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Keep Unwanted Pests Outside of Your Central Maryland Home

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 20:47:31 GMT

Keep Unwanted Pests Outside of Your Central Maryland Home

When the warm weather arrives here in Central Maryland, so do the creepy crawlers. Everyone enjoys the sunshine and good temperatures, even insects. And while nature is lovely and amazing, some things in nature belong outside, like those hair-raising spiders, gross cockroaches, and annoying ants. Now is the perfect time to insect-proof your house before the calendar marks summer as official. Here are some of the most effective ways to protect your home and ensure most bugs stay where they belong, outside.

Give Your Central Maryland Home a Good Spring Cleaning

We all know why pests love to invade our homes, mostly for food and water. They love our leftovers. With their acute sense of smell, bugs will flock to your crumbs, garbage, and dirty dishes before you have time to realize what’s happened.

Take a few hours and give your house a once-over spring cleaning. Sweep up any areas where food can gather, such as under your stove, fridge, and microwave. Make sure all food containers are properly sealed. Clean out your closets, basement, and attic of any old clothing items. Get rid of old boxes, newspapers, cans, and containers you don’t use. Doing this will ensure insects don’t have access to your food items. It will also help deter those critters who like to hide in dark, private spaces, such as mites and silverfish.

Pantry
Kitchen
Under sinks
Dining room
Cupboards where food is kept
Basement
Attics
Crawlspaces

Check All Windows and Doors

Give all of your doors and windows a once over. Bugs can get through the tiniest cracks and holes. Check your entries for gaps. If you can see daylight, bugs can get in. Check your windows and screens for rips and tears and replace them if necessary. Pests like the brown marmorated stink bug will swarm your windows, looking for an easy way in. Make sure you are using screen meshes that are at least 200 holes per square inch for the best protection. If there is any entry, bugs will take it.

The same goes for your home’s foundation. Walk around the outside of your house and look for any openings, cracks, or gaps. Repair any weak points using caulk or other materials such as mesh that will keep bugs out.

Trim Tree Branches Away From Home

Homes with trees and branches right next to and directly outside the home often complain they have tons of spiders. While trees make for great shade and help save energy, they also make a great home for insects. If planted too close to your house, they supply a natural bridge into your home. To avoid this, keep your branches and limbs trimmed with plenty of space between them and your house. A good rule to follow is to use 18 inches as your buffer.

The same can be said for shrubs and overgrown vegetation which make a wonderful home for fleas and ticks. Keeping your grass mowed and limiting the amount of overgrowth can help keep insects out of your lawn and thus out of your home.

Clean Up Debris Around Your Home

Many insects thrive and breed in dark, moist environments. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water, and fleas and ticks thrive in damp shady areas, including the thatch in your lawn, debris piles, leaf litter, and mulch. Keeping your outdoor space clean, well-maintained, mowed, and free of debris will help reduce the insect population outside, hence less chance of them getting inside.

If you keep firewood, try to store it away from your house. Beetles, centipedes, termites, and other pests are attracted to the wood, so the further you keep it away from your house, the less chance these unpleasant critters have of making a home invasion.

Remove Any Presence of Water Inside Your Property

That leaky faucet isn’t just a thorn in your wallet. Moisture caused by leaks and damp areas attracts insects such as cockroaches and centipedes. Fix any leaks and indoor plumbing that isn’t working correctly. Keep wet clothes, bathing suits, and towels off the floor. Dark, moist areas make an attractive home to many bugs sheltering them from predators. So while it’s convenient to throw those wet clothes from the pool or lake right on the floor, remember hanging them up is the safest way to keep insects away.

Protect Your Home From an Insect Invasion With Royal Green’s Professional Pest Control

While all of these ideas will help reduce the number of pests that enter your home, the best way to ensure your house is protected is by investing in a pest control program. Your friends at Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care offer several different pest control programs to help keep your family safe and protected.

We offer several different options for general, year-round pest control services, including highly effective perimeter pest control. Our perimeter pest control includes a spray that is applied around the foundation of your home four times. It is guaranteed to reduce the number of insects that make your house their home. Insects such as ants, spiders, cockroaches, crickets, earwigs, and mites will stay outside where they belong.

Our perimeter pest control includes a spray that is applied around the foundation of your home four times. It is guaranteed to reduce the number of insects that make your house their home. Insects such as ants, spiders, cockroaches, crickets, earwigs, and mites will stay outside where they belong.

To learn more about all of our pest control services, feel free to visit our website, contact us here or give us a call at 301-683-5371. Check out some of our great reviews both on our website and via Facebook. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram and get to know us better.

How To Properly Prepare Your Maryland Lawn Equipment for Winter

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 20:20:25 GMT

How To Properly Prepare Your Maryland Lawn Equipment for Winter

With winter quickly approaching in Central Maryland, it’s time to prep your lawn equipment and tools and get them ready to store away for the upcoming cold season. After a year of heavy use, our lawnmowers, edgers, leaf blowers, and other devices need to be properly maintained. This end-of-year maintenance will extend the lifetime of your tools so you can get as much use out of them as possible. Here are a few lawn equipment maintenance tips you can add to your to-do list to ensure the longevity of your items for years to come.

Your Fall Lawn Equipment Maintenance List

The equipment and tools you use throughout the season degrade over time; that is just a given. But you can help to prolong their life by properly maintaining and storing them. Lawn equipment should be cleaned, disinfected, and sharpened if necessary. Gas-powered tools need to be prepared for the freezing temperatures of winter. Before the cold catches up to us, go out to your garage or shed and make a list of the items you used this season and set them aside.

