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Summer barbecues are a great way to keep yourself entertained and make use of the yard you’ve gone to such great lengths to keep in good condition. But all that activity can take its toll on your grass. Though there are steps you can take to minimize the impact your epic summer party has on your lawn, cleaning up afterwards can be just as important. Your Denver sprinkler repair pros want to help. Here are a few simple tips to help you clean up your lawn so it stays as beautiful as you want it to all season long.

Make Trashcans Readily Available
During the party, keep trashcans where guests can easily access them. This will help reduce the risk of food waste, soda, and other acidic products from seeping into your grass. And if guests know where the trashcans are, they’ll show the initiative to use them every time. After all, they don’t want to trash your yard. But if you don’t have a good place for them to deposit food waste, plates, and cans, what other choice do they have?

Pick Up Balloon Bits Immediately
Balloons are great fun for kids and adult alike. But no matter how careful you are, those thin bits of plastic will probably pop. Unfortunately, balloons have the tendency to shatter into a bunch of little shreds and those shreds can hurt your grass, your sprinkler system, and your lawn mower. As soon as a balloon pops, pick up the pieces. This way, you won’t forget after the party and you’ll be able to mow your lawn in a few days without damaging the blades.

Keep a Garden Hose Ready
Soda and food is incredibly acidic and they can damage your grass, leaving ugly brown spots in their wake. The best way to keep your lawn healthy with inevitable spills is to rinse the grime away. After the party, spray down areas of your lawn where food and drinks got spilled. This will dilute the acidity and keep your grass in good shape. Just make sure to wait until after the party is over. Otherwise, you’ll end up creating a mud puddle that your guests could slip and fall in. 

Make Sure the Sprinkler Heads Are Retracted
When your lawn’s sprinkler system runs, the heads raise up above the grass to distribute water. Sometimes, those heads get stuck and that puts your guests at risk for injury and exposes your system to damage. Before the party, make sure the sprinkler heads are completely retracted. And do the same before you start cleaning up. This will give you a chance to inspect each head for damage and schedule an appointment should your system need repairs. 

Pick Up Decorations
It’s tempting to leave your party decorations out overnight, but that doesn’t mean you should. Even small amounts of weight on the lawn can damage the turf and hurt the health of your grass. When this happens, you’ll end up brown patches, bare patches, and indentations in the soil itself. Often, these areas need to be reseeded in order to restore them to their former growth levels. After the party, pick up all decorations, lawn games, tables, trash cans, and anything else that’s made its way onto your lawn. The sooner you do, the less damage those items will cause.

Give the Turf Time to Rest
You need some downtime to recover after a party or backyard barbecue and so does your lawn. Try to keep your family’s activities in the backyard to a minimum for a day or two after the event. This will give the turf time to bounce back and helps the soil recover more quickly. Resuming normal activity immediately causes the soil to compress further, creating a host of issues ranging from poor grass health to bad drainage. If you have to, set up barriers to remind your family to stay off the lawn for a few days. Shift games and activities to the front yard if you can or use the side of the backyard that saw the least amount of traffic during the party. 

Get the Grass Standing Again
Grass blades are meant to bend and shift. Though they’ll often look flattened after a party, it’s not always irreparable. You just need to give your grass a helping hand. Use your fingers or a leaf rake to gently rake the blades back into standing position. Just take care to use a very gentle pressure on the rake. Otherwise, you could damage the roots by accident. If the roots are unharmed beneath the soil, the blades will stay upright after a few hours. If the roots are damaged, you’ll want to call your landscaping team to see what you need to do to fix your lawn. 

Test Your Sprinkler System
Unfortunately, accidents happen and your sprinkler system may have gotten damaged during the party. The next day, test your system to make sure the heads all work and that the spray still moves where it’s supposed to go. If anything looks off or you notice that one head just isn’t working, schedule a repair appointment as soon as possible. Running the system with any kind of damage puts you at risk for underground leaks and further damage which threatens the overall health of your landscaping. The sooner you get your system inspected and repaired, the better off your yard and your lawn will be.

Don’t Put Off Repairs and Maintenance
This summer, make your yard the neighborhood hangout spot. Go ahead and host that barbecue and let the kids play lawn games with abandon. With a little TLC and attention, your grass will thrive this summer. But if anything goes wrong, don’t put repairs off until fall. Contact us to schedule a routine maintenance appointment today and let our experienced sprinkler installation and repair team make sure your system is running properly week after week. Our goal is to help you keep your lawn entertainment-ready as long as the weather stays warm and beautiful this year. 
 

