Squarely in the category of ongoing maintenance, I’ve been spending time making sure our yard is well cared for.  Lisa has taken a keen interest in gardening and the yard as well.  We just got this book to help us figure it all out.

With well-established landscaping, the root systems tend to go deep enough to make them more resilient to imperfect watering conditions. But with newer landscaping, we are finding that things can be a little sensitive.  As we have redone our entire lot throughout this project, not much on our property has been in the ground for more than a couple of years.

Lawns

One problematic area has been our lawns. Because we opted to go with subterranean watering, until the roots are well established, we have to make sure and additionally hand water them from above so they get enough water.  We also have to be sure not to over-water them from underneath; if the deeper layers of soil stay constantly wet, as the roots aren’t deep enough to constantly pull out the water, that can lead to root-rot which will prevent the lawn from thriving.

I started giving it once-a-month fertilizer last month and it has greened up nicely.  I really liked the deep watering it got with our January rain storms.  I’m still watering a little from above, but it generally seems more resilient now.

Hedges

The hedges have been frustrating.  On the western side of our property, they are doing very well, and have a dark green coloring.

On the eastern side however, they are showing a lot of leaf yellowing.  One cause of leaf yellowing can be a PH imbalance in the soil, which can prevent the plants from taking up iron.

Another cause can be a lack of iron in the soil.  After a dose of fertilizer and two doses of iron, they still aren’t looking any better.  Time to bring in a specialist.

Watering

We have a smart watering system that can be controlled from a phone app, which is nice. But I still walk around once or twice a week and check everything with a long moisture meter, just be sure I am not over or under watering. I sure would like a network of smart sensors that would automatically monitor the soil moisture and water when needed instead of maintaining a schedule; sort of like a Nest for your yard, that learns what your yard needs over time.

Perhaps I’ll have to invent that.