I will be making some changes to the delivery of the In Bloom newsletter. Communication is a major key to success in this business and the monthly newsletter has been a fantastic communication tool. I put a lot of time in creating content for the newsletter, printing, and delivering because I feel its important to keep you informed. However, I can’t ignore the cost of producing a paper newsletter and getting it delivered on time vs. the ease and no cost of using email. So I’d like to take advantage of some new tools available and turn In Bloom into a monthly email newsletter. This will save a lot of time and money for me and I think it will streamline the delivery process. I know it can be a pain for some to spend more time with email, but I ask that you please give this a try. I will keep the number of emails to a minimum and only include information that is important for you to know and will be of value to you.

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The next 2-3 weeks we will primarily be pruning crepe myrtles, completing a couple of sheduled projects and make another round of maintenance visits in February. If you have an event coming up, friends or family visiting, just want the property spruced up, or if you have a landscape project in mind please let me know. This is a great time to plan and complete any outdoor projects for your property.

Thanks, Ben

I am especially thankful this time of year for the relationships I have with you, my clients, because its much more than just business. The business provides very well for me and my family, but I cherish the interactions I have with all of you and I’m very lucky to be associated with a fantastic group. This is just my long-winded way of saying Thank You for being a customer. I wish nothing but happy times for you and your family this holiday season. I frequently express my gratitude because I believe that the more you give thanks, the more you will have to give thanks for.

The next 3 months of Winter and early Spring are THE BEST TIMES TO PLANT. Let me know if you have any landscape projects you want completed so we can start the planning process now. Also, since the leaves have finished up early, it’s a great time to pine needle and mulch your beds. Long-leaf pine needles never look more fresh and red than they do right now. If you want everything looking perfect for the holiday coming up, please let me know right away so I can schedule your pine needles and mulch.   

From the operations department: we will continue through December (and January if necessary) cleaning up leaves to keep your property neat through the holidays. Right now we have the weeks of 12/5 and 12/17 (weather permitting) scheduled to go through the regular maintenance routes which include at least one cut on the grass this month. Please note: with the holiday schedule, rain, and leaf volume; the frequency of visits will slow down this month and we may not be there on a regular day of the week. Please let me know of any special dates if you have anything planned.    

Have a happy and safe holiday season!

Ben

This turned out to be a very good Fall for lawn renovations. Unlike last year we had a few timely rains to help with seed germination. We’ve been continuing to spot seed areas that need to fill in and hopefully have a couple more weeks of good weather to get that seed germinated. If you still have any areas that you are concerned with by mid-November, please let me know so we can come up with the right solution. Right now our biggest challenge is being careful with the new grass and not mowing when its too wet. Unless we have discussed areas that you are still trying to get to germinate, you should be back to a regular watering schedule of 2-3 days per week, one time per day, for a deeper  watering. By mid-late November you will be ready to shut down and winterize your irrigation system (see page 2).

Next up is leaf season! Our maintenance priority will begin to focus on leaf cleanup over the next few weeks, and this will go on through December and usually into January until all trees are clear. We will start by picking leaves up from turf areas on each maintenance visit, and then cleaning out beds where applicable once most of the leaves are down. As always, we will have every residential property cleaned up the week of Thanksgiving and looking as good as possible for the holidays so you can be proud of your landscape when you celebrate with friends and family. Please let me know if you have any special events planned that you want a maintenance and leaf cleanup scheduled for.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for being a client of mine. I feel extremely lucky and blessed to be associated with you and I look forward to many years of beautiful landscapes and positive relationships.

Please let me know if there is any way I can improve my service for you.

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving, Ben



Here’s what we learned from last Fall: If it stays hotter than normal and we don’t get any rain like last year, your new seed will not germinate in bare spots unless covered with hay straw or peat moss. Proper irrigation coverage is crucial. I can’t tell you how many times someone asked why their seed wasn't coming up and upon inspection we find a broken or non-rotating sprinkler head, or just an inefficient system that doesn't put out enough water coverage (check your system now!). This year I’m recommending a change to the watering schedule. Also, it got cold early last Fall so a lot of the new seed did not have time to fully establish. So were going to focus on getting everyone done by the end of September, and follow-ups in October. The Premium products below help a lot in getting quick germination. 

I’ve added a dethatcher to the toolbox this year to use on lawns that have been sprayed out for Bermuda.

