Getting Kids to Help with Lawn Care

It's easy to see yard work as a bit laborious, but children can often get excited about helping out with lawn care. Having them help with the yard work is a good activity to do as a family, and helps kids get more exercise, gets them away from electronics, and can help teach them responsibility. So how can you get your children involved with your residential lawn care?

Idealhomegarden.com listed ways to help encourage kids to join you in caring for the lawn. Getting children involved with yard work at an early age (even if they can’t do much) could help them to want to do it as they grow up. Young children especially, as the article said, always want to help their parents, so simply spending time with you while you do yard work can help you draw closer as a family. And as the children grow older, yard work will be associated with good times as family.

Even though young children can’t use lawn care equipment yet, giving children little chores that make them feel needed can go a long way to helping them enjoy lawn care when they get older. Children could possibly be put on weed control, helping to pull weeds in the garden, picking up sticks or any trash in the yard, or even planting or broadcasting seeds. As children get to be around school age, they may be able to help with raking and bagging leaves.

As children get older they can begin to help more with mowing the law and even trimming shrubs, under supervision. Teenagers who are eagerly waiting for their license may be especially excited to get behind the wheel of a riding lawnmower. This can give them some initial training and practice at driving and shifting gears.

Seeing your positive attitude about yard work as parents, as the article noted, can greatly affect how children think of yard work as they grow up. If you have several children, making lawn care into a simple game or contest can help them enjoy it more (and possibly get things done faster).
And while teaching children to get involved with yard work and manage chores is essential, they will also need some playtime, and of course, they need to stay well-hydrated.

“It’s important that any fun that goes on also includes Mom or Dad. You need to have some fun just as much as the children do, and the kids will love every minute of it,” the article noted.
So when you go outside to take care of your Tulsa residential lawn care chores, take your kids along too. The whole family can have an enjoyable time doing yard work together.

Advantages of Organic Tulsa Lawn Care

We hear about “going green,” often. The benefits of organic foods and using organic products are often highly regarded. We may visit the many local farmer’s markets on the weekends. We may love Tulsa’s organic grocery stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods. We realize that these green foods and products are often better for us. We know too, organic is also beneficial for the environment.

So, of course there’s also a growing trend toward organic lawn care and gardening. More and more commercial property owners and Tulsa residents are using natural lawn care products and methods in their landscapes. What are some of the perks of using organic lawn care?

Soil and Root Improvement. Organic fertilizers nurture natural microbial and fungi activity in the soil by giving microorganisms in the soil organic material to feed themselves on. Thus, they decompose the organic material. In this process, more nutrients are made readily available for the soil over time. Because these nutrients are released, the soil and roots of grass and plants are strengthened, an ecological balance takes place, soil retains more moisture, and the soil’s texture and composition are of better health. And because the nutrients are released into the soil more slowly with organic fertilizers, the chance of over fertilization or “burning” is greatly reduced.

However, organic fertilizers may cost more than inorganic ones, and it may take longer to see the results because the nutrients are broken down over time in the soil.

Lush, Green Grass. Because the root system has more vitality through organic fertilizers, the grass itself is green and lush. Organic fertilizers also aid in photosynthetic process by releasing carbon dioxide into the soil. This healthy root and soil system also helps grass be better able to ward off weeds, fungus, disease and even cope with drought.

Biodegradable and Safe. Organic lawn care products are non-toxic and biodegradable, meaning they are safe humans, pets, and other wildlife. They also do not harm the water or air supply. Thus, natural fertilizers reduce the amount of chemicals released into the environment.

While it may take longer to see the results of your organic Tulsa lawn care, overall organic lawn fertilization provides many benefits for both the lawn, the environment,  and your family.

Patio Upgrades at Low Cost

With summer in full swing, are you looking to make over your patio area and create a more functional and stunning outdoor living space? Here are some tips on giving your patio look a boost on a budget.

Curtains. Sheer curtains are good for creating a whole new look for your Tulsa patio. Creating a little shade and flow of color around a pergola or patio, these interior design items are also great for an outdoor environment as well.

Container garden. Artfully placed containers can bring much added beauty to your patio area. They can be used to lead guests along a certain path or showcase a focal point in your outdoor space.


Lounge area. To add seating space to your patio, an old mattress or daybed that’s still in good condition can be placed on a platform or other raised surface to add a spa-like lounge area that you’ll be sure to enjoy with family and friends.

