Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Compost a vital ingridiant for successfull topdressing
A series of pointers to start and maintain a compost pile taken from the www.topdressing.biz topdressing educational web pages.
Compost consists mainly of dead organic matter and is used as a natural source of nutrition for plants and gardens. Organic compost can revamp most problems you have with your soil such as soil acidity, the addition of compost will aid to neutralize and adjust it to proper pH level. If your soil is too alkaline, the same reaction will occur. Compost will balance the alkalinity of your soil. Don't just add lime if your compost is used for plants that need more acid soils. Here are a few examples that need acid soils: mountain laurel, blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons and potatoes, just to mention a few. Compost additives such as lime should only be used as an option (depending on the requirements of the plant stocks needs) rather than mandatory.
Pile
Too small of a compost piles will slow down the the favorable decomposition. A pile must consist of a minimum amount of organic material before rapid decomposition can occur. You will need at least 3-4 feet-by-3-4 feet and 4-5 feet tall. The amount of rain or a drought will greatly affect the necessary decomposition results of your new compost pile. If you have a too dry pile, you can help it along with the garden hose to moisten pile. On the other hand due not apply too much water. A too wet of a pile will not decompose properly either and could create many undesirable odors.
Compost consists mainly of dead organic matter and is used as a natural source of nutrition for plants and gardens. Organic compost can revamp most problems you have with your soil such as soil acidity, the addition of compost will aid to neutralize and adjust it to proper pH level. If your soil is too alkaline, the same reaction will occur. Compost will balance the alkalinity of your soil. Don't just add lime if your compost is used for plants that need more acid soils. Here are a few examples that need acid soils: mountain laurel, blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons and potatoes, just to mention a few. Compost additives such as lime should only be used as an option (depending on the requirements of the plant stocks needs) rather than mandatory.
Pile
Too small of a compost piles will slow down the the favorable decomposition. A pile must consist of a minimum amount of organic material before rapid decomposition can occur. You will need at least 3-4 feet-by-3-4 feet and 4-5 feet tall. The amount of rain or a drought will greatly affect the necessary decomposition results of your new compost pile. If you have a too dry pile, you can help it along with the garden hose to moisten pile. On the other hand due not apply too much water. A too wet of a pile will not decompose properly either and could create many undesirable odors.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Topdressing News or Tips
Topdressing, what is this? For a detailed education see www.topdressing.biz.
Well over the next few weeks we will explore this natural lawn care process. Topdressing is one of the most important, yet most neglected practices in greens maintenance, sports fields, turf race tracks and just in regular lawn maintenance as a whole. Topdressing is a process by which we apply a very thin (but no less than 1/8" – 1-2”) layer of sand, compost or topsoil to a lawn without having to completely re-seed the area. Topdressing also is adding a layer of compatible soil over the thatch, which adds microorganisms to help in breakdown. If the thatch is higher than 2” we recommend to remove it and add it to your compost pile, for future topdressing needs.
Soil
Soil testing labs can perform a particle size analysis to determine what type of soil composition you have and what you need to improve the soil structure via the topdressing process. Soil test should be performed (for P, K, Ca, Mg and lime needs) at least once yearly on any natural lawn care maintained lawn surface, commercially or home turf . Your installer of the topdressing procedure will determine www.i-cut-large-lawns.com the soil type, type of grass, management level, frequency of rain, temperatures, wind and humidity all affect the amount of water needed for your lawn surface. Desired topdress gradations for a specific annual program varies depending upon the existing soil texture, climate zone and specific topdressing project requirements.
Lawn
Topdressing alone does not suffice; here are some other aspects to consider. Lawn mower blades should be kept razor sharp, even the home owner should sharpen the blade more than once a year. Lawn Rolling does more damage than good by rolling a healthy, established lawn, because it adds to the compactation effect. A thick naturally maintained healthy lawn: Creates large quantities of oxygen. This improves the Removal of dioxides and emissions from the air and helps Reduce noise pollution. Can reduce ground temperature and air temperature by up to 7o F. The well topdressed lawn reduces soil erosion. The healthy lawn surface can filter out most groundwater pollutants and discourages broad leafs weeds growth and insects. A sharp blade also reduces early deterioration of your lawn mower engine and will increase your mowers (especially the prices are going upright now) gas efficiency.