Below you will find the week that I have you scheduled to renovate. I will call a few days in advance to let you know what day we are planning to be there. The schedule will constantly change as we have weather issues, equipment problems, and other “emergency” (for lack of a better term) items that come up. So it is possible that we will change the week or the day that I have you on now. Also, if we don’t come on the day I tell you, most likely we got a little behind and will be there the following day. Sometimes we get ahead of schedule and want to come a day or two early. I’ll communicate this as best I can but its always a hectic time of year and we’re bound to run into schedule changes. If you have the Premium Lawn Care Program the premium renovation products below are included (your just paying for seed and aeration). Otherwise, let me know which option you prefer below. If I don’t hear from you, we’ll just do the basic renovation for you. The premium renovation option is an awesome combination of organic products that I highly recommend to get the best results quickly

I feel like we’ve gotten better every year after going through extreme conditions the last few summers, but Mother Nature will always stay a step ahead of us and throw another weed/disease/insect into the mix for us to go after. I’ve been investigating some new products that will hopefully be available this Fall to combat the insidious poa annua weed that we see in the Spring and I’m looking at incorporating an effective poa annua control into the program.

So this month will be spent preparing your lawn for a good renovation in the fall. We’ll be gradually spraying out all the weeds in the turf, and if your “lucky” enough to have Bermuda grass in your fescue lawn we’ll be working to kill that out also- see page 2 to learn about your options and what your up against.

I want to welcome all of our new clients this month and thank you for your referrals. Its an honor for me to work with a fantastic group of clients/friends that advocates my business. I’ll continue to do everything I can to provide you great service, support you with your endeavors, and get great results with your landscape.

We also welcomed the Lintz family to our routes as part of the GreenCare For Troops program. Dennis is on his 3rd deployment to the Persian Gulf with the Navy and his wife Tandra has been handling all the landscape maintenance while taking care of their young kids and running the household herself. I’m glad we can take a little stress away from them by providing full landscape maintenance for free until Dennis gets back. We look forward to welcoming him back safely and hopefully he will be pleasantly surprised by the condition of the landscape.  

Thanks, Ben        

Now we are ready to get into our Summer routine of maintaining your landscape through the toughest time of year for Fescue lawns. That means we keep our blades sharp, and are extra careful on heat/drought stressed lawns. We are already seeing a lot of stressed turf as we have move into 90+ days and sporadic rain. On page 2 of this In Bloom edition I have included everything you need to know about watering your lawn and shrubs. How much water and when is always the most frequent question I get this time of year so hopefully this information will help us all save water and keep our lawns healthy this summer.

This is also the time to treat for White Grubs, by far the most damaging insect to our lawns in this part of the country. This treatment is often overlooked because grubs are out of sight and out of mind, but this is a crucial piece of the puzzle of maintaining a healthy and vigorous stand of turf year round. The timing of a grub application on the turf is right after the Japanese beetles lay their eggs in the ground which should be the end of July/early August. Everyone on the Premium Lawn Care Program will automatically get the grub treatment. Please let me know if you do not want this treatment or to verify that you will get treated for white grubs.

Summer can also be a challenging time for weed control. I have some great products to control common weeds like nutsedge, crabgrass, spurge, buttonweed, etc. However, most of the sprayable products have temp ratings that don’t recommend application over 90 degrees to avoid burning the turf. I try to apply these products during breaks in temperature, but you may notice temporary stress on the turf in these areas. 

As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions about watering, white grubs, lawn care treatments, weeds, or the mowing schedule.



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The next item that will need special attention this month is treating lawns for Brown Patch Fungus. Its usually mid to late June when we see the first signs of fungus on the lawn, but the recent weather of heat, humidity, and thunderstorms has brought on ideal conditions for Brown Patch to thrive and we usually start seeing the lesions on the grass blades during the first week of June. It looks like this could be a summer where Brown Patch could do some severe damage to lawns if not treated. Everyone on the Premium Lawn Care Program is getting a fungicide treatment at the end of May/first week of June. Page 2 of this newsletter has pictures of this lawn disease and everything you need to know about Brown Patch Fungus and what we can do to minimize its damage.

Water management is very important this time of year for a few reasons. The lawn needs extra water as we get into the hot season, but over-watering is a big mistake because its expensive and will cause brown patch fungus– even with the fungicide treatments we do. Since most irrigation systems run at night or early morning, we usually don’t think about them and don’t catch issues until the damage is done. I highly suggest taking the time to audit your system every few weeks– turn on each zone and walk around checking each head or drip area. Are the heads rotating correctly? Are all areas getting covered properly with water and not watering into the street (a simple nozzle change could adjust the amount of water and distance for a sprinkler head)? Are there any noticeable leaks? Do any areas look stressed from lack of water? Doing an irrigation audit regularly can save you money on your water bill and save your plants and turf from stress. Please let me know if you find any irrigation issues you need addressed or if you want help with your irrigation audit.  

Thanks, Ben



Please call or email me to let me know of your annual flower bed requests such as flower choice, colors, and patterns. As always, you get my special blend of soil amendments and fertilizer treatments to maximize your flower blooms through the seasons.