Tips for Yard Maintenance
Landscaping requires a significant investment, but this investment is not only financial. You must also invest your time in planning, implementing and maintain your yard. Therefore, consider the following tips or hiring a company that offers garden maintenance Cincinnati.
Weed Control
Lawns, flower beds and vegetable gardens all require active weed control measures. Weeds are unwanted plants that can spread quickly throughout your landscape. They will take over planting areas, depriving your desired plants of water and nutrients, killing them off. Therefore, they must be removed. Keeping your landscape well fertilized will help prevent weeds, but there are times when you will need to get down on your knees and dig those weeds out of the ground.
Pruning
Both plants and trees need pruning. Some plants should be cut all the way down and mulched in the fall, while other plants only require a light pruning. Overcrowded plants should be removed or pruned to reduce the density of the bed because overcrowding promotes mildew, rust and other diseases. Plants need adequate airflow, especially in high humidity conditions. You want your plant’s foliage to dry quickly. .
Trees also require pruning. Fruiting trees, vines and bushes have specific pruning requirements to promote fruit growth. However, non-fruiting trees have more general requirements. For example, you should remove dead or damaged branches from every tree. You should also remove branches that cross or are not sturdy enough to hold the weight of the branch as it grows. Fruiting plants require more extensive pruning so their fruit is concentrated on three or four main branches and does not grow too high on the tree. Pay attention to the pruning instructions on any plant you plant in your landscape.
Water
Your yard needs proper water. Some plants will require more water than others, but most plants do better when watering is applied to the soil around the roots and does not touch the leaves of the plant. Water on plant leaves invites and exacerbates disease.
Fertilize
Whether you are using a chemical or natural fertilizer, you should apply it regularly and correctly. A local extension agency can test your soil for its pH and nutrients. Your plant types will determine what type and how much fertilizer you need and how often you should apply it.
Lawn maintenance takes time. If you don’t have the time or are unsure of the maintenance requirements of your landscape, consider hiring a lawn maintenance professional.