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.

The Benefits of Overseeding Your Tulsa Lawn

If your lawn has become damaged or is thinning, overseeding can help to repair your Tulsa lawn. Overseeding with new grass variations aids to build a dense, luxurious lawn, which not only will look better but will also act as a natural weed control. Overseeding your Tulsa lawn will also help your lawn become more impervious to insects and disease because the new seed assortments will be more resistant to these threats while producing a healthier lawn overall.

Why though does grass become damaged or thin? There are a variety of issues that can add to a lawn that’s less-than-lush, and it’s good to recognize the main causes of your lawn’s injury so as to help avoid it. Often, extreme heat can tax the lawn as well as simply the usual decrease in grass reproduction over time. Other sources of lawn stress and damage include soil compaction, thatch, poor drainage, lack of water, lack of nutrients in the soil, and poor grass varieties that are not well suited to the climate.

What steps are involved in overseeding your Tulsa lawn and keeping it looking great?

Prepare the ground. Unlike other mowing times, you should mow your lawn short before overseeding to allow the seeds to successfully reach the soil. Rake the lawn to remove debris and dead grass. Especially if thatch and soil compaction are the main causes of stress on your lawn, aerating your soil will be necessary. Core aeration removes small core spots of thatch and soil to better allow water, air, and nutrients to reach deeper into the soil. Aerating your Tulsa lawn will also help the new grass seeds germinate in the soil easier and faster.

Pick a good seed variety. Select a high quality grass seed that’s well suited for your area. Make sure you pick a grass seed that is weed-free. A high quality seed will be more drought-tolerant and more resistant to weeds and disease.

Seed the new grass varieties. There are many ways to seed your lawn with new grass. Often people use a spreader to lay the seed. Some use a mechanical slit seeder, which has vertical blades that open a slit or furrow in the soil, and then the machine deposits the seeds into the slit. Others may simply broadcast the seed manually. Make sure the seeds get good contact with the soil so that they can germinate.

Fertilize and water. After you’ve spread the grass seeds, you’ll need to apply a good seed starting fertilizer to help them grow strong. Then you will need to give the seeds a good watering. Grass seeds can easily die if they dry out so steady watering will be vital for the first few weeks after seeding. Shallow water is often recommended. If the weather gets hot, you may need to water more than once a day.

When the grass reaches about 3 inches in height, you can mow the lawn on a high setting.

Keep your Tulsa lawn looking beautiful all year with these overseeding tips. The Tulsa lawn care specialists at Oklahoma Landscape can take care of all of your lawn care and maintenance needs including aeration, weed control, overseeding, and lawn fertilization.

Tulsa Lawn Care Calendar for Commercial and Residential Lawns

Many Tulsa homeowners anticipate spring and enjoying their outdoor living spaces more. But how do you keep your Tulsa lawn looking great? There are a few simple things you can do during the year to have a healthy and beautiful lawn. Whether for your residential or commercial property, here are some basic Tulsa lawn care tips to keep in mind.

Early Spring

Good preparation will make the lawn mowing and lawn maintenance season much easier. Get organized and ready for spring now by sharpening your mower blade to make sure the mower neatly and cleanly cuts the grass blades to prevent tears in the grass which can harm the turf. Also, give your mower a tune-up service and put fresh gas in the tank, houselogic.com noted.

Rake your lawn to eliminate leaves, debris, and matted grass.

Spring

Get your soil’s pH tested to find out what nutrients the soil in your yard might be lacking.

Aerate your lawn by getting rid of small core patches of soil and dead grass, or thatch, when the soil is somewhat damp. Core aeration permits better drainage and allows more room for oxygen, water, and nutrients to reach deeper into the soil. This, in turn, will aid the roots in growing deeper and fuller in the soil.

Overseed your Tulsa lawn with new cool season varieties that have been known to flourish in our environment to fill in bare or thin spots and help your lawn grow denser. The new grass seed assortments planted will have a higher resistance to disease than those previously in the lawn, creating a vibrant and lush lawn that is more resistant to disease and weeds.

This is a nice time to fertilize your Tulsa lawn and apply a good pre-emergent weed control treatment.

When mowing, cut the grass about 3” high, or cutting no more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time. Mowing the grass at a taller height will help your lawn stay healthier by keeping the soil cooler, prevent weeds from getting sunlight to grow, and prevent scalping of the lawn, which can add significant stress on the grass.

Summer

As grub worms appear and feed on your lawn’s root system, you may need to treat for these and other outdoor pests with beneficial nematodes before they create brown patches all over the lawn.