Specific Lawn Care Tools To Winterize in Central Maryland

Pruning Shears
Loppers
Edger
Lawnmower
Weedwhacker
Leaf Blower

Inspect the Blades on Your Lawnmower

Before you get started cleaning and disinfecting, check your lawnmower blade to ensure there is no damage or cracks. Be sure to disconnect your spark plug wire, then carefully remove the blade. Second, check the blade for any cracks. Any damaged edge should always be replaced.

Clean and Disinfect Everything

After a season of mowing, trimming, and pruning, it’s very easy to spread lawn and or tree diseases to each other via dirty lawn equipment. You can help to prevent this by cleaning and disinfecting everything you use. Cleaning off soil, sap, and grass clippings will also help keep your tools functioning correctly and efficiently. So, what is the best way to disinfect your lawn tools? Make a mixture of 1 tbsp dish detergent in one gallon of warm water and use a scrubbing brush to clean the blades of all your lawn equipment. This includes loppers, pruning shears, saws, and your lawnmower. Once the edges are clean, rinse them off with your hose.

Next, you will want to disinfect everything you just cleaned. You can do this with regular household items such as chlorine-bleach, Pine-Sol, isopropyl alcohol, Lysol, and even Listerine mouthwash. Depending on which item you choose, you’ll need to make sure you have the appropriate mix. For example, bleach should be mixed at a ratio of one part bleach to nine parts water. If using bleach, you will want to soak the tools for 30 minutes, then rinse and hang to dry. If using Lysol, Pine-Sol, or Listerine, dilute the products first with water so you don’t erode the tools. For the easiest disinfecting method, use isopropyl alcohol. You don’t even have to soak the blades, and you can simply spray or wipe them down.

Once your tools are clean, help prevent them from rusting by drying them thoroughly. Use steel wool or emery cloth to rub off any newly formed rust spots.

Winterize All Gas-Powered Tools and Equipment

At the end of the season, it’s essential to winterize your gas-powered lawn equipment, especially in Central Maryland, where we never know how severe the winter may be. After your final mow of the season, you have three options. You can run your mower and all other gas-powered devices until the tanks are dry, save the gas using a turkey baster or siphon, or use a fuel stabilizer. Any fuel left in the tank over the winter can cause damage to your engine resulting in costly repairs in spring. This is because water from condensation can combine with ethanol in the gas and cause clogs, corrosion, and frozen lines.

Option One

Run your mower and all other gas-powered devices until the tanks are dry.

Option Two

If you recently gassed up your mower and didn’t want to waste the gas, you can use a turkey baster or siphon to transfer the gas into a gas can. You can do the same with any other gas-powered tools, including your weedwhacker and leaf blower.

Option Three

If you don’t feel comfortable running your lawnmower out or draining the gas to use later, you can use a fuel stabilizer. Found at most hardware and HomeGoods stores, fuel stabilizers will keep the gas fresh until spring. Add fuel stabilizer to your tank and run it for a few minutes. This will allow the stabilizer to make its way through the lines and carburetor, offering the most protection.

Prepare Your Winter Equipment

Finally, it’s time to prepare your winter lawn equipment. We all know what it’s like to wait till the snow hits, and then we’re scrambling to gather what we need. This year, get your snow blower, snow shovels, and salt out of storage and prepare them for regular use. Fill up your snowblower with gas, put your shovels in an easy-to-reach spot, and make sure you have a supply of deicing salt.

For All Your Lawn Care Needs, Contact the Professionals at Royal Greens

For all your lawn care needs in Central Maryland, contact the professionals at Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care. Our three different traditional lawn care programs will help keep your grass healthy, lush, and vibrant all season long. Each lawn care program contains natural fertilizer, broadleaf weed control, crabgrass control, and pH optimization.

With a focus on lawn care and fertilization, we also offer three different organic lawn care programs. Perfect for our friends in Montgomery County, our organic lawn care programs focus on providing your turf with the nutrients needed to promote stronger soil and roots for healthier growth. Each plan includes carbon-enriched fertilizers and root-enhancing and soil-building materials.

For more information regarding our company, feel free to visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. And don’t forget to check out our other informative articles via our blog.

Fight Off the Winter Blues by Attracting Winter Birds to Your Backyard

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 19:52:29 GMT

Fight Off the Winter Blues by Attracting Winter Birds to Your Backyard

Winters can be pretty brutal here in Maryland. While many of us enjoy this time of year, those of us suffering from cabin fever can’t wait to get back outside. But with a bit of work and dedication, you can enjoy nature year-round in your own backyard. Winter bird-watching is fun and brings the sights and sounds of nature right to the comfort of your warm home.

While many birds and other wildlife fly south or hibernate for the winter, there are tons that stay right here. Read on to find out which birds stick around and how you can not only take in their beauty but help them survive.

Which Birds Stick Around for the Winter in Frederick, Maryland?

It’s true. Many birds do fly south for the winter. But there are quite a few that live in Frederick, Maryland, year-round. Here is a list of the most common birds you are sure to see if you play your cards right and even a few others you may attract this wint er as well.

Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees
Tufted Titmice
Northern Cardinal
Downey Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
House Finch
American Goldfinch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
American Crow
Blue Jay
Song Sparrow
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Northern Mockingbirds

Provide Food

If you want to see more birds in your yard, the first thing you should do is feed them. To help birds thrive in the winter, it’s a good idea to choose feeds that are high in fat. Suet feeders are a good option because they contain high amounts of protein. They are also easy to use. You can use black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, millet, or a combination of seeds. When selecting your feeder, try to choose the ones that have covers. This will help keep the feeds dry during snow or rain. Place feeders in areas where birds are sheltered from severe winds and predatory birds, such as near trees and shrubs. Put out several bird feeders with a variety of different seeds. Sunflower seeds are eaten by over 40 species of birds including chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, and sparrows. Other types of popular food sources include:

Peanuts
Cracked Corn
Thistle Seed
Fruit such as grapes, citrus fruits, apples, and bananas

Get the Kids Involved

Looking for a fun craft to get the kids involved? Have them make their own birdseed ornaments. These simple, easy-to-make decorations will have birds flocking to your yard. Using good ole fashioned cookie cutters, you can create birdseed ornaments to hang on different trees and shrubs. Choose metal or plastic cookie cutters that are one inch thick to ensure stability, create holes for hanging, precut your string for hanging, and choose your ingredients. Check out this article via “The Spruce” for more detailed instructions, and watch as a plethora of birds takes over your Frederick area backyard this cold, blustery season.

