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Newsletter

April 2010

March 2010

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It’s April 2010, time to get the lawns in order for the growing season. If you have not cleaned up your lawn yet, don’t worry. The wet season has made it difficult to stay on top of the lawn and gardens so far this year.

Step 1 Clear lawn & remove debris off gardens. It’s time to Rake!

Step 2 Fertilize with Step 1 & Lime as Needed.

Step 3 Edge Up Garden Beds.

Step 4 If you don’t have Flowering Cherry Blossoms this is a Great Time to Add Mulch (The Blossoms will fall & make the fresh mulch messy looking).

 

*Be Ready to Apply Step 2 by the End of April-May. Get your lawn mower ready. Right now is a great time to start reseeding lawns or over-seed after clean-up of lawn

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Fertilizer Program

April-May  Fertilizer with pre-emergent crabgrass control

*crabgrass will germinate when soil temp. reaches 53-55 degrees

May-June  Fertilizer with Pre & Post emergence crabgrass control

*Spot treat broadleaf weeds (dandelion, clover, etc.)

June-July  Fertilizer with grub preventative and surface insect control

*Must be watered within 24 hours

Aug-Sept  Turf Builder Fertilizer

 

Oct-Dec  Winter Fertilizer

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LIME 

Pelletized Dolomitic Lime 50lb bag covers 2000 square feet (Standard Pelletized Lime)

Or

Cal-turf Pro 50lb bag covers  10,000 square feet (High- concentrated Lime)

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Q& A’s

Q. How do I get rid of moss? –Phil in Hingham, MA

A. Mosses, like most lawn weeds, primarily take advantage of bare areas but do not kill out existing grass as some people believe. Bare areas in lawn can be result from several causes. Unsuitable grass varieties, poor drainage, drought, soil compaction, excessive shade, thatch accumulation, poor fertility, diseases, improper mowing and other cultural practices are common reasons for turf failure leading to moss or other weed problems. Improving these factors to encourage thick, healthy grass is the key to long term prevention. Moss can be killed with products containing ferrous sulfate, ferrous ammonium sulfate, including Moss-Out, Moss-Kil, Rid-Moss, and a variety of Lawn Fertilizers with Moss Control; or moss & algae killing soaps such as Safer's. None of these materials pose serious threats to the environment; in fact iron and sulfur are essential nutrients for grasses and tend to improve their color. Although these products will kill existing moss, unless the underlying conditions are changed, moss or other weeds are likely to reappear. Poorly adapted varieties of grass may fail due to cool temperatures, inadequate drainage, or prevalent diseases. Poor drainage and soil compaction can cause roots to suffocate or be subject to disease. Thatch and soil compaction can impede water movement to grass roots, leading to drought stress. Raising the soil pH with agricultural or dolomitic lime can improve availability of nutrients and supply calcium and thus helping the turf grow better, but will not kill moss directly. The following steps will generally control existing moss and discourage it in the future:
*Use a moss control product to kill existing moss in late winter or early spring.

*Dethatch and rake out dead moss.

* Over-seed bare area with a mixture turftype ryegrasses or ryegrass/fescue blend

*Topdress seeds with about l/4 inch of loose weed-free soil, potting mix, or sand.

*Keep moist until seedlings are established.

 

Q. How do I know if I need to LIME my lawn?-Lynn in Plymouth, MA

A. If you can see evidence of moss then you may need lime. Also, if you have an abundance of pine trees or oak trees on property you will need more lime than regular lawns.


Q.  A neighbor told me that nighttime is the best time to water, is that true?-Ted in Pembroke

A. Watering at night can also add to the elements of moss and lawn fungus. If you must, water the lawn in the early a.m. preferably 5 a.m. for about 15 minutes with sprinklers. Otherwise, keeping the grass at 3" will help eliminate as much watering.

 

Q. How short should I cut my lawn when mowing?- Jesse in Taunton, MA

A. Lawns should be cut 2.5" to 3" to allow the roots to grow stronger, they tend to need more watering if shorter and the roots dry out if not watered.  Lawn cuttings should alternate bagging. You should bag your lawn clippings every other time, otherwise you bag up most of the fertilizer you put down.

 

 Q. Is springtime the only time to plant new trees, plants and shrubs? –Pat in Carver, MA

A. Spring and Fall, are the most ideal times.

 

Q. How do I go about fertilizing if I want an organic lawn? –Nick in Hanson, MA

A. The easiest solution that I highly recommend is Ringerฎ Lawn Restoreฎ, Fertilizer.  Ringer Lawn Restore is a 10-2-6 (that's the percentage by weight of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, respectively) blend that is a good choice for established lawns that need a boost. It contains all natural ingredients including poultry feather meal, nitrate of soda, potassium sulfide, bone meal and soybean meal. It has been approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute and is made without manure or any chemical ingredients. It comes in a pelleted form that is easy to apply and will not burn the lawn. One bag covers 2,500 square feet at a rate of 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet. The fertilizer should be applied with a spreader two or three times a year. Water the lawn after applying fertilizer, and keep it moist for three or four days after application

 

 

Thank you,

      Brendan Aiguier - Owner

Brendan’s Landscape & Tree Service

www.brendanslandscape.com

Tel: 617-688-7436  email: Brendan@Brendanslandscape.com

 

*If you received this via snail mail and you have the internet, please send us your name and email address and together we can both help to go GREEN with conserving paper.

 

**Also I can do paperless billing so you can keep your records of your billing in a folder on your computer instead of cluttering up a desk or file cabinet. Ask me to go paperless so we can both be more GREEN. 


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