1. True or False: It’s best to scalp the turf really low, so you don’t have to mow so often.

2. True or False: It’s best to bag and dispose of the grass clippings to avoid thatch buildup.

3. True of False: Mowing with a dull blade has no effect on the health of your turf.

Hopefully you answered FALSE to all of the above. Here’s why:

1. Do not scalp the lawn. Height really is critical to the health of any lawn. A taller blade of grass helps keep the crowns of the plants cool and moist. If you consistently cut the lawn too short, you will stress the grass and the root system will gradually become shallower and less healthy.
A taller lawn height is also better equipped to choke out weeds. We mow the grass to 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 inches. This allows the lawn to absorb and decompose the clippings. Longer clippings tend to sit on top and smother the plants.

2. Don’t bag the clippings! They feed back to the lawn, and eventually decompose to create new topsoil over time. Many folks believe that lawn clippings settle down and form thatch buildup in bluegrass. In fact, what appears to be thatch is actually a basic component of bluegrass - a normal system of rhizomes, similar to human fingernails, that form a fibrous runner that connects the blades. It is what holds bluegrass sod together.
Fescue does not have such runners, which is why fescue sod has to be held together with netting, and why fescue lawns are not accused of having thatch problems.

3. Use a sharp blade. A dull blade rips the grass and results in a tattered, white looking lawn with a dull, hazy appearance. As professionals, we sharpen our blades every day. For normal homeowner use, sharpen the blade about twice during the season.

Mulch serves many purposes to your landscape. It improves the aesthetic by creating a complete, polished look for your beds. It also enhances the uniformity and adds texture. It protects the plants and soil by insulating the surface and protecting it from extreme seasonal temperatures and it helps to retain moisture by reducing evaporation and preventing erosion.

Like most yard and home improvement projects, the most successful mulch application begins with the preparation. Mulch scatters easily, and works its way out of the bed. The first step is to cut an edge or a lip on the perimeter of the bed to contain the mulch. Mulch performs best when it is level, and applied at a consistent thickness. The barrier you create will help to maintain this.

At Signature, we use mulch blowers to ensure that the mulch is evenly distributed in the beds. It also allows us to do the job in a cleaner, faster and more cost-efficient manner so that we can pass the benefits on to our customers.

I have tracked full bloom on a number of plants since 2005. Following is what I have for Eastern Redbud. Note that I missed 2009.

2005: April 9
2006: April 8
2007: March 30
2008: April 25
2010: April 9
2011: April 10
2012: March 21

Therefore, we are about 3 weeks earlier than normal. This has made a number of gardeners concerned as it is not likely we will make it through the rest of the spring without a frost. Plants will probably be OK unless we have a repeat of 2007 where we had an early spring followed by temperatures in the mid- to upper-teens on April 5 and 6. Even in those extreme conditions, we didn’t lose a lot of plants. But plants were weakened and more susceptible to other stresses. There isn’t much we can do for most plants. Low-growing or small plants such as strawberries can be covered with sheets if a light frost is forecast.

Water
It’s simple: put water only where it is needed when it is needed. We design and maintain irrigation systems that avoid watering sidewalks, and drives, and use automation to sense soil moisture. Smart irrigation, managed by our certified water auditor service technicians, keeps landscapes thriving while conserving water. Chances are, you don’t have a fancy irrigation system like the ones we have on our commercial properties. So what can you do at your home? Watch sprinkler placement to ensure that you’re only watering the areas that need to be watered. Also, managing your water by purchasing a simple timer from the hardware store. Turn the water on and set the timer before you go to bed at night or before you leave the house in the morning. You won’t risk over-watering if you forget to turn it off.

Runoff
When we design a landscaping plan, we take into consideration how to collect and filter storm runoff and minimize impervious surfaces to reduce the impacts on our community storm sewer systems, streams and rivers. For more information about creating a rain garden to maximize the use of rain waters, visit the Rain Garden Network website.

Pests and Weeds
When we use the proper cultural methods to enhance plants’ natural defenses, we can reduce chemical applications of pesticides and herbicides. Our teams are knowledgeable about the life cycles of pests, performing regular observations of our properties, then diagnosing and intervening in a timely, appropriate manner. When we use pesticides, we take the time to spray only affected plants, rather than a blanket over-application. To learn more about controlling pests and weeds in our region, visit the Johnson County K-State Research and Extension website.

Mulch
There’s more to choosing the right mulch and applying it properly than you might think. But mulch provides many benefits, so we work hard to maximize those benefits for our clients and for the environment. Mulch promotes efficient water usage, reduces storm water runoff and erosion, and helps improve the soil.

Plants
Plants that are suited to a site’s soil, sun and water conditions minimize water use, help control noxious weeds, and stay healthy. Healthy plants are less costly to maintain and require less weed and pest intervention. Did you know that the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map was updated this year? You can check it out here to see if you need to make any changes to your landscape this year.