Provide Winter Birds With Fresh Water

Birds need something to wash their food down with. And like all living creatures need water to survive. Here in Frederick, Maryland, our lakes, streams, rivers, and water sources often freeze in the winter, causing the water that birds use for drinking and bathing to become scarce. Place a birdbath in your yard so they can stop and refresh. Be sure to change the water out or add an agitator to keep it from freezing. If you want to go a step further, you can install a heated attachment for your birdbath to save you the hassle of replacing it and help the birds stay warm.

Protect Birds by Providing Shelter Throughout Your Yard

You can also help protect and attract winter birds by providing them with shelter. While they will naturally build nests in trees, shrubs, in bushes, under porches, and anywhere they see a safe spot, you can help them by providing them with birdhouses and roosting boxes year-round. Roosting boxes are like resorts for birds. They look like birdhouses, but inside there are perches for several birds to roost together. Place the birdhouses or roosting boxes near trees, shrubs, or other elements that help block the wind. Leave dead leaves and brush piles instead of raking them, as they make great nesting materials and will help your feathered friends insulate their nests.

Plant Trees and Shrubs That Attract Birds

You can create the right habitat for birds simply by planting specific trees and shrubs native to the Frederick area. There are certain trees and plants that provide shelter and offer food sources even during the winter. A few of the most common here in Maryland include:

Washington Hawthorne

The Washington Hawthorne produces fiery red berries that attract birds and other wildlife in the fall.

American Holly

The American holly bush also produces red cherry berries that attract songbirds, grouse, wild turkeys, and various other birds and wildlife.

Snowdrift Crabapple

The snowdrift crabapple’s leaves turn a golden yellow in the fall before falling off. What remains is a red-orange fruit that not only adds color to your landscape but provides a special treat for the birds who stick around.

Sargeant Crabapple

This flowering tree produces pea-sized fruits that make it easy for birds to pluck and swallow. The tree’s dense foliage also helps protect birds by offering a protective shelter.

For All Your Lawn Care and Tree and Shrub Care Needs, Contact the Professionals at Royal Greens

While enjoying nature and winter birds, don’t let time pass you by. Spring is just around the corner, and it will soon be time to focus on all things lawn, tree, and shrub care. When it comes to planting and caring for these trees and shrubs, make sure you get help from experts who know and understand trees. Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care understands that trees and shrubs have different needs. Our plant health care program includes the right amount of fertilizer and insect control timed precisely to give your trees and shrubs the love and care they deserve. Our program includes three applications starting in spring and running through fall.

We also provide professional lawn care services, including customized lawn care packages to fit the needs of every Frederick, Maryland home or business. We offer both traditional and organic lawn care. Visit our website now to learn more about these and all of the services we provide. Or feel free to contact us. You can reach out to us online or give us a call at 301-683-5371.

For more monthly tips like the article above, follow our monthly blog.

It’s Time to Put an End to the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 18:22:30 GMT

It’s Time to Put an End to the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

When the cold weather strikes here in Frederick, so do the winter pests. Several species of bugs begin making their way into your home, seeking out the promise of a warm shelter. One of these home invaders is the brown marmorated stink bug we’ve all grown to hate due to its stinky smell. This smelly pest is not harmful or dangerous, but the large number they congregate in makes them a pure nuisance. So what can you do, and how can you prevent and eliminate this putrid home invader?

What is a Marmorated Stink Bug, and Where do They Come From?

Stink bugs got their name from the foul odor they release when crushed or threatened. Usually, they can be found outside, living under woodpiles, boards, and weeds. They feast on agricultural crops and farmland. But, they hate cold weather and often make their way inside our homes and businesses via windows, chimneys, and other cracks and crevices during the fall.

While Numerous stink bug species are native to the U.S., the brown marmorated stink bug originated in East Asia. They made their way to the U.S. in the 1990s and were first discovered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1998. Because they don’t have many natural predators, their population has and continues to increase.

How to Identify Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

Stink bugs have brown and tan bodies and have patches of copper or blue metallic on their heads. As an adult, they are oval-shaped and can grow as long as 2 cm in length, and are approximately the same in width. They are usually oval but can be shield-shaped as well. Their legs extend from the sides, making them seem larger in appearance. The brown marmorated stink bug has lighter bands on the antenna and dark bands on its wings. Only adult stink bugs have fully developed wings.

Stink Bug Behavior

Stink bugs typically feed on fruits in orchards, destroying the crops of berries, tomatoes, peaches, peppers, and corn. But when the cooler air creeps in they begin to seek shelter inside the home, where they feast on the fruits and vegetables in your kitchen directly from a fruit basket or fruits and veggies sitting out. They’ll find shelter inside your walls, attics, and crawl spaces.

Brown marmorated stink bugs mate and create up to three generations per year with 20 to 30 eggs laid at a time. The eggs are light green, barrel-shaped, and can usually be found in masses attached to the underside of a host plant’s leaves. The good news is that marmorated stink bugs do not reproduce inside your home or business. These insects go through a process similar to hibernation during the winter and don’t start mating until the spring.

