Your Lawn is Our Business
Locally & Family Owned for Over 17 years.
Current Conditions Lawn Tips
Conditions are favorable for
Snow Mold
Snow Mold: This infectious condition is caused when there are long periods of snow cover on the ground and the turf is unable to breathe. This gives the mold prime conditions to take hold. Snow mold can also occur under leaves that have not been cleaned up, or found in long grass that should have been mowed once more before winter set in.
Corrective Action: Although it can look quite unattractive in early Spring, most snow mold damage will recover over time. Once the area has dried, the infection will cease and the grass (turf) will grow out and renew itself. However to ensure no die-off occurs and to speed up the process, the infected areas should be lightly raked. This will help allow better air and light penetration to stop any further rotting. Don't rake so hard as to pull up a lot of grass, just so you break up any mold and allow it to breathe. If the damage is severe some overseeding may be necessary. Topdressing can be applied similarly to repairing a bare patch.
Vole Damage
Vole Damage: Voles are small mouse-like animals that burrow underneath your lawn and build up their tunnels (runs) with thatch and grass.
Getting rid of voles: The best and easiest way to rid your lawn of voles is to set out mousetraps using a mixture of peanut butter and oatmeal. Place traps on several of the vole runs throughout your lawn.
Corrective Action: In most cases, simply raking the top of the tunnels and fluffing the grass around them will help your lawn to recover. In more severe cases similar to the photo above, you may need to add some dirt and grass seed to heavily damaged areas.
Mowing
The sooner you are able to get the first mowing in, the sooner your lawn will green up. By getting the first mowing done before things start to grow, you are eliminating the top of the blades that have been dormant all winter and promoting green-up.
Don't forget to have your mower serviced and blades sharpened before the prime mowing season.
More information about mowing practices is available in our general lawn tips, under the lawn tips tab at the top of the page.
Spring Seeding
(Spring) Seeding: If you have some bare spots or areas throughout your lawn, once it dries out a bit more will be a good time to rake and seed them or to aerate and overseed the lawn. This can typically be done from now through mid to late May.
If you plan on doing any seeding this spring please let us know, this will enable us to adjust your program to best suit your lawn.
Watering
Watering: In the spring is not normally necessary, as we typically have adequate rainfall to keep your lawn healthy. HOWEVER once the higher temps arrive and rain diminishes the lawn should be watered 1-3 times a week depending on rainfall. Water for longer periods at least 45min - 1hr in each area.
Our fertilizers will not burn your lawn even if it is not watered in; they have a poly coating that inhibits it from breaking down or releasing the nutrients until it has been water activated.
Does it have to be watered in? NO
Will it help activate and give you better results if you do? Yes
