What's underfoot? Lawn, patio could affect how much your guests enjoy your party

Imagine how embarrassing it would be if your outdoor soiree was marred by someone stepping into a dip where your lawn has settled or into a hole dug by your beloved dog, subsequently breaking a bone or twisting an ankle.

You simply can't get around the fact that what your guests will be walking on will make a difference in how much they enjoy your party. It needs to be level and lush and free of hidden dangers.

And if your lawn is full of “yellow flowers” when the guests arrive, that will also make them look at you askance. Don't even think about passing the dandelions off as part of your party's color scheme. Get rid of those weeds well in advance or, better yet, prevent them from coming up in the first place.

You will also want to make sure that your lawn is beautifully and carefully mowed so that it does not burn out during the heat of July and August. When you are done mowing it should always look like a freshly vacuumed carpet.

Well before the party — weeks or months before it, if possible — walk your lawn and flag any trouble spots like dips, holes, muddy spots, etc. Make a plan and execute it well in advance.

To take care of those low spots and holes, fill them with top soil and either wet it down repeatedly to make it settle quickly so that you can repeatedly add more dirt until it is level (and to prevent later settling) or firmly tamp it down with the back of a shovel to get all of the air out of the dirt. Then sod the area or use a seed mix made for patches, according to Scott Goczkowski, sales manager and turf expert at Lurvey's Garden Center in Des Plaines.

“You don't need to mix the soil with sand or peat moss, just loosen the dirt several inches down once you are sure you have enough soil in the hole. Loose dirt will allow the sod's roots or the seed to make good contact with the soil and take hold,” he explained.

It should take between 10 days and two weeks for sod to become part of your lawn and a bit longer for the seed to grow, so it doesn't hurt to keep children and pets off those areas for two or three weeks, possibly even using a small wire fence around the area, Goczkowski said.

If grass is still growing but you have noticed a dip that could trip someone up, consider two solutions. If the dip is slight, progressively add top soil to the area over several weeks, sprinkling it lightly onto the existing grass. It will eventually fill in the dip with the grass growing through it.

If the dip is much deeper and bigger like over the area where an old tree was removed and the stump ground down, consider cutting through the sod around the dip with a spade, digging under the grass in long scoops and then setting the sod aside briefly.

Next, add top soil to make the lawn level, wetting it down and repeatedly adding more soil until your dip has been erased. Then re-use the sod that you set aside. Keep in mind that the roots need to be kept very moist while the sod is waiting to go back in place, he stated. Be sure to also water the sod thoroughly once it is placed back down to establish root growth in the new soil.

Elsewhere, if your big, shady trees are battling with your grass and winning, you undoubtedly have spots where grass doesn't want to grow. Goczkowski counsels customers to use a fescue-based seed mix that is made for shady spots and to overseed those areas of your lawn annually. If you do this faithfully, you can establish a lawn under your big trees, he stated.

And don't forget to fertilize the lawn to encourage healthy root growth. You can use commercial or natural fertilizers — such as compost or grass clippings — four times a year to feed your lawn and provide it with needed nutrients.

As for those weeds, Goczkowski suggests applying a pre-emergent weed killer around the time that the yellow forsythia bushes are blooming, if you can. If you missed that window this year, apply a broadleaf weed killer to eradicate them.

Once your lawn is growing well and offers a level surface, it is time to consider regular maintenance to keep it healthy and looking pristine.

“I suggest to my friends and family that they buy a quality lawn mower in the first place so that they are not replacing it every three or four years,” explained Ron Freund, a territory representative with PMA Outdoor Equipment Distributors of St. Charles. “If you buy a Toro mower with a cast aluminum deck, for instance, you can expect to get 15 to 20 years of life from it. Even if you buy one of the less expensive Toro mowers, made of stamped steel, you can expect to get seven to 10 years.”

When choosing a lawn mower, horsepower is no longer a consideration. Homeowners need to look at the torque produced and the engine's cubic centimeters. Dave Kohlhagen, another PMA territory representative, said that it is also important to look for a brand name engine — with Toro, Briggs and Stratton, Honda and Kohler being the most highly rated.

Other important considerations include what brands your local repair shop can service whether you want to bag or mulch your clippings whether you want a self-propelled or push mower and what type of starter you want (push button, key or pull start). Some premium mowers even come with an adjustable-height handle, too, for ease of use by people of differing heights.

“If you have a large yard, you probably want a self-propelled mower and a wider one. They come up to 30-inches wide. And if you have a swimming pool, you probably want to bag your clippings so that they don't end up in the filter,” Kohlhagen advised.

Freund and Kohlhagen also mentioned that Toro has a new “all wheel drive” mower that takes the muscle out of mowing hills and other tough areas. In addition, it never needs an oil change. Another relatively new product is Toro's “Smart Stow” mower which is 22 inches wide and has a fold-down handle, which allows it to be stored in a smaller space.

The development of lithium ion battery-powered handheld trimmers, blowers and edgers has also been exciting. There are no cords to trip over or cut, they are as powerful as similar gas-powered tools and they last very long on a charge.

There are also no emissions from gasoline motors and they are comparatively quiet, Freund said.

Visit www.toro.com to find the closest servicing dealer to your home or to see more information on Toro products.

Most people's yards sport much more than just grass. So, remember that your guests may also be walking on your patio or deck and on walkways.

If your sidewalks or patio are uneven, address the problem well in advance of your party by calling in a professional or seeking direction from do-it-yourself suppliers like Goczkowski at Lurvey's.

“We supply pavers of all types to both homeowners and landscape contractors. But we do not install them ourselves,” he explained.

Pavers come in many types ranging from natural stone like flagstone, to clay or concrete pavers. There are endless possibilities, according to Goczskowski. For instance, if you want to make sure the material you choose is not slippery when wet, consider brushed or tumbled concrete pavers or even those covered with an aggregate, such as pea gravel.

If you just want to lay a path through your garden using steppingstones, he said that most people can accomplish that task themselves.

“But if you want to do a patio or driveway or long path, I suggest you call a professional. Those are big projects involving major excavation work and getting the base right is critical,” he cautioned.

If you expect your party to involve lots of music and dancing, like you would find with an outdoor wedding or even a graduation party, you might also consider renting not only a tent, but a dance floor, to keep your guests hopping and bopping safely.

Taylor Rental Party Plus in Palatine rents dance floors with their tents and those floors — used exclusively for dancing, not for underneath tables and chairs — range in size from 12 feet by 12 feet to 15 feet by 15 feet.

They must be expertly installed by Taylor Rental's crew, according to Marcus Smith, manager, and cost between $224 and $350 for one day/event.

Taylor Rental Party Plus is located at 2153 N. Rand Road, Palatine and can be reached at (847) 705-0444.