Are Marmorated Stink Bugs Dangerous?

Stink bugs do not bite or sting and are not harmful to people or pets. They do not cause damage to your home or foundation like termites and other pesky insects. They leave off a foul odor that smells much like the scent released by skunks when they feel threatened. This is why you should never kill a stink bug inside your home. They can also pierce through the skin of fruit and plant roots to suck out the juices with their mouth causing millions of dollars in crop damages for farmers and the agriculture industry. The young ones have also been known to feast on your inside house plants as well so if an infestation is spotted, you may want to keep an eye on your indoor ornamentals.

So Then, Why are Stink Bugs Such a Nuisance?

Stink bugs like to gather in groups: therefore, if you find one, chances are there are many lingering somewhere inside your Frederick business or home. Once one of these insects finds a warm, cozy place to overwinter, they release pheromones that send out signals to other stink bugs inviting them to join. These overly friendly insects enjoy being together and clinging to objects. During a stink bug infestation, you may often see them in clumps, piled on top of one another, sticking to the underside of a table, along windowpanes, or on the backs of drapes and curtains.

Stink Bug Prevention

Because they find their way inside through windows, doors, utility entrances, and other openings or holes, there are a few ways you can help prevent them from getting in. They include:

Caulking or sealing any cracks and crevices around your home, including windows, doors, pipes, behind chimneys, around air conditioners and other utility entrances, and underneath the wood fascia
Repair or replace broken screens
Stink bugs are attracted to light, therefore, changing your exterior lighting to lower illuminating bulbs may help
Consider removing wood stacks, leaf and rock piles, and overgrown plants near your house as they provide shelter for box elder bugs
Because female box elder trees are the primary food source for box elder bugs, having them removed and replanted with male box elder trees is an option

Unfortunately, because they can fit through the tiniest of holes, about the size of three millimeters, sometimes they just find their way in. In this case, the best way to stop them is to get rid of them. If killing or crushing them is not a viable solution, what then can you do?

Stink Bug Elimination

Vacuum

Because killing these foul-smelling bugs is not an option, you can vacuum them with a small shop vac. Use one that can reach in tight and higher spaces because they can often be found near the top of the wall or on the ceiling. Be sure to empty the vacuum right away and place it in a sealed bag. Otherwise, you risk them surviving and crawling back out.

Homemade Trap

A homemade stink bug trap is also an option. One popular DIY trap involves filling a small tray or pan with soapy water and placing it underneath a night light or desk lamp. The insects will be attracted to the light, then fall into the water and drown.

Prevent and Eliminate Stink Bugs for Good With Pest Control by Royal Greens

Stop stink bugs and other pest insects for good with one of Royal Green’s Professional Lawn Care’s pest control options. Our professional technicians are knowledgeable about the most up-to-date, high-quality products and are trained to use them. Our Home Armour Premium Pest Control plan was designed to reduce the number of stink bugs and boxelder bugs within your Frederick area residence or home.

Learn more by contacting us and requesting a quote today. You can reach out to us online or by phone at 301-683-5371.

For more informative articles on all things lawn care, seeding and soil services, and pest control, follow our monthly blog. And don’t forget to check us out on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Tips to Keep Mosquitoes Out of Your Maryland Lawn This Spring

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 18:01:34 GMT

Tips to Keep Mosquitoes Out of Your Maryland Lawn This Spring

Here in Maryland, May is a time for new beginnings. With it comes to spring, more daylight, more warmth, and more time outside. It also comes with those insects we all hate, blood-thirsty mosquitoes. But there are several ways in which you can help prevent mosquitoes from invading your back yard. Keeping your yard free from clutter and well-maintained will help provide less shelter for these irritating bugs. Along with a well-kept property, several plants and other wildlife can help keep mosquito numbers down. Your friends at Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care have provided a few tips for you below.

Eliminate Standing Water

Standing water is a mosquito breeding ground. Anywhere you can find stagnant water, you will encounter mosquitoes. That is because females lay their eggs in it. After a spring rain, be proactive, walk around your house and empty any containers that may have collected rainwater. Doing this and continuously changing the water for birdbaths and other animal feeders will help keep your mosquito population down. Items of particular interest are:

Flower pots
Old tires
Ponds
Rain barrels
Gutters
Wheelbarrows
Water features

Bacterial Insecticides

If draining water is not an option, as in the case with birdbaths and elegant water features, you can prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs in them. Bacterial insecticides are highly effective against mosquitoes and mosquito larvae without harming other animals or plants. They work by combining living organisms such as bacteria, and fungi harmful only to a specific species, in this case, the mosquito. They come in granules or dunks, which can be tossed into your water. They dissolve and release the mosquito-killing bacteria.

Keep the Grass Mowed

Tallgrass and overgrown vegetation are a favorite hiding place for mosquitoes, especially for anyone who lives close to water or wetlands. Keep your turf and other vegetation trimmed to discourage mosquitoes from nesting and allow the sun to evaporate pooling water.

Keep Gutters Cleaned

Because they are out of sight, they are often out of mind, but gutters too can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Gutters often become clogged throughout the winter with organic debris such as dead leaves and twigs. This creates the perfect dark, wet haven for female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Add cleaning out your gutters to your spring clean-up list. Doing this will allow you to cut down on your backyard mosquito population and help prevent flooding from damaging your home.

Plant Things Mosquitoes Hate

Repel mosquitoes naturally with a few common household plants . Most of us already know that citronella repels mosquitoes, but what about lavender and catnip? Mosquitoes can’t stand the smell of lavender. And catnip? Catnip contains a chemical called nepetalactone that acts as a natural repellent. Other common household plants include:

Basil
Mint
Citrosum
Sage
Marigolds
Lemon Balm
Peppermint
Floss Flower

So go ahead, plant away this spring and be sure to include a few of these mosquito deflectors.

