Category Archives: Lawn Care Tips

You know that mowing your lawn is one of the best and quickest ways to help it look maintained, cared for, and plain old better. But did you also know your mowing habits contribute to your grass’ overall health and resilience?

If you didn’t mow or only mowed very rarely, grass would actually begin to decline. It would thin, lay down, sprout flowers and just look bad. Mowing actually helps a lawn to grow thicker which prevents weeds and drying.

However, mowing too closely can have just as negative of effects as not mowing at all. It can decrease root growth, and make it more susceptible to weather and pests. Severely short or scalped grass can almost stop growing until recovering, causing extreme stress and an unhealthy, and if severely scalped, ugly, appearance. Also, cutting too much grass off at once is an unhealthy practice. Try to never cut more than 1/3 of the overall height at a time. Allow 4 days of recovery before re-mowing to remove more height if needed.  Most grasses should be kept at 2-3 inches tall. Some warm season grasses however, should be cut closer to 1 inch high. Knowing your specific variety of grass will help you determine the best height to keep your lawn.

Mowing shouldn’t be something scheduled but should be done when the grass is at the preferred height for mowing, removing only up to 1/3 of the overall height. Scheduling the mowing will sometimes cause you to waste time mowing over grass without cutting much off and other times may remove far more height than preferred depending on growing conditions.

Another consideration is the direction you mow the lawn. This should be varied to decrease compaction where the tires tread and also to prevent the grass from leaning in one specific direction. Also, overlap each pass by a few inches to make sure you get the best coverage with no missed areas.

Only mow when grass is dry. Avoid watering or wait after a rainstorm until grass dries. Mowing wet grass isn’t only bad for your mower; it can mat the grass and will almost always cut unevenly. Having dull blades on your mower can also cause uneven cutting or even rip grass, causing much more damage than help.

Developing good mowing habits will save a lot of work in the long run. Grass will be thicker and healthier and your lawn will appear dense and beautiful.  It will require less watering and have fewer weeds. Mowing correctly is one of the easiest changes to make for a more beautiful lawn.

Getting your yard for spring

Although grass, trees, and shrubs aren’t actively growing during winter, the can still be damaged. Taking proper care during the winter months to protect your lawn and foliage can help it green sooner and remain healthier come spring and summer. VIRIDIS Lawn Care of Salt Lake City offers some common winter trials and ways to help alleviate the damage.

One of the most damaging conditions, especially for trees and shrubs, is overly dry winter weather. Some plants never recover if the winter is too cold and dry. Protects your plants by watering well in late fall, before the ground freezes, so your plants can absorb and store water. Also, using mulch around plants can help lock moisture in and protect against excessive cold.

Typically, plants should be able to recover from low temperatures as long as the root system is protected. Exposed roots or far below average temperatures can cause irreparable damage to your plants. Early freezes can also cause harm to your plants which may still be growing but they will unlikely sustain permanent damage. Mulch and windbreaks can mitigate some of these harsh conditions but the best way to avoid this issue is to start with plants suited to your growing conditions and environment.

Often, you won’t notice the damage or the extent of the damage your landscape received until spring. Pruning dead branches from trees can help them produce live, healthy growth again. Always continue to water and tend to plants until certain they cannot be saved. Often they will surprise you by bouncing back.  Reseeding or over seeding lawns can help reestablish new growth and thicken up any thinning that may have been caused by harsh winter conditions.

Turning to a professional lawn care service is often your best bet for insuring your lawn goes into winter prepared and comes out if it healthy and ready for new growth. Call VIRIDIS Lawn Care today for your free estimate so we can help you have the healthy, beautiful landscaping you desire, no matter what the weather conditions.

While we all love our beautiful, green lawns, keeping them where they belong can sometimes be a nuisance. No one wants their grass taking over their flower or vegetable gardens but what can be done to prevent it? VIRIDIS Lawn Care can help you determine the best way for you to keep your lawn in check so your gardens can flourish, unhindered by grass. Below are a few different ideas on how to separate your landscaping.

Since most problems with grass getting into gardens is due to the nature of grass spreading underground, using raised beds for flower or vegetable gardening can easily reduce or eliminate grass in these gardens. Elevating them off the ground or laying a protective covering down before filling with mulch and dirt can keep the grass from entering your garden.

Use an edging material such as steel, fiberglass, vinyl or plastic that is made specifically for keeping grass out. Many are not tall enough to entirely keep grass from growing underneath but can definitely slow and reduce the grass that reaches your garden. Install this material properly, making sure to dig deeply enough to set it in nearly its full height. Leave some above the ground or the grass may grow right over it. Ideally, it should be set at least 4 inches underground with a minimum of 1 inch left above ground. This can be covered with rock, brick, or most anything else to add a more finished or decorative look but by themselves, these more attractive materials are insufficient to keep grass in check.

