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Lawn Care

Save Water, Save Money with Turf Training in 2022

April 19, 2022 by Wendy Pettit

Welcome Friends! Glad you dropped in to learn about saving water and money by Turf Training.

Save Water and Money by training your lawn to grow deep roots

You cannot teach a lawn to fetch the paper or to roll over. Even though some say that it can play dead, in the winter!  But you can train it to grow deep roots now so that you and it will be happy in the heat of the summer later.  

Now that your lawn is now coming out of the dreary winter, time to train it.  You can train it to grow deep roots, so that you can cut your water bill during the summer and your lawn can be happy during those hottest Utah summer weeks.  The process is more painful for the owner than the lawn itself, but by July, it is possible to be watering your lawn once every two weeks or less, depending on your soil type.  I know it works; I’ve lived it.  This plan is for established lawns; new turf requires different care to get established.  Follow these steps and you too can have a well trained happy green lawn and a lower water bill.

  1.  April – This month, do not water your lawn!  Mother Nature is taking care of that for you.  DEEP INFREQUENT watering creates deep roots and thriving healthier plants.
  2. April or May – Aerate your lawn.  Perfect time is just before one of our spring rains. 
  3. Apply the proper spring fertilizer.  Follow the directions explicitly.  Again, the ideal time is just before a good rain to wash it into the turf.
  4. If you haven’t already, apply pre-emergent.
  5. Early May – Keep your finger OFF the automatic sprinkler system. Do NOT water your lawn.  I know it is painful because the sun is shining and spring is here, but don’t do it.  Your lawn is stretching its roots deep.  Let them dive! “Let it go!”
  6. Late May and June, repeat #5 unless one of the following occurs…
    • a. Mother Nature hasn’t watered for 3 weeks.
    • b. When you walk across your lawn, your footsteps don’t bounce back up.  Time to water.
    • c. When you look across your lawn, you notice a dull bluish green tone in spots.  Time to water.
  7. If 6a, b, or c, happen, then it’s time to DEEP water – Put a good inch of water or so on your lawn.  Placing a tuna can on your grass will let you know when you’ve watered sufficiently.
  8. Repeat steps #6 and #7
  9. In August, you will notice that you may possibly need to water a little more often, but WATCH THE LAWN!  Follow 6a, b, and c.  It will tell you!

IMPORTANT NOTE – This training is not meant for the following:  flower beds, newly seeded lawns, newly placed sod, trees or shrubs.  Learn from our experts those proper watering techniques. 

A TRUE STORY TESTIMONIAL – This personally happened to me.  Read and see.

Texas SmartScape has a wonderful diagram that illustrates exactly what your lawn roots are doing according to how you water.

Watering Lawn Methods graphic by Texas Smartscape

Graphic by Texas Smartscape

Also, watch this 1:38 minute video on wise watering tips to save you money and make your beautiful lawn happy and water-wise.

Filed Under: Gardening, How To, Lawn Care Tagged With: deep roots, drought tolerant grass, happy lawn, Lawn Care, lawn watering, save money, save water, turf watering

Western Gardens HARD GOODS

April 11, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

Many are asking for better photos of what we have in HARDGOODS – chemicals, organics, tools, etc.  Here are some of our most requested items and video walk-throughs of our aisles at the Salt Lake Store.  Our West Valley store has the same!  Give us a call with your order!  We will even load it in your vehicle for you!  Thanks for supporting Utah small business!

FUNGICIDES & HERBICIDES

Video – FUNGICIDES – CLICK HERE

Video – HERBICIDES – CLICK HERE (coming soon)

F-Stop fungicide in Utah major lawn diseases

F-Stop is a great one that solves most lawn diseases.

Wide variety of fungicides in liquid, powder, concentrate, and more.

Wide variety of fungicides in liquid, powder, concentrate, and more. Follow label instructions

 

INSECTICIDES, PEST CONTROLS, & ORGANICS

Video – INSECTICIDES, PEST CONTROLS, ORGANICS – CLICK HERE

Video – How to use the TREE & SHRUB SYSTEMIC INSECT DRENCH – CLICK HERE

Systemic Insect drench to apply early utah spring for non-fruit bearing trees

Apply early to mid April in Utah. Drench non-fruit bearing trees and shrubs. Follow directions on label. It works!

