All plants need fertilizer just like they need sunlight and water. Think of fertilizers as healthy supplements for plants. Just like people take vitamins and supplements to achieve optimum health, soil often needs help via fertilizers to be able to give the plants everything they need nutritionally. This helps the plants achieve optimum growth and yield.

Whether you’re working in your garden or trying to get a fresh green lawn all year round, fertilizer can help you get the most out of your plants. Here is a breakdown of the five major types of fertilizer.

Fertilizer with Pesticide

This type of fertilizer is most commonly used when you need to protect your lawn or plants from pests that may damage them. When looking for fertilizer with pesticide, make sure the pesticide is not too strong, otherwise you risk killing your plants too.

Products to look for: Bayer, Jobes, Scotts

Time release fertilizer

If you’re looking for fertilizer that will work for several months, time-release fertilizer is the way to go. These will slowly release their nutrients over a period of 2-6 months typically. The benefit to time-release fertilizer is that the plants have less risk of getting burned because the plants do not receive a full blast of nutrients. However, it’s important to note that the release of nutrients is accelerated in the presence of water and moisture.

Products to look for: Milorganite

Liquid fertilizer

Liquid fertilizers are great when you need to quickly deliver nutrients to your plants, since the liquid seeps right into the roots. You need to reapply more frequently than other types of fertilizer since the liquid is quickly used up by the plant. Using liquid fertilizer on large yards may not be economically feasible, but they work great on indoor and outdoor gardens.

Products to look for: Nachurs, Scotts Miracle-Gro

Plant specific fertilizer

Some plants are down-right picky. For these types of plants, it’s easy to over-fertilize using traditional fertilizer products. This is why there are plant-specific fertilizers. These types of fertilizers are specially designed to give the plants the specific ratio of nutrients they need to thrive.

Products to look for: Cutting Edge Solutions

Inorganic fertilizer

Also known as synthetic fertilizer, this type of fertilizer is best for plants that are in dire need of immediate help. Inorganic fertlizers quickly infuse nutrients to plants and instantly produce ammonia as a by-product which malnourished and dying plants need to revive themselves. It’s usually best to keep a stash of inorganic fertilizer around for when you need it most.

Products to look for: Jobes

Each type of fertilizer has its own advantage. Get to know which types of fertilizers work best with your lawn and garden. Keep a healthy stock of fertilizer in your garden shed or garage so you can use them anytime you need. For more information, visit our Lawn Nutrition and Fertilization page.

Evergreen Turf is your source for the highest quality sod in Arizona. Our friendly, knowledgeable people are committed to answering all of your questions to ensure a stress-free experience with your new Arizona sod lawn. Whether you wish to sod a small play area for the family or an entire golf course, Evergreen Turf can help you make it happen.

Our team serves customers throughout Arizona, including Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe and Tucson. Browse our website for information and tips on how to create and maintain a beautiful lawn, or give us a call if you don’t find what you are looking for. Better yet, stop by and meet the team at our convenient Chandler location.

Phoenix homeowners are blessed with year-round sunny weather and plenty of outdoor activities to stay entertained with the family on weekends. The great part about having a nice sod yard is that families can spend time having fun with each other outdoors without spending money. Are you thinking of making some improvements in your yard this spring?

Here’s how to streamline your backyard in 4 easy steps:

1. Plant for Impact

Choose some plants to accent your lawn. Stick to just two or three types to keep it clean and simple. Phoenix sod lawns benefit from plant borders and accents as they help retain water for the lawn and reduce the amount of total space needed for fresh grass.

How to save money
Check with your city’s parks and rec department to see if they may have any plants they are planning on throwing out that you can take for free. Making official calls probably won’t get you anywhere, but if you know of an area where the park staff pulls plants on a regular basis, you could swing by and see what they may be willing to donate.

2. Choose trees with full canopies

Get two trees and plant one in each corner of your yard. Choose shapely trees with open and airy, but full canopies. This will provide some shade but also allow your sod lawn to get some sunlight since this is essential for a healthy lawn.

NOTE: No sod grass can tolerate 100% shade. If you have an area that receives no sun, we recommend modifying your landscape to use decorative rock or other vegetation in that space. You may also consider pruning trees and vegetation to provide more sun to the area. For more help, check out our Lawn Selector Tool.