Reuse, recycle, reinvent. Create new purposes from your old furniture by staining the wood or adding trendy cushions and new slipcovers to enhance thrift store pieces.  Design rich pieces you find at flea markets or thrift shops can become focal points for a small patio area.  A large secondhand table can work great in a patio dining area. Paint or stain an old coffee table to create more dining space in your patio.


Outdoor Lighting. Easily add color and elegance to a patio area. Hanging lanterns are great for bringing both style and light to your Tulsa outdoor living space.

Pillows. “Mixing and matching different patterns can give any space a designer look,” HGTV noted. Speaking of cushions, just buying new cushions and pillows for your patio area can really enhance your outdoor space.

Paint and Art. It can take only simple coat of paint to a patio area to completely change the look of your outdoor space. Add some unique pieces of art to your patio area that you’ve found a thrift stores over the years to reinvigorate the space. Design Sponge noted one South Carolina home that used a high-gloss light blue paint on the ceiling and floors on the porch.

For more design ideas about transforming your patio on a budget, visit
http://www.babble.com/home/25-beautiful-patios-on-a-budget/.

If you need help or more inspiration for creating an amazing patio area or outdoor environment, talk to the Tulsa outdoor living space design/build professionals at Oklahoma Landscape.

Getting Rid of Lawn Pests, Tips from the Tulsa Lawn Experts

Whether its moles, grubs, ants, or other insects, no one likes these unwelcome guest invading their beautiful lawn. These outdoor pests can be very frustrating and wreak havoc on your garden and lawn. So naturally you want to know, What you can do to take back your lawn?

Here are a few things to keep an eye out for and some things you can do about them.

When you start to see tunnels and holes throughout your lawn (it's not bugs bunny), you may have a mole, vole, or shrew problem. Moles can dig 100 feet of tunnels in a day, the National Mole Hunters Association noted, so these little guys can pretty much destroy a lawn.

Moles dig profusely in search of food like grubs and other insects so controlling these as part of your residential lawn care program can greatly help to control moles, easy logic their. Traps are also an effective mole control method. It's easier for moles to dig through your lawn when your lawn is soft and damp, so giving your lawn a deeper watering only once a week may help to stop these pests without causing harm to your lawn.

Grubs are small, white immature beetles that are often found in a “C” shape. These outdoor pests feed on your turf’s roots and will create patches of dead, brown grass that are easily uplifted.

A good residential Tulsa lawn care program can do much to help prevent these pests from taking over. For instance, overseeding your lawn with grass varieties that will thrive in your area will help to keep the lawn strong and hearty to withstand a grub attack. Giving your lawn a deep watering once a week can allow the turf to get enough water while at the same time allowing the soil to dry out enough to deter grubs. Aeration, overseeding, and a good lawn fertilization program can help to lessen problems for your turf.

If underneath a brown patch of turf, you find around eight or more grubs, then a pest control treatment might be best. Depending on the type of grub and pest control treatment, this may be good to do near the start of summer. Talk with the lawn care professionals at Oklahoma Landscape for tips in treating your lawn for grubs and other pests.

Ants are one of the most often noted type of lawn pests. Fire ants are especially bothersome as their bite can leave a painful blister or bump and for some can cause serious injury even death. These aggressive ants build mounds and underground tunnels connecting to one large colony.


There are fire ant baits that can kill the colony queen and ultimately destroying the mounds. There are also pest control treatments that can be used.

Check with your local pest control management or landscaping company on the best pest control treatment to use with these ants, and use caution and good judgment when using any treatment against these aggressive insects.

It’s also been found that ants tend to be found more often on lawns that are not well maintained with areas of high grass, debris, and unkempt shrubbery. So having a consistent lawn care maintenance program for your landscape that keeps your lawn neat and clean can help to control these lawn pests.

For more information on how to prevent or control these outdoor pests, contact the Tulsa lawn care specialists at Oklahoma Landscape.

Identifying Weeds Helps Select Best Tulsa Weed Control Options

Are you looking for weed control solutions for your Tulsa lawn? Effective weed control can be an ongoing battle, but identifying what type of weeds are trying to overtake your landscape is the first step in controlling these pests. 

