Blog

Fall Fertilizer - Why Fertilize Lawns?

From Jay’s Desk

To keep your lawns green, growing and looking its best, a consistent program of fertilization is essential. Regular fertilization will lead to a thicker, healthier lawn that reduces erosion, filters pollutants, provides natural cooling and cleans the air. Plus, your lawn will be less likely to suffer from weed, insect and disease problems when it's fertilized on a regular basis. And perhaps best of all, your lawn will need less water when it gets the nutrients it needs throughout the year.

What's in fertilizer, anyway?

Fertilizer contains three primary (and many secondary) nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen promotes strong color and top growth, phosphorus stimulates root development, and potassium helps with disease resistance and water retention. For the best results, your lawn should be given these nutrients in evenly spaced treatments throughout the year.

How do lawns use fertilizer?

After fertilizer becomes mixed with the nutrients in the soil, it’s absorbed by the plants through hair-like feeder roots. Once inside the plant, nutrients are distributed to the areas where they’re needed and can go to work building new roots, promoting fuller leaf growth, warding off diseases and helping the grass hold water throughout the seasons.

Based on our local history, we know the best fertilizer for your particular needs, and we can apply it in the right amount at the right times or year to ensure beautiful, healthy growth. Call us today for more information on our fertilization program, or to schedule your lawn for this very important service.

Call us today to schedule your fall fertilizer application. 804-798-0492.

Act Now to Stop Pest Damage

From Jay’s Desk

All sorts of harmful pests overwinter in our landscapes, just waiting for this warm weather to return so they can get to work damaging our valuable trees and shrubs. Four of the most common include:

Scales - These tiny, sucking insects use their threadlike mouth parts to puncture and suck sap from leaves and bark. Infested plants appear unhealthy, grow poorly, and foliage may be small and pale yellow due to a lack of chlorophyll.

Aphids - These small, soft-bodied pests suck plant juices from various plant parts. Their feeding activity can lead to off-color foliage, twisted and curled leaves, poor plant growth, branch dieback and more.

Spider mites - These tiny arachnids may be red, green, orange, brown or black in color. They cause harm by sucking plant juices from evergreen foliage. Since chlorophyll is destroyed through their feeding activity, foliage color usually changes to greenish gray, then yellow, then brown.

Thrips - These small, narrow-bodied, sucking insects cause a distinct splotchy appearance on leaves, and in some cases leaf drops can occur. They feed on woody stems and foliage.

Dormant oils and other treatments can stop harmful pests like these, which may already be in your trees and shrubs in larva, egg, or adult form, from causing damage or multiplying. Give us a call now so we can properly identify and treat the destructive pests in your lawn!

Professional Pruning

From Jay's Desk

Professional pruning saves you money while increasing the value and curb appeal of your whole property. Regular pruning of your trees and shrubs not only keeps them healthier and better looking now, but protects them from a whole host of potential problems as they grow and continue to mature.

WHY PROFESSIONAL PRUNING?

To improve a plant's looks and help it keep the best shape and growth habit.
To prompt new growth, since plants respond to pruning by growing. Proper pruning also maximizes flowers and fruit.
To reduce foliage to what the roots can support on newly transplanted plants.
To improve a plant's health by removing dead, diseased or insect-infested wood.
To allow more air and sunlight to reach inner branches, helping to prevent disease.
To remove weak or dead branches that could fall and hurt people or damage property.
To allow for better wind movement through the canopy, reducing the chances of damage in stormy weather.

Your landscape is a big investment. With maintenance-level pruning performed by professionals, you'll be helping that investment to grow in beauty and value. Now is a great time to schedule a tree and shrub evaluation to determine what types of pruning are needed on your property. Give us a call today.

Aeration and Overseeding

From Jay’s Desk

Is your lawn getting thin, turning brown or developing spots that just don’t look as good as they should? Over time, most soil becomes compacted or hard, and your turf has trouble filling in those thin and browning spots. Drought, disease and insects can take their toll. If any of this sounds familiar, aeration and overseeding might be just what you need.

All lawns, regardless of their condition, can benefit from some level of renovation every year or so. One of the best means of rejuvenating turf is to combine the power of professional aeration with overseeding.

During aeration, a machine known as a core aerator pulls plugs of soil and thatch up from the lawn to break up compacted soil and create more room for air, water and fertilizer to reach the roots. This results in expansion of the root system for thicker, healthier grass. Aeration also helps to break up thatch, which can prevent water, fertilizer and insect controls from reaching the soil if it gets too thick.

Following up aeration with overseeding is a great way to thicken up a thin lawn or add a harder, more drought-resistant grass variety to your property. Good seed-to-soil contact is essential for seeding success, and the new grass seed will have an easier time grossing in the holes left behind by aeration. Keep in mind that if your lawn has been seeded, the soil should be kept moist with light, frequent sprinklings until the new grass is well established.

For more information on lawn renovation, or to schedule aeration and overseeding, give us a call today. 804-798-0492