Summer is the perfect time to relax outside. And while you’ve gone to great lengths to keep up with your Denver sprinkler repairs and made sure your lawn looks its best, you also want to be able to use it. There’s nothing better than keeping your friends and family entertained and having fun in your yard. But restricting activities to the patio or deck always puts a damper on things. You don’t have to. You just have to be smart about the types of activities you allow on your grass. Here are a few of our favorite lawn games that won’t damage your turf but WILL keep your guests entertained for hours at a time.

Spike Ball
Spike Ball is a fun multi-player game that’s ideal for older kids and adults alike. It’s best played with two teams of two players, but can be played one on one if you feel like being really active. It features a lightweight net that allows the balls to bounce high into the air when players spike the ball onto the trampoline. The goal is to hit the ball towards other players in a way that they can’t lob it back at you. Each pass has to hit the net for the play to count. And every time the other team misses the ball, you earn a point. The first team to reach 21 points wins the game. 

Since the net is lightweight and the supports are wide for the relative size of the net, you don’t have to worry about damaging the grass. Even if you end up leaving the net out overnight, your lawn will still look just as good the next day. Keep in mind it’s best if players remove their shoes when playing as the tread of their soles can rip up your grass. 

Ladder Ball
Ladder ball is a great game for players of all ages and two people can play at any given time. The game uses two 3-rung “ladders” with sturdy bases to keep them upright. The ladders are typically made of wood or PVC pipe and you can build your own set if you’re working with a tight budget. 

The object of the game is to get the bolas (two balls connected by a thin rope) to loop around one of the three rungs. The top rung is worth three points, the middle is worth two, and the bottom is worth one. Players throw from 15 feet away and must reach 21 points exactly. If you score over 21 points, you lose the game. 

Since ladder ball is lightweight and doesn’t require any permanent setup or tons of running to play, your grass will look great no matter how many games you get started during your gatherings. Just take care to play away from the house, windows, and anything else that’s breakable. The bolas are hard and when thrown with force, they can damage property and even dent your car. 

Badminton
Badminton is a centuries-old game that’s the perfect choice for your lawn party. It requires a net that can hang between trees or be set up in the middle of your lawn with thin stakes and supports. These won’t do any more damage to your lawn than aerating the soil would. But you will want to be cautious about where you place the net. Keep it away from any sprinkler heads to keep your guests safe and reduce the risk of damage to your system. 

The game itself is played by two teams of two players. The players try to send the birdie or shuttlecock over the net and points are won when the other team misses the shuttlecock. The goal is to keep the shuttlecock off the ground at all times. The first team to reach 20 points with at least a two-point lead over the other team wins. But if you want to keep the fun going, you can always make the winning point count higher. 

Feel free to leave the net up for the whole summer if you’re only playing on the weekends. If you’re going to use the net more frequently, you may want to move it once a week. This will keep you from wearing down certain areas of your lawn and spreads out the impact from standing and gameplay. 

Cornhole
What’s an outdoor gathering without cornhole?! Nothing! And the best part is that this classic game won’t do any damage to your lawn during the party. The goal is to toss your beanbags as close to the hole in the board as possible. 

The boards should be facing each other 27 feet apart if you’re following regulation rules. But if you’re just playing for fun or are playing with kids, feel free to move the boards closer.  You’ll throw at the opposing board from behind the other board. Each beanbag that lands on the board and stays put earns one point. Every bag that goes through the hole earns three points. 

You can play single rounds with the highest score winning or play a total of three rounds with the first person to win two rounds wins the match. It’s entirely up to you and because gameplay is fast, it’s the perfect way to keep an entire gathering entertained. 

Just make sure you put the cornhole boards up at the end of the day. Leaving them on the lawn will put excess pressure on your grass and shields the turf from the sun and water it needs to thrive. The last thing you want to deal with is ugly brown patches on your lawn because you forgot to pick up the cornhole set after last week’s party. 

Let your lawn turn into the best summer hangout spot on the block. Stock up on lawn games, host parties with abandon, and enjoy everything the summer brings in style. Just make sure your sprinkler system can keep up with your watering needs. Contact us today to schedule a maintenance appointment and let our team tune up your system before the weather gets too warm.  
 

As a homeowner, you want your landscaping to look great at all times. And you go to great lengths to keep it looking its best. You stay on top of lawn maintenance and carefully care for your plants throughout the growing season. Believe it or not, those good intentions can end up hurting your landscaping if you’re not careful. Before you call your Denver sprinkler repair experts for your pre-summer system tune-up, take a look at these myths and give your landscaping the best care it deserves.

