FALL LAWN CARE
This has been an interesting turf care season. We started with April snow pushing the date of applications back two weeks. A very rainy May, June, and July caused a lot of weed and disease pressure on lawns. As summer comes to a close and fall approaches, it is time to think turf renovation.
Your lawn needs to breathe! The stress that weeds, diseases, and weather put on your lawn through the summer months is reduced dramatically by aerating and seeding each fall. Aeration will reduce compaction, increase air, water and nutrient uptake, control thatch, and encourage root growth. This is exactly what your lawn needs to recover and thrive.
This is also the time to seed. Turf weeds – if not dead already – will start to decline naturally in the fall so there is no competition for new grass seed. This, combined with ideal growing conditions of warm ground and cool air temps, creates the best growing environment that New Hampshire grass seed types need to grow. Over-seeding with high quality seed at the same time as aeration will thicken up turf, reducing weeds and crabgrass next season as well as the amount of pesticides needed to control them.
No grass? No problem! If your lawn has large bare areas (the size of a desk or larger) then slice seeding should be done in those areas to achieve desirable results. We can aerate and over seed the entire lawn and slice seed the large bare or troubled areas and take your lawn to the next level.
A time for lime. Fall is also the time when we apply your calcium enriched lime treatment because lime and calcium aid in seed germination and mineral absorption helping the new grass get a good start. For both new grass seed and established lawns, calcium-rich lime applications assist in better overwintering and a faster green-up come springtime.
FALL TREE & SHRUB CARE
Still feeling the drought. Even though groundwater levels have returned to normal, landscape plants are still showing signs of stress from the 2016 drought – some not flowering, and some dying all together. Food reserves have been depleted. It can take several seasons for a tree to recover from one year of bad drought. Stressed trees are also vulnerable to insect attacks. We will be completing root zone feedings to aid in recovery as well as Arborjet trunk injections on trees with major insect or disease issues through September and October.
Pruning time! This October we will also be completing contour pruning estimates for the upcoming dormant season. Contour pruning is the art of removing dead, diseased, and rubbing limbs from trees and shrubs to create airflow and structural balance in landscape plants. We complete this pruning in November when plants are dormant to reduce stress on the plants. We always have an NHAA certified arborist on every pruning job that we complete! The estimates are completed upon request only and they are free of charge so if you are interested call us before we are fully booked.
Ticks make a comeback in the fall. The frequent rain this season has increased the amount of mosquitoes and the mild winter has made for some of the largest tick populations in history. October is the time when ticks hatch their eggs. Hitting those ticks now will dramatically reduce tick populations in your yard next year. We will be spraying right through October and monthly treatments will keep your family safe in the yard to winter.
To schedule any of these beneficial services or to get answers to any questions you may have call us at 437-4464 option #2 and we will be glad to help.