Poking Around The Home

Introduction

Protective clothing is the clothing used to protect yourself from potential hazards while working in lawns.

Using protective clothing:

There are certain areas of work in the lawns, where wearing protective clothing is a must. You specially cannot be excused from having protection when dealing with pesticides. Direct exposure to pesticides can cause many problems like temporary dizziness, coughing, to most serious kind of skin allergies. Usually, the type of protecting clothing used is listed on the pesticides. Long shirts, trousers and a mask are commonly recommended. Also this protective clothing needs to be washed after every application of pesticides. Be sure to stock a large wardrobe of protective clothing. Another area requiring protection comes from environmental factors like sun; extreme cold etc. using sun hats and lotions is recommended here. Warm overalls can also be useful to ward away chill. There are two types of protective wear, first is the Regular work clothing which consists of a long shirt with long pants, hat with a brim, sturdy weather resistant shoes and socks, and second is the protective equipment like waterproof or chemical resistant gloves, goggles, and sometimes a respirator. The amount of clothing also depends upon the how toxic the pesticide is, more toxic the pesticide, more protection you need. If the pesticide is marked with ‘danger’ then you need to wear coveralls over your regular work clothing. On the other hand if the label is marked with ‘caution’ then using regular work clothing is recommended. It is best to use a combination of both types of clothing while handling any type of pesticide. Sometimes you may also need to wear a headgear as and when required.

Management of protective clothing:

There are many ways of keeping your protective clothing clean. Disposable clothing is available, however it can be heavy on the pocket. Protective clothing can be washed best under running water. Laundering clothes can also be helpful. The kind of soap used for washing should be powerful enough to wash away all the traces of fertilizers. Usually hot to warm water is used for maximum cleaning. Be sure to keep your regular clothes and protective clothing separate, especially after use. They should preferably be washed and stored separately.

With the help of protective covering you can work in your lawns without fear and apprehension.

Appearance of moss in even well looked after lawns is not uncommon. The most common maintenance problem of any lawns is related to moss invasion.

Causes of moss growth:

The presence of moss is a symptom of a bigger problem. Mostly moss appears when grass is weak or thin. Other causes include poorly drained soils, low soil fertility and even too much shade over lawn area. Problems also occur when soil has low or high pH percentage and poor air circulation. However not all causes are unavoidable. Sometimes poor lawn care management can also lead to appearance of moss. Some management related causes are, application of little, too much or no fertilizers. Irregular mowing and watering pursuits can also encourage moss growth.

Treatment for moss growth:

There can be several approaches in terms of moss growth. As moss usually grows after rainy days, some choose to wait for drier days, which dry out the moss. However, in case you want to keep your lawn moss free twelve months a year, you have to use an intensive approach. Keeping the drainage facility well managed is very important. Allowing your lawn to have more sun is also helpful. Moss should be raked out as soon as it is seen. Use of fertilizers is considered helpful, but they need to be used cautiously. Applying fertilizers before rains can prevent moss growth. Some also apply limestone, however it is not recommended unless soil tests have shown that the pH needs to be raised. Ferrous ammonium sulfate or ferric sulfate can also be used to control moss to some extent. The important precaution here should be that the areas next to the lawns need to be washed to free the area of any iron sulfate. If the problem is associated with too much shade, then modifying site conditions by reducing shade and pruning trees and shrubs is recommended. Doing this improves the light penetration and provides good air circulation. If the problem persists than a soil test can be done to check the pH levels. Problems can also be associated with the type of grass used on the lawns as some encourage moss growth more than the others. Evaluating the condition of grass can provide you with many answers to your problem.

With the help of all these measures, moss growth can be controlled effectively.

No magic pill or a wand can beautify your lawn than taking its right care. Lawn care can be easily divided in 5 easy steps that will give you the best results.

1. Mowing the grass to the right height during the right time of the year.
Mowing the grass to the right height is very important as the height of the grass assists it in absorbing the sunshine it needs to grow and develop into a healthy plant. Never mow the grass to its one-third height. Leave the cut grass on the lawn. The cut grass decomposes to rich fertilizer for the lawn.
2. Use a sharp blade
Always use a sharp blade for cutting the grass. A dull blade will tear of the grass, which will make it difficult for the grass to fight off pests and disease. To see whether your blade needs sharpening take a close look at the grass after few days of mowing. If you see brown lines at the tip of the grass, it is high time for you to sharpen the blades.
3. Regulate water intake
Proper irrigation greatly avoids the problems of pest growth and disease. Wherein over watering can be more dangerous than lack of water. Most grasses need 1- 1.5 inch of water per week. This much supply would be sufficient to moisten the soils to 4-6 inches below the surface for the clay soils and 8-10 inches for sandy soils. Always use a rain gauge to measure the water supply during the rains and regulate the supply according.
4. Balanced supply of fertilizer and pesticides
Don’t over feed your lawn. Supply plenty but balanced fertilizer during spring, summer, early fall and after the first frost. During a drought skip the summer feeding. However never skip the fall feeding.
5. Prevention is the best cure
Preventing the problem before it arises is the best to avoid troubles. Feed your lawn with regular and required pesticide to avoid the uninvited guests-bugs, pests and diseases. Further more keep repairing the bare spots as needed. Use the right herbicides as needed, this will avoid and control the growth of weeds.
Now maintaining your lawn can be very easy. With little efforts, your lawn will be most beautiful ornament of your house.

Need and composition of fertilizer

The fertilizer that is used in the lawn consists of three different chemicals and they are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen is the important constituent that can be added to your lawn for the element needed to make the grass grow and get its green color. It also helps to create thickness, let off density and brawny growth to help fight-off weeds and pests. Phosphorus is used chiefly to push strong grass root growth and founding. An increase in phosphorus during times of new planting and renewing old lawns is noticed. Potassium is used to enhance your lawn’s resistance to disease, drought, wear, and cold weather. An increase in potassium during fall and winter fertilizations and times of new planting and renewing old lawns is noticed.

Seasonal treatment

In order to keep the lawn in best shape it should be maintained properly and need of the essential nutrients is required. They are to be treated differently according to the season. In spring season, it is to be treated with nitrogen rich fertilizer. The green explosion may please to your eye but it encourages outrageous top growth to the detriment of the lawn roots. A fertilizer should be lighter on the nitrogen and heavier on the phosphorus and it makes the roots strong. .
During the heat of summer, nitrogen is more likely to burn your lawn than during other times of the year. Nitrogen burn is particularly likely if your lawn is drought-damaged. Slow-release and combination fertilizers are generally better than fast-release fertilizers and are, as a result, a little pricier. Excess fertilizer that washes off lawns is wasted and harmful. In rainy season do not fertilizer the garden, as the rain pushes the fertilizers towards the drainage. In such case the fertilizer has to be applied again. Avoid using water-soluble, quick-release nitrogen, such as ammonium nitrate, urea ammonium phosphate, or potassium chloride.
Effect of pool chlorine
Chlorine is a popular pool sterilizer because it effectively kills most microorganisms that can contaminate your pool. But lawns and pools can be an awkward combination. The pool chlorine levels aren’t high enough to do real damage to the lawn. The nitrogen in lawn fertilizer can combine with pool chlorine to create chlorine compounds, which interfere with the chlorine’s ability to sanitize your pool. While diluted pool chlorine isn’t a problem, concentrated chlorine can kill some of the bacteria that are essential to plants’ ability to get nutrients from the soil. One has to be careful while adding chlorine to the pool, as spills at concentrated levels could damage the grass in the yard.