Atlanta Guide to Yard Care

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Yard care isn’t cheap and you want the efforts you make to have dramatic results. A rich and verdant lawn can be the envy of all your neighbors in Atlanta, Georgia. When you’re striving to create the most attractive lawn possible, you’ll need plenty of information and tips from lawn-care experts.

Before you get busy, visit the Georgia Department of Agriculture for important information about state and federal laws regarding the application of pesticides in your home landscape. The State of Georgia has specific laws that govern how private homeowners can apply these chemicals to a lawn.

Once you’re knowledgeable about all the important details, you’ll be ready to create a beautiful yard that shows off your amazing green thumb.

1. 1.Grass seed

   It’s important to start with the right grass seed if you want to grow a healthy lawn. With the high temperatures and long growing season, you need a grass variety that will continue to thrive under these harsh conditions. Atlanta also has mild winters, often with little rain, further compounding the need for sturdy turf grass. Bermuda grass will stay green and healthy throughout hot summers as long as it has abundant sunshine. Bermuda grass will enter a dormancy period during the winter months so don’t be alarmed if it turns brown during the off-season.

It’s important to start with the right grass seed if you want to grow a healthy lawn. With the high temperatures and long growing season, you need a grass variety that will continue to thrive under these harsh conditions.

2. 2.Seeding

   Plant grass seeds in mid-spring or early summer for the best results. You may need to reseed in spots from time to time, but this shouldn’t be necessary every year because Bermuda grass should continue to thrive for many seasons. The amount of seed you’ll need depends on the size of your yard. Make sure you keep the grass seeds moist while they germinate and until they grow to the full strength and size and your new grass will become strong and rich.

3. 3.Maintenance

   Keep Bermuda grass mowed short so it looks neat and tidy. This grass variety will even withstand frequent foot traffic, kids and pets while staying strong and attractive. Watch its growing patterns, though, to make sure it doesn’t creep into areas where you don’t want it. If you find it spreading into flowerbeds and gardens, pull it out or control it with an herbicide application. Fertilize Bermuda grass once or twice a season for the best results.

4. 4.Flowers

   Because of the hot summers and mild winters, you’ll need to choose flower varieties that will thrive in these conditions. Try planting perennials such as poppies, foxglove, hosta, coneflowers, phlox, plumeria, roses, salvia, Shasta daisies, viburnum and yarrow. Virtually any type of annual flowers will grow successfully in Atlanta as long as you provide for specific light and soil requirements of the flowers.

5. 5.Vegetables

   Vegetable gardeners in Atlanta have an extra-long growing season, thanks to early springs and later autumns. Atlanta generally has about 260 growing days every year. In fact, many gardeners succeed in growing vegetables throughout the entire year, growing winter vegetables throughout the winter months.

    

   The last frost generally occurs during the last week of March, so plan spring planting accordingly. Some gardeners plant cover crops such as clover or turnip seed over the winter to improve the nitrogen level of the soil.

    

   Whether you plant grass, flowers, vegetables or any combination of the three, you’ll have an ideal growing environment in Atlanta for plants to become lush and beautiful. Take advantage of your long growing season and experiment with a variety of different plants to create an attractive and interesting landscape in your yard.