Many homeowners confuse black medic with white clover because of its three leaflet clover-like leaves that make them appear very similar. Lawn care professionals say you are likely to see this weed in your Omaha lawn in the months between May and September. Unlike other weeds that stick out like a sore thumb, black medic is low-growing and generates bunches of tiny, vividly yellow flowers that are noticeable in the late spring and early summer. Lawn care technicians say their stems are slightly hairy and they grow in dry soil that is high in phosphorous.

Another irritating weed that homeowners are likely to spot in the early spring and be hounded by until September without professional Omaha lawn care intervention is the broadleaf plantain. This weed is grayish-green in color and begins its lifecycle in mid-spring. The egg-shaped weed has wavy-edged leaves that grown near to the ground. In the early summer, Omaha lawn care experts say the seed stalks will begin to rise and will last through early fall. Unfortunately for a Omaha lawn care professional without the right expertise and weed control program, broadleaf plantains can overtake desirable Omaha lawn grasses by suffocating them. They key to eliminating this bothersome weed is to eliminate the seeds; Omaha lawn care agents say this plant grows from seeds and re-sprouting roots.

Curly dock is another incessant weed that pops up in Omaha lawns. This weed has lance-shaped leaves which turn a reddish purple color in the summer and fall. A narrow spike emerges from the center of the plant where small greenish flowers occur. Lawn care technicians say you are more likely to see this weed during bouts of hot, dry weather. As the grass suffers, curly dock thrives.

Don’t let weeds be a drain on your Omaha lawn; contact your local Omaha lawn care authority for a rigid and effective weed control program.

There are steps you can take to protect your trees and the roots below from damage during construction on your property, however, plans aren’t always followed and mistakes are made. So what do you do to provide care to your damaged trees?

If your tree has experienced damage to its exterior, the first place to start is with the bark. Any tree bark that has been damaged should be shaved away to encourage healing. Lawn care experts recommend using a sharp knife to trim around the wounded area in a rounded motion, not cutting any deeper than is necessary to avoid cutting into healthy bark. Removing the damaged bark will promote moisture and nutrients into and around the bruised area. Just like a wound on human flesh, the tree will have a scar, but if the bark is properly cared for, the tree should heal around the wound.

If a large section of the tree has been damaged, for instance more than half of the tree’s circumference, you may want to consult your local Omaha lawn care company to save it from dying. Trees will not immediately exhibit symptoms of damage, but without proper nutrients and moisture getting to all the parts of the tree, branches will become brittle and break off, leaves will fade and eventually the tree will stop growing at all. Your tree company can stop the dying process of the tree through intensive Omaha lawn care that involves corrective pruning, fertilization and curative irrigation.

If your tree has become damaged during the construction process, call your local Omaha lawn care company as soon as possible to save this vital feature of your landscape.

Avocados are a great addition to any meal and can add an interesting flavor to a great number of dishes, but the high costs of this fruit may discourage some people from partaking. Save yourself some money and try growing your own avocado tree! Imagine thinking up a tasty southeast cuisine that would be complete with a perfectly ripe avocado. Instead of running to the store and paying an outrageous amount of money for only one avocado, you can step outside and pick one right off the vine.

If you live in a colder area and the winter months are not ideal for growing, it is wise to start this plant off indoors, making sure to give it the amount of light it would have if it were outside. Place an avocado seed in a medium to large planting pot and keep the soil damp, but not saturated. If you decide to plant the seed outdoors, choose a section of your Omaha landscape that has well-drained soil and in an area where it won’t get too much sunlight, as the leaves can become sun-scorched. It is also important to choose an area in your yard where the avocado won’t have “competition.” It won’t be bad to plant a couple of trees together, but make sure there aren’t any other plants whose roots could be cut off by the roots of your avocado trees.

In the first year of growth, it’s important to keep the tree safe from pests with a mesh fence. Fruits should start to grow after seven months or so, but it could take longer depending on the climate conditions. Landscaping experts also recommend using organic fertilizer after the first year, especially if you notice a yellowish tint to the leaves, indicating an iron deficiency. If you aren’t sure what kind of fertilizer to use or you want to protect your avocado trees from pests and diseases, contact your local landscaping company and have an expert come out to tend to all your landscaping needs.

If you find yourself disappointed with the greenness of your lawn, you have more than one landscaping option to produce an emerald turf.

Overseeding is an effective method in producing a green, lush lawn. By first aerating the turf, you will create small holes that will allow the roots of your lawn to swell, taking in extra nutrients and moisture. This added intake will increase the grass’ durability and give it a more vibrant color. After aerating, use a seeder to drop an excess of seed all over the desired areas. This process can usually be done by a professional landscaping company.

