One Key to a Vibrant Lawn - Tulsa Sprinkler Systems

Of course, we all want a green, vibrant lawn for the summer. How can you attain lawn excellence in the Oklahoma heat? One key step to having a great lawn is an effective Tulsa sprinkler system.

First, why do you need an automatic sprinkler system for your lawn? Well, there are many benefits…

As opposed to a hose-end water sprinkler, an automatic sprinkler system alleviates the hassle of moving the sprinkler to various areas and timing how long you’ve watered. You can simply set a schedule for when and how much to water in each lawn care zone.

The control you have with an automatic sprinkler system helps you save water and thus save money. Smart irrigation controllers can automatically determine the proper amount of water needed with the help of ET weather sensors and adjust daily run times for specific areas of the lawn, reducing water usage by one third or more. ET weather sensors measure evapotranspiration rates of the lawn. They transmit on-site weather conditions from your lawn to the controller, which then changes the amount of water applied to the lawn. Different areas of the lawn can be separated into different zones with their own watering schedules. With these precise systems, you can reduce as much as half of your lawn water consumption while preventing either under or over-watering of your lawn.

Because of recurrent droughts in the state, water conservation has become an even greater concern in recent years. With these automatic sprinkler systems in Tulsa, you can easily comply with any water restrictions in the city or neighborhood. The system can be simply programmed to adapt to all these changing factors.

With zones of your lawn receiving individual watering schedules, your lawn can be much healthier and more vibrant. Individualizing irrigation to the needs of each precise area can help each area be considerably healthier. Shrubs, trees, flowerbeds, and different areas of the lawn with different moisture needs will receive just the amount of water they need. Again, this not only helps your lawn look great but also reduces lawn care costs.

While an unobserved leak in a hose-end sprinkler can be costly and harm your turf from overwatering, professional irrigation systems in Tulsa allow the irrigation company to quickly detect and resolve any irrigation issues with remote diagnostics. A professional system means you also have a professional team of Tulsa lawn care and irrigation specialists to assist you in knowing the best irrigation practices for your particular lawn and someone to check and sustain your system, keeping it at its optimal performance.

An automatic sprinkler system gives you a nice amount of advantages over manual sprinklers while saving you money, time, and frustration. Call Oklahoma Landscape for more information on the best sprinkler system for your Tulsa lawn.

Entertaining in Your Tulsa Outdoor Environment - Tips for Memorial Day Weekend

Entertaining in your Tulsa outdoor environment this Memorial Day weekend? As the unofficial start of the summer season, many will be starting the grill and relaxing outside with family and friends as they celebrate the holiday. Check out these tips to aid in entertaining in style.

Check to see if your pool is ready! As the start of summer, many will be opening their pool for the first time this season. Make sure your pool is safe, clean, and properly maintained so that everyone can have a enjoyable time in the water. Check out our blog article on pool maintenance and cleaning for tips on how to get it ready for guests.

You bring it, we grill it. Outdoor kitchens. A Tulsa outdoor kitchen makes cooking and entertaining easy and fun. Instead of providing all the hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken or fish, tell guests that if they bring it, you’ll grill it! You’ll have a greater variety of foods at your picnic, and you won’t have to figure out what everyone likes, or worry as much about guests’ dietary restrictions (some could even bring veggies to grill). They’ll have brought what they like and can eat. Then, you just have to provide the sides and drinks.

Easy snacks. A built-in mini fridge is one of the numerous features of an outdoor kitchen that make it perfect for entertaining. With the days starting to warm up in Tulsa, keeping cool beverages close will be essential. The refrigerator in your outdoor kitchen will be ideal for keeping poolside drinks cool as well as fresh fruit and veggies crisp.

Landscape lighting is a necessity. Although the days are getting longer, your get-together will probably linger until after dark, so having landscape lighting in your Tulsa outdoor environment is a must. You could have custom landscape lighting designed for your poolside area or front walkway and landscape, or colorful balloon lanterns in maybe a red, white, and blue pattern.

Help guests stay cool. If you don’t have an outdoor structure such as a covered deck or patio to relax under, remember to provide a shade and fans for your guests to sit under. Pergolas are a great landscape design element that provides some shade while also permitting light through and adding an sophisticated flare to your outdoor living space.

