Tips for Tulsa Lawn Care - Using Mulch

Mulch may not be the first thing you think of when pondering how to enhance your garden, but it’s actually one of the best things you can add. Mulch can help in many ways; It protects plants and their roots from extreme temperatures and helps them absorb and retain water better. Mulch keeps a garden healthier, more resistant to drought and is great for weed control while improving soil quality. Adding mulch to your garden can save much time and energy and help to simplify your other Tulsa lawn care tasks.

But how much do you need and which type of mulch should you add?

There are various types of inorganic and organic mulch. Inorganics, like stone or gravel can be good to use around areas that are likely to get washed out, and black plastic and landscape fabrics are helpful in vegetable gardens to help warm the soil and hold moisture.Organic mulches like cedar bark, wood chips, shredded leaves, hay, compost, and grass clippings will add nutrients to the soil as they decompose.

Organic mulch is often best because in addition to its other benefits it also adds nutrients to the soil. Different types of organic mulch though can be better for specific areas. For instance, fresh organic mulch will be more effective at controlling weeds than aged mulch, but will take longer to decompose, TheFamilyHandyman.com noted. So fresh mulch won’t add nutrients to the soil as fast as aged mulch to help encourage plant growth, but on the other hand, will last longer. Therefore, fresh mulch may work better around trees and shrubs that need more weed control than nutrients in the soil. Like fresh mulch, large pieces of mulch like wood bark will take longer to decompose and thus will last much longer.

Mulch for your flower bed might consist of shredded leaves from your lawn. Grass clippings can add a great deal of nitrogen to your vegetable garden. These organic and free mulches can help make your gardens healthy and beautiful.

How much mulch should you apply?

A deposit of mulch about 4 inches in depth will often be enough to discourage weed growth and help retain moisture although 2-3 inches may be enough in shadier areas. On slopes, more mulch may be needed to help it stay in place, possibly around 6 inches as it may shift around more frequently.

Before you apply mulch to an area, be sure to weed the soil. Keep about a 6 to 12-inch area around woody stems free from mulch as well as about a 1-inch area around the base of plants and vegetables free from mulch to prevent rapid decay.

While organic mulch helps the soil to retain moisture, it can also prevent the soil from warming in the spring. Thus, mulch will need to be pulled away from around perennials in the spring to allow them to better grow.

The Tulsa lawn care specialists at Oklahoma Landscape can take all the hassle out of lawn and garden maintenance with our custom lawn maintenance, weed control and fertilization programs. Call us today for more information!

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.

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.