The pH of the soil in your garden and lawn is very important because, depending on its value, you can grow or not the plants and grass you love.

You often hear that some plants need acidic soils, while others, on the contrary, need alkaline soil. How can you be sure about what type of soil you have in your garden? Simple: by testing its pH.

Don`t worry, you do not have to be a chemist to do this. Generally, soil`s pH ranges from 4 to 8; beyond these values, ​​it is virtually impossible for plants to survive. Therefore, soils with pH above 7, as well as those whose pH value that falls below 5, need corrections.

To determine the exact soil`s pH in your garden and lawn, you can send samples to a lab or buy a kit to test the soil yourself. However, both of these procedures can be costly, but you also have a simple and inexpensive alternative. Test the soil in just a few minutes, using two easy-to-find substances: wine vinegar and sodium bicarbonate. Take a soil sample in a container and add half a cup of wine vinegar over it. If you notice air bubbles or the earth sizzles in the contact with vinegar, your garden soil is alkaline, with a pH higher than 7.  The soil needs to be conditioned with fertilizers that balance the pH, this will help eliminate the brown patches on lawn and the slow growth of shrubs and plants.

First Seen here: How To Test Your Soil’s pH

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The average temperature in Colorado is 72 degrees a year, so the lawn planted in the yards across the state must be rather suitable for cool weather. However not all cool season grasses can be planted successfully here, because there are individual particularities for each lawn.

Read on about the most common grass planted successfully on Colorado lawns.

Kentucky Bluegrass

This type of grass is very tolerant and sturdy, which makes it resistant to damage. However, it also forms a lot of thatch, therefore aeration is necessary once a year. Kentucky Bluegrass is also disease and insect prone, so you will likely have to work on eliminating these pests.

Perennial ryegrass

This is another tough types of grass, suitable for yards with foot traffic. It maintains its vibrant green all year long and it does not form as much thatch as the Kentucky bluegrass.  Perennial ryegrass will grow even in poorly drained soil.

Fine-balanced Fescues

Fescues prefer shady areas, so it is ideal for lawns that are not exposed to the sun all day long. This grass needs very little moisture and fertilizer to flourish and is the perfect drought tolerant grass for states that lack of moisture.

Buffalo grass

This type of grass is not the prettiest, but it can survive at high elevations in Colorado.

Originally Posted on: What Grass Is Good For Colorado Lawns?

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Proper mowing, weeding and fertilization are the three secrets to a lush green lawn. Out of the three techniques, fertilization is the process that is probably the most complex, that needs careful evaluation of the lawn in terms of the dominant grass variety, the climate conditions and the times when the substance of choice is applied. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your lawn fertilization efforts by timing the process:

• Start in late spring – the best time to start fertilizing your lawn with an organic lawn care fertilizer is in April,usually during the second half of the month, when the temperature of the soil is above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. As fertilizers encourage the development of the leaves, applying the substance when the soil is still cold and the plants focus on strengthening their roots would result in weaker roots and weaker leaves as well;
• Apply fertilizer two more times during the growing season as well – fertilizing your lawn once around the middle of the season and once around the end of it should be enough for keeping your grass strong, healthy and green all season around. Whatever fertilizer you use, always make sure to follow the instructions on the label of the fertilizer.

Originally Posted on: When Should You Apply Fertilizer on Your Lawn

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Brown patches on the lawn are among the most common lawn-related problems. Caused by the proliferation of fungi, the brown circles and patches appear and thrive in hot and moist environments, such as excessively watered lawns or after periods when the weather is rainy and hot at the same time.

There are several methods and tricks that you can use to get rid of brown patches – here are some:

• Use a brown patch lawn treatment product – there are many suitable products available in garden stores. If the weather is dry and sunny, the products take about 4 weeks to cure your lawn;
• Use proper lawn mowing technique – mow early in the morning to allow the grass to dry properly until the humidity in the air rises in the evening. Don’t mow your grass too short, but don’t leave it too long either – both extremes can be harmful for your lawn – and remove the grass clippings from the lawn right after mowing to prevent trapped-in moisture from helping the fungus spread.  Use great lawn care products to enrich the roots of your lawn;
• Over-seed with a lawn variety that is more resistant to brown patch disease – just throw the new seeds on the lawn, they will gradually replace the old, more sensitive grass variety.

Originally Posted right here: Tips for Getting Rid of Brown Patches in Your Lawn

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Pet urine, especially the urine of dogs, is among the worst enemies of healthy grass, leaving brown spots in grass and hard to green up – a problem that is especially frustrating for proud pet owners who would like to reconcile their love for animals with their wish to have strong, healthy, green lawn.

The reason why pet urine is harmful for lawns is the high contents of minerals and other elements found in the liquid. While nitrogen is an essential element for any plant, the excessive amount of nitrogen that the plants are bombarded with whenever pets leave their urine on the lawn is highly damaging. Pet urine contains high amounts of salts as well as substances that can change the pH of the soil – a process that inevitably kills the grass.

Luckily, there are several solutions at the disposal of pet owners who want to have healthy lawns, too:

• Dogs can be trained to refrain from urinating on the lawn;
• The grass in the areas that are frequently visited by pets can be replaced with more resistant plants, such as clover;
• The owner can create a pet-friendly landscape that has delimited areas that pets have access to and areas covered in grass that pets are kept away from.

Originally Posted over here: Why Does Pet Urine Damage Grass

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Lawn fertilization is an ongoing process that should start in spring, when soil temperature reaches 55 degrees Fahrenheit, that is, when grass starts growing and lilacs start blooming.

While many lawn owners still think that the best way to ensure that their lawn grows strong and beautiful quickly is to apply the fertilizer first thing in spring, when the snow has just melted and nature starts to show the first signs of coming back to life. In fact, early fertilization can cause more harm than good. When the soil is just starting to warm up and the grass is starting to live again after long months of vegetative state, the plants first put all their energy into strengthening and growing roots to prepare for themselves a strong base that can survive whatever weather will come along during the upcoming year. If you add fertilizer in this early stage of development, you will divert the plant’s energy from growing strong roots to growing leaves.

Whether you choose synthetic fertilizer or organic from Revive of Colorado , make sure to apply it when the temperature conditions are right – in most geographic regions, the soil reaches the temperature specified above during the second half of April. Repeat the fertilization a couple of times during the peak season, too and your lawn will surely stay beautiful all year around.

First Posted right here: How and When to Start Fertilizing Your Lawn in Spring

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