EARLY SPRING 2006 ONLINE NEWSLETTER

News

Welcome to a new season of Royal Greens lawn care. We are here to answer your questions and solve your concerns. You can call the office to speak to someone during office hours or just leave us a message and we will return your call.

As we mentioned in our winter letter this past January, in our ongoing effort to be environmentally friendly, we have incorporated the use of organic-based fertilizers in our lawn care program this year.

Your Lawn

Crabgrass control is the most critical issue at this time of year. Application of pre-emergent crabgrass control (unless otherwise specified) will aid in providing season-long control. However, achieving 100% control can be difficult especially in bare or thin areas. Winning the war on crabgrass takes a combination of professional care and good follow-up practices. Proper edging and mowing are very important. Mowing too short will weaken the turf grass, thus allowing the crabgrass to germinate and take over. Being too aggressive with the string trimmer or blade edger can also increase the risk of crabgrass germination. Always remember that a well-maintained, healthy and thick stand of turf grass is the best weed control.

Should I collect my clippings?

Whether you collect clippings or let them lie has been a debate for years. Recent research has concluded that leaving the clippings lie will actually put some nutrients back into the soil. Our only word of caution is not to allow the grass to get too long between mowing. Leaving piles of grass clippings on your lawn can smother and kill the grass and produce thatch build-up.

If you decide to leave your clippings, we recommend a good mulching mower or mulching kit for your mower. Collecting your grass after mowing will give your lawn a cleaner appearance: however, it is extra work and the debris can be a disposal problem.
Either practice is acceptable as long as you follow a few basic rules.

Never mow more than 1/3 off the leaf blade at a time. Always mow with a sharp blade. Mow between 2 1/2 - 3”.

Spring Mower Check

• Sharpen or replace blades

• Install new spark plug

• Clean the air filter

• Change oil

• Put in a new supply of gas

Your Ornamentals

For the most part, we experienced a very mild winter. In many cases, this is worse for our trees and shrubs than a cold winter.

We have heard reports of plants in full bloom in January. If a plant has already flowered, it will not do so again this spring. What the long term effect or damage to the plant will be, we don’t know.

Some experts believe that we may see the plants leaf out this spring and die back after leaf break. There wasn’t much that could have been done to prevent it and not much can be done now. Unfortunately, at this point it’s a wait-and-see game.

In most of the perennials that broke ground in January, we may see some tip die-back. For the most part, the plants should be fine.

Gypsy moths

Gypsy moths are expected to have a re-emergence this year. Keep an eye on your trees & shrubs. The caterpillar or larva is the stage when damage is done. They feed mostly at night from spring until summer. The caterpillars can reach a length of 2 1/2”. They have blue and red spots on their back.

One full-sized insect can eat several leaves a day. They will also attack pine trees. Because they are soft-bodied insects, control materials generally work well. If you have any questions about controlling gypsy moths or other plant-damaging insects, give us a call.

Remember - the proper mowing height is 2 1/2 - 3 inches.