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Starting a landscape is no easy task. Not only does it take lots of time and planning, it can be very expensive. Even very simple landscaping can cost a great deal. After spending so much time, effort, and money on creating a beautiful landscape, doesn’t it make sense to maintain that beauty? Maintenance is easier than reforming an overgrown, struggling landscape and can save a lot of money in new plants and grass seed.  Below, we at VIRIDIS will explain a few of the costs associated with starting a new lawn and why it makes sense to invest in maintaining that investment rather than try to fix problems once they appear.

While there are many different methods of starting a lawn, whether by seed or sod, hiring a professional or doing it yourself, the cost can still be significant. According to Home Advisor, members report an average cost of over $800 to start a lawn from sod in the Salt Lake area.  This is less than the national average of $1,700 but still a substantial chunk of change.  The cost rises if you have hills and slopes, irregularly shaped lawns, other obstacles such as beds or trees, a large size lawn, or upgrade the sod grade (quality). Of course, installing the sod yourself could decrease costs but some advantages of hiring a professional include their ability to hide seams, work with difficult areas of your landscape, provide and run equipment, and save you time.  Sometimes, renting necessary equipment might cost you as much as hiring the professional.  But if you have the equipment, time, and energy, laying your own sod could save you up to half the cost of installation.

In addition to the grass itself, many people install a sprinkler system on their new lawn. This saves the hassle of hauling around hoses and sprinklers and insures a much more even water coverage, not to mention, can save you money in the long run. However, this is another very high cost associated with starting a lawn. According to Home Advisor, members report an average cost of almost $3,500 to install sprinklers in the Salt Lake area.  This is more than the national average of almost $2,500 by $1,000!  So while you might spend less on the actual grass than the national average, you will make up for it if you decide on sprinklers.  These costs can also rise based on your unique landscape and the quality of parts you chose.

Most of you have already paid these costs to create your beautiful homes. Wouldn’t it make sense to hire a professional such as VIRIDIS Lawn Care of Salt Lake City to help protect that investment? With our fertilizer application, pest control treatment, aeration services, disease control, over seeding service, and more, we are perfectly equipped to prevent problems, repair problems, and protect your investment from whatever may come. We take pride in our work and enjoy seeing a beautiful, healthy lawn stay that way. Call us today to find out how we can help you protect your investment.

Watering a lawn seems pretty straight forward – put a hose or sprinklers on some grass and let them run. However, correctly watering a lawn for optimal growth, health, and aesthetics is a little more involved.  While most turf grasses are pretty durable, they thrive under specific watering schedules and amounts. VIRIDIS Lawn Care of Salt Lake City, Utah wants to help you know the best way to water your lawn so it not only looks great but grows great as well.

Watering deeply and less often will help grass develop stronger and deeper roots. Shallow, frequent watering will keep the root system growing only at the surface of the soil which will cause a lawn to quickly dry out in hot, dry conditions and encourage weeds to flourish. However, going overboard and nearly drowning your lawn can cause mold and diseases as well as waste resources and money. Any pooling water or runoff is a sign of overwatering. Rather than turn sprinklers on the whole lawn for a small dry or browning area, use a hose or other method to water only the area in need. Use a screwdriver or other long, thin metal rod inserted into the ground to determine how deeply the water has soaked. It will insert easily into damp ground. Water should reach at least 6 inches deep considering most common lawn grasses can grow roots 1 foot deep or more. It should not be kept at this constant wet state though. Grass roots need oxygen and can only receive it if the ground is allowed to dry out between waterings.

Knowing when to water your lawn is important also and varies based on environmental conditions. Sight is the best way to determine when grass is in need of watering. The older blades of grass will begin to curl and footprints will remain visible longer. The color of the blades may also change dependent on the variety of grass. Early morning watering is preferable to any other time of day. The sun is less hot, the wind often hasn’t kicked up, and the grass has the day to absorb and use the water whereas night watering can cause mildew. However, during extreme bouts of heat and drought, night watering would be preferable as mildew wouldn’t have an opportunity to grow and it would prevent evaporation. Afternoon watering is the worst as it wastes a lot of water through evaporation. Keeping grass mowed to 2 ½ – 3 inches (or longer during droughts) will help it shade its roots and reduce evaporation. Also, allowing clippings to fall back into the lawn will self-fertilize and reduce the need for water.

Following these guidelines will help you keep green in your landscape and green in your wallet. Your grass will be stronger, healthier, and more drought resistant and you will do less to keep it there.