3. Set your sprinklers to span all sod areas

Whether you have 6 ft. or 600 ft. of sod in your Phoenix lawn, it needs to be watered on a regular basis to stay healthy. Many homeowners do not check where the sprinklers are reaching when designing their yard, which leads to dry patches where the sprinklers can’t reach the grass. Check out our irrigation page for more info about watering Phoenix sod.

4. Get matching patio furniture

Patio furniture is one of the most common hand-me-down items that people stock up in their yards. This year, why not splurge on a nice patio set to really create a beautiful backyard for your family. Cover your patio furniture or bring it in to the garage during bad weather to try and maintain the quality over time.

Follow these four easy steps to give your backyard a facelift this spring. Want more help with lawn care? Check out our FAQ’s page or contact us today.

Select the perfect turf using our lawn selector. Once you’ve found the perfect type of grass, you can order online or by phone. Learn how to measure your lawn and how to install your new lawn with our helpful online guides.

Do you feel like you’re doing everything right, but your lawn still looks discolored? In Arizona, it can be challenging for some folks to maintain a sod lawn due to the extreme heat of the summer and other factors. The solution to your sod woes might be lawn aeration. In Phoenix, aeration should be an integral part of lawn care. Here’s why.

Relieve Soil Compaction — Over time, foot traffic and dry periods can compact the soil. Aeration relieves this soil compaction. As a result, water quickly reaches the roots before it evaporates. Therefore, less water is needed. Likewise, fertilizer gets to the roots where it is needed.

Lawn Thatch Reduction — It’s good to allow your grass clippings to settle back into the lawn. The need for nitrogen fertilizer can be reduced 25-30 percent by doing so. The clippings decompose over time, thereby enriching and loosening the soil. However, if you have too many clippings left on your lawn, they can weave themselves into a water and air-resistant mat, known as thatch. Heavy thatch can leave your lawn starved for oxygen. Water sits on the thatch, and too much evaporates before it can soak in and nourish the soil and sod. When you aerate your lawn, soil plugs generated by aeration break down and release micro-organisms. These micro-organisms can speed the breakdown of the remaining thatch, which creates a healthier lawn.

Organic Fertilization — To maximize the benefits of organic-based fertilizers, twice-a-year aeration may be preferable. 60 percent slow-release fertilizers are often the best match for freshly aerated lawns.

By contrast, fertilizers too-high in nitrogen can bring about unhealthy growth patterns. Finally, “weed-and-feed” style fertilizers should be avoided, because they are too potent when delivered directly to the roots of younger seedlings. Weed and Feed can actually kill or disfigure such plants.

Healing the Damage — The heat tolerance of your Arizona grass is actually expanded through the aeration process. Lawns damaged by drought can recover more readily. Aeration allows the direct delivery of water and fertilizer to the roots of weakened turf. Grasses that are dormant in the winter can spring back to life more readily with aeration.

Enhance Disease Resistance — A stronger, healthier lawn is also a more disease-resistant one. Plus, unhealthy organisms tend to thrive in heavily thatched lawns.

Germinating Chambers — Think of those holes created by aeration as little chambers where seedlings can get established in an ideal environment of loose, moist soil. The plugs break down and loose soil drops into the holes, creating an ideal environment for the growth of new grass.

The bottom line is, invest in aeration in the short-term and enjoy water and fertilizer savings in the long-term.

Steps to Aerate Your Lawn

Old lawns with extreme thatch, or lawns with heavy traffic are good candidates for aerification. Aerification is normally performed with a core aerator machine that pulls small “cores” out of the lawn, about a half-inch in diameter. This is a service that can be by a contractor, or you can rent an aerator from a local equipment rental company and do it yourself. For more lawn care tips, check out our lawn care frequently asked questions.

At Evergreen Turf, we grow, sell and install the healthiest sod in Arizona. With proper care, your investment in a sod lawn can pay off in a beautiful and functional lawn for years to come. Aeration can represent one helpful component in a complete lawn care regimen.