Soil
Ensuring the proper mix of minerals, organic matter, air, water and beneficial organisms keep soil healthy. Soil testing lets us take appropriate measures to correct any imbalances and avoid unnecessary fertilizer applications. Ultimately, maintaing healthy soil aids in water conservation and saves resources. Many opportunities for soil testing are available for homeowners in the Kansas City area. Johnson County K-State Research and Extension and University of Missouri Extension offer soil testing for a small fee.

After all, nurturing trees and plants is our passion. That’s why we use environmentally conscious lawn and garden care techniques. The choices we make in tending our clients’ landscapes have affects beyond an individual property by reducing storm water runoff, erosion, and waste that goes to community landfills. Over the next couple weeks, we will share some ways we do our job with the health of the environment in mind.

Fertilizer
Fertilizer is tricky. Over-fertilizing adds to polluted runoff in our streams and lakes. Yet under-fertilizing keeps grass and plants from thriving, making them susceptible to weed invasion and erosion. At Signature, we determine the varying needs of plants, perform and interpret soil tests, and apply the appropriate fertilizer at the right time. We use phosphate-free fertilizers, thereby reducing impacts to our common bodies of water. We are also careful not to let stray fertilizer sit on walks or curbs where it is wasted and can run off into water. Instead, we carefully blow any product back into turf areas.

Organic Waste
Did you know that vegetative waste accounts for about 20 percent of all waste, and has long been a difficult problem for community landfills? Signature Landscape has a tool to reduce the impacts of the inevitable waste produced by our work. Our Airburner incinerator is certified by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to burn yard waste without polluting the air. In the process, we are reducing the amount of material going to landfills, while producing a clean, natural ash that is a desirable recycled product for agriculture, growers, nurseries, and as a good landfill cover.

Contact your trash service provider to find out how they handle yard waste. Did you know that Kansas landfills are not required to separate yard waste? To find out more about how to properly recycle your yard waste visit the Mid-America Regional Council website.

Want more environmentally friendly landscape tips? Stay tuned for the following topics over the next few weeks: Mulch, Pest and Weeds, Water, Runoff, Plants and Soil.

The integration will be gradual and we intend to utilize the first year to leverage each of our strengths and identify best practices to better the organization as a whole. Konrady’s will continue to operate as a separate branded entity.

The addition of Konrady’s team, location, equipment and facility provides us the opportunity to improve routes, focus resources and better serve our customers. Signature Landscape operates from our headquarters located in Olathe, KS and our North Branch office in Kansas City, MO. The addition of Konrady’s Kansas City, KS facility provides us with a greater citywide footprint that will benefit both snow and grounds maintenance customers.

Ah, the joys of landscaping in winter time – getting rid of the ice on our walkways and driveways. The most effective way to remove ice is to melt it with salt. Did you know, that like snowflakes, no two salt grains are alike?

There are actually a number of salt mixtures to choose from. Let’s learn some basics about the various ice melt products.

SODIUM CHLORIDE
Actually, table salt will melt ice, but it has the highest melting point of all sodium varieties. It is very low in cost, but it is highly caustic to the dormant turf grasses adjacent to paved areas. And, once the ambient temperature dips to about 20 degrees, it becomes less effective.

CALCIUM CHLORIDE
Calcium chloride is the hottest of the choices; it will definitely leave you with a dead zone of turf adjacent to walkways where you use it. You can even hear the ice pop and crackle as you apply it. In fact, it is actually caustic, and you can even rust nearby iron structures. It promotes rapid cycles of freeze and thaw that wreak havoc on paved surfaces. As ice melts, it trickles down into tiny cracks, then as it re-freezes, it forces cracks in asphalt and concrete pavements. If it is applied too heavily, it forms a goo that is easily tracked indoors by pedestrians. It will continue to melt ice even when temperatures dip down toward zero, and it is also the most expensive product. 

POTASSIUM CHLORIDE
Potassium chloride is far friendlier to vegetation than calcium chloride. It’s low in cost, but its melting ability is the weakest of the choices. Being the least effective on the list, Signature does not use this product.

MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE
The happy medium, magnesium chloride offers the best of all worlds. It is less caustic on concrete and metal in comparison to calcium chloride, and it has a good melting point and is cheaper and kinder to plants and turf grass.

So, what does Signature Landscape use? We use a variety of products depending on a number of factors:

• For parking lots, we actually use a sodium chloride product that is coated with magnesium chloride on large parking lot areas. Many times you will see it mixed with sand to add traction. We don’t do that. We just spread it on heavy enough to eliminate the ice.
• When the temperatures drop really low and the ice is really thick, we will use calcium chloride on sidewalks.
• Magnesium chloride is the product of choice for sidewalks under milder conditions. Because is is the least harmful to the pavement and landscapes, it is primarily what we use.