Another method to get a greener lawn is through turf dye. Ever wonder how the grass in sports arenas looks so green and healthy? More than likely the landscaping specialists rely on turf dye. This method can also help your lawn stay green after a particularly harsh summer where the heat has dried the blades out, causing them to pale. Turf dye can be purchased directly from the manufacturer, but you may also want to check with your local landscaping company for a more professional touch.

Whatever method you choose, good luck in getting that green lawn you’ve always wanted!

So you’ve finally decided this is the season you will add an outdoor living space that will give you a place to escape to and take in the sounds, smells and sights of your gorgeous landscape, as well as provide a comfortable and convenient area to entertain great friends and family. Lawn care experts suggest adding a hexagonal gazebo might just be the perfect avenue to that destination!

Hexagonal gazebos are traditional in appearance, but add a style and sophistication to your landscape. And although you may choose a design and materials that exude luxury, Omaha lawn care specialists say hexagonal gazebos are quite affordable. Furthermore, your property value will increase with this beautiful addition!

Hexagonal gazebos do not have to be one-size-fits-all in style. Lawn care professionals say there are several different options, including whether or not to add benches inside the gazebo and different types of railings. When it comes to topping your hexagonal gazebo, you can choose from a canopy top, an ornamental cupola or more traditional roofing shingles, perhaps to match the roof of your home.

Hexagonal gazebos typically come in 8 foot and 10 foot sizes. Lawn care pros suggest a great way to accentuate your landscape gazebo is by adding garden lights and seasonal plantings around the gazebo itself. The plants and flowers will give you something beautiful to gaze upon as you relax the day away in your landscape and the garden lights will allow you to enjoy this outdoor living space even on cool, summer nights.

Contact your local Omaha lawn care company today to find out more about adding a hexagonal gazebo to your landscape this season!

If nothing else, Omaha landscaping professionals insist that you water your lawn. If you do nothing else, watering at least should be a priority. But as it goes, life has a funny way of getting in the way of things that you need or want to do and the next thing you know, a couple of weeks have passed and your lawn is as dry as dust. So what’s the remedy? Why, an irrigation system of course!

Many Omaha landscaping companies are adding sprinkler system installation to their menu. It does no good to aerate, fertilize and maintain your lawn’s pH level if you’re not properly hydrating your turf. Grass needs water more than it needs anything to remain healthy, durable and vibrant. A lawn that is dehydrated is susceptible to disease and will often have brittle grass blades and look dull in color, sometimes even brown if the dehydration is severe enough.

Installing an irrigation system might seem like a luxury, but if you take into the consideration of what you might have to pay to renovate or repair your lawn after a severe bout of dehydration, it’s more than worth the cost. A sprinkler system can include features such as timers to ensure that your lawn is watered at the same time everyday and with just the right amount of water. Don’t want a visible system? No problem! Most irrigation systems are installed underneath the ground and some Omaha landscaping companies also offer products that blend in with your Omaha landscaping.

If you’re looking for a guaranteed method of keeping your lawn hydrated throughout the growing season, consult your local Omaha landscaping company and ask about how an irrigation system can benefit you!

Any recipe is only as good as its ingredients and that goes for lawn care too.  If you don’t have good flour and shortening (soil and pH level), it doesn’t matter how much frosting (or fertilizer) you add, your recipe (lawn) isn’t going to turn out well.  That’s why it’s important to get a soil test and start with a good foundation.

A soil test can measure many things like soil fertility.  Elements like phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, manganese, copper and zinc are removed from the soil to determine nutrient and contaminant content.  One of the most important things a soil test measures is pH.  Experts say if a soil is too acidic or too alkaline it can be toxic to plants.  The acidity in the soil can limit plant growth to such extremes that the plants won’t be able to utilize any fertilizer applied.  So, the soil test can help determine the best lime and fertilizer recommendations.  It’ll help save you money in the long run and help the environment by limiting the over-use of fertilizers.

Basically soils in moist climates tend to be acidic while those in dry climates are generally alkaline.  A soil pH lower than 7.0 is an acid soil, anything higher is alkaline.  The soil has to be adjusted to fit the needs of the particular plants planted in the area.

There are do-it-yourself testing kits available in many areas at reasonable prices or you can hire a company to do the testing for you.  Either way you’ll be getting important information that will help your lawn and garden grow and will make you look like the expert with the green thumb without all the effort.

Many Omaha lawn care companies offer the design and installation of irrigation systems because proper hydration is absolutely vital to creating and maintaining a healthy Omaha lawn. Many homeowners find that watering their Omaha lawn is more of a guessing game than anything else. Knowing precisely how much water your Omaha lawn needs is important because without enough water, your Omaha lawn’s color and growth will suffer. If you water too much, you run the risk of soil erosion, drowning the roots and if the watering takes place late in the evening, the development of mold.