Neem Oil organic pest control

Organic insect controller

Diatomaceous Earth Organic pest control

Organic pest control for those critters with soft bodies and joints

Weed Free Zone - kills broadleaf weeds in lawn

Proven to work in early spring (cool weather). Kills weeds in lawn – spurge, clover, and more. Do NOT spray on any broad leaf plant you want to stay alive. Made only for weeds in lawn application. Follow label instructions!

ANIMAL REPELLENTS

Video – ANIMAL REPELLENTS – CLICK HERE

 

FERTILIZER PRODUCTS

Video – Fertilizers – Specialized, Organics, Tree Stakes and more –  CLICK HERE 

Video – Fertilizer Favorite – Gardener’s Special –  CLICK HERE

Video – Fertilizer WGC General use & SOIL AMENDMENTS – CLICK HERE

Video – LAWN CARE – Our 4-STEP PROGRAM FERTILIZER – CLICK HERE

Video – LAWN CARE – ORGANIC Fertilizers – CLICK HERE

Gardeners special fertilizer with micro-nutrients

Our manager’s favorite all-purpose fertilizer with micro-nutrients.

BIRD SUPPLIES

Video – BIRD SUPPLIES – CLICK HERE

 

CONTAINERS – Pots and more (inside store – not including Ceramic Pots outside)

Video – CLAY POTS (small/medium), SEED TRAYS, LABELS – CLICK HERE

Video – PLASTIC POTS, CASTORS for moving heavy pots – CLICK HERE

Video – HANGING baskets, WINDOW boxes, Liners, etc. – CLICK HERE

 

LAWN CARE / GRASS SEED & STARTING A NEW LAWN

Video – GRASS SEED / STARTING A NEW LAWN OR OVERSEEDING – CLICK HERE

Video – Our Popular 4-STEP PROGRAM for Lawns all season long – CLICK HERE

Video – ORGANIC Fertilizer for LAWN CARE – CLICK HERE

pdf –  INSTRUCTIONS  – How to Plant a New Lawn from Seed

Array of sun and shade grass seed. April is a perfect time to plant lawn from seed.

Array of sun and/or shade loving grass seed. April is a perfect time to plant lawn from seed.

More shade and sun loving grass seed options

More shade and sun loving grass seed options

bare spot repair for lawns and grass

Need to just fix a bare spot in your lawn? Here is an easy product to work with!

TOOLS – including GLOVES etc.

Video – TOOLS – CLICK HERE (COMING SOON)

Photos of Favorite Tools – CLICK HERE

2 in 1 bench/kneeler.

Another best seller! 2 in 1 bench/kneeler.

Best Wolf Garden hand pruners

Wolf Garden is a hand pruner that we highly recommend. We gave our mother her very own pair to hide so that others didn’t walk off with hers!

PLANT SUPPORTS

Video – PLANT SUPPORTS – CLICK HERE

POTTING SOILS & ORGANICS, RAISED BEDS, PEAT MOSS – LARGE SIZES

Video – POTTING SOILS, RAISED BEDS, PEAT MOSS – CLICK HERE

Bumper Crop ORGANIC potting soil

This is a fantastic organic product for planting up your new pots.

raised bed organic soil for growbox

Did you build a new growbox or raised bed? This is the soil you want.

SPECIALIZED POTTING SOILS

Video – SPECIALIZED POTTING SOILS – CLICK HERE

Potting soil specialized

A wide variety of specialized soils for specialized plants in pots.

 

SOIL AMENDMENTS

Video – SOIL AMENDMENTS – CLICK HERE

Video about our BEST – BUMPER CROP SOIL BUILDER – #1 Product for Utah soils  – CLICK HERE

Bumper Crop ORGANIC SOIL BUILDER FOR UTAH GARDEN SOILS

This is our most favorite and most popular product we sell. Find great success with Bumper Crop Soil Builder.

 

KIDS in the Garden

Video – FAIRY GARDENS – figurines, houses, stones, moss, and more.

We also have an array of children’s tools and toys to help them be part of your garden.