Add some memorable décor. While there is often a patriotic theme with Memorial Day events, you can also subtly include Americana features into your party theme.

“Pick any theme and just incorporate some American pride elements,” the Nest recommends. “A California picnic? Think avocado and sprouts on a flag tablecloth. Or even a Hawaiian luau – just incorporate island native President Obama’s favorite nuts like pistachios and almonds into the menu.”

Activities. While some may enjoy playing sports or just relaxing by the pool, you could have some diverse interactive activities to spice up the day – like a fun photobooth where guests can take home playful photos of themselves to remember the day.

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend as you enjoy your Tulsa outdoor living space!

Aeration, Dethatching, Overseeding - Tulsa Lawn Care Terms Explained

Have you wondered about terms like “core aeration,” “overseeding,” and “dethatching”? Even knowing what lawn fertilization really includes can sometimes be a challenge. Today we’ll hopefully clarify these lawn care terms a little more, as well as offer some helpful tips on how to best handle these different aspects of turf care.

Core aeration. From time to time, this lawn care process can be called coring, aerating, or aerifying. During aeration, small plugs of soil and dead grass, or thatch, are removed to relieve compacted soil. Soil compaction is frequently more of a problem in high traffic areas or where heavy machinery has been used. Over time and without enough nutrients, soil can become compressed and not allow for adequate drainage. Without proper drainage and enough oxygen, the root system will be superficial and the lawn weak. The small holes made during aeration permit more water, air, and nutrients to reach the roots, helping them to grow deeper and stronger, creating a healthier and more beautiful lawn.

How to aerate. For cool-season grasses, the best time for core aeration is in late summer or early fall, and for warm-season grasses the best time is late spring. For problematic lawns and those with heavy traffic, you may want to aerate the lawn every year or so, but for lawns without many soil compaction problems, aerating every several years is good. You can often rent a mechanical core aerator at your local lawn and garden store, or Oklahoma Landscape in Tulsa can handle all of your aeration needs.

Dethatching. Thatch is dead grass, stems, leaves, and other organic material that collect just above the soil. This thatch will look like a tightly woven layer of debris. While some thatch is good for the lawn, too much will create a barrier and will prevent proper drainage and prevent oxygen and nutrients from reaching the root system. Too much will also allow for more insects and disease. Thatch should be able to naturally decay, but sometimes there can be an excess of thatch that can severely harm the lawn. More than about ½ inch of thatch is too much for your lawn to be healthy.

How to dethatch. Aerating the soil is usually the best way to dethatch because while eliminating the thatch, it also relieves soil compaction. If you would like to just dethatch, you can rent a power rake or a vertical mower. A vertical mower is frequently better for the lawn because it cuts grooves into the thatch and then pulls them up without pulling up too much grass. Like aerating, the best time to dethatch will depend on your type of grass variation. Mow your grass slightly shorter before detaching. When the thatch is pulled up, rake the thatch and remove it from the lawn.

Overseeding Tulsa lawns. This is the process of planting new grass seeds over the existing turf to fill in bare or thinning spots of grass. This is sometimes called reseeding or just seeding your lawn. Overseeding is needed because over time or with the intense heat of summer, lawns can begin to become bare or overrun with weeds. Seeding your lawn with new grass, especially new varieties of grass, will help it be more resilient and more resistant to disease, drought, insects, and weeds. Planting these new grass seeds over existing turf can really help to improve the condition of your lawn, making it more vibrant and thicker.

How to overseed your lawn. There are a few steps to overseeding your lawn including preparing the ground, choosing a good seed variety, spreading the new seeds, and fertilization and watering. Check out our blog post about How to Overseed your Tulsa Lawn this Spring for tips on how to overseed your lawn most effectively. A part of the overseeding process may also include aerating the soil to allow the new seeds to grow correctly.

Lawn fertilization in Tulsa. Fertilizers deliver food to your lawn, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to aid the lawn in building strong roots. Lawns need regular fertilization to be healthy. Slow-release fertilizers are best because they feed the lawn over time.