Lawn care specialists can help you determine the correct watering procedures, but the installation of a sprinkler system can take the guesswork out of the picture. Hydration systems are designed to give your Omaha lawn just the right amount of water without overburdening the roots or causing them to go thirsty. Sprinkler systems can also be programmed to be sensitive to weather conditions, so you are experiencing a few days with heavy rainfall, your sprinkler system will not activate.

Irrigation systems are also designed and installed to make sure every inch of your landscape is covered. Many store-bought and self-installed hydration systems only cover one part of your Omaha lawn or landscape, whereas Omaha lawn care professionals will know how to install the system so that all your plants benefit.

If you are worried about the cost, think of how much money you waste by watering too much or forgetting to turn the sprinkler off. Professionally installed sprinkler systems can actually save you money, not to mention save water from being wasted.

Call your Omaha lawn care company today to find out more about the many benefits of an expertly designed sprinkler system.

Cedar trees are a favorite tree to plant on many landscapes and are relatively easy to take care of due to its drought tolerance. This tree has a pyramidal shape and grows relatively slow. There are different varieties of cedar trees and their height varies from one species to another. The eastern red cedar typically grows anywhere from 30 to 50 feet high, while the western red cedar can reach heights of up to 200 feet (however this is usually only typical for western red cedars that grow in the wild).

Many homeowners or commercial property owners use cedar trees as a pleasant-looking privacy screen on their landscape. Others may plant cedar trees for the purpose of being windbreaks or hedges. Whatever the reason you choose to introduce cedars onto your landscape, landscaping specialists say that mulch is an important part of caring for this special tree. Mulch will help keep the soil around the tree damp and loose.

Your professional landscaper can help you select the best type of mulch for your cedar tree. There are several different options:

• Sawdust or straw: Cost-effective, but doesn’t offer much in the way of nutrients to the soil.
• Bark nuggets/wood chips: Offer an eye-pleasing aspect to your landscape, has a slow rate of decomposition and stays put even through strong gusts of wind.
• Composted yard waste: Cost-effective, eco-friendly and offers an abundance of nutrients.
• Grass clippings: Making use of yard waste is always a plus, but tree care authorities warn of using grass clipping too much. The clippings can become compacted when frequent or hard rain occurs and stop moisture from being absorbed into the soil, dehydrating the roots of your cedar tree.

Once you have decided on the right kind of mulch for you, you or your landscaping authority will need to pull out all of the weeds around the area to be mulched, so the mulch can be applied to bare soil. If mulch is applied on top of existing weeds, it will not only appear unkempt, but it also won’t prevent the growth of the weeds.

An area of three to six feet in diameter and two to four inches thick around the tree should be covered with high-quality mulch during any time of the year except in the beginning of spring. The ground is still thawing from the cold weather and the soil and the roots need time to thaw and respond to the warming sun. Mulch will prevent that transfer of heat. Although you want a wide area around the tree to be mulched, leave a gap of about six inches between the base of the tree and the mulch to deter insects and other unwanted pests.

If you want more information on mulching your cedar tree, call your local landscaping professional for expert advice.

There are several different varieties of mulch to choose from, but many homeowners and commercial property owners seem to prefer cedar mulch. Cedar mulch offers the landscape a hint of rich color, and of course there is the aromatic cedar smell that adds an extra incentive. Cedar mulch also offers landscape beds superior protection against soil erosion and compaction, weed growth and protects the roots of your plants from the hot sun. If you think cedar mulch is only useful when the weather is warm, you’ll be happy to know that mulch also protects the roots from freezing during spells of cold weather. So now that you know all the benefits of cedar mulch, you may wonder how you can make your own.

In order to make your own cedar mulch, according to lawn care experts, you will need cured cedar wood in the form of a stump or logs, a chainsaw, a hatchet and a hammer. Using the chainsaw, cut the cedar stump or the logs into two-inch sections, stacking the pieces atop one another. Once you have a complete stack, use the chainsaw to cut vertically down the stack again in one- to two-inch sections. Gather the stack back together and proceed to perform another vertical cut, this time forming a crosshatch pattern. All of the resulting wood shavings and pieces will serve as part of your mulch.

You will still have some smaller pieces that need to be broken up into tinier pieces. Use your hammer and hatchet to bust them up in whatever sizes you prefer. Place all the wood in a large container and add an amount of water that is proportionate to the wood chips. Lawn care professionals say for this project, a gallon of water is usually plenty. Make sure all the wood chips have been dampened by the water and let sit for three days. Drain the water from the container and let the cedar mulch dry in the sun for a day, turning it occasionally to make sure the undersides of the wood chips have a chance to dry out as well. Once all the pieces have dried, you have your very own source of cedar mulch to adorn your lawn!

Making your own cedar mulch may be a fun activity, but perhaps you’re looking for a more professional approach. Call your local lawn care company and ask about their mulching services.