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

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

Each individual week, I chat with an business good friend to deal with your residence advancement queries. We’ll share professional recommendations and simple suggestions to assistance you do well! As well as, there is generally a exclusive or funny tale along the way.

Nowadays we are speaking about lawn care and sodding, with Sid Sexton. Sid is the founder of Sexton Lawn & Landscape in Daphne, Ala., and is certified in turf and ornament spraying, landscape design, and location of landscape crops.

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About Sid Sexton

As the founder of Sexton Lawn & Landscape, Sid is a down-to-earth, honest businessman with a really like for lawn treatment, landscape style and design, and providing the finest items to his purchasers.

Starting at age 16, Sid spent his summers working for a community landscape business and the area state club and golf class in his hometown of Muskogee, Okla.

Following earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a slight in horticulture, Sid joined the U.S. Coast Guard and was stationed in Hawaii, wherever he fulfilled his upcoming wife, Jourdan.

He was honorably discharged immediately after two several years and commenced functioning as an account supervisor for a landscape firm. In January 2004, he started Sexton Garden & Landscape.

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Sid is certified in turf and ornament spraying, landscape layout, and environment of landscape crops. He is also a Certified Landscape Professional and proceeds his education as a result of workshops, on line classes and other events many periods throughout the yr.

Continue to keep examining for his suggestions on widespread lawn complications.

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Managing Weeds

“We laid sod in our property a handful of years back and it’s held up properly right until just lately. We’re starting to detect a large amount extra weeds than normal. What need to we do?” 

Sid: The best weed command is a healthy garden. Grass requirements three key matters to prosper — sunlight, drinking water and vitamins, and in that order.

See if the sod is having enough sunlight. Trim any branches that could be casting as well substantially shadow onto the grass.

Also, feel about the form of grass. Some types of grass prosper in 1 place and fall short in a further. The style of sod could not be shade-tolerant. There is no authentic shade-loving turf, but there are some that tolerate a certain amount of shade.

Following, consider irrigation. Are you watering way too substantially or as well small? The appropriate harmony depends on the type of turf you have.

The final action need to be fertilization and weed control. If weeds are the difficulty and you experience like you have adequate sunshine, h2o and vitamins, get in touch with a skilled for a weed manage software.

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Garden Aeration

“Should most people aerate a garden, or is that in a circumstance when you suspect the floor has gotten more compacted?”

Sid: The reply is dependent on how significantly visitors you have on your garden.

Do you have some mature trees and are those people roots are acquiring greater and larger and using up additional area below the grass. Do you have canines or young children? Is there a soccer match in the backyard every single weekend? This will bring about compaction.

If this is the situation, you really should core aerate. If it’s a sports activities turf, you really should core aerate 2 times a 12 months. 

For regular owners, once a year, if that, is adequate. 

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

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Prepping for Sod

“What must you do right before sodding your garden?”

Sid: Ahead of laying sod, just take five or 6 soil samples from the front and backyard.

Label them so you are going to know what location of your lawn desires soil amendment. Consult with with your neighborhood extension place of work to see what cures you must do.

Right after your soil is amended and you are completely ready to lay the sod, begin prepping. There’s no require to eradicate all vegetation, but you do need to have to get rid of the weeds. 

In advance of laying the sod, split up the soil with a until. This will develop a smooth changeover layer of soil that will make it easier for the grass roots to just take hold. 

Then, add some organic and natural subject to develop a dwelling soil for your sod to thrive, like Black Cow. (This is an affiliate hyperlink. If you obtain this product or service, we will generate a modest commission at no more charge to you.)

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Sid Sexton’s Mowing Strategies

• Sharpen your lawn mower blade at minimum as soon as for every period. A sharp blade will make a pleasant thoroughly clean reduce and won’t tear the grass blades.
• Improve up mowing designs. Do not mow in the exact route every time every single 12 months. It can help the grass to expand a different way and lessens the likelihood of ruts in your lawn.
• Make guaranteed you know the mowing peak for your turf kind. Distinct grasses develop finest when at particular heights. For illustration, the encouraged peak for St. Augustine grass is 3-4 inches, while Bermuda grass desires to be lower at an inch and a 50 %. 

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Sid’s Encounter with the Elusive Ground Pearl

During the class of his horticulture reports in school, Sid realized about an insect identified as a ground pearl. Ground pearls dwell in the soil, feed on turf roots and seem like a pearl, as their title indicates.

Above the a long time, he’s read about floor pearls in seminars and read through about them in textbooks, but he experienced in no way seen a person in authentic everyday living. 

“I thought it was the Loch Ness monster — some thing you stated when you couldn’t figure out what was erroneous with a lawn,” Sid states.

This changed, although, when he bought a household in 2012. For 9 months, he struggled to discover the lead to of why the grass’ overall health was declining. The solution grew to become distinct when he was digging to plant a tree and pulled out a massive wad of soil.

There had been white and pink dots just about everywhere! Lo and behold, it was the elusive ground pearl.

Now, he sees them almost everywhere!

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