It’s also suggested to fertilize your lawn again six to eight weeks after the first lawn fertilizer application. Your lawn may also need a post-emergent weed control application.

Enough water is also vital for your lawn. You will need to irrigate your Tulsa lawn if rainfall is below 1 inch a week, which in Oklahoma can be very likely during summer months. Irrigate your lawn with deep and infrequent watering techniques to promote better root growth.

Clean underneath your mower at least once a month to prevent the spread of lawn disease, houselogic.com also noted.

Fall
As the weather gets cooler, it’s again good to aerate, overseed, and fertilize your Tulsa lawn to patch thin spots and help your lawn stay healthy.

Keep your Tulsa lawn free of leaves and debris.

Fertilizing your grass again before winter arrives will help the lawn have nutrients to store over the winter so that it will be healthy and ready for spring.

By following just these few tips, you can have a healthier and more vibrant lawn this summer. The commercial and residential Tulsa lawn care specialists at Oklahoma Landscape can take care of all your lawn maintenance needs as well as lawn fertilization, weed control, aeration, and overseeding.

Tulsa Landscaping Company Offers Spring Gardening Tips

Many Oklahomans love to plant a garden and see their delicious vegetables grow before their eyes. Some may plant right in the ground, while others may use a raised garden bed. Either way, you’ll have fun in your garden and relax while working with nature. Here are a few tips to help your Tulsa garden thrive this year.

Plan and start small. If you are a new gardener, many gardeners say that you may want to start small in how much you plant. In your excitement, you may see a ton of colorful things to buy at the nursery or garden store, but it’s good to be modest in your first garden planting. You may want to use more common warm weather varieties of plants that will likely grow well in Oklahoma like green beans, okra, squash, radish, and melons.

Plan out your garden, possibly even on paper, to decide where plants will get the best sunlight, when you will need to plant each type of seed or plant, if you’ll plant in the ground or in a raised bed, and how big the plants and garden will get when you’re finished. Allow plenty of room to work in the garden and for the plants to extend out as they grow.
Before you plant, it’s good to have all the gardening tools you will need including cages or stakes for climbing plants, string to tie the plants to the cages, tillers, pruners, and other equipment.

Prepare and nourish the soil. You’ll need to remove any weeds, rocks, and grass in the garden and may want to test the pH of the soil to know exactly what nutrients it’s lacking. A few weeks before you plant, you may want to add some compost to the soul to make sure it has enough nutrients to support the plants. Then you can turn the soil when you add the compost and just before you plant to make sure it’s aerated.

Follow directions. There will often be much helpful information on the seed packets or plants about when to plant the seeds, how far apart to space them, and when they should be harvested. The Old Farmer’s Almanac will also have helpful information on when the best time to plant each vegetable. On the Almanac website, you can search for your particular city or state and see the exact planting directions, planting dates, directions for planting by the moon, and estimated frost free date. Along with being tax day, many gardeners will say April 15th is around the frost-free date for much of Oklahoma.

Trim shrubs and trees. Along with planning your garden design and boundaries, you may need to prune any overgrown bushes and trees that may block needed sunlight to your garden. This will also help your overall landscape to have a more polished look for summer.

These are just a few Oklahoma gardening tips for this spring. Talk with the Tulsa landscaping and gardening experts at Oklahoma Landscape for more details on how they can help you have a successful garden this year.

Summer Staycations - Made Custom By the Premier Tulsa Landscaping Company

Even before spring gets here, Tulsa homeowners are now planning for summer – planning their summer vacations, home improvement projects, and even “staycations.” Why take a staycation? And what can Tulsa’s Oklahoma Landscape do to give you the ideal summer staycation spot?

Staycations became widespread when the economy took a downturn, but even with the country’s economy on the rise, many have seen the benefits of a staycation. Not only is there the reprieve from packing and traveling through busy airports, but there are also the obvious economic advantages. Many have decided to invest the money they would have spent on a luxury vacation into creating an indulgent retreat right at their home. As an investment, these home-based retreats add significant property value and curb appeal to the Tulsa home. 

But what kind of retreat is possible? Just about anything you could want. That’s where the Tulsa landscaping company Oklahoma Landscape comes in. We can create the one-of-a-kind vacation retreat you’ve always dreamed of, and all in your own backyard. We also provide numerous other hardscaping, landscaping, irrigation, drainage, lawn care, drainage, and landscape lighting services.