Invite Bats and Swallows to Your Maryland Lawn

Believe it or not, mosquitoes do have a few enemies. Swallows, purple martins, and bats all eat mosquitoes, so why not invite them into your backyard? Make them feel welcome by putting up a few bat and purple martin houses. Bats eat up to 50% of their body weight every night in mosquitoes and other insects. Because bat species worldwide are vulnerable and endangered , you will be helping to protect our ecosystem and preserve the planet. To attract swallows place your bird box facing open areas of land.

For the Ultimate Protection, Hire the Professionals at Royal Greens

While all of the above methods will help, if you want to truly control the mosquito population in your backyard, you need the help of a professional. At Royal Greens, we offer a natural mosquito service that utilizes natural repellents and oils. This is the perfect choice for those worried about the use of pesticides. We spray our Natural Mosquito Reduction Program in areas where mosquitoes live including flower beds, vertical structures, shaded areas, and mulch beds.

Our Mosquito and Tick Control service will not only protect you from the wrath of mosquitoes but from the harmful diseases, ticks carry as well. We treat the same common areas and both treatments are available on a one-time-only basis for special events.

Learn more about each program, and sign up now to receive $75 off one program for the first year. Call us at 301-683-5371 or contact us here. Check us out and follow us on Facebook.

How To Get A Healthier Yard With Aeration And Overseeding

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 17:46:24 GMT

How To Get A Healthier Yard With Aeration And Overseeding

Aeration and overseeding are fast and effective methods to improve the appearance and health of your lawn. Overseeding can make your grass stronger and more able to survive droughts, pests, and diseases. At Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care, we offer aeration and overseeding services to turn your ordinary yard into an outstanding yard.

Everything You Need To Know About Aeration And Overseeding

It’s that time of the year again. Temperatures are rising, buds are blooming, and birds are returning. Spring is also a time to get your yard prepared for summer, so it greens up quickly before the weeds do. One of the most beneficial things you can do to your yard in the spring is to get it aerated.

Is It Time to Aerate Your Yard?

Marylanders love spending time in their yards in the summer months. After all, what’s the point in investing all this money in lawn care if you can’t use it. But after all these graduations, weddings, barbecues, and get-togethers, it can leave your soil compact. Compacted soil is a lawn condition that prevents water and air from getting to the roots of your grass. Core aeration can solve this problem by pulling up small plugs of sod and loosening up the soil. After your grass can breathe and drink again, you will notice it return to its former lushness and then some.

What is Core Aeration?

What Is Liquid Aeration?

Liquid aeration serves the same purpose as traditional core aeration, but it uses different methods to achieve results. Using a product called Liquid Air8, combined with water in a hose, your lawn care professional will create micro-fractures in the soil. This alleviates the compaction and creates space within the soil for air, nutrients, and water. This innovative method is just as effective as traditional core aeration and could be a more affordable choice if you have a smaller yard. In particular, this method is the best option for yards where an aeration machine can’t reach every part of the ground or on yards with pet fencing and irrigation systems. Like core aeration, liquid aeration is best performed in the spring and fall.

What Are the Signs of Compacted Soil?

Before you choose to get your yard aerated, you must first determine if your soil is compacted.

When Should I Aerate My Lawn?

Symptoms of compact soil include:

Water running off and pooling in low areas.
Weak or yellowing grass.
Spongy grass caused by thatch.
Soil too hard to dig.

Aeration is a scientific process that needs to be properly timed to coincide with your grass’s growing season. If it is done while your grass is dormant, it will give weeds a chance to take over. Two types of grasses grow in Maryland; cool-season and warm-season grasses. Knowing what type of grass you have and its growing season is the first step in aerating your lawn.

Cool-season grasses are adapted to the colder climates of the United States and do their growing during early spring and fall. During the summer, they go semi-dormant during long dry spells. Common cool-season grasses used in Maryland include Kentucky bluegrass, rough bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fescues, and bentgrass.

Warm-season grasses are grasses adapted to warmer climates of the United States and do their growing during hot summers. They go dormant during late fall, winter, and early spring.

In addition to aerating your lawn, a common practice is to plant grass seed immediately after. Since the earth is already opened up, seeds can easily take root and fill in thinning or bare patches of turfgrass.

How To Plant Grass Seed

Overseeding Your Lawn

Overseeding is another beneficial process that is usually performed after the conclusion of aeration. This is because your yard is full of holes and ready for sowing. Overseeding is the addition of other types of grass seeds into your existing lawn. By mixing different species of grasses, you can make your turf more resilient to pests, diseases, and drought.

By maintai ning healthy turfgrass through regular watering, mowing, de-thatching, and keeping up with lawn fertilizer, you’ll enjoy a healthy, vibrant lawn, reduce the likelihood of weeds, and enjoy the benefits of aeration all season long. Aeration is like getting a tooth cleaning at the dentist. It’s important to have it done twice a year, but if you don’t brush your teeth in the meantime, the professional treatment will only help so far.

Hire The Lawn Care Pros at Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care

Aeration is a beneficial process that can improve your landscape by leaps and bounds. However, if you have never operated an aerator, you should leave it to the experts at Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care . We have decades of experience dealing with lawn problems. If your soil is showing signs of soil compaction, call us today and ask about our aeration lawn service . And if needed, we can assist you in choosing the best grass seed for Maryland lawns.

Call us for more information at 301-683-5371 or leave us a message online here . Don’t forget to check out our educational blog with interesting articles on lawn care, weed control, lawn diseases, pest control, and more! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram , and Twitter for all of the latest news and offerings from Royal Greens.

