Liquid Fertilizer and Broadleaf weed control– Premium Program. All of the broadleaf weeds that run rampant in the springtime have already germinated and are lying low in the grass. If you look closely, you will see chickweed, henbit, and other cool season broadleaf weeds at their beginning stage. This treatment will knock out these weeds before they start to really grow, bloom, and produce seeds as the weather warms up over the next few months. Those in the Premium Program will also have an excellent fertilizer product mixed in to maintain some color now help your lawn green up quickly as the growing season begins. 

Liquid Broadleaf Weed Control– Basic program will get the liquid weed control described above without the extra fertilizer. We will also follow up during the spring with spot weed control spraying for any areas where weeds pop up for both Basic and Premium Programs.

Pre-emergent crabgrass control– Premium and Basic Program. I will be using a combination of pre-emergent products this year. We will start out in late Feb/early March (timing depends on soil temps) with a premium pre-emergent called Barricade that provides 6 months of crabgrass control. This will be followed up with an application of Dimension pre-emergent that also provides post-emergent control in case there is any weed break-through.

If you are on the Basic Lawn Care Program and want to receive any of the extra treatments, please contact me to discuss.

Many believe chopping down the Crepe is required to produce summer blooms– this is not true at all! Your tree will be just fine and bloom through the summer if you never prune it; however, your Crepe will bloom more profusely with larger blooms if it is lightly pruned from the canopy.

Others severely cut back their Crepes to control size. If the tree is too big for the space, you probably have the wrong plant in that space and should think about replacing it with something more appropriate. There are many varieties of Crepe Myrtles, some even maturing at a size of 5’-15’ so if the right variety is chosen, little maintenance will be required.

The best practice to take when pruning Crepe Myrtles is to selectively prune to promote its natural tree form and maximize blooming. This is done by pruning off shoots that grow out of the canopy, pruning out “suckers”, pruning rubbing or crossing interior branches, and keeping the trunks limbed up. Ideally, the tree should have 3-5 trunks and the trunks should be half the trees height.

Remember, blooms come from new growth so your pruning needs to be done before Spring. Please call me to schedule your Crepe Myrtle pruning– done the right way.

I’ll also be taking soil samples and getting a soil analysis for all new Premium Program customers.

This Fall I am trying a new product ProGrass that controls the dreaded Poa Annua weed, only on lawns that we’ve had a problem with the weed. We’ve seen this insidious weed take over problem turf areas during the Spring and up to this year there has been no effective or economical solution. The first treatment goes down late November/early December and then a follow up treatment 3 weeks later. I’m hoping for good results with ProGrass, I’m looking forward to finding out next Spring...

Although weeds are much more noticeable in the Spring, this is the time for winter broadleaf weeds to germinate such as chickweed, henbit, etc. I will be spraying a selective herbicide this month to eliminate these weeds, I like to wait until the new grass from renovations has had time to take root and become strong enough to take the stress from herbicide application. 

Next month I’ll be going over the complete turf and shrub application schedule for our programs. 

Here is the process:

The water is shut off at the meter or shut off valve. The backflow is drained and taken apart so no water can freeze and expand. An air compressor is hooked to the backflow and each zone is blown out so no water remains in the pipes. Access to the irrigation timer is needed to do the winterization.

This service usually costs $75-$95 depending on the number of zones in your system.

Please call or email to confirm that you want me to coordinate your irrigation winterization with Ron.



Here is the “secret” formula:

1. Build the bed with one part top soil, one part Sustane organic fertilizer, and mulch with a fine pine bark soil conditioner. Because the Sustane is made of composted turkey manure, it provides rich organic nutrients through the season. The soil conditioner gives the bed a fluffy consistency to allow easy root growth.

2. Sprinkle over 2 cups per 100 sq ft of granular fungicide and insecticide and lightly work into the bed. This allows the plants to absorb these pesticides systemically and will last through the season. It will prevent aphids from feeding on pansies and winter fungus from blotching the leaves.

3. Start with healthy robust plants with established root systems. We get the bigger pots from Roundtree Nursery and stay away from the small 6-pack containers.

4. Spray pansies with Macron ornamental fertilizer and deer repellent. This additional fertilizer treatment is key to getting maximum blooms from your pansies. We will spray Macron on the pansies twice the first month, then every other month for the rest of the season.

5. Deadheading through the season to promote more blooms.

This is what we deliver when we install your pansy beds this fall. Only the best products and cutting edge techniques to get great results.

Please give me a call if you would like to create a new pansy bed in your landscape or decorate with pots.



For those of you that have had soil tests indicating a need for lime to balance ph, we will be getting that down on the lawn this month. We are using a lime product this year called Cal-Turf Pro. It’s a high calcium limestone that is much better than the stuff you get at the big box garden stores. Cal-Turf is much more effective at raising soil ph, works quickly, and is a cleaner, safer product to apply. Also, if you have had problems with poa annua, I will be using the new product Pro-Grass to treat for that weed this month.

I’m always doing quite a bit of research on lawn care products, as well as talking with vendors and horticultural experts so I can continue to improve my lawn care program. I’ve also been doing some trial and error on my own property and some of my friends properties to find the best combination of lawn products, the best timing of applications, and optimal application rates. I am not content to follow the herd of landscapers and just do what everybody else is doing to get marginal results. Next year I will be tweaking your specific lawn care program based on what we saw on your specific property. No two lawns are the same. What works for your next door neighbor probably won’t be ideal for your property. Once we pick up on the long-term pattern of what your lawn needs, how it reacts to certain products, test the soil, and take into account what kind of weather we’re getting; only then are we able to make informed decisions. There may be points in time when we stumble, its hard to be perfect when we’re dealing with an ever-changing live micro-climate and rely on the weather to help out. But we strive for improvement each year as we get to know your property better as time goes by.    



I’ll let you know if dethatching is recommended for your lawn, or feel free to ask me about it if your interested.



There are a few other things we can do this month to get ready for renovation this fall. We've applied the final fungicide applixation and grub control to protect the existing turf from disease and insect damage, we're cleaning out all weeds from the turf areas, soil testing areas that have had unusual problems, and adding good organic topsoil to hard clay areas where roots are having trouble establishing.

Please visit the fall renovation page for details on how we can get rid of bermuda.



There are a couple of things we do to combat the damage from beetles and grubs. First, as the beetles emerge and start their feeding, we can spray their targeted plants with an insecticide that will kill beetles on contact and prevent others from feeding for about 2-3 weeks. Sometimes this treatment is needed twice to get through the beetle feeding season. Secondly, we put down an insecticide product over the turf in late July which will kill any beetle eggs and hatched grubs. I will monitor any beetle and grub activity on your property to protect your roses, crepe myrtles, fruit trees and turf.

I do not recommend the use of beetle traps on your property. Although very effective in collecting beetles, they also attract more beetles to your property that otherwise would not be there. Our methods of protecting your plant material and turf roots should be all the control you need.