We see newly planted trees that have stakes to “help support the tree” all the time. And many times people will see other trees being staked, and they think, I will stake the new tree that I am going to plant because that is what everyone else is doing. I recommend against that idea. I will explain why. When at Michigan State, we covered staking trees. There are two rules…
Read MoreFall Grass Growth
You may have noticed that fall grass growth has started to slow as we approach the middle of October. How does the grass know that it is October? Well, it really does not have a clue. Grass, like all plants use the weather to grow. We are starting to get into average temperatures that are cooler. Cool season turf grass (the kind that we have in West Michigan), the leaf…
Read MoreThe Perfect Lawn
The perfect lawn, it always looks good. What does it take to get to that point? We will go over what it is going to take. Mowing: Mowing at the correct height, three inches for Michigan, and mowing not more than one third of the leaf blade at one time will help to keep a lawn at a healthy height. Fertilizer: Fertilizing regularly, applying no more than one pound of…
Read MoreGrowing Grass, Raising Children
Planting grass is like raising a child. Wait, what?!? It is true. Both take a lot of time, patience, and energy. But both can be done. Here are a few similarities between growing grass from seed, and raising a child. Grass takes a while to before it sprouts out of the ground. Just like a mother when she is pregnant. Some common species on grass that is planted here in…
Read MoreComposting
Composting, it is good for the environment by eliminating waste. Composting is just recycling for your lawn and landscape. You won’t be able to recycle your plastic bottles and glass jars, but you can recycle your grass and plant clippings, leaves, food scraps, and other organic matter. Composting is an excellent way to return nutrients back to the soil. And most of the time, the material used to create compost…
Read More