Garden kid starter kit for utah children

Get your kids involved with their own garden tools. Here is a perfect starter kit. Their little hands can actually help a lot.

children tools for garden work

Variety of children tools to teach them the miracle of a garden.

children yard fun with kites

Activities for in the yard or garden

 

For more instore products – CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO HOME PAGE

Filed Under: Container Gardening, Gardening, How To, Insects, Kids in the Garden, Lawn Care, Products, Seeds, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening, Yard Care Tagged With: animal repellent, bird supply, fertilizers, fungicides, garden containers, garden pest, garden products, garden tools, grass seed, grow box, herbicides, insecticides, kid friendly, kid garden tools, Lawn Care, organic, peat moss, pest control, raised beds, soil amendments

June Gardening To-Do List

June 8, 2017 by Western Gardens

Welcome gardening friends!  So glad you stopped by!

Not sure what to do in your yard & garden this month? Check out our June to-do list on www.westerngardens.com

Do you love to work in your yard, but aren’t sure of all the things you should be doing?  Then you’re in luck!  We’ve put together a list of things to do in June!

Not sure what to do in your yard & garden this month? Check out our June gardening to-do list on www.westerngardens.com

You may not need to do everything on this list.  For example, if you don’t have a cherry tree, you won’t need to worry about treating for Cherry Fruit Flies.  Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

June Gardening To-Do List

➺Plant shrubs, trees and evergreens

➺Fertilize vegetables every 4 weeks with a slow-release fertilizer, and
fertilize roses

➺Watch For Insects show a sample in a clear plastic bag to a garden expert if you suspect a problem

➺Fertilize Lawns and apply iron sulfate if needed (to green up your grass)

➺Watch For Insects like grasshoppers, potato bettle, squash bug & spider mites.  If you suspect a problem, take a sample in a clear plastic bag to a garden expert.

➺Thin Out fruit trees for a better yield

➺Control Powdery Mildew on apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines,
grapes, peas, roses & euonymous

➺Treat For Cherry Fruit Fly when cherries begin to turn pink, unless already
using fruit tree spray

➺Control Peach Twig Borer once a month with spinosad

➺Watch For Slugs & Snails control with bait or other techniques

➺Adjust Sprinklers if needed, for increasing heat

➺Move And Replant Bulbs if the foliage has died down

➺Watch For Lawn Insects and treat as necessary

➺Prune & Fertilize flowering shrubs

➺Watch For Signs Of Lawn Disease take a sample to a garden expert if you
suspect a problem

➺Control tobacco budworm on geraniums & petunias

➺Control Weeds before they set & disperse seed

➺Plant Outside
Until June 15th: carrots & endive
Until July 1st: cauliflower, parsley, swiss chard, rutabaga
Until July 15th: beets & broccoli
Until Sept 1st: radishes

*This is not an exhaustive list.  If we’ve overlooked something important, feel free to leave a comment and we will add it to the list!

If you’re local to the Salt Lake area, come in to any of our locations with questions or samples!

Not sure what to do in your yard & garden this month? Check out our June to-do list on www.westerngardens.com

Filed Under: Gardening, Tips & How To's, To-Do List, Utah Gardening, Yard Care Tagged With: Gardening, How To, June gardening to do list, lawn, Lawn Care, tips, Utah, Utah gardening, utah gardens, Western Garden Centers, Western Gardens

Snow Mold on Your Lawn – 8 Simple Ways to Solve

March 11, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Welcome Gardening Friends! Thanks for stopping by.

When the snow finally melted off our back lawn, my grass looked like it was dying. If yours does too, it could be a lawn fungus called SNOW MOLD. Don’t worry too much, snow mold seldom destroys the lawn; your lawn will recover.  This annoying disease can appear when the snow melts off the lawn in the spring.  Your turf will have circular type patches of matted straw-colored grass and can have a top layer of stringy mold.  (It reminded me of a salad mold that once grew in my refrigerator.) 

Here are 8 simple ways to solve SNOW MOLD on your lawn, and better yet, prevent it from happening.