How to fertilize. During about every season, Tulsa lawns can use a good lawn fertilization treatment, depending on the type of grass you have. A combination fertilizer and weed control treatment can help to avert the spread of weeds while feeding the grass. There are organic fertilizers like compost or corn gluten you can use also. See our article, Lawn Fertilization in Tulsa – Tips for a Green, Lush Lawn, for more information on fertilizing.

Keep in mind that the Tulsa lawn care experts at Oklahoma Landscape can take care of all your lawn care and maintenance needs, giving you a beautiful, hassle-free lawn this summer.

Outdoor Kitchens in Tulsa - 7 Things Every Kitchen Needs

Outdoor kitchens have become a popular outdoor living addition to many Tulsa area homes. If you had an a dream outdoor kitchen, what would it include? Today’s custom Tulsa outdoor kitchens can include almost anything.

What are some popular features of today's outdoor kitchens? We’ve narrowed them down to seven things that every outdoor kitchen needs to entertain in style.

Grill Stations. Every outdoor kitchen will of course need a suitable grilling station. Gas grills with attached side burners allow you to get to cooking right away. Kamado-style grills, epicurious.com noted, are very versatile with a grill, oven, and smoker in one along with a great ability to retain heat. Some outdoor kitchens also have rotisserie grills and convection ovens for even more restaurant-style cooking.

Pizza oven. For delicious restaurant-style pizza at home, a wood-fired pizza oven to accompany your outdoor kitchen is an absolute must. And in addition to cooking great tasting pizzas, these classic ovens bring a Tuscan-style atmosphere to your Tulsa outdoor space.

Swim-up poolside bar. You don't have to travel to a luxury resort. Your own Tulsa pool and outdoor kitchen area can have an elegant and entertaining poolside bar. This beautiful addition is fun for adults and kids alike, and bring the kitchen to the pool with relaxed poolside dining.


 
Mini fridge. Your complete kitchen will rightly need a refrigerator? Stainless steel appliances like mini fridges built-in to your outdoor kitchen area make preparing and cooking outside a breeze.

Outdoor fireplace. A complete Tulsa outdoor environment will need an outdoor fireplace to match the outdoor kitchen area. Imagine relaxing by your outdoor fireplace after a delicious meal prepared in your outdoor kitchen. These outdoor fireplaces can be as elegant or as simple as you’d like them to be and can be custom made to match the décor of your outdoor kitchen and home.

Wine cooler. As part of your top-of-the-line outdoor appliances, don’t forget the handy and elegant wine cooler. Keep all your fine wines ready to serve with a built-in wine cooler. Perfect for entertaining!

Sink and storage areas. Again, every kitchen must have a large enough sink and plenty storage space. And your outdoor kitchen is no different. There are a variety of stainless steel sink options available including those with pull-down faucets for easy cleaning. Adequate storage is also a must for an outdoor kitchen. Continually carrying everything you need like utensils from inside to your outdoor kitchen can be frustrating, so these built-in storage and waste containers make prep and cooking times much shorter and easier.

These are just a few of the many choices you can have when designing and building an outdoor kitchen. The outdoor environment specialists at Oklahoma Landscape in Tulsa can help you choose the right options and features for your outdoor kitchen. They can custom-design and build an outdoor kitchen that will be the ideal outdoor entertaining spot.

Residential Tulsa Lawn Care Tips - More Than Simple Mowing

Often, homeowners think of Tulsa lawn care as simply a weekly mowing schedule. But there’s much more to having a beautiful lawn than just mowing. Check out these lawn care tips for a healthy and beautiful lawn.

Proper lawn mowing. I will say that mowing is a key feature of great Tulsa lawn care. Done correctly, mowing can greatly help your lawn to stay healthy. Your mower blade needs to be sharp for a clean and healthy cut. When mowing, cut no more than one-third of the blade’s height at any one time. Slightly taller grass will help to crowd out weeds. Mowing shorter also creates stress on the grass blades, and can dry out the soil too quickly.

Great lawn fertilization. You can have your soil tested to see what nutrients the soil is lacking. With this information, you know the best fertilizer to use. Usually, it’s best to add fertilizer to cool-season grasses in the fall while warm-season grasses do better when fertilizer is added in the spring. When fertilizing, use a slow-release fertilizer on a nice day. Corn gluten is an organic fertilizer that adds nitrogen to your lawn while also acting as a natural weed deterrent, especially for crabgrass.