The Importance of Having Your Soil Tested in Maryland

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 16:37:50 GMT

The Importance of Having Your Soil Tested in Maryland

Here in the Old Line State, we have unique rules and regulations that apply to Maryland due to our state’s unique structure and proximity to the Atlantic coastline and the Chesapeake Bay. One of those regulations involves soil testing. If your home or business property receives either professional or home fertilization containing phosphorous, you are required to have your soil tested every three years.

Called the Maryland Fertilizer Law, it was put in place over five years ago to help protect the Chesapeake Bay and our local waterways from receiving excess runoff. The key ingredients in fertilizer, nitrogen, and phosphorous tend to wash up in storm drains and streams that run into the bay. Studies have shown that when it’s excessive, it causes a rise in the growth of algae blooms, which can be harmful in large amounts. Having this regulation in place helps ensure that significant amounts of phosphorous are kept out of our waterways.

What Is a Soil Analysis?

The Harmful Effects of Algae Blooms

So, what is the deal with algae blooms, and why is too much of them harmful? Too many algae blooms can deplete the oxygen in the water and block sunlight from reaching fish and plants. When the algae die off, the microbes decompose the dead algae and use up more oxygen, causing more fish and plants to die. It can also produce toxins that are dangerous to people and animals and raise treatment costs for water. Requiring a soil test every three years helps ensure that significant phosphorous amounts are kept out of our waterways.

A soil analysis is a detailed breakdown of your soil’s elements. It will tell you whether or not you are low in nutrients and, if so, which ones. It will also tell you what your soil’s pH level is. If there are any contaminants in your soil, the analysis will indicate that as well. You can buy soil tests at most home goods and garden stores or even have one mailed to you from local universities, but we suggest that you have a professional lawn care company that specializes in soil analysis visit your home. A trained technician will visit your property, secure a few small samples from different parts of your yard and then present you with the overall results.

Benefits of Having a Soil Test

There are many different reasons that having your soil tested is important. Every plant, including your grass, has its preferred range of soil acidity, and when the pH level is out of range, a host of problems may follow. Poor soil quality may be holding your grass back from its healthy potential. Having it tested will allow lawn care professionals to understand your soil better and determine if there is a particular nutrient it needs more or less of. For example, phosphorous helps your grass’s cell development, and potassium helps with root development and stress recovery. If either of these nutrients are low, the results from the soi test will help lawn care professionals recommend to you how to improve it.

What Does pH Level Mean?

The pH level is the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. In this case, the substance is your soil. A soil’s pH level is measured on a scale from zero to 14. Seven is considered the neutral zone. Numbers above seven typically mean there is a higher level of acidity. Most plants here in the Frederick area are over seven and considered acidic. This results from many different factors including excessive rainfall, over-fertilization, drought, and other environmental factors. But unfortunately, poor soil quality affects water quality, increases the risk of flooding, and promotes poor grass quality.

Save the Hassle! Royal Greens Offers a Complete Soil Analysis With Our Highly Effective Lawn Care Programs

Royal Greens is a local company that knows our state rules and regulations, and our local climate and soil type. When you sign up as a Royal Green customer, we take a soil test on your property. We will take the information and, based upon the results, make recommendations on how we can improve it. These recommendations may include:

The increase in nutrient levels
Balancing pH levels
Building up organic matter

With Royal Greens by your side, you never have to worry about taking the time to test your own soil, decipher the results or figure out how to correct any problems on your own. Based on our findings, we’ll develop a customized plan to enrich your soil and get it to its healthiest levels. Learn more about our soil testing as well as our different lawn care programs by visiting our website or contacting us now. You can reach us by phone at 301-683-5371 or use our online contact us form.

We also have a program specific to the needs of our residents and businesses who live in Montgomery County. Because Montgomery County currently has a law restricting the use of certain pesticides, weed, and feed, including fertilizer and herbicides, it’s much easier to leave lawn care to the pros. With a Maryland Fertilizer Application License, we understand the different rules and are trained and equipped to handle anything that comes our way.

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Resident or Business in Montgomery County?

Is Organic Lawn Care the Right Decision For You?

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 16:25:13 GMT

Organic lawn fertilizers work by breaking down and releasing nutrients. This occurs over a fairly long period of time and as it does, it adds microorganisms into your soil as nutrients decompose. This ultimately builds the quality and textures of your soil, contributing to your grass’s health. They also improve the soil’s water retention.

Organic Vs. Synthetic, Which is Better

Is Organic Lawn Care the Right Decision For You?

Stronger Root Health

Since their nutrients are ready to use when immediately mixed into the soil, some synthetic fertilizers may cause plant damage to the leaves and roots. On the other hand, organic fertilizers release their nutrients into the ground much slower, making it less likely that you will overfeed or burn your plants. This is because organic fertilizers must be broken down first by the soil’s bacteria and fungi into smaller forms that plants can absorb.

Better Soil Health

Royal Greens utilizes an organic fertilizer that is carbon-rich because it is the best mineral for getting your soil in peak health. There are several benefits to using a carbon-based fertilizer. These are not limited to but include:

Carbon-based fertilizers can also serve as a guard against any waterborne pollutants that come into your soil.
The use of a carbon-based fertilizer heightens aeration and allows for the nutrients to be protected from pests attempting to steal their nutrients away.
You may not have to balance the pH levels as often.
It increases microbial activity within your grass.

No Long-Term Health Effects

Numerous studies have been done on the chemicals in synthetic fertilizers and their effect on humans and dogs. While the verdict is still out, many believe that the chemicals used can cause numerous long-term health problems, including different cancers, nervous system disorders, and other illnesses. In addition, things that are toxic to weeds and pests are often harmful to humans as well. Organic fertilizers only contain natural ingredients and allow you to get back to enjoying your lawn safely and quickly.