8 ways solve snow mold on lawn

Current Problem Solutions to Snow Mold –

  • In the spring when you discover the mold, take action by gently raking the area.  This will help the air circulate through the lawn to dry it out and stop the mold from growing further.  Be careful not to rip up the grass.  The disease usually affects only the blade, so the crown of the plant is still good and will recover.  Throw away the grass you have raked up.rake grass to stop snow mold from growingbefore-and-after photos of raked lawn for snow mold
  • According to the proper schedule, regular fertilizing and mowing will help your lawn outgrow the fungus.  The lawn will green up and the damaged blades will eventually be cut off.
  • If your lawn has extreme snow mold, and you have tried the above solutions, a disease control product may need to be applied to the affected area.  See your local garden center, like the experts at Western Gardens, to obtain the correct product.  It’s always a good idea to take to the garden shop samples of the diseased plant and a photo of the area.

discard snow mold contaminated grass

Snow Mold Preventative Actions –

  • In the fall, be sure to rake leaves off the lawn. This can be annoying if you have trees that take all winter to lose their leaves, like a Sycamore.
  • In the fall, be careful not to use excessive nitrogen fertilizer. This will help slow down the growth of the grass before winter arrives.
  • In the fall, be sure to continue mowing until the lawn’s growth slows down.  Make sure your last mowing is a shorter cut.  The taller the blades of grass when winter hits, the more snow mold is encouraged to develop.  (I believe this was the culprit for our problems this spring. We put the lawnmower away and then had a mild fall.)bicycle lawn mower
  • If each year you have this problem in certain areas, apply a fungicide to the grass in the fall.  Be sure to talk with your local garden expert for the correct preventative product.
  • In the winter, if piles of snow build up where you or the street plows have worked, be sure to disperse the snow.  Where the snow is too deep on your lawn, it can take much longer in the spring to melt, inviting snow mold to grow with the warm spring temperatures. riding snow plow in cold winter
snow mold close up on lawn

SNOW MOLD on my Utah lawn

This warm weather signals time to dig in the dirt; but first, I’m going to walk barefoot through my recently raked and drying lawn.

barefoot in grass

Filed Under: Gardening, Lawn Care, Tips & How To's, Yard Care Tagged With: fall lawn care, how to's, Lawn Care, lawn disease, lawn fungus, snow mold, spring lawn care

April Gardening To-Do List

March 30, 2016 by Western Gardens

April Gardening To-Do List | Easy Garden Tips | How to Garden in Utah | Beginning Gardener

Welcome gardening friends, thanks for stopping by!

If you’re excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure where to start now that Spring is here, then you’ve come to the right place!  We’ve put together a list for you of things to do throughout the month.

April Gardening To-Do List
You may not need to do everything on this list.  For example, if you don’t have shade trees to fertilize or seedlings to harden off, skip over those items on the list.  Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

April Gardening To-Do List

April Gardening To-Do List

➺Plant all trees and shrubs

➺Fertilize lawns with a pre-emergent fertilizer to prevent weed seeds from germinating (if not done in March), repeat in 6 weeks if you had a difficult weed problem last year.

➺Fertilize lawns with a regular fertilizer if you plan to seed your lawn/bare patches
in your lawn (if not done in March), repeat every 6 weeks.  See Westerns 4 step program for the season.

➺Fertilize trees and shrubs

➺Thin Out seedlings you began indoors

➺Harden Off Seedlings by moving them to a cool place like a garage for two
or three days before planting them outside

➺Fertilize seedlings with a root starter during/after transplant

➺Aerate Lawn if not done in the Fall.  If you have a new lawn of 2 years or less, no need to aerate.

➺Water Lawn only if needed, or to water in fertilize, water early in the day or at night

➺Remove or Spray Weeds when they first appear

➺Seed Bare Patches in Lawn do NOT use a pre-emergent fertilizer, OR you can plan to lay seed in September if you have already used a pre-emergent. Not sure how?  See our article on Seeding Bare Patches in a Lawn!

➺Spurge & Crabgrass Control if not already done

➺Drain Snow Blower Gas and run it until it quits

➺Lay Sod any time you can find it, you can plant it

➺Deep Soak Trees & Shrubs if rainfall is inadequate

➺Harden Off Tender Annuals before planting outside

➺Spray Fruit Trees for fungus and pests with Fertilome Fruit Tree Spray AFTER the
flowers have fallen off

➺Do a Second Planting of lettuce & radish

➺Transplant kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc

➺Plant Outside
Until May 1st: kohlrabi, lettuce, parsnips, potatoes, rhubarb, asparagus, cabbage, spinach, turnips
Until May 15th: onions & peas
Until June 15th: carrots & endive
Until July 1st: cauliflower, parsley, swiss chard
Until July 15th: beets & broccoli
Until Sept 1st: radishes

March Gardening To Do List | Things to do in your yard and garden all month long

Be sure to check out our May Gardening To-Do List!

