. Too many nutrients at one time may result in thinning and fertilizer burn.

A vivid patch of green is a magnet for some insects, including white grubs, sod webworms, billbugs and many others. While very effective, pesticide use often kills without discrimination, eliminating insect predators as well as their favorite targets. Without firm controls, pesticide use degrades the environment. They can be a useful and valuable tool, but should be used as a last resort.

Homeowners often find that a hiring local landscaping service is an excellent way to evaluate and control all aspects of lawn growth, care and management, which saves time and eliminates guesswork. From sprinkler systems to regular fertilization, pest, and weed control, lawn care services help homeowners maintain ideal outdoor appearances while helping conserve precious water.




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