With Tulsa outdoor environment staycations, we can design and build an outdoor kitchen complete with state-of-the-art outdoor appliances like refrigerators, grills, pizza ovens, burners, sinks, and more. You can have bar seating attached, creating the perfect entertaining spot, along with extra cabinet and storage areas so you have all your prep and cooking utensils right at hand. Many have a stylish dining area nearby to bring the whole outdoor living space together. 

Custom outdoor fireplaces and fire pits offer an excellent way to stay warm during the chilly spring or fall nights while providing a cozy spot for chatting with friends. Combined with all-weather outdoor sofas, coffee tables, and chairs, these outdoor living areas give Tulsa homeowners all the comforts of the home outside. 

Relaxing swimming pools and in-ground spas customized to your home and family needs add the finishing touch to any outdoor environment. Paver patios create the ideal foundation for these stylish outdoor living spaces. 

We also offer custom Tulsa hardscaping to build retaining walls, decks, walkways, bridges, and patios that are not only practical but add the design details that make your outdoor living space come together. 

Landscaping is at the center of what we do. We strive to bring out all the beauty that nature provides and create living works of art that Tulsa homeowners can enjoy for years to come. The basis of great landscaping includes keeping your lawn healthy, vibrant, and lush. That’s why Oklahoma Landscape offers a custom 6-step lawn fertilization and weed control program to make sure your lawn has the nutrients it needs to be ready for summer. These Tulsa fertilization and weed control programs are beginning now as the grass prepares for spring growth. Overseeding and aeration are also important aspects of turf care. 

Oklahoma Landscape also offers commercial and residential Tulsa lawn maintenance to relieve business and homeowners of the worry and hassle of regular lawn care. 

From designing luxury outdoor living spaces to creating custom irrigation and drainage solutions and everything in between, we can deliver all the Tulsa landscape design and build services you need to create the perfect home and the perfect summer staycation spot.

Benefits of Tulsa Fertilization and Weed Control to Your Spring Lawn Care

With all the winter storms, the entire country is probably ready for spring.  With spring on its way, what lawn care tips can aid Tulsa lawns to be ready for the warmer weather? How significant are fertilization and weed control in a lawn care program? 

Making sure your lawn is clean is the first step in turf care. Remove any limbs or debris in the yard and lightly rake your lawn when the ground has dried out. This debris can stop your soil and lawn from obtaining the nutrients they need. 

You may need to test the condition or pH levels of your soil, particularly if you see various bare patches, to see what nutrients your soil is lacking. There are DIY kits available, or your local agricultural cooperative extension could have testing available. 

Soil can become compacted during wintertime and patches of dead grass, or thatch, may need to be removed. Core aeration can help loosen the soil and remove thatch. This thatch not only stops proper drainage, but also permits weeds and pests to more easily overrun the turf. Lawn aeration removes small patches of soil to better let water and nutrients to reach the roots. 

Overseeding your Tulsa lawn will help to fill-in any bare spots and improve your lawn overall. The new varieties of seed planted can have a higher resistance to disease than those varieties already in the lawn, making your lawn tougher and easier to maintain. 

And, of course, your lawn must be feed. As grass begins to grow, it’s imperative that it has the nutrients it needs to grow strong and vibrant enough to block weeds. Slow-release fertilizers and regular watering will help the soil and grass flourish. Timing of lawn fertilization is important to having healthy grass. Fertilizing too early or too late could harm the growing turf.

Oklahoma Landscape uses a 6-step fertilization and weed control program customized to your lawn to give it just the nutrients it needs at the right time. An effective pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control system is needed to thwart weeds from overtaking the lawn; however, weed control also must be applied at the right time. 

But healthy grass will ultimately do the best job in thwarting weeds by naturally blocking out sunlight and choking the weeds. That’s why a good lawn fertilization program will ensure the lawn stays healthy. 

Correct mowing is also essential to a healthy lawn. Although it may be easier, mowing your grass too short can harm the lawn in the long run by causing the soil to dry out faster, giving weeds more sunlight to grow, and putting more stress on the grass. 

Thus, you’ll need to mow at the uppermost level so that you only remove the top one-third of the grass blade. Taller blades will be stronger and better able to choke out weeds and hold in more moisture in the soil. A lush, thick lawn will actually need less maintenance and be more resistant to disease. Make sure your lawnmower is in good repair and the blades are sharp to allow for cleaner cuts and thus healthier grass. Each new lawn mowing season, you can alternate the direction you mow to prevent putting unnecessary stress on your lawn. 

So while spring hasn’t arrived yet, you can still begin planning for a healthy, vibrant lawn now. Oklahoma Landscape can alleviate the stress of lawn care with a custom fertilization and weed control schedule and lawn maintenance program for your Tulsa landscape.