Water at the best time. Good watering is another key for a healthy lawn. Early morning is the best time to water because you won’t lose too much water to mid-day evaporation, and the grass won’t stay too wet at night, which can cause fungus and disease. This will help prevent your lawn from turning brown because of fungus. Overwatering can also cause yellowing of your lawn.

How much should you water your Tulsa lawn? The Family Handyman gave a useful tip: “Set a cake pan halfway between your sprinkler and the edge of the spray pattern. Watch your clock to see how long it takes the sprinkler to fill the pan with 3/8 in. of water. Water for that amount of time three times a week, unless it rains.”

Weed control for Tulsa lawns. Apply a pre-emergent weed control herbicide in the spring before weeds start to germinate. Corn gluten meal acts as a great weed suppressant. You can spot spray individual weeds that sprout up, The Family Handyman noted. Concentrated vinegar can be an effective organic spot weed killer, although it may adversely affect other surrounding plants as well, so you may need to precisely target the weeds.

For more information on Tulsa lawn care tips, contact us at 918.299.LAWN and we can create a custom residential lawn care maintenance program for your landscape.

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Tips to Growing a Great Vegetable Garden in Tulsa

Growing a veggie garden in Tulsa this year? A trend among Tulsa gardeners is centered around organic gardens. Organic gardening has become a popular feature of landscape design in recent years with many homeowners looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a more sustainable landscape design.

The American Society of Landscape Architects’ annual survey noted: “Slightly more than three quarters of respondents noted food and vegetable gardens, including orchards and vineyards, will be in demand this year.” The ASLA said that growing food gardens can be a low maintenance, sustainable alternative to growing turf in your yard.

Even if you’re a beginner, you can have a successful organic garden. Here’s some tips…

Make sure you have healthy soil. The soil in your garden must be healthy and have enough nutrients to sustain vegetables growth. Compost can support with the soil, but it’s also good to do a test of the soil’s pH levels. Leaves remaining from the fall can be used as mulch, the ASLA said, and grass clippings make a superb weed suppressant.

Start with a small garden. Often new gardeners will plant more than they can really maintain or even eat. It's good to plan out where in your landscape you will plant your garden, whether you want an in-ground garden, container garden or a raised garden bed. Vegetables need a great deal of sunlight, at 6 or more hours a day, so thoughtfully plan the location of your garden. Gardens located too close to a tree may lose too many nutrients to the tree while also getting too much shade, The Old Farmer’s Almanac noted.

Choose hardy plants. Perennial plants that return yearly are frequently low-maintenance, the ASLA said. They suggest perennials like asparagus (purple-passion variety), rhubarb, blueberry bushes, and blackberries. Herbs, the ASLA also reported, can be very sustainable in even dry and hot regions with tarragon, sage, and chives returning year after year.

“A great idea is to explore the many varieties of mint like chocolate, marshmallow, and fruit salad, which carry flavors that match their names,” ASLA noted.

Be sure to check the Tulsa frost dates to find out when the ideal times to plant different seeds are.

Water, water, water. Vegetables will need lots of water, at least one inch a week, The Old Farmer’s Almanac said. There is a helpful vegetable watering table on the Almanac website that tells how much water is needed for different vegetables and when.

For more tips to planting a successful veggie garden, contact the Tulsa landscaping and gardening specialists at Oklahoma Landscape.

Use These Simple Tips To Control Weeds in Your Tulsa Lawn

Controlling weeds in your Tulsa lawn or garden can be one of the most frustrating parts of lawn care. How can you protect their lawns from being overrun by weeds? Notice these five Tulsa weed control methods.

Have a good offense. One of the most effective ways to forestall weeds is to stop them from having enough room to grow and propagate. Keep your lawn healthy and thick and thus crowd out weeds.

“To minimize weed problems in my lawn as a homeowner, I mow my lawn high and optimally fertilize to keep the lawn as competitive as possible,” Richard Zollinger of the North Dakota State University Department of Plant Science told the Mother Nature Network.