*This list is not exhaustive.  If we have overlooked something you’d like to see on this list, tell us in a comment below!

Filed Under: Gardening, To-Do List Tagged With: Gardening, Lawn Care, Monthly To-Do List, tips, Utah, Western Gardens

How to Water Your Lawn

May 24, 2014 by Becky

Have you ever wondered how to water your lawn correctly?  Think you’re watering too much?  Not enough?  Not at the right time of day?  Or maybe you’ve never even thought about it!  We’ve put together some pointers for you to cut out the guessing and save you water and money this summer!  Because who doesn’t want to go green and save some green?!

how to water lawnClimate and soil and sprinklers are different everywhere you go.  When people ask us how long to water their lawn, it would be great to have a tidy, pat answer to give.  But because there is so much variation even within the same area, the answer usually starts with, “It depends.”  It depends on how well your soil drains, how much water your sprinklers put out, what time of day you water, and even how long your grass is!  Even though there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer for everyone, it isn’t hard to determine how much water to give your grass.

How Much Water Does My Lawn Need? 
Lawns in the Salt Lake area need about 2 inches of water per week (not per watering).  An easy way to see how much water your lawn is getting in a watering cycle is to place some straight-sided containers around your lawn.  Empty tuna cans work great.  Check them after the watering cycle and measure how much water is in them.

How Often Should I Water My Lawn?
If your lawn is planted in loam or clay soil, it’s best to water twice a week with one inch applied at each watering.  Sandy and gravel soils won’t hold an inch of water in one watering, so they need to be watered a little more often (every other day works well with about 0.6″ applied each time).

When Should I water My Lawn?
Early Morning is the best time to water.  Watering in the evening or late at night is not a good time because the lawn remains wet overnight and is more susceptible to fungus,  and makes snails and slugs harder to control.  Never water during the heat of the day—most of that water will just evaporate.

What Else Can I do to Save Water?
Set your lawnmower height as high as you can stand it.  The longer the grass, the more shaded the soil will be, and the more moisture it will retain.  Shorter grass doesn’t shade the soil as well and the heat of the summer sun will evaporate all the moisture you just worked to get in there.

how to water your lawnFor more specific questions about your lawn or soil type, stop by one of our locations (Salt Lake, Sandy or West Valley) and talk to one of our helpful plant pros!

Follow us on Instagram for all the latest!

Filed Under: Tips & How To's, Yard Care Tagged With: grass, how to's, lawn, Lawn Care, tips, watering lawn

2″ A Week, That’s All We Ask

July 1, 2010 by Becky

Driving through upstate New York a few years ago I noticed that everyone had lush green lawns—without a sprinkler in sight.  In fact, along the roadside where we have sand, gravel or dirt, they had lush green lawn.  Climate really does make a difference and we do live in a desert.

Lawns in Salt Lake County require about 2″ of rain or irrigation per week this time of year (more than that is just wasted water).  In the cooler weather of early spring and fall they need a little less.

If your lawn is planted on loam and clay soils, it’s best that you water twice a week with one inch applied at each watering.  Sandy and gravel soils, like where I live in Sandy, won’t hold an inch of water in one watering, they need to be watered a little more often (every other day works well with about 0.6″ applied each time).

How Can I Tell How Much Water My Lawn is Getting?

To measure how much water your sprinklers are putting down, any straight-sided container, placed at several locations on the lawn will work.  As your system cycles through, measure the accumulated water in each container.  You might need to adjust, relocate, or even add heads in order to apply the right amount of water.  Sprinklers that use large drops are less subject to wind that those that use a fine mist.

When Is the Best Time to Water?

The best time to water is early in the morning.  Watering in the evening or late at night is not a good time because the lawn remains wet overnight and is more susceptible to fungus,  and makes snail and slugs harder to control.  Never water during the heat of the day—most of that watering will just evaporate.

If you have questions about what type of soil you have or how to best keep your lawn irrigated and healthy, please  stop by any of our Western Garden Centers and one of our helpful gardeners will be happy to make suggestions and offer advice.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for specials and other helpful hints.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Lawn Care

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Save water and money by Turf Training - train your lawn to grow deep roots
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