1) Plant a shade tree on the southwest side of your house. When it matures, it will reduce your home’s need for air
conditioning.
2) Maintain your lawn at a height of 2 ½” to 3”, and you’ll
use less herbicide; shorter lawns invite more weeds.
Long grass also shades the soil and reduce the
amount of water needed.
3) Kill weeds in sidewalks, driveways and between pavers
using full strength white vinegar instead of a
chemical herbicide.
4) Put rain barrels beneath your downspouts and use
the water for your containers and gardens.
5) Add mulch to your landscape and garden beds to
reduce water use.
6) Use a water timer on hoses and sprinklers to avoid
over-or under-watering.
7) Buy solar powered outdoor lighting, birdbaths and
fountains to reduce electricity use.
8) Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to deliver water
directly to a plant’s root zone.
9) Build or buy bat houses for natural insect control.
Bats eat many more insects than birds eat.
10) Plant a tall evergreen hedge on the north side of your home to cut heating bills up to 34% in windswept
regions and 10% in sheltered areas.
Before You Mow
If you didn’t sharpen the blade of your
lawn mower last winter, get it
sharpened now, before you mow. A
dull blade rips the grass blade, and as
a result, the end of the blade turns
brown giving your lawn a yellow cast. Sharp blades cut the grass and cause less leaf damage and minimum yellowing.Set your lawn mower at a height of 3” for optimum results.
Like all plants, the top growth has a direct correlation to the depth of the root zone. Keeping grass at 3” provides enough food producing green growth to maintain a healthy lawn. Taller grass cools the soil, conserves water and, best of all, chokes out weeds. Mowing should be done often and no more than a third of the grass blade should be removed. If you have a healthy lawn and mow it often, don’t bag the clippings. Left on the lawn,
they provide nutrients and lots of organic material.
Seeding the Lawn
If you have lawn areas that are thin on grass, this month is an ideal time to get grass seed to germinate. The following chart shows how many square feet can be covered with a pound
of grass seed.
New lawn
Over-seeding
Bluegrass
500-600 sq. ft.
1000-1200 sq. ft.
Other grasses
300-350 sq. ft.
600-700 sq. ft.
When purchasing grass seed make sure
it is a mix of many kinds of seed. Choose
mixes that have bluegrasses, perennial
rye grasses and fescue grass seeds. The
more variety, the less likely it is that a
disease will take out the whole lawn. If
you have areas that get salt damaged,
use Boulevard Mix, a grass mix that
tolerates salt more than other
grass mixes.
Container Success
For the best results when planting flowers in pots, always use fresh potting soil, never soil from the yard or garden. Garden soil is simply too heavy for most plants. The soil in container gardens gets watered more often than soil in the garden. That compacts the soil and drives out the air the plant roots need. Good potting soil (like Bachman’s brand) contains peat moss, which doesn’t compact during the growing season. It allows air to get to the root zone and healthy roots means healthy top growth and more blooms. Over time, even great potting soil tends to compact, so change the soil every season. You don’t have to dump the soil in the trash. You can put it in the garden if you haven’t
had any disease problems.
Flowers and gifts from Bachman’s make any day a special one. When you order your flowers or gifts online, you know you’ll be getting a beautiful fresh floral arrangement from a trusted florist known for outstanding floral design, plus quality and service.
If you’re sending flowers or gifts out of town, you can rely on us to choose the best florist from either the FTD or Teleflora nationwide flower network. Florists who can be counted on to deliver the best fresh floral arrangements and gifts, even when doing a same day delivery.
