Lawn care in a nutshell: Must do: Set your mower as high as it will go (3 to 4 inches). Water only when your grass shows signs of drought stress and then water deeply (put a cup in your sprinkler zone and make sure it gets at least an inch of water). Optional: Fertilize with an organic fertilizer in the fall and spring. I recommend the Ringer brand. Have the pH of your soil professionally tested. Add lime if it is below 6.0 and gardener's sulfur if it is above 7.0. How much top soil do you have? See how deep a shovel will go into the soil. How deep can you dig a hole in one minute? Four inches of topsoil will make for an okay lawn. Eight or more inches of topsoil will make for a great lawn. Now for the verbose details on lawn care:

A little knowledge makes it so damn near anything can qualify for the "cheap and lazy" label. Including lawn care. Organic is just a bonus.

The key to the lawn care game is competition. You want to make things favorable for the grass and unfavorable for the weeds so the grass will choke out the weeds. Naturally.

MYTH: "If I mow short, it will be longer until I have to mow again." False! Wrong! (SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!) Your grass needs grass blades to do photosynthesis (convert sunshine into sugar) to feed the roots. When you whack the blades off, the grass has to RACE to make more blades to make sugar. It then grows amazingly fast. This fast growth uses up a lot of the grass's stored sugar, and weakens the plant. It is now vulnerable to disease and pests! Tall grass is healthier and can use the extra sugar to make rhizomes (more grass plants) thus thickening the turf. Have you ever noticed that short grass in the summer is always riddled with dead brown patches?

If you have a serious weed infestation, consider mowing twice as frequently as you normally do. The sensitive growing point for grass is near the soil. The sensitive growing point for most weeds is near the top of the plant. So when you mow, it's as if you are giving your grass a haircut and cutting the heads off of the weeds.

Finally, when mowing, be sure to leave the clippings on the lawn. It adds organic matter and nutrients back into the soil. If you don't leave the clippings, your soil will begin to look more like "dirt" than soil. Soon it will be a form of cement that nothing will grow in and you will have the world's most pitiful lawn. Some people are concerned about "clumping" - that only happens when you mow too short or when you don't mow often enough.

Mowing higher gives the following perks:

Check out this pic. Someone started to mow and then I convinced them, as an experiment, to set their mower higher. This pic was taken about six days later as summer is setting in. Can you see the difference?

My lawn care mower of choice? The "Scott's Classic" manual mower. When you mow high, it doesn't take much effort to mow. It is easier with a manual than a heavy, noisy, stinky gas mower. The Scott's Classic is the only manual mower that I know of that can mow three inches. The others top out at 2.5 inches or less. It's at amazon.com.

Update!

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Organic Lawn Care For the Cheap and Lazy

GreenThumb has been making lawns look beautiful, lush and weed free for over 26 years and from its humble beginnings in North Wales, has grown to become Europe's largest lawn care company, with over 210 branches nationwide and a loyal customer base of over 450,000.

Whether you are an existing GreenThumb customer, or visiting our website to find out more about GreenThumb, or lawn care in general, we hope you will find our website full of useful information on how to get the best from your lawn.

Not all lawn care companies are the same, and our lawn experts are fully trained and licensed, not only to treat your lawn, but to be able to offer you the best advice, and the highest standard of customer care and lawn care products, in the country.

If you would like lawn care advice, lawn care tips, or to book a visit from one of our local lawn experts, you can do all this, and more, on-line.

Simply use the tabs along the top of the page, or in the menu bar on the top left of the screen to navigate through the site.

Of course, you can also 'Like' us on Facebook to get access to latest news, tips and competitions.

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GreenThumb: Lawn Care, Lawn Maintenance, Lawn Treatment, Lawn ...

Having a green lawn is a mark of pride for many homeowners. A beautiful, lush, and natural-looking lawn becomes a big part of how they come to define home.

When you consider your own landscaping options, there might be some decisions on whether to hire professional lawn care or if you can do it yourself. This article will outline some of the basic considerations youll face so you can approach do-it-yourself lawn care with confidence.

Every solid project requires a good foundation. The foundation for a good lawn is the soil in which it grows. If you have soil issues, you will have lawn issues. Perform a soil test for your lawn soil. This will give you valuable information on what your soil has and what you need to add to it.

There are do-it-yourself kits available from some lawn care services or lawn and garden shops. The cooperative extension offices in many states will also test soil for free or for a low fee. Private companies also provide kits and testing for a fee. Once you get the results returned, you will see what you may need to add to the soil in order to get the lawn of your dreams.

