Lawn Care

Welcome to the "Lawn Care" page of my Website.  I have been maintaining, installing, and upgrading lawns
for well over twenty years.  We do not apply pesticides to lawns.  We offer a basic liming and fertilizing
program.  In extreme cases, such as a lawn disease rapidly killing off a lawn, at the home owner's request, I
would bring in a licensed lawn applicator to arrest the problem.  The number one concern of most
homeowners is having weeds in their lawn.  Weeds progressively harm grass by competing for water,
nutrients, and sunlight. Some varieties of weeds produce flowers and pollens that irritate allergies and may
also attract stinging insects.  The best way to keep weeds out of your lawn is by keeping your turf as thick
as possible and having your lawn cut higher.  Your lawn should never be cut lower than 2 1/2 to 3 inches.  
Having the lawn taller and thicker prevents sunlight from reaching the soil level which disallows weed
seeds from germinating.
There are many natural products
available now that can treat all
types of lawn problems.  Corn
Gluten, a byproduct of corn can be
applied as a to prevent crabgrass.  
Serenade(Bacillus Subtilis) is a
natural fungicide for a wide range
of lawn fungus's as diseases of
ornamental and fruiting plants and
trees.
Milky Spore is a naturally occurring
host specific bacterium (Bacillus
popillae-Dutky).   It has been used
to control beetle grubs for years.  It
is not harmful to beneficial insects,
birds, bees, pets or man. The
product is approved and
registered with EPA, Milky Spore
will not affect wells, ponds or
streams.
I would like to make it clear that the organic approach to lawn care cost more and takes longer to achieve
your desired goals, than the traditional synthetics and pesticide approach.  Many people with an organic
lawn care program are disappointed the first couple of years with the results.  On the other side of the coin,
it is much better for our well being and the environment.  I would leave the final decision making up to you.
We can provide for all aspects lawn care, as well as sodding, seeding, aerating, and de-thatching.  We
always apply the correct seed mix to your lawn based on the amount of sunlight a particular area receives.  
The biggest mistake I have seen over the years with seeding, is that many distributor's and garden shops
sell all purpose "Sun and Shade" mix.  This sounds very appealing and convenient to most people because
they do not need to make determinations as to what type of seed to apply where. You run into a problem
with these mixes when you use them on a lawn area with full sun.  They contain a fairly high percentage of
Creeping Red Fescue Grass, which is good for shady areas, but tends to grow in tufts in sunny areas and
turns brown when the weather starts to get hotter and dryer.  The blades of this grass are also extremely
thin and unattractive compared to Rye and Bluegrass.  A Rye/Bluegrass mix should be applied in high sun
areas and a Shady mix with Creeping Red Fescue solely in shady areas.

Aerating can be very beneficial to a lawn because it:
  • Loosens compacted soil and increases the availability of water and nutrients.
  • Enhances oxygen levels in the soil, stimulating root growth and enhancing the activity of thatch-
    decomposing organisms.
  • While removing cores of soil, the spoons or tines also sever roots, rhizomes and stolons. Grass
    plants are stimulated to produce new shoots and roots that “fill up” the holes in the lawn and
    increase the density of the turf.
  • Reduces water runoff.
  • Increases the lawn's drought tolerance and improves its overall health.

Thatch is a dense, spongy collection of living and dead grass stems and roots lying between the soil
surface and green grass leaves in established lawns. As a grass plant grows, the older sloughed-off plant
matter from stolons (above-ground stems), roots, rhizomes (below-ground stems) and stems is often slow
to decompose and begins to accumulate at the soil surface forming this thatch layer.
A thatch layer greater than ½ inch thick makes watering difficult, since thatch dries out quickly and is
difficult to make wet again. It also restricts the movement of pesticides, thus reducing their effectiveness.
Nutrients and water cannot be properly absorbed by the grass roots that tend to grow into this area.  A
shallow thatch layer up to ½ inch thick actually benefits the lawn, by helping to retain moisture and
stabilizing soil temperature. Examine the depth of the thatch layer by cutting out a pie-shaped wedge of sod
from your lawn with a knife or spade. If the thatch layer exceeds ½ inch in thickness, then you need to de-
thatch your lawn.

Thanks for stopping by my Lawn Care page.  If you have any questions regarding Lawn Care, please Email
me by clicking the "Contact Us" button, or simply give me a call.