Your yard isn’t just a part of your property. It is a part of a larger ecosystem. How you take care of it impacts not just your home but your community as well. The products you treat your lawn with are ultimately absorbed through the soil and eventually leach into your area’s groundwater supply. Up to 60 percent of the nitrogen in commercial fertilizers ends up being washed away. This can also kill off beneficial microorganisms that live in the dirt. Organic fertilizers do not run off as easily and almost always have only biodegradable elements.

Let’s talk about the benefits of organic lawn care for a minute. What are they?

What is the Difference Between Synthetic Lawn Fertilizers and Organic Fertilizers

Whether or not organic fertilizer is better than synthetic has long been debated among lawn care experts. Those who advocate on behalf of organic fertilizers say yes, it is safer for the environment, your loved ones, and pets. It is also more beneficial to your lawn overall. Those who disagree say it’s more costly, time-consuming, and harder to control lawn surface insects. More importantly, there are currently no good organic weed control products on the market. Therefore, those not in favor of organic fertilizers say that some chemicals are necessary for residents and businesses in the Frederick area who want a weed-free lawn.

How Do Organic Fertilizers Work

So, what are you, as a Frederick home or business owner, to do? We’ve given you a lot to think about, but you don’t have to do it alone. Contact the professionals at Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care. Our knowledgeable and trained technicians can meet with you, discuss our various lawn care options and help you determine which program is suitable for your lawn and family. You can learn more about our different lawn care programs, including traditional and organic, by visiting our website’s lawn care package page. Or you can contact us by phone at 301-683-5371 or right here online. We are looking forward to hearing from and helping you.

Live in Montgomery County? Then you may be confused by the different laws governing this county regarding lawn care. Royal Greens has you covered. We have extensive experience working within the county, are familiar with the laws, and will make sure your home or business has a lush, green lawn while adhering to your county’s rules.

Want more tips, advice, and ideas? First, check out our blog for other articles on all things lawn and tree care and pest control. Then check us out on social media. Like us on Facebook and Instagram and follow us on Twitter.

Benefits of Organic Lawn Care

With today’s ever-changing climate and desire to do more for the environment, there has been much talk about the effects of lawn chemicals on the environment, our waterways, and pollinators. As a result, many residents have taken it upon themselves to change to a more natural or organic way of maintaining their lawn. But, is it the right decision for you? That depends on a variety of factors, including how you want your lawn to look, your geographic location, the laws within your city, whether or not you have pets and/or kids, and your basic personal preference.

Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care Service out of Frederick, Maryland, offers several different lawn care programs. Our customized solutions include several programs that offer traditional lawn care with synthetic fertilizers and weed control. Our organic lawn care programs utilize carbon-enriched fertilizers, root-enhancing, and soil-building materials. They contain no weed control. However, spot treatment of weeds can be purchased in addition.

This article is intended to help you determine if traditional or organic lawn care is right for you. Let’s start with the basics.

Get Help! Contact the Professionals at Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care

Synthetic lawn fertilizers contain chemicals manufactured and typically include one or more combinations of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, also known as N-P-K. This is what most lawn care professionals consider the essential nutrients necessary for optimal plant growth.

Organic lawn fertilizer is derived directly from plant or animal waste. Examples of organic fertilizers include manure, compost, and bone meal. While it can also contain highly processed products with a compost manure base, in general, organic fertilizers contain fewer amounts of N-P-K than synthetic kinds.

What is Slice Seeding

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 15:45:47 GMT

What is Slice Seeding

Just like all living things, your lawn can become ill, fatigued, and worn out. Various factors take a toll on your grass, such as drought, heat, weeds, excessive foot traffic, and lawn equipment, making your turf appear thinner and weak. Here in Frederick, Maryland, where we have mostly cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and fescue, fall is the perfect time to rejuvenate and uplift your lawn. One method that is often overlooked is slice-seeding. A quick way to revitalize your yard, slice-seeding is sometimes the more preferred method of choice and often a better option.

Also known as slit seeding, there are other benefits to utilizing slice seeding. Royal Greens explains what they are below and how you can utilize this service for your Maryland property.

What Is Slit Seeding?

Slit seeding involves the use of a machine called a slice seeder that has sharp blades on it used to cut into the soil. Creating furrows, or what is known in gardening as a long, narrow trench, slit seeding drops the grass seed into the ground evenly. These slits allow grass seed to drop below the surface of the ground, increasing the chances and ease of seed germination. Like aeration, slit seeding is perfect for breaking through thick layers of dead grass, old roots, and other compacted organic matter. While overseeding your lawn has its benefits, it may not give you the type of benefits you are looking for. Much of the seeds during overseeding never even permeate the soil. With slit seeding, all bare spots are filled giving you a healthy, thick lawn. Other advantages of using this method include:

With slice seeding, the rate at which germination occurs is much faster. This is because the seeds have direct contact with the soil. The seed to soil contact allows for fast transfer of water and nutrients from the soil to the root. Regular seeding doesn’t ensure the seeds directly contact the soil. The seed slicer machine can be adjusted based on the type of seed. Each seed is then measured so that the grass seed is distributed evenly across the area.

Slit Seeding Provides a Faster Germination Rate

Slice Seeding Creates the Perfect Seeding Spot

The slice seeder machine slices into the soil to create what are called furrows. Furrows are deep, and their depths can be customized according to seed. This means that you can pick exactly where on your turf you want each seed to be deposited.

Slit Seeding is More Cost-Effective

Slice seeding is a less costly option than overseeding, sod, or artificial turf and a relatively inexpensive option.