The type of grass you have in your yard depends on your location. For people living in the hot areas of Florida and other subtropical zones, St. Augustine is likely the local neighborhood favorite. In other areas of the country, there are additional options. Tall fescue or Bermuda are both popular choices in many areas of the country.

If you are aware of the type of grass you have in your yard and are content with its health and the way it looks, simply learn more about how to treat it well. If you are starting fresh, make sure you select a grass that thrives in your geographic area. One good tip is to locate the best-looking lawn in your neighborhood and initiate a conversation with the owner. They can give you a good idea of what types of seed, fertilizer and watering schedules might also work well in your yard.

Most grasses require at least four hours of sunlight every day. If you have an area that doesnt receive that much sun, you still likely have a couple of options to get the lawn you desire.

Find a seed mix that works well in the shade. Many fescue blends, for example, will work very well for you in the shade. That is great news for people that live further north, as well. In the south, St. Augustine is often the grass selected because it grows well in shady areas.

Planting new grass is actually a simple procedure for most homeowners.

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Lawn Care DIY Tips | Lawn Care Do it Yourself

Our goal is to provide top-notch advice that addresses common issues you face when caring for your lawn. We know lawn care is an uphill battle, requiring vigilance and persistence, not to mention a little help from the pros. The resources on our website include helpful articles and tips provided by experts in this field.

This site provides the latest innovations in everything from lawn aeration to selecting the right types of plants for region-specific landscaping. If you're not interested in gardening as a hobby, use the website for no-nonsense tips on lawn maintenance. Our blogger, Katie Elzer-Peters, an expert horticulturist, covers an array of topics including: fertilization techniques, proper equipment, impact of weather, and dealing with pesky weeds.

Simply mowing the yard every once in a while is not enough to keep it at its healthiest and best-looking state. We seek out yard care experts who can provide visitors excellent tips on maintaining their landscaping. Learn how to choose quality lawn companies that will provide professional lawn services to keep your landscape healthy and beautiful.

Homeowners building a lawn and trying to find a grass type that thrives in their part of the country will find helpful articles on seed versus sod, as well as Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Fescue grasses. They'll also get the latest tips on caring for their lawns throughout the year, because healthy lawns need just as much attention in December as they do in April.

Whether you're picking up gardening and landscaping as a new hobby or are simply looking for answers to some simple everyday questions, this is the right place to look. By browsing through the site, you will find a large archive of articles that deal with:

Whether dealing with aeration, weed control, landscaping, gardening, fertilization or simply just watering, we have you covered. Our site provides countless articles illustrating the best ways to care for your lawn, and our topics are nicely organized so that you can find what you're looking for with ease. The perfect lawn is just a click way. Select a category below to get started.

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Lawn Care Tips & Resources | 1-855-617-1389 | LawnCare.net

Keep your lawn looking trimmed and tidy all year with Your Caretakers professional Lawn Mowing and Edging service.

Our qualified crews cut your lawn carefully to a height that wont damage the grass, then dispose of the clippings.

The edges of your paths and garden beds are neatly trimmed, your paths are blown clean and your lawn is left looking better than it ever has before.

Your Caretakers lawn experts can take care of any size lawn, including your front lawn, back lawn and nature strip.

Get your lawn mowed and your edges trimmed as often as you need it; fortnightly, monthly, seasonally or whenever you prefer. With Your Caretaker, theres no need to set each appointment. Just decide how often youd like it done, and well take care of the rest.

Our lawn mowing prices assumes that the length of your grass is no greater than 10cm (4 inches). We can arrange to take care of longer grass for a small additional cost, and by making repeat appointments, your lawn never needs to get out of control again.

If youve got other garden jobs that need attention try our Garden Maintenance service, for pruning, weeding, mulching and more.

To save even more time and money, take advantage of Your Caretakers Outdoor Package, with Lawn Mowing, Garden Maintenance, Bin Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning and Barbecue Cleaning, all booked in one place and paid with one convenient monthly bill.

There are many other packages available, combining your lawn mowing needs with other home services. Or, for all the services you need, create your own custom package.

For expert lawn mowing services in Melbourne, Geelong, Mornington, Bellarine and the Surf Coast, get a quick, free, online quote from Your Caretaker now.