Recognizing different kinds of weeds in your Tulsa lawn can help you create the most effective weed control plan by knowing the weed’s life cycle and better understanding how to stop this process. Identifying weeds can also help you identify specific problems in your lawn and soil. The presence of some weed varieties may indicate that your soil is compacted or that the lawn is shady or to wet. 

So, how can you effectively control some of the more common weed varieties? 

Dandelions. One of the most common types of weeds in Oklahoma, these can grow in your lawn and garden to be about 1 foot tall with yellow flowers that turn into puff balls. These weeds have a stout taproot, and often a large leaf base that expands outward and chokes out the surrounding turf. 

Mulch can be ready to lend a hand in preventing these weeds from overtaking your garden.  These deeply-rooted weeds are difficult to pull out so digging the roots, which can be 2-3 feet deep, using a trowel or shovel will be needed. Using a pre-emergent weed control in the spring along with a fertilizer will help to control them as the weed control herbicide will help to kill the weeds while making the grass stronger. 

A thick lawn that will choke out these weeds is one of the most effective tools for preventing dandelions so having regular lawn fertilization program is important.   

Crabgrass. Another common Oklahoma weed, crabgrass is a grassy annual weed that sprawls out across the ground from the main root growing up to 19 inches wide. It can grow quickly in hot, dry conditions anywhere the stem comes in contact with soil. While they die in the fall, one weed can produce over 100,000 seeds that will grow in the spring. Once again, having a thick lawn is a major strength in control crabgrass by preventing the weed seeds from getting needed sunlight. Mowing your lawn at a higher height and watering deeply and less frequently will help prevent these weeds. Mulching as well as using a pre-emergent weed control will also help to control these weeds.  

Creeping Charlie. This is a ground-clover with low growing, creeping stems, scalloped, kidney-shaped leaves, and purplish flowers. This aggressive perennial weed likes shady, moist areas often under trees or in gardens and cool weather. Using a pre-emergent weed control in the spring or fall will help to prevent these weeds. Mulch especially in gardens and under trees is helpful in thwarting this ground-clover. 

Lamb’s Quarters. This broadleaf annual weed averages a height of about 36 inches  but can grow up to six feet tall, has stems with red streaks, and has triangular or diamond-shaped, scalloped leaves. This weed has tiny green flowers that grow in clusters. It can grow in just about any area in the shade or sun. Mowing or tilling the area where these weeds show up can be helpful in reducing the number of plants and seeds. Post-emergent weed control can also be useful in stopping this weed from taking over your landscape or garden. 

For more information on the particular weeds in your Tulsa landscape, talk to the weed control experts at Oklahoma Landscape on tips on how to control these garden pests.

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.

Tulsa Lawn Care Tips - How Much Do You Cut When Mowing?

Landscaping, lawn care, gardening...many Tulsa homeowners may enjoy these outdoor hobbies, but to others, one aspect of outdoor work has been merely a chore - mowing the lawn. It was a chore we maybe grew up doing that stole our Saturday afternoons. But to have a beautiful, green, lush lawn, we have to take care of it, and an important part of lawn care is mowing. And maybe, just maybe, many don't like mowing because they haven't seen the fruits of the labors, so to speak. They haven't seen the added benefits of properly mowing not just to cut the grass, but to help it thrive.

 

That's why although mowing your lawn can seem basic, questions often surface regarding this traditional lawn care practice.

 

At what height should you mow your lawn to help it stay green and beautiful? Actually, while different varieties of grass prefer different heights, it’s generally safe and better for the grass to cut only the top third when you mow. Why is this? Root systems grow deeper with taller grass because it allows for more shade, so the soil doesn’t dry out as fast, especially in the heat of summer. A healthier root system will help the grass to be stronger and more resistant to weeds and drought.

 

Grass that is cut at the right height actually can decrease weeds too by blocking out sunlight for weeds to grow.  Experts say that lawns should be mowed higher in the summer and slightly lower in the fall and toward winter when there is more rain.

 

Proper mowing helps grasses to thrive because it cuts off the damaged or oldest parts of the blade, encouraging grass to grow thicker, which, in turn, also helps to prevent weeds. Mowing your lawn at a taller height instead of scalping it will help it to stay green, lush, and healthy, ultimately making it easier to maintain, and giving you more free time on the weekend to enjoy your Tulsa home.

 

For lawn care and maintenance help, visit http://www.oklahomalandscape.com/index.php/lawnmaintenance/residential.