Displacement of Seeds Is No Longer an Issue

When planting grass seeds, they can easily be displaced by birds and other wildlife. Winds, rain, and other weather elements can transport your seeds to other yards away from where you want your grass to grow. Slice-seeding avoids this problem because once the perfect depth for your seeds is determined, they immediately touch the soil.

More Diversity

With slit-seeding, you can choose whatever blend of seeds you would like to use. This is good for properties with lots of shade vs. sun, difficult soil, or other tough conditions. With the help of Royal Greens, you can choose the best blend of turf types to fit your property’s needs.

Greater Disease Resistance Than Sod

Anytime you plant a single variety of one plant, such as in the case with sod, there is a greater chance for widespread disease. Blending different types of turf together will help combat diseases and pest infestations down the line.

When Is the Best Time to Slit-Seed Your Frederick, Maryland Lawn

Regardless of which method of seeding one chooses, here in Frederick, Maryland, with our cool-season grasses, fall is a great time to seed your lawn. The soil is still warm, and the air is cool. There’s moisture in the air. It is the perfect environment for grass seeds to germinate and take root.

Revitalize Your Lawn Today With Royal Greens Professional Slit Seeding Service

Now is the time to revitalize your lawn. Contact the professionals at Royal Greens. We are your local, family-owned professionals for all your lawn and landscaping needs, including slit seeding. Our high-quality grade slit seeding service will help fill in those bare spots, facilitate growth, improve your lawn’s health and give you back that thick, lush lawn you once had or always wanted.

Serving all of the Frederick and surrounding areas for over 20 years, we also offer several lawn care packages, including organic, mosquito control and tick control, perimeter pest control, and more. Learn more about our slit seeding and other services by visiting our website now, contacting us online, or calling us directly. You can reach us at 301-683-5371.

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How To Stop Fall Weeds From Invading Your Maryland Lawn

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 22:39:00 GMT

How To Stop Fall Weeds From Invading Your Maryland Lawn

Nothing ruins the look of a lawn more than those sneaky, pesky vile weeds. They creep up out of nowhere and take over your lush, green turf like a wine stain on a white carpet. These persistent, ugly plants rob your grass and garden beds of vital nutrients they need to survive. And though the temperatures outside are getting cooler here in Maryland, broadleaf weeds are getting their second wind. It is during this time of year they have their second bloom. The seeds can come from previous weeds already there, from bird droppings, or even blown in by the wind from neighboring yards. Regardless of how they came, these thieves are waiting till the warm temperatures return next spring to invade your lawn.

These annoying plants come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they all share one common trait, their leaves. Broadleaf weeds have broad leaves with a large central vein down the center with a bunch of smaller veins branching off from that. They can be easily identified because they don’t resemble grass.

Common Broadleaf Weeds Found in Maryland

Dandelion
Deadnettle
Henbit
Ground Ivy
Chickweed
Shepherd’s Purse
Hairy Bittercress
Black Medic
Plantain
Clover
Oxalis

Fortunately, there are a few ways you can get ahead of the weeds and make next year’s spring lawn care a bit easier. Here are a few fall weed control tips to help you reduce the number of weeds in your lawn and prevent future crops from sprouting up.

Stop Weeds From Germinating

If you have weeds that have already started flowering and gone to seed but haven’t yet dropped their seed heads, now is the time to head out to the garden and remove the seed heads. Use a pair of pruners to cut off weed seed heads and drop them in a plastic bag for disposal or burning. Don’t use them for composting because they will spread again and could regrow.

Spread Corn Gluten Meal

Corn gluten meal is a by-product of corn processing. When distributed over the soil’s surface, it forms a barrier that prevents seeds from germinating and growing. Sprinkle corn gluten meal around your perennial beds, in shrub and tree beds, and anywhere else you need to control weed growth. Don’t use it in any of your vegetable gardens because it could stop those seeds from growing as well. Ideally, corn gluten meal works best when applied in both spring and fall when the soil temperatures are around 55 degrees.

Use Mulch

Using mulch is a great way to help combat and prevent weeds. It acts as a barrier and smothers out existing weeds by cutting off their air supply and preventing sunlight from getting through. In the same way, it also helps to prevent new weeds from forming because they do not have sunlight or oxygen to grow.

If you rake and collect your own leaves, you can use them as mulch in your flower gardens. First, cut down any existing weeds as close to the ground as possible. Next, spread the newspaper on the ground around your garden. Then, shred your leaves and pile them two to three inches thick on top of the newspaper. Acting as a layer of mulch, it will smother out existing weeds and prevent new ones from germinating.

Pre-Emergent Weed Control

One of the most effective ways to combat weeds is through the use of fall pre-emergent weed control. It is a spray that is applied to your grass in the fall and early spring. This spray creates a barrier over your lawn, neutralizing the weed seeds before they ever have a chance to sprout. As the name suggests, pre-emergent weed control only works on weeds before they emerge. It will not work on weeds that already exist. Using pre-emergent in the fall and again in the early spring will decrease the number of weeds that pop up in the coming spring.

Weed Control Tips

Stop Fighting Weeds and Allow Royal Greens To Win the Battle With Comprehensive Lawn Care

Royal Greens Professional Lawn Care knows and understands the different weeds that grow here in Maryland and how to prevent and control them. We offer several different lawn care programs, both traditional and organic. Our traditional lawn care programs are broken up into three packages, each containing control of broadleaf weeds. Our three organic programs do not contain broadleaf weed control for obvious reasons. However, two of them contain corn gluten. And for an additional charge, we can spot treat weeds as needed.

Stop fighting the battle against weeds yourself and invest the help of professionals. Learn more about our different lawn care packages now by visiting our website and receive an instant quote.

For more informative articles on lawn care, landscaping, weed control, and pests follow our blog. Are you on social media? So are we. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.