EARLY SPRING 2007 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. You can also reach us through our web site.

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

Crabgrass control is the most critical issue at this time of year. Today’s application of pre-emergent crabgrass control (unless otherwise specified) will aid in providing season-long control. There are several other factors that come into play to achieve acceptable crabgrass control.

Proper mowing height is the single biggest factor when it comes to preventing crabgrass. You should be mowing your lawn at 2 1/2—3 inches. Mowing too short stresses out the turfgrass, causing it to thin thus letting sunlight reach the surface and allowing the crabgrass to germinate.

Another important factor to be aware of is edging. Edging along sidewalks, driveways and beds breaks the pre-emergent barrier allowing crabgrass and other weeds to germinate. So once you start edging, continue throughout the season.

Broadleaf Weeds

A quick mention about broadleaf weeds. Because we had unseasonably high temperatures late last fall and early winter, many of the winter annual weeds that don’t typically become a problem until late spring have become a problem much earlier this season. Unfortunately, until the temperatures warm up and weeds start actively growing, we can’t effectively control the weeds. However, we are hoping to start out broadleaf weed control earlier than normal this year. If you are experiencing a weed problem, please give us a call so we can take the proper action to handle your concern.

New Program

We are happy to announce the introduction of our new Mosquito Control program designed to reduce the risk of mosquito bites by treating your property. Please contact us by phone or web site for more information.

Your Ornamentals

As mentioned earlier, we did have warm temperatures in the late fall and early winter. Many of the buds started to swell and some actually bloomed. This is going to have an adverse effect on that plant material this spring. Any bloom that occurred late last season will not re-bloom this spring. Many of your early blooming plants - like azaleas, magnolias - may have fewer or no blooms this spring. Many perennials broke ground during the warm period. You can expect some tip damage on what emerged however the plant should grow out of it.

What plants should I prune now?

Proper timing for pruning is very important. Some general guidelines:

• Plants that flower in summer should not be pruned in winter or spring

• Plants that flower in spring should be pruned immediately after the flowers drop

• Broad- and narrow-leafed evergreens can be pruned at any time

Caution— if you aren’t sure, don’t prune until you find out. Improper pruning can cause severe damage to a plant.

Spring Mower Check

• Sharpen or replace blades

• Install new spark plug

• Clean the air filter

• Change oil

• Put in a new supply of gas

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