Select the perfect sod using our lawn selector. Once you’ve found the perfect type of grass, you can order online or by phone. Learn how to measure your lawn and how to install your new lawn with our helpful online guides.

If you’ve put many hours of love into landscaping your lawn, the last thing you want to see is pesky “dog spots” popping up everywhere. Don’t worry! You can have both a beautiful lawn and canine companionship as long as you take the time to develop a dog-friendly yard. Here are some tips for landscaping with dogs.

Tip #1: Avoid Dog Spots with Hardscape

Incorporate hardscapes into areas of your lawn that the dogs use most often. Consider adding some stone or masonry into your landscape or use a bunch of crushed stone mulch in your yard. This will minimize the mess dogs make through urination and digging.

Tip #2: Choose a Tough Grass

Not all types of grass are created equal. Some grasses are more durable than others and hold up better to foot traffic. Bermuda grass is particularly durable and is one of the best types of Arizona sod because it thrives in warm weather. Installing one of these tougher types of sod can help prevent wear and tear on your lawn from kids and canines.

Tip #3: Alternatives to Traditional Grass

While choosing a tough grass prevents wear and tear, it does not prevent unsightly urine spots. If you simply can’t stand these spots on your lawn, you may want to consider some green alternatives to grass. For example, clover lawns are a beautiful alternative to sod. You still get the look of a green carpet as you do with traditional sod, but clover doesn’t stain the way grass does with canine urine.

Tip #4: Diluting Dog Urine

With a little dedication it is possible to have a sod lawn and live with canines. When you see a dog using your lawn, simply go outside and spray the area with water from the garden hose. This will flush and dilute the area, removing most of the harmful elements which create the yellow spots on your lawn.

Tip #5: Add Fences around Delicate Areas

Do you have a green thumb? Then you most likely have delicate plants, flowers, and produce in your yard too. Protect these areas by adding fencing; then you won’t have to worry about anything being trampled by kids or dogs. Picket fences are cute and can be painted all sorts of colors to match your landscape. Plant some pretty flowers around the fence and neighbors will be running out to Home Depot to keep up with you!

Tip #6: Wire Cages around Trees and Shrubs

Set up some wire cages around your trees and shrubs to prevent damage to their trunks and roots from canine urine. Once you have this all set up, your dogs can go about their business while you can rest-easy knowing your trees aren’t being destroyed. Simply buy chicken wire, drive stakes into the ground, and run the wire around the stakes. Make sure the wire is tall enough so your dogs can’t jump over.

For more Arizona sod landscaping tips and lawn care information, visit Evergreen Turf’s website .

Select the perfect turf using our lawn selector. Once you’ve found the perfect type of grass, you can order online or by phone. Learn how to measure your lawn and how to install your new lawn with our helpful online guides.

Your backyard is a place for you to relax and spend time with your family in the beautiful sunshine; a place where you create memories. That’s why you want your backyard landscape to be pretty and peaceful. While you may have a picture-perfect vision of what you want your backyard to look like, you also need to consider your budget. Check out our tips and tricks on how to create a beautiful backyard landscape on a budget.

Before you go tearing everything up, you need to have a solid design plan. If you’re a DIY kind of person, you may have a lot of fun creating the blueprint for your new backyard. However, a landscape designer can show you the best available plant, products, and sod in Arizona. For a very basic professional design, be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars, and of course, the more space that is involved the higher the cost is going to be.

Ask your landscape professional to design a plan that will allow you to complete it in in a few different stages if you’re on a budget. That way you can tackle your backyard redesign in small chunks rather than overhauling everything at once.

In Arizona, sod lawns are a great way to help create a beautiful backyard, but there may also be some areas you want to keep sod-free. For example, consider creating a center courtyard made with gravel for grilling and entertaining outdoors. This will actually also help your grass in the long run as people will tend to walk on your courtyard rather than on your Arizona sod lawn. To make the courtyard feel like home, border it with shrubs and flowers, put some rustic furniture in the center like a vintage bench and coffee table, and throw in some unique details such as a fire pit and birdbath. This will help save you money because gravel is inexpensive and you’ll cut down on the cost of watering and maintaining your lawn.

