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To All of our Friends,
We hope this edition finds you doing well. Please enjoy the latest edition of our newsletter. We try to get out our "news" at least once a month, but sometimes other responsibilities keep us from doing so. Included below is an article, some before and after photos of a project we just completed, as well as a "to do list" for May and June. Please let us know if we can help you in any way.
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Warm Season Turf Maintenance- Beyond Mowing and Fertilizer!
There are a couple of things that should be considered each and every year beyond Mowing and fertilizing your warm season lawn. Whether you have Bermuda or one of the many varieties of Zoysia grass two things should be considered each and every warm season. Those two things are aeration and top dressing.
Aeration is a necessary task for maintaining your warm season turf grasses. Aeration is not actually addressing the needs of the grass directly. Instead it is addressing the needs of the soil as it relates to sustaining the grass. Here in Georgia our soil is not just red, it is a hard clay type of soil which compacts very easily and quickly. Aeration simply is a manner of disrupting the top few inches of soil to allow the organic matter that builds up on the surface to be incorporated into the soil and in so doing alleviates the compaction of the soil. This simply provides more pore space for the root system of the lawn to expand and thrive. It is a procedure that should be done each and every year for the benefit of the lawn. A lawn that is aerated each year will develop a better root system which will enable it to better tolerate the stresses of drought and other factors that can effect the appearance of your lawn. After the last two years of substantial drought conditions there is no better value for your lawn this year than the reasonable cost of aeration.
Although you may have been encouraged by other contractors in the past to aerate your warm season turf in the early spring, this is not the correct time of year to do it. Aeration addresses the needs of the soil and in the process damages the lawn. The timing of aeration is crucial to the results. Other contractors simply have so many customers that they encourage their customers to aerate in the early spring so that they can get all of their customers to do it. The warm season turf grass is happiest and healthiest in the warm season. In the spring time your warm season lawn is transitioning out of dormancy. At this time of the year it simply does not have the energy to recover as quickly from the stress that aeration places upon it. As a result the outcome of the aeration is not as good as it is when done at the proper time of the year. The best time of year to aerate your lawn is late spring or early summer, late May through July. We wait until the weather and lawn approach their optimal conditions. We want the temperature to be getting hot so the grass will get active and more importantly we want the temperatures during the night time to approach 60 degrees as that is the real indicator for when the warm season grasses really thrive. Don't skip out on what is perhaps the most productive procedure of all toward the health and beauty of your lawn. Aeration is a very reasonable cost service. Lawns 3000 square feet or less cost $54 plus a trip charge with each additional 1000 square feet costing $18.
Top Dressing is another procedure worth considering that should be completed in conjunction with aeration when it is done. Top dressing is the application of sand or sand and organic matter in combination with each other. It is a beneficial procedure for a number of different considerations. When performing the service for an entire lawn area the lawn is scalped and aerated prior to placing the top dressing atop the lawn. Like aeration it needs to be done in the warm season for best results. There are a variety of purposes for top dressing a lawn. Top Dressing done in conjunction with aeration does aid in the improvement of the soil and in so doing the performance of the lawn. Top Dressing also can enable the lawn to take on a smoother appearance when mowed as it levels out the lawn to an extent. It can be done to an entire yard or simply utilized to improve an area depending on what is needed. The cost of top dressing is dependent on the amount of top dressing material applied and is $110 per cubic yard of sand or sand/organic matter mixture.
If you are interested in aeration and/or top dressing please call to schedule the service. |
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Recent Project!!
Total renovation of front and left side yard.
Addition of brick retaining wall to match brick on house in front and stone patio/walkway, walls and steps on left side entry of house.
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PROMOTION!!!
Free Maintenance for a year with signed install contract!!!!!
We are offering 12 months of basic maintenance for free if you sign an installation contract of $30,000.00 or more. Don't put off that new patio, deck, outdoor kitchen, pool renovation, sink hole or driveway repair, screened porch or any other project any longer. Let us start your oudoor project and put away your lawn mower, edger, weed eater and blower for a year. Spend that extra time with your family in your new outdoor creation!! |
May
Still time to plant annuals for spring and summer enjoyment!
Fertilize and water Tomatoes regularly.
Plant tropical vines at your mailboxes for bright flowers all summer. Good choices include Mandevilla, Bougainvillea and Allamanda.
Pinch back annuals to encourage bushy compact growth. Annuals appreciate a continual supply of nutrients. Begin to fertilize them moderately on a regular basis.
Great time to plant long-blooming perennials like Daylilies, Purple Coneflowers, Shasta Daisies and Gaura.
Continue to plant perennials throughout the month of May.
When ground temperature is 70 degrees F, begin planting vegetables such as: Okra, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Eggplant, Pepper Plants, Peanuts, Watermelon, Cow Peas, Black-Eyed Peas, Crowder Peas, Butter Peas and Butter Beans.
Be sure to mulch all garden beds well to help regulate soil temperature, retain moisture, and keep weeds down.
Use weed killer on lawns only if temperature is above 70 degrees F.
Fertilize roses in May to encourage a second bloom, and continue feeding them on schedule through the month of June. Prune ramblers in June.
Fertilize azaleas as soon as they finish blooming.
Fertilize flower beds with Osmocote.
Fertilize March vegetables with a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10.
June
Water your lawn in the early morning. Turf will have time to dry off before night, preventing disease.
Fertilize your Bermuda lawn.
Plants Herbs in a sunny spot close to your kitchen door. Basil, Oregano, Thyme and Rosemary are easy to grow and great for cooking!
In the vegetable garden pull spent plants, re-till the soil and plant your second crops. Water well as needed.
If the soil is excessively wet or dry, do not fertilize.
Prune arborvitaes, junipers, yews and hemlocks.
June is your last chance to fertilize Camellias and other broadleaf evergreens.
Clean up spent foliage of spring bulbs once the foliage has completely died back.
Cut back bearded iris and divide. Keep Japanese iris watered.
Weeds can be a problem now. Be vigilant! Don't allow them to go to seed! Keep them pulled!
Watch for harmful insects and disease problems. If insect pests or diseases are a major problem in a flower bed or the vegetable garden, plant a different crop in that particular area next year.
During dry weather, be sure to keep the garden adequately watered. A weekly deep, thorough soaking is more beneficial than a daily light sprinkling. Don't forget to comply with local watering restrictions, if applicable.
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1760 Lower Roswell Road
Marietta, Georgia 30068 |
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