Watering in the Evening or Early Morning Means Your Plants Use Less Water
You probably know that watering in the evening and early morning is better for your plants and you might even have noticed a decrease in your water bill. But that’s not because your plants are using less water. In fact, they’re using the same amount they would if you watered during the day. The difference comes from the amount of water evaporating.

During the evening and early morning hours, the sun and the heat are less intense. This means less water evaporates as the sprinkler system runs. And the less water that evaporates, the more water reaches your plants. As a result, your sprinklers need less water to keep your plants properly hydrated, lowering your water bill. 

Mowing the Lawn Shorter Cuts Down on Maintenance
No one likes to lose a weekend morning to mowing the lawn. And that means it’s tempting to cut the grass shorter than normal. After all, the shorter the blades of grass are, the less often you’ll need to mow. While this will cut down on the number of times you have to mow the lawn, it won’t cut down on maintenance. 

Actually, it will increase the amount of maintenance your lawn needs throughout the growing season. Shorter blades dry out more quickly. When this happens, you’ll end up with a lawn that looks patchy at best and brown and dry at worst. You’ll have to spend extra hours getting the lawn back in shape if you want it to look nice. Spare yourself the frustration and leave your grass on the longer side. This will make it more resistant to heat and helps keep the soil and the roots damp and hydrated.

Fertilizing Fixes Brown Spots and Dying Patches
Each year, tons of homeowners fertilize their lawns as soon as they see the grass looking a bit dull. On the surface, this seems like a good idea. But it’s easy to overdo it. Remember, your lawn is resilient. It can often recover on its own when patches start underperforming.

And unless you’re incredibly familiar with your soil type, your lawns needs, and the type of fertilizer you have, it’s easy to overdo it. When you do, you’ll end up frying your lawn and changing the pH balance of the soil. Once you do, it can take a lot more work and repairs to fix the damage and restore your turf to its former growth patterns. 

Planting Has to Happen in Spring
When you think of planting new additions to your garden, you probably think the task has to happen during the spring. And if you miss the window, nothing will be able to get established in your garden. While there is some truth to this, you don’t have to restrict your planting activities to spring. 

There are many plants that can be added to your garden at any point during the growing season. You just need to choose ones that are already started. If you want to see any noticeable blooms and growth during the summer, planting from seeds or seedlings isn’t the best choice. Ask for advice at your local garden center if you’re looking to add more plants to your garden later in the season.

You Can’t Overdo Mulch
We’ve talked about mulch before. It’s a great way to protect your soil from erosion and add a pop of texture and color to your landscaping. But many homeowners end up spreading the much everywhere. 

Like it or not, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Mulch is heavy and blocks light from hitting the soil directly. This is part of what makes it excellent weed control. But the same principle means it’s possible to accidentally damage your plants. Use the minimum amount of mulch needed to protect your soil. This will help keep the plants you want to have growing well throughout the summer months. 

Using a Garden Hose Saves You Water
We get it…running sprinklers seems like it’s wasting water. After all, the spray covers a larger area than just the plants you want it to hit. This causes many homeowners to reach for a garden hose to water their lawn and landscaping. Why? Because when you’re in control of the water flow, you’ll use less water, right?

Wrong. Using a garden hose actually uses more water than the standard sprinkler system. Worse, it often leads you to overwater your plants, drowning their roots and removing nutrients from the soil. When in doubt, use your sprinklers and if you feel that your system is using more water than it should, get it tuned up.  

Sprinkler Systems Can’t Help Your Garden Beds
Sprinkler systems are most commonly used to water lawns. For many homeowners, this leads to the thought that their sprinklers won’t help their garden beds or other types of landscaping. In some yards, this may be true, but it’s not the case for most.

In fact, your sprinkler system probably reaches your decorative shrubs, garden beds, trees, and other landscaping elements that you’ve been tempted to water by hand. When in doubt, watch your sprinklers when they run. See where the water hits and make a note of it. If you have a part of your yard that you want covered, just give your installation team a call. They’ll be able to find a solution for your yard’s needs. 

Sprinklers are an important part of every home’s landscaping. But you have to keep them in good condition to see any benefit for your yard. Schedule a tune-up with our experts today and see the difference a well-maintained system can make in your landscape’s appearance. 
 