If gravel is not your thing, overlay pavers are also available. They are designed to be installed on top of existing concrete and other patio surfaces. This option is DIY friendly and quickly adds a lot of class to your backyard for not a lot of cash.

What is going to happen when it rains? If your yard is on a slope, you will need to consider the angle of the slope carefully when designing your yard. If you have a pool or are planning on building a pool, you need to make sure that irrigation water does not drain into it. This is one of those elements where it’s best to rely on the professional for help. They can help you design your backyard landscape with all of the proper drainage elements in place.

Be practical in your backyard landscape design and make sure it fits your lifestyle. Finally, think of the long-term results of your new design, such as how big your plants or trees will grow in a few years.

For more information on Arizona sod and tips on how to create a backyard landscape on a budget, visit Evergreen Turf.

So you’ve decided to have your Arizona wedding ceremony in your backyard. That’s great! Choosing your backyard for your ceremony has many benefits. First of all, you don’t have to pay for an expensive venue or worry about security deposits or refunds. You can also decorate without restriction however you see fit without having some venue manager watching you’re every move or making sure it complies with building codes. Follow our tips for how to prepare your Arizona sod lawn for your backyard wedding ceremony.

Lay down temporary flooring to prevent any damage to your Arizona sod lawn. Get some large squares of carpet and lay it down in the area you are planning on having the ceremony. This will flatten your sod for a day or two but in the long run will prevent a lot of damage to your Arizona sod lawn. Remember that most ladies like to wear high-heels to weddings, and if you don’t lay down some sort of protective flooring you are going to have hundreds of holes in your grass due to high-heels. Plus you’ll be doing the ladies a favor since no one likes sinking into grass in their pretty shoes.

Make sure there is enough seating for all your guests. Count your RSVPs carefully before purchasing or renting your chairs for your wedding ceremony seating. You’ll also want to rent a few extra chairs just in case someone brings an extra guest that has not been accounted for.

Place your guest book at the entrance so everyone signs it right away. As a tip, keep large notecards or extra sheets of your guest book unattached to the main book so that many people can leave a note at the same time. You certainly don’t want to be running around during your big day making sure everyone has signed your guest book.

Prepare for bad weather. You always need to have a backup plan in case the weather turns sour. Since you are having it in Arizona, chances are the weather will be beautiful and sunny, but there’s always a possibility of a dust storm or lightning storm and you want to be sure an event such as this won’t ruin your wedding. Empty out the largest room in your house so that it’s ready to be transformed into the ceremony location in the event of bad weather.

For more tips on how to maintain your Arizona sod lawn during your wedding and all year round, visit Evergreen Turf.

Are you looking for a way to add some green to your desert landscaping? Maybe you dream of a cool outdoor retreat to gather with friends and family. Or perhaps your kids are longing for a place to play barefoot outside. If you live in the Phoenix or Tucson area, consider adding an Arizona sod lawn to your landscape.

The best way to get a beautiful lawn is to purchase it as Arizona sod. Sod in Arizona is grown on a farm that specializes in the cultivation of grasses uniquely suited for Arizona. Once the grass is thick and green and has developed a dense root structure, it is harvested in rolls. It’s then ready to be installed directly on your prepared location, giving your home the instant beauty of a lush, easy-to-maintain Arizona lawn.

Arizona’s low desert climate is one of extremes. You want a grass that can stand up to our environment but is easy to establish and maintain. Arizona sod is made up of grasses that are proven performers in the heat and dry conditions of Phoenix and Tucson. These include bermuda, hybrid bermuda, St. Augustine and golf course varieties such as Tifway and Tifgreen. What type of Arizona lawn you choose depends on your lifestyle. Each Arizona grass type has a color and texture all its own. Some Arizona grass types perform better in shaded areas while others perform best in full sun. All of them are adapted to drought and salinity.

All sod in Arizona is made up of warm weather grasses. What does this mean for you as a homeowner? Warm weather grasses go dormant in the cool winter months in Phoenix and Tucson. If you want to maintain a green lawn, you’ll need to overseed your Arizona Grass with a cold hardy variety like ryegrass. Overseeding helps your Arizona sod too. Ryegrass’s extensive root system extends deep into the soil, helping to aerate it and making it easier for water to percolate deep into the soil structure. Once the weather warms up, your Arizona sod will take over again, providing you with a continuously green lawn. Evergreen Turf also sells overseeded versions of all its varieties during the winter months, so you can create your beutiful new lawn any time of year.