Overseeding you lawn with new grass varieties can aid your lawn in being healthier and fill in any bare or thinning spots of grass.

Healthy soil also adds a great deal to growing thick grass, so if your soil has become compacted, aerating the soil can break up the thatch and dirt that may prevent your grass from getting the amount of nourishment it needs.

Mulch, mulch, mulch. Adding mulch to your garden or flowerbed will help to block needed sunlight from weeds, preventing them from growing. In turn, mulch will help the soil stay cooler and help prevent water loss. Mulch comprised of 1” thick bark, outdoortheme.com suggested, is one of the best methods of weed control. Finer mulches can still allow weed seeds to sprout, the website said.
Newspapers have proven effective in preventing weeds from getting needed sunlight, especially for more weed infested gardens. Spread a layer of newspapers about 2-4 sheets thick, overlapping somewhat, and spread a light layer of dirt or mulch over some of the paper to help keep the newspaper in place.

Pull out weeds before they seed. Some weeds may have to be manually pulled out, and it’s good to pull these before the weeds bloom and disperse their seeds. If you don’t have time to completely pull out the weed, cut the top off of the weed to stop it from seeding until you can root out the whole weed.

Use organic herbicides. There are many organic herbicides you can use to help kill weeds while not harming the environment. Concentrated vinegar has been used to kill weeds, although it may also kill over vegetation it comes in contact with as well. Several applications may be required. Avoid eye contact with vinegar and be careful even with more organic herbicides. Baking soda has also been recommended in killing weeds when it’s poured directly onto the weeds. Borax has also been noted as an effective weed killer, Dr. John Anderson noted on Hubpages.com, as well as boiling water. Be careful with any type of weed killer, whether organic or not, and follow all labels and instructions.

Call Oklahoma Landscape. The Tulsa weed control specialists at Oklahoma Landscape can effectively control any weed problems you have while keeping your lawn vibrant and healthy. We offer a 6-step weed control and lawn fertilization program to improve the health of your lawn and keep it weed-free. Oklahoma Landscape provides complete Tulsa lawn care and lawn maintenance as well as comprehensive landscape design.

Pool Maintenance Tips from Tulsa Pool Builders Oklahoma Landscape

Swimming is always a much loved summer pastime for many Tulsa residents, especially children, and many kids will be even asking to get in the backyard swimming pool before school gets out for summer.  Before the weather gets too hot, make sure your Tulsa pool is safe, clean, and ready for all the fun that summer brings with these few pool maintenance tips.

Take away any leaves or debris and remove any water that may be on top of the pool cover or that may be around the pool. Then, remove and clean the pool cover before you put it away in storage. After you clean the pool cover, let it totally dry out before storing it.

Clean out any debris and dirt from inside the pool itself with a cleaner designed for pools to prevent mold from growing or discoloring the pool.
Check the steps, ladders, diving board, etc. to make sure they are completely safe. Make sure the deck or patio around your pool is also safe and well-maintained.

When adding more water to your Tulsa swimming pool, make sure there is adequate water for the pump to work correctly. The water level needs to be in the middle of the skimmer opening for the pump to work properly, doityourself.com noted.

Check the circulation system and make certain the pump and all its components are clean and in good working order. Doityourself.com tells pool owners to let the system run for about 8 to 12 hours.
Then check the pH levels of the water by getting a water sample at least 18 inches below the surface of the water away from the pump inlet, the website also noted. From this test you’ll know what chemicals need to be added depending on the type of pool you have.

Now that your Tulsa swimming pool is clean and all the components are working correctly, you’re ready to make sure your pool area is prepared for entertaining. Is there suitable seating and dining space near the pool? New waterproof outdoor furniture can really spruce up your outdoor environment area.

Installing outdoor lighting nearby the pool area can help make your Tulsa outdoor living space more inviting and allow you to enjoy it for a longer period of time. Lighting fixtures mounted around the pool will also help to ensure everybody can safely navigate around the pool at all times, especially at night. Fun outdoor lanterns can create a delightful atmosphere for evening entertaining.

Call the Tulsa pool builders at Oklahoma Landscape for more information on pool designs, pool maintenance, and cleaning. Get the summer pool fun started with these simple reminders to help you have a safe and enjoyable summer.