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Lawn Mowing Service | Lawn Care Melbourne

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The patented SlowStop Bollard system, by Impact Recovery Systems, is a revolutionary new rebounding steel pipe bollard that does more than just block access. During a collision, the kinetic energy of the impact is progressively absorbed by an elastomer hidden in the base of the bollard. The post is able to tilt approximately 20 as it progressively absorbs energy, softening the impact. After the impact, the post returns upright, LandArchSpecs

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LandscapeArchitecture.com:The Landscape Architectural Marketplace

Go to a completed landscape project that a landscape architect has designed. Before you visit the site, obtain a plan of the design from the landscape architect if one is available. After completing requirement 1, discuss the following with your merit badge counselor: a. Tell whether the design had separate spaces, a clear path system, and sun and shade variety. b. Discuss how the designated seating, eating, or parking area suited the overall design. c. Explain how the design reflected consideration for the comfort, shelter, and security of the users. d. Discuss how the choice of trees, shrubs, and ground covers used in the project contributed to its appeal and function. Identify five shrubs, five trees, and one ground cover, being sure that you select examples of different shapes, sizes, and textures. With the help of your counselor or a local nursery, choose plants that will grow in your area. Bring pictures of the different planting materials or, if possible, examples of their branches, leaves, or flowers to a troop meeting. Be prepared to tell how you might use each in the design of a landscape. Look at and study a place of worship or school grounds to find the place where most people arrive by bus or car. Show you can do the following: a. Using a measuring tape, measure and draw the entry and its nearby area using a scale of 1/8 inch equal to 1 foot on an 11-by-17 inch piece of paper. Be sure to include the driveway and the wall and door where people enter the school or place of worship. b. Indicate any sidewalks, structures, trees, and plants within the study area. Make a copy of this plan to save the original, then do 4b and 4c using the copies. c. On one copy, use directional arrows to indicate where the water drains across the site, where ditches occur, and where water stands for a longer period of time. Decide how you can make the place safer and more comfortable for those using it. Redesign the area on another copy of the plan. You may want to include new walks, covered waiting areas, benches, space-defining plantings of trees and shrubs, and drainage structures. Find out about three career opportunities in landscape architecture. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you. The text of these requirements is locked and can only be edited by an administrator. Please note any errors found in the above requirements on this article's Talk Page.

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Landscape Architecture - MeritBadgeDotOrg

Find out about the work of landscape architects in this five-minute film

"Landscape architecture is an extraordinary blend of science and art, proposition and thought." Jason Prior

"You never get bored. Everyday is something new. You wake up in the morning with a smile" Mazdak Rohani

Discover landscape architecture the creative profession which combines art, science, design and the environment.

If you are thinking about what to study at university or looking for a career change we can help you find courses.

Find out what A levels you need, see the kinds of work youll do when you find a job and hear from landscape architects about why they enjoy what they do.

Browse through the site and look at projects in landscape architecture old and new then contact us so we can help you with the next steps once you have decided I want to be a landscape architect.

What does it take to be a Landscape Architect?

Click on the button above to hear interviews with landscape architects talking about their careers. To watch the videos on this site, you will need flash player on your computer.

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I want to be a Landscape Architect

To create and foster a social network of homeowners and landscape professionals who share their yards with those searching for inspiration for their own yard projects. These yards and pictures should be categorized and easily searchable so that visitors looking for landscaping ideas, garden ideas, or DIY help in their front yard or backyard can quickly find the exact inspiration they are seeking.

To further highlight the yards shared by the community, YardShare will publish Yard Ideas articles on landscaping, gardening and landscape design topics using member's yards and pictures as examples.

After a homeowner receives inspiration on YardShare for their own yard, we hope that the homeowner will "pay it forward" and share their landscaping or garden project on YardShare so that they may provide inspiration to another homeowner looking for landscaping and garden ideas. Through this evolution of the sharing process, YardShare will continue to grow and evolve as a social network dedicated to those passionate about their outdoor spaces.

I invite you to help us Knock Down Fences by joining YardShare and spreading the word about our Mission.

- Bryan Powell, Founder and CYS (Chief Yard Sharer)

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YardShare - Landscaping Ideas > Pictures > Front Yard > Garden ...

Front yard landscaping ideas can include many areas. Planting beds, driveways, walkways, privacy, and types of plants to use are just a few. Here you will find many ideas and tips to help you with your design.

Front Yard Landscaping Ideas For Color

Your front yard presents to the world your home and a bit about you. It is the one people see as they walk and drive by. It is the one you see each and every day.

It also presents itself to your family and guests. So it is important to have it make you feel good and smile. When you drive up to it or walk outside your door it should look great to you. Your landscape should welcome you with attractive plantings, a nice driveway, and a comfortable walkway.

Slideshow

Please Enjoy These Front Yard Designs

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Adding color along driveway entry

Colorful front plantings viewed from street

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Creative Front Yard Landscaping ideas - Landscape Design Advice