Installing sod in Arizona has other benefits as well. In both Phoenix and Tucson, low rainfall causes dust pollution. Both cities have ordinances to keep dust down for public health reasons. When we do get rain, it often can’t sink into our compacted soils so it simply runs across the landscape causing flooding and erosion. A sod lawn with its well-established roots can help minimize dust and prevent run-off.

A lawn also helps create a cooling envelope around your home. Homes with grass and trees hold moisture on the property making it look and feel cooler. While many homeowners install decomposed granite to conserve water, adding sod in Arizona can be a smarter choice. Gravel quickly heats up during the summer and radiates that heat back into the surrounding environment at night, keeping nighttime temperatures high and increasing your cooling costs. A waterwise Arizona lawn stays cool through transpiration, and doesn’t retain heat.

Choosing and maintaining Arizona sod is easy. We can help you choose the right grass for your application and advise you on the best way to maintain it. From the right mower, to the best organic fertilizers, we have what you’re looking for. And if you don’t want to spend all week-end installing your new lawn, we offer complete installation from site preparation to irrigation.

For more information about maintaining your Arizona sod, or installing new sod, feel free to contact us at Evergreen Turf, Arizona’s Premier Sod Supplier.

Select the perfect turf using our lawn selector. Once you’ve found the perfect type of grass, you can order online or by phone. Learn how to measure your lawn and how to install your new lawn with our helpful online guides.

As an Arizona home owner, you know that landscaping and maintaining your lawn can be an ordeal. The typical desert climate of Arizona in general can make having a luscious green yard nearly impossible without professional help. We are your premiere guide to achieving a perfectly manicured and healthy lawn that thrives in the harsh Arizona heat. We know the best types of sod in Arizona for your landscaping needs so you can have a beautiful yard despite the desert heat.

Arizona sod can be a tricky thing. Trying to get grass to grow in Arizona can be hard for the typical homeowner to do. If you have trouble getting your sod to stay green, give us a call and see how we can help your yard look its best. From helping you choose the right sod to teaching you how to fertilize and care for your grass, we can allow you to have a beautiful yard that is easier to care for. Let us teach you how to pick the best sod for the Arizona climate, and also how to take care of your new sod so it stays healthy.

When you make the choice to improve or create your new yard, count on us to help you choose the best type of sod. High quality sod in Arizona can be difficult to find, let alone survive in the harsh desert heat. Arizona sod that we specialize in includes bermuda, hybrid bermuda, and many varieties of hardy golf course sod, such as St. Augustine. Count on Evergreen Turf to supply and install your new sod, and provide you with the information needed to maintain, or help your existing sod become more lush and beautiful than ever before! With our help, you can be on your way to knowing how to keep your yard healthy, green, and happy for years to come, even as the Arizona heat beats down on you.

For more information about preparing for sod or maintaining your new sod lawn, take a look at our lawn care section.

Arizona is home to a wide breadth of rare and unusual native plants. To protect the health and well-being of the natural landscape, Arizona legislators have instituted extensive rules and regulations that control the amount and type of seeds and plants anyone may bring into the state. Grasses are no exception. Each blade of grass in your lawn is actually a plant. Every species has its own light, water and nutritional needs. To choose the best species for your lawn you need to take into account how you want to use your lawn, the properties of your soil and your willingness or ability to maintain the lawn.

You may start with seeds or sod to establish a new lawn or to rejuvenate an existing lawn. Typically, purchasing seed will cost you less money than sod. Arizona sod may prove to be more cost-effective because you stand a better chance of achieving a healthy lawn.

Sod is better able to compete against weeds that blow on to your lawn because there is little room for the weed seeds to contact the soil and establish themselves. When you cultivate the soil to prepare it for seed or sod, you risk disturbing dormant weed seeds. Covering these seeds with sod reduces the chance they will germinate. In contrast, the weeds will compete with grass seeds for water, space and nutrients. If you try to remove the weeds that emerge by pulling them out, you risk killing the young grass blades that you will walk on to reach the weeds. Chemicals, at that stage of development, are just as likely to harm your grass, as they will the weeds.

