Blog

Good landscaping can be the difference maker when it comes time to sell your house. It can also add beauty and value to your house that your family can enjoy for years to come. However, the cost of professional landscaping may not be in your current family budget.

We found the below do-it-yourself tips that will save money over hiring a professional, but won’t take up your entire summer weekend:

Banish the brown

We all know we should water regularly through dry spells, but there’s another secret to greening up the lawn. Mow it to a height of at least three inches. This enables the grass to retain more moisture by keeping the soil shaded and cooler, which allows the roots to grow deeper, so they can find their own water.

In fall, feed the lawn with a fall fertilizer blend (about $40 for a half-acre lot), which will improve the turf’s water-seeking abilities next year. Also, thanks to trees getting larger (or being pruned), your sun exposure may have changed. Sprinkle a sun-and-shade seed mix ($5) over problem areas.

Whack your weeds

If your mulch beds have turned into weed beds, spray the unwanted plants with Roundup (about $20), which will kill weeds in about 10 days, says Chris Valenti, a Lewes, Del., landscaper and vice president of the National Landscaping Association.

Next spring, head off the problem by using a product that prevents weeds from germinating at all, such as Preen (around $25). Or try a nonchemical solution: Lay red rosin paper (sold in the paint aisle at home centers; $15 for a three-by-140-foot roll) over the planting beds before mulching.

More tips can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/mqfdb6

Would love to hear your tips in the comments!

Filed under:
Uncategorized by LakeFrog