Summer is almost here and if you’re like most homeowners, you’re already planning some epic summer parties for your backyard. Though you’ve already taken the time to get your Denver sprinkler system ready to keep your lawn looking great, sprinklers alone won’t be enough to protect your grass from damage. And the more parties you have, the more likely it is that your lawn will get damaged. Luckily, there are some things you can do to get your grass ready for the increase in traffic. As your trusted Denver sprinkler repair experts, we’re here to help. Here are a few simple tips you can use.

Give Your Lawn Some TLC Beforehand 
The best way to keep your yard in good condition after a party is to give your yard a bit of attention. Pay attention to the height of your mowing blades and leave it a bit longer than you normally would. This will keep the blades from drying out and gives them a better chance of withstanding extra foot traffic.

If you notice bare patches, spread some grass seed in those areas a few weeks ahead of the party. This gives them enough time to take root and can help make your lawn look nicer for your guests. 

Don’t Overwater
Your sprinkler system should already be set up on a timer. This helps keep your lawn lush and green throughout the warmer months without any extra work on your end. But as you near party-time, you might need to alter that schedule. Avoid watering the lawn at all for a few days before the party. This helps keep your soil in better condition and gives partygoers firmer ground to stand on. And firmer turf means less damage to your lawn.

Spread Things Out During Setup
Heavy weights and prolonged use of a single part of your lawn is the easiest way to damage the grass. Over time, the soil beneath the grass starts to compact under those frequent and heavy loads. When this happens, the roots can’t draw nutrients up through the soil and the turf starts to whither.

As you set up tables and equipment, pay attention to how much weight is on any part of your lawn. If you need to set up incredibly heavy equipment (think speakers and sound systems or generators), set the items on top of a larger piece of plywood. This spreads the weight out over a larger area and keeps your lawn in good shape.

Pick Up As You Go
Trash, food particles, and sugary drink spills are to be expected at any party. And though keeping those things outside makes it easier to pick up your house after the party, it can be problematic for your lawn. Spilled soda and dropped food can change the pH of your yard’s soil. When this happens, you’ll likely see discoloration in the grass. 

The best way to keep the damage to a minimum is to pick up the mess anytime you see something out of place. If you notice a chicken bone on the ground, pick it up and put it in the trash. If someone spills a drink, rinse the area with cool clean water to dilute the liquid. Keep trashcans easily accessible for guests and they’ll even help you keep things clean throughout the event.

Avoid Setting Up in the Same Spots
Summer is barbecue season and that means you’ll be having multiple gatherings in your yard during the warmer months. Though it’s tempting to stick to the same layout once you find one that works, try to change things up every few weeks. 

Set tables, chairs, and coolers in different spots on the lawn throughout the season. This gives the grass a chance to rebound and recover after each party and avoids putting repeat stress on the same parts of your yard. 

Decorate Carefully
Lawn decorations are a great way to make things festive, but they can hurt your grass and your sprinkler system if you’re not careful. When decorating, pay attention to where each item goes. If you’re driving a stake into the turf to secure something, make sure it’s not right next to a sprinkler head. 

Whenever possible, try to decorate your patio or deck instead of the lawn itself. These areas are much easier to clean up and aren’t damaged by most decorations, no matter how large or heavy they are. By keeping your decorations off the lawn entirely, you’ll help maintain your grass for months to come without accidentally damaging your landscaping.

Aerate as Needed
After the party, it’s normal to notice some areas where the soil has compressed. And if you’ve been hosting parties the entire summer and noticed your guests gathering in the same spots each time, your lawn will definitely need a bit of TLC. You need to aerate the turf in those spots.

Grab a pitchfork or long-pronged rake and poke two-inch holes in the soil with the tool. This helps break up the soil and gives the roots room to expand. But it also helps give your lawn more oxygen. This can make it easier for your grass to survive and thrive even with frequent parties and gatherings.

Be Mindful After the Party
After the guests leave, you’ll want to move all of your lawn furniture, kids’ toys, and other gear to their normal places. But before you do, make sure you’re not moving them on top of those heavily trafficked areas. 

If the items normally sit where people gathered during the party, give your grass a few days to recover before you move those items back. This can make all the difference in how quickly and completely your lawn retains its color and health.

If it’s been a while since you paid attention to your lawn, go outside and inspect it before you have your first gathering. Make sure it’s getting enough water and schedule a tune-up with your sprinkler installation team to make sure your yard has everything it needs to thrive during the warmer months. 
 