Laying sod in Arizona will improve your curb appeal almost instantaneously. You will also be able to use your grass sooner than if you started with seed. Sod also helps to alleviate specific conditions that you may find on your Arizona lawn. For example, trying to grow grass from seed on a slope is very difficult because water and wind will erode the soil before the seeds have time to germinate. Laying sod protects the soil and gives the grass roots time to work their way through the soil and hold it in place.

Managing your water use is important throughout Arizona, but in areas such as Phoenix or Tucson, it is a key element of caring for your Arizona grass. Some species require less water than other grass species. In particular, a warm weather variety such as a hybrid Bermuda grass provides green space that will do well with the region’s limited annual rainfall. Generally, warm season grasses are preferable in southern Arizona because they do not rely on spring rains and will grow in relatively dry soil. You will need to water your new sod or seeds frequently until they establish themselves. After the first few weeks of watering three or four times a week, you will be able to reduce the amount of water you provide and allow the root structure to expand and find moisture in the ground.

For more information about preparing for sod or maintaining your new sod lawn, take a look at our lawn care section.

You may have many reasons for installing new sod grass on your property. Examples could include beautifying the property, improving its surface for specific usages (such as athletics), and conserving resources (as some types of grass require less watering than others).

New sod grass can also be a smart investment, as it may boost your property’s curb appeal. Strong curb appeal can attract customers to a business. According to a study from the University of Texas at Arlington, it can also boost a home’s value.

Ensure you thoroughly understand the process of installing sod grass before getting started on a project like this. Sod grass installation involves the following steps:

Research Your Options

Installing sod grass properly is important. However, if you install the wrong variety of grass, you’ll have wasted your time, money, and effort. Avoid this by thoroughly researching your options to find a variety that suits your needs.

Factors to consider when choosing sod grass include:

• Whether a variety of sod grass thrives in your climate
• The impact of the grass on your property’s curb appeal
• How durable the grass is and how you use your property
• How much maintenance your grass needs

You don’t have to choose a variety of sod grass alone. Suppliers can help you better understand the pros and cons of your options.

Measure the Area

You may already know the square footage of the area in which you’ll lay sod. Skip this step if so. If you don’t have this information on hand, you may have to measure the square footage.

Prep the Area

Prepping the area involves such steps as:

• First, eradicate your existing lawn with a herbicide, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
•  Thoroughly removing old sod
•  Removing weeds and any other leftover vegetation
• Leveling the soil and applying compost or a similar product and leaving it in place for a certain period of time according to the manufacturer’s instructions
• Dampening the soil in preparation for the new sod

Don’t make the mistake of trying to lay new sod over an existing sod or turf surface. You’ll only kill both your old grass and new sod in the process.

Lay the Sod

After watering an area of soil, you can lay a sod layer on it. Make sure the soil beneath is smooth. Rake away any footprints in the soil before laying the sod.

It’s best to start on the farthest edge, and work toward the closest edge, this way you are not walking over the top of the new sod you just laid. Make sure the sod is flush with the adjacent surface (such as concrete) and try to lay sod evenly so there are no gaps.

Tip: Lay sod vertically over any sloped areas of your property. Laying sod vertically instead of horizontally on slopes can boost water retention.

Check the Area

Check for gaps once you’ve installed sod across the entire area. If you find any gaps, use utility shears to cut out smaller pieces of sod that you can install to fill these gaps. In addition, check the edges, using a box cutter to straighten any that need it.

Practice Necessary Upkeep

Remember, learning about the upkeep and maintenance needs of a variety of sod before installing it is important. Adhere to a proper maintenance schedule to ensure your new sod grass stays in good condition for as long as possible.

If you need extra advice, be sure to ask questions of your sod grass suppliers. Their expertise can play a critical role in helping you feel confident you’ll install your sod properly.

Purchase Sod Grass for Your Property Now

At Evergreen Turf, in Chandler, Arizona, we offer numerous varieties of sod for both residential and commercial properties. Learn more about what we have to offer by contacting us online today.