Ask Danny | Ep. 1: Improving Your Lawn’s Health

Welcome to the first episode of Today’s Homeowner’s new podcast, “Ask Danny.”

Each and every week, I chat with an market close friend to tackle your house improvement thoughts. We’ll share pro tips and practical advice to assist you thrive! In addition, there is constantly a unique or funny story alongside the way.

These days we are talking about lawn treatment and sodding, with Sid Sexton. Sid is the founder of Sexton Lawn & Landscape in Daphne, Ala., and is licensed in turf and ornament spraying, landscape design and style, and placing of landscape vegetation.

About Sid Sexton

As the founder of Sexton Garden & Landscape, Sid is a down-to-earth, sincere businessman with a love for lawn care, landscape style and design, and delivering the most effective products to his consumers.

Commencing at age 16, Sid used his summers performing for a local landscape business and the local place club and golfing program in his hometown of Muskogee, Okla.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minimal in horticulture, Sid joined the U.S. Coast Guard and was stationed in Hawaii, in which he satisfied his foreseeable future spouse, Jourdan.

He was honorably discharged after two several years and started operating as an account manager for a landscape organization. In January 2004, he established Sexton Garden & Landscape.

Sid is accredited in turf and ornament spraying, landscape style, and location of landscape plants. He is also a Licensed Landscape Professional and continues his instruction by way of workshops, on the net programs and other events a number of instances in the course of the calendar year.

Preserve reading through for his advice on popular garden issues.

Managing Weeds

“We laid sod in our lawn a couple years ago and it’s held up properly right up until not too long ago. We’re starting to detect a ton far more weeds than typical. What really should we do?” 

Sid: The finest weed control is a wholesome lawn. Grass wants three main matters to thrive — sunlight, h2o and vitamins, and in that order.

See if the sod is finding more than enough sunlight. Trim any branches that could be casting way too a great deal shadow onto the grass.

Also, assume about the kind of grass. Some sorts of grass thrive in a single place and are unsuccessful in a further. The sort of sod could not be shade-tolerant. There’s no genuine shade-loving turf, but there are some that tolerate a sure amount of shade.

Next, take into account irrigation. Are you watering way too a lot or as well minor? The suitable balance depends on the style of turf you have.

The past phase really should be fertilization and weed control. If weeds are the concern and you really feel like you have more than enough sun, water and nutrients, get in touch with a qualified for a weed management method.

Garden Aeration

“Should every person aerate a lawn, or is that in a scenario when you suspect the ground has gotten more compacted?”

Sid: The respond to is dependent on how significantly targeted traffic you have on your lawn.

Do you have some experienced trees and are those roots are receiving more substantial and greater and using up additional house below the grass. Do you have pet dogs or youngsters? Is there a soccer match in the yard each and every weekend? This will induce compaction.

If this is the case, you should really core aerate. If it is a sports activities turf, you should really main aerate two times a calendar year. 

For typical homeowners, at the time a 12 months, if that, is sufficient. 

And ahead of you aerate, mark the destinations of your sprinkler heads.

Prepping for Sod

“What ought to you do right before sodding your lawn?”

Sid: Just before laying sod, choose 5 or 6 soil samples from the front and yard.

Label them so you’ll know what space of your yard desires soil modification. Talk to with your nearby extension place of work to see what treatments you really should do.

After your soil is amended and you’re ready to lay the sod, start off prepping. There is no need to have to reduce all vegetation, but you do require to get rid of the weeds. 

Before laying the sod, break up the soil with a till. This will create a smooth changeover layer of soil that will make it much easier for the grass roots to consider hold. 

Then, add some natural subject to generate a dwelling soil for your sod to thrive, like Black Cow. (This is an affiliate url. If you acquire this merchandise, we will gain a compact commission at no additional price tag to you.)

Sid Sexton’s Mowing Strategies

• Sharpen your garden mower blade at minimum the moment per time. A sharp blade will make a wonderful cleanse slash and will not tear the grass blades.
• Modify up mowing patterns. Do not mow in the very same course just about every time each individual year. It can help the grass to expand a unique way and lessens the chance of ruts in your yard.
• Make certain you know the mowing height for your turf sort. Various grasses develop best when at selected heights. For instance, the advised height for St. Augustine grass is 3-4 inches, while Bermuda grass demands to be slice at an inch and a 50 percent. 

Sid’s Face with the Elusive Ground Pearl

All through the study course of his horticulture research in higher education, Sid realized about an insect referred to as a ground pearl. Ground pearls dwell in the soil, feed on turf roots and search like a pearl, as their identify indicates.

About the years, he’s heard about floor pearls in seminars and read about them in textbooks, but he had never ever viewed a single in serious existence. 

“I believed it was the Loch Ness monster — a thing you stated when you couldn’t figure out what was completely wrong with a garden,” Sid states.

This transformed, though, when he purchased a residence in 2012. For 9 months, he struggled to discover the lead to of why the grass’ health and fitness was declining. The response became obvious when he was digging to plant a tree and pulled out a huge wad of soil.

There were being white and pink dots in all places! Lo and behold, it was the elusive ground pearl.

Now, he sees them just about everywhere!

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