Get Lawns Ready Now for Next Year
Anybody who will be selling a property in the spring should get a jump on curb appeal by working now on beautifying the lawn.
Here are some key tasks that will lead to a green and healthy yard in the next selling season:
* Calculate the total lawn area to learn how much seed and chemicals are required.
* Treat weeds with an herbicide.
* Test the pH level and, if indicated, add lime.
* Plant ground cover like pachysandra and hardy ferns in low-light or slopping areas.
* Before preparing, seeding and fertilizing the rest of the lawn, consider whether there are areas that might be better candidates for stepping stones or another attractive alternative to plantings.
Source: Charlotte Observer, Nancy Brachey
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.
Hard-Pressed Owners Cut Back on Lawns
Sales of fertilizer and insect and weed-control products fell 15 percent last year after topping out in 2007 at $13.6 billion, according to a survey from the National Gardening Association.
“When housing sales fell, lawn care was one of the first things to go,” said Allen James, president of Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), an advocacy organization funded by the pesticide and fertilizer industry.
Bruce Butterfield, research director of the National Gardening Association, says mowing conservatively – maintaining grass at two or three inches – goes a long way toward keeping it healthy without spending a lot of money.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, Neal Templin (06/18/2009)
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.