Lawn Care – Infinity Gardens

How To Save Water While Still Maintaining A Healthy Lawn

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 10:34:14 +0000

It can be difficult to maintain a healthy lawn while conserving water. To maintain a healthy lawn, you must keep a good balance between over- and under- watering. It’s also important to think about the environment. Water is a precious resource, and we should all do our part to conserve water. When it comes to being eco-friendly, every little bit helps.

So, how can we save water, while keeping our lawn healthy and growing?

Choose the Right Irrigation Technique

Common lawn irrigation techniques include:

Sprinklers
Hand watering
Drip Irrigation

Sprinklers are a great, labour saving way to water your lawn, but you’ll want to make sure you never forget to turn the sprinklers off. Sprinklers can become water wasters if left on for too long. Fortunately, technology allows us to put our sprinklers on timers, so they can turn on and off automatically.

You may also choose to have complete control over water flow by watering your garden by hand.

However, the most conservative, and effective way to hydrate your lawn is drip irrigation, which delivers moisture directly to the plants’ roots. Since the water goes right to the roots, there’s less wastage. In fact, drip irrigation uses 70% less water than a regular sprinkler.

Not only does drip irrigation save water, it also saves you valuable time. Once the irrigation system is in place, your yard is automatically watered–you don’t need to do a thing. At Infinity Gardens, our irrigation specialists can help you set up an irrigation system, saving water, and allowing your lawn to flourish!

Water Strategically

If you are watering your lawn using sprinklers, or by hand, be sure to water early in the morning. When it’s really hot out, a lot of water can be lost due to evaporation. By watering early in the summer months, you can buy time for the water to be absorbed into the earth.

Take care in the placement and alignment of your sprinklers, to make sure the sidewalk or driveway isn’t getting as much water as the lawn!

Love the Rain

Rainwater can be your best friend! Not only does it naturally water your lawn, but you can set up a rainwater collection system (a rain barrel, for instance) and continue allowing rain to benefit your lawn even once the showers have passed.

If you have an automatic irrigation system installed (drip irrigation, or sprinklers), make sure it has functioning moisture sensors that shut the system off when it rains.

Maintaining a healthy lawn takes many considerations. Fortunately, there are so many ways to keep a beautiful, yet eco-friendly outdoor space. For more information from the specialists at Infinity Gardens, contact us today!

The post How To Save Water While Still Maintaining A Healthy Lawn appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

]]>

Organic Weed Killer

Wed, 30 Jul 2014 18:52:24 +0000

Organic Home Made Weed Killer
As many of us know today, chemical herbicides are non eco friendly, a known carcinogen and can be very expensive. After spending hours on
your knees in the blazing sun trying to dig out the invasive species, you
may be tempted to go to the easier less natural option of herbicide.
Before you use pesticides you must try this healthier inexpensive recipe.
1 gallon of white vinegar (5 % acidity)
1 cup of table salt
1 tablespoon of dish soap
In a jug mix a the vinegar, salt and soap until the salt has mostly
dissolved, then either pour onto targeted area or plant. For a more
controlled treatment pour through funnel into a spray bottle.
For prolonged sprayer life, after each use empty the sprayer and rinse the
sprayer as the vinegar will melt the seals.
Try to apply on dry days with no rain (if you are using in grass or near
other plants cover the non targeted species as this is a non selective
killer). You should start to see results within 2 – 3 days. If you get a poor
kill, reapply using slightly more solution. This is another cost effective
option in your weed killing arsenal.

The post Organic Weed Killer appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

]]>

Creeping Bell Flower

Fri, 20 Jun 2014 02:58:51 +0000

Creeping Bell flower or European Bell flower is an invasive,

introduced species by the early Canadian and American Nursery trades. This flowering plant is deceptively beautiful and many unknowing gardeners dig it from roadsides, invaded natural areas or are given it by well meaning friend. Many years ago this plant was given out free at the Calgary Stampede.

This species spreads rapidly by underground by rhizomes, with fine spreading hairy roots. The flowers are purplish blue and bloom on a long thin raceme. The leaves are alternating up the stem, with bottom leaves a heart shape and upper leaves a lance shape. Leaf edges are notched.