Another alternative involves trenching. One method of trenching, referred to as the “English border,” creates a barrier that is more attractive than other trenching methods. Simply dig along the border between your grass and bed, creating a straight cut on the lawn side and throw the dirt up onto the bed, causing it to slope downward to the bottom of the trench.  This “gap” is easily maintained, looks crisp, and best of all, prohibits grass and weed growth.

A similar approach involves digging a larger trench, about 6 inches deep and 4 inches wide. Then fill the gap with shredded newspaper mixed with water. You should force in as much as possible. Weeds and grass will be unable to grow through this for up to a year. It can be covered with mulch or rocks, etc. in order to improve the appearance. This alternative is also environmentally friendly as newspaper decomposes whereas similar edging method materials are often made of plastics. It, however, will need redone every spring.

Keeping a separation between lawn and garden can improve your landscape’s appearance and your flower and vegetable’s health. Keeping the grass where it belongs will insure you can have all the enjoyment from your home you desire.

Maintaining a professional looking lawn can be a lot of work. VIRIDIS Lawn Care of Utah can help. Below we’ll explain one of the easiest ways to take your lawn from looking good to looking great.

Edging around flowerbeds, driveways, sidewalks, etc. can vastly improve the appearance of your lawn. There are various techniques and tools that can be used for different areas of your landscape.

Edger

A power operated edger is a tool specifically designed to follow along the edges of your walkways and driveway to cut a perfectly straight and evenly spaced line. They are typically fairly easy to use and accomplish the job quickly.

Weedwacker

Weedwackers are also a great way to edge around straight areas. By turning them on their side and following along the border to trim, you can achieve great results without having to rent, borrow, hire or buy an edger.

Manual Edger

This half circle tool, similar to a shovel, has a lip insure uniform cut levels. It can be plunged straight down into the ground near the edge you are trimming until the lip hits the soil and used to loosen the dirt and grass before you pull or shovel it out. These edgers will need sharpened occasionally to keep them working effectively. They are the most effective edger for curves around beds or walkways.

When using any power operated edging tool, be sure to hold it level and use your body to move it rather than your arms to insure you keep it level. Try to walk on the driveway or sidewalk you are edging around to keep from cutting into the lawn and to maintain the same edge every time you trim it.

With all edging techniques, proceed with care and caution. Go slowly to make sure you are cutting a smooth, straight line rather than speeding through resulting in a choppy appearance. Edging before mowing can help you effectively mow near your borders and walkways. Once all areas have been edged, they can be much more easily maintained and will cut down on the time you spend making your lawn look professionally groomed. They will only need to be re-cut when growth becomes noticeable again.

Edging can prevent your sidewalks from cracking and borders from rising out of the ground. It will also take your lawn from looking cared for to looking professionally manicured and at VIRIDIS Lawn Care of Salt Lake City Utah, we want you to have the very best lawn and landscape.

Most landscapes aren’t perfect. Though we wish they were, every lawn has difficult areas. Shade, animal homes or pathways, and soil types, to name a few culprits, can cause certain parts of your lawn to suffer. While there are steps you can take to improve these difficult places, there are other options available. Rather than struggling year after year to rehabilitate these areas, we at VIRIDIS Lawn Care want to help by explaining other landscaping options for these areas.

Create Pathways

Intentional pathways can help beautify any area that is often trampled, whether by pets or people. Lawn struggles under constant wear. Even healthy, well cared for grass can begin to look worn and haggard if over-used. Rather than having a patchy trail in your grass, intentionally create a path out of pavers, stones, concrete, or gravel for a few examples. Having a designated walking path can help your landscape look maintained rather than damaged.

Use Appropriate Plants

Accepting that some plants are more suited to certain conditions than others can simplify your life and greatly reduce the time and effort put into your lawn. Whether shady or sunny, wet or dry, clay or sandy soil, these difficult conditions have plants suited to thrive there. Researching different grass types can help you have varieties that will grow in your specific conditions. Perhaps even replacing portions of lawn with shrubs, flower beds, or rock gardens is the right move for simplifying and beautifying your landscape.

Use Edging

Whether around a garden or flower bed, edging can greatly reduce the struggle of keeping lawn where it belongs. Placing edging that is buried at least 4 inches deep and stands above ground at least an inch can help keep grass from encroaching on your beds. This can then be covered with more attractive edging such as rocks, bricks, etc.  In a different sense, edging, or trimming, around sidewalks, driveways, and property lines can sharpen your landscape’s appearance and help preserve the concrete or pavement. Over time, grass will try to grow over and around these areas. Edging around them will keep grass where it belongs!

Considering these options when addressing your landscaping concerns will save you money and effort in the long run and may just give you a more attractive and unique landscape. No matter your trouble area and its cause, VIRIDIS Lawn Care of Salt Lake wants to help you fix it so you can be surrounded by the beauty you deserve.