Mowing
Mowing practices and of other practices such as frequency of mowing, is required for a well maintained topdressed lawn surface. Proper mowing (blade hight) will have tremendous effect on the appearance of a lawn. During mid-summer heat stress the blades should be raised to 3/16- or 1/4-inch mowing heights. If you don't have the time to do it contact www.do-it-now-landscaping.com
Fertilizer
The "art" of topdressing seems to have been lost since the widespread use of commercial fertilizers, pesticides and mechanical aerifiers. Topdressing for warm weather grass types consists of coarse sand, inert organic humus and if necessary some inorganic fertilizer.
Material
The sand, soil or compost that is selected for topdressing should be of the similar particle size or slightly coarser than the lawn area to be topdressed. The proper topdressing material for any given application is often dependent upon the drainage design and available materials but if ever possible add some organic originated soil enhancement; such as humus.
For the areas of the world, in the absence of snow heavy winter topdressing is the next best choice for preventing winter desiccation. The results of this study indicate that light monthly topdressing is preferable to semiannual topdressing for maintaining quality turf. Topdressing is a with crumb rubber products must be taken under the loop because Zinc is used in the original manufacturing of tires and can leave toxic levels in the soil. Proceed with caution.
Well over the next few weeks we will explore this natural lawn care process. Topdressing is one of the most important, yet most neglected practices in greens maintenance, sports fields, turf race tracks and just in regular lawn maintenance as a whole. Topdressing is a process by which we apply a very thin (but no less than 1/8" – 1-2”) layer of sand, compost or topsoil to a lawn without having to completely re-seed the area. Topdressing also is adding a layer of compatible soil over the thatch, which adds microorganisms to help in breakdown. If the thatch is higher than 2” we recommend to remove it and add it to your compost pile, for future topdressing needs.
Soil
Soil testing labs can perform a particle size analysis to determine what type of soil composition you have and what you need to improve the soil structure via the topdressing process. Soil test should be performed (for P, K, Ca, Mg and lime needs) at least once yearly on any natural lawn care maintained lawn surface, commercially or home turf . Your installer of the topdressing procedure will determine www.i-cut-large-lawns.com the soil type, type of grass, management level, frequency of rain, temperatures, wind and humidity all affect the amount of water needed for your lawn surface. Desired topdress gradations for a specific annual program varies depending upon the existing soil texture, climate zone and specific topdressing project requirements.
Lawn
Topdressing alone does not suffice; here are some other aspects to consider. Lawn mower blades should be kept razor sharp, even the home owner should sharpen the blade more than once a year. Lawn Rolling does more damage than good by rolling a healthy, established lawn, because it adds to the compactation effect. A thick naturally maintained healthy lawn: Creates large quantities of oxygen. This improves the Removal of dioxides and emissions from the air and helps Reduce noise pollution. Can reduce ground temperature and air temperature by up to 7o F. The well topdressed lawn reduces soil erosion. The healthy lawn surface can filter out most groundwater pollutants and discourages broad leafs weeds growth and insects. A sharp blade also reduces early deterioration of your lawn mower engine and will increase your mowers (especially the prices are going upright now) gas efficiency.
Mowing
Mowing practices and of other practices such as frequency of mowing, is required for a well maintained topdressed lawn surface. Proper mowing (blade hight) will have tremendous effect on the appearance of a lawn. During mid-summer heat stress the blades should be raised to 3/16- or 1/4-inch mowing heights. If you don't have the time to do it contact www.do-it-now-landscaping.com
Fertilizer
The "art" of topdressing seems to have been lost since the widespread use of commercial fertilizers, pesticides and mechanical aerifiers. Topdressing for warm weather grass types consists of coarse sand, inert organic humus and if necessary some inorganic fertilizer.
Material
The sand, soil or compost that is selected for topdressing should be of the similar particle size or slightly coarser than the lawn area to be topdressed. The proper topdressing material for any given application is often dependent upon the drainage design and available materials but if ever possible add some organic originated soil enhancement; such as humus.
For the areas of the world, in the absence of snow heavy winter topdressing is the next best choice for preventing winter desiccation. The results of this study indicate that light monthly topdressing is preferable to semiannual topdressing for maintaining quality turf. Topdressing is a with crumb rubber products must be taken under the loop because Zinc is used in the original manufacturing of tires and can leave toxic levels in the soil. Proceed with caution.
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