Control is very difficult as this plant invades gardens, lawns and robustly growing natural areas. Many people claim nonselective weed killers (round up) will kill this weed. Some leaves will be killed but very little damage is done to root systems. Selective weed killers with Dicamba in them have some effect on Bell flower in lawns. The only way to slow down and hopefully eliminate an invasion of this nasty weed, is to dig rhizomes and roots out, at a depth of up to 18 inches. A pitch fork is a good tool to separate the roots out of the soil. Proper disposal into land fill or burning are best. Composting these weeds is not recommended as a home composter rarely reaches high enough temperature to fully kill the roots.

The post Creeping Bell Flower appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

]]>

When to Time your Tree Pruning

Wed, 07 May 2014 02:46:12 +0000

It is a general rule to prune trees while they are dormant to minimize damage and stimulate new growth.

Fruit bearing trees are pruned during dormancy to reduce crop quantity, but increase the fruits quality. This timing will also aid in new bud formation the following year.

Spring pruning should be complete before the buds begin to open. However diseased or damaged branches should be immediately removed. Evergreens do well if pruned right after the wood has had a chance to thaw. To achieve a compact effect on pine trees, pruning should be put off until late June.

Pruning has a dwarfing effect on all trees but more so if it id done in June and July. Flowering trees should also be pruned during the summer after the trees have flowered. If a tree is particularly late flowering it can be pruned in the spring just before active growth begins.

Trees such as Maple or Birch are considered bleeders and should be pruned in the summer, when the leaves are fully formed. Summer time pruning will minimize excessive sap loss.

Late summer and early fall pruning should be left for dead wood only. Any extra pruning at this time before dormancy can stimulate new growth, this growth will not be able to harden off adequately before winter. Damage usually includes cankers and excessive die back.

Deciduous trees thrive with a late winter early spring pruning.

The post When to Time your Tree Pruning appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

]]>

Timing your Turf Fertilizers

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 20:43:32 +0000

Now that the frost is slowing coming out of the soil, it is time to start thinking about fertilizing your lawn.

How often you fertilize a home lawn depends on your soil type. Most of Calgary has very rich clay soil. Clay based soils hold nutrients very well, unlike sandy soils that naturally leach fertilizers. Properties in the river valleys tend to have sandy soils.

Ideally lawns in Calgary should be fertilized 2 to 3 times a year. The regimen for two applications a year, is late spring and early fall. The greenest lawns are the ones that had a early September fertilizer application. It is a common mistake to fertilize in early April rather than the fall. If you have missed the fall application it is best for the turf to wait until late May.

If you choose to do 3 applications a year, the first should be in late summer. The next application should be late fall, followed by a May application.

If a lawn is in need of repair from neglect or weed problems, 4 applications a year can be used. The first application should be late summer, followed by a late fall application. The third amount would be late spring and the final fertilizer is added in early summer.

Add a cool day and irrigation to these application dates and success shall be yours.

By Jacquie Lautermilch

The post Timing your Turf Fertilizers appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

]]>

How do I prevent weeds?

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 05:36:57 +0000

There are a lot of variables when it comes to weed growth but we will start simple. In the spring, around the same time as your first mow, you should start off by feeding your grass

with a good fertilizer like Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Fertilizer. (be sure to mow higher in the spring to encourage healthy roots I would recommend over 2″) If your grass is healthy and well fed, then weeds will have a harder time taking over. Once you do see a weed pop up, you may want to spot-kill them with something like Ortho Weed-B-Gon MAX® Weed Killer For Lawns. And if they have already become a big problem for you, you could try something like Scotts® Turf Builder® Weed & Feed. Be sure you calibrate your fertilizer spreader correctly, usually there are instructions on the back of the fertilizer bag. Don’t forget to give your grass a good watering after to prevent a burnt lawn too. Watering your lawn very well 1-2 times per week will encourage lawn health and keep your weeds at bay!

The post How do I prevent weeds? appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

]]>