Summer is the perfect time to spend hours outside enjoying all that Colorado has to offer. But all that time outdoors means you’ll be seeing a lot more of your lawn. When it starts to look discolored or drab, it can make your entire home exterior look less appealing. Luckily, your trusted Denver sprinkler service has you covered. We’ve put together a few simple tips to help you keep your lawn lush and green no matter how warm the summer weather gets.

Program Your Sprinkler System
Your sprinkler system should have a programmable timer that lets you water your lawn without having to push a button or move the hose. But if that timer is set improperly or broken, your sprinkler system won’t work as it should. Take a look at the timer and make sure it’s set to water your lawn when you think it needs to. If not or if you see any problems, schedule a repair appointment as soon as possible. 

Water the Right Way
Believe it or not, there’s a right and wrong way to water your lawn. Try to give it a long oak session every other day rather than watering for a few minutes each day. This encourages your lawn’s roots to grow deeper so they can draw up moisture out of the soil on their own between watering sessions. The more water they pull up, the less dependent they’ll be on your sprinkler system. Your grass will stay green even during dry periods. 

Make Sure Sprinklers Hit the Turf
Watering your sidewalk or driveway won’t do your grass any good. Take a look at the placement of your sprinkler heads. Sometimes, they can get knocked out of alignment by mowing or landscaping tasks. If the spray is hitting your grass and landscaping, you’re in good shape. But if it’s watering a good portion of your pavement, get the system inspected and fixed before summer is in full swing.

Don’t Over-Cut Your Grass
Mowing your lawn is a weekly chore, but did you know you can cut it too short? The shorter the grass is, the faster the blades can dry out. This results in an underperforming lawn filled with brown patches and discoloration. Instead, raise the cutting height on your lawn mower as soon as the weather warms up. Longer blades of grass are more resistant to dehydration. Just remember to check with your HOA and make sure you’re not leaving your lawn too long. No one wants to see the neighborhood stickler on their lawn with a ruler.

Get Rid of Weeds Quickly
Weeds are more than an unsightly nuisance—they’re also a threat to your lawn’s water supply. Weeds have much longer root systems than any established lawn ever will. And that means those roots are the first to reach the moist soil and groundwater supply underground. They can take that moisture for themselves, leaving your lawn with an inadequate water supply long before you notice any discoloration. As soon as you see any weeds growing, get rid of them. 

Let It Breathe
Aeration is key in great grass growth. It gives the soil and your lawn the oxygen it needs to grow and thrive. Further, it helps reduce how much the soil compacts under the weight of the grass and human activity. This helps the roots spread and grow more established. All you need to do is grab your pitch fork or other long-pronged gardening tool and jab it into your turf. The holes should be at least an inch deep and spread out over the entire lawn. 

Keep Foot Traffic to a Minimum
It’s normal to want to use your lawn during the summer. After all, that’s why you’re focusing on growing that lush and beautiful grass! But you’ll still want to keep human activity to a minimum. Remove heavy lawn furniture when you’re not using it and encourage the family to walk on walkways and paths rather than cutting through the grass. If they’re playing in it, don’t panic. A little bit of use won’t kill your grass. It’s only when the activity becomes near-constant that the grass starts to struggle. 

Fertilize, But Do It Right
All soil has nutrients, but those nutrients eventually get absorbed by the plants and your lawn. Over time, you’ll need to replenish the nutrients to keep your yard and landscaping looking great. A good fertilizer is all you need, but take care to follow the instructions on the package and stick to them. Over-fertilizing an fry your lawn by changing the pH balance of the soil. When this happens, the grass won’t be able to get the nutrients it needs and may slowly start to die. And it’s incredibly hard to bring an over-fertilized lawn back in a single summer. If you’re nervous about overdoing it, consider hiring an experienced landscaping team to handle your fertilization needs. They know how much to use, when to use it, and how to apply it most effectively. 

Never Use Hot Water
What happens if your sprinkler system breaks and you’re waiting on repairs? Well, you’ll still have to water your lawn and that means using the hose to keep the soil damp and cool. But you still want to be cautious. Avoid running the hose until you know the water is cool. Let it drain off on the pavement or into a designated drainage area until the water is at least room-temp. Hot water is a fast way to destroy the lawn, scorch the roots, and kill your progress. 

Summer is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy your home’s landscaping. You just need to show it a little TLC to make sure it grows well throughout the warmest months. Schedule an appointment for a sprinkler system tune-up with our team and let our experts get your irrigation system up and running at its best. Taking care of minor issues now means you’ll be able to enjoy the summer weather without worrying about your lawn.