Do you have a part of your yard that just holds water? Maybe even after the rest of the yard has dried up, there’s that one place that just stays wet? You may notice that particular area has virtually no grass, or the grass that is there is full of weeds. When water stands in one place of your yard for a long time, the grass just isn’t going to do well. Another issue that you’ll run into is the break down of any chemicals that you use on your grass, particularly pre-emergents. The water breaks down the chemical over time and makes it ineffective at keeping weeds at bay. There are several options to solve your water woes. The area can be leveled or you can install a drain to route the water else where. Bottom line is, if you want healthy weed-free grass in those wet areas, you’ll have to get it died up a bit first. Hope this helps and let us know if you have any questions!

Did you know that snow can insulate? If you haven’t, take a look around town and you might notice how some plants, especially Indian Hawthorns, have healthy new growth down at the very bottom, but brown and crispy foliage on the top. The reason the plants look healthy on the bottom is because the snow and ice actually insulated and protected that portion of the plant from the frigid air. Aside from the frigid air, the added wind further dehydrated the plants. There are two solutions to dealing with this problem. You can completely remove the plant, or you can cut all the dead portions off. If you go the route of aggressively trimming them, just be aware that they won’t look good for a long time. Hope this helps and let us know if you guys have any questions!

Have you ever seen someone’s irrigation system running during the rain? Maybe they (or you) forgot to turn it off before a storm blew in. Once every now and then it probably won’t matter, over time, the cost could add up. Wi-Fi controllers are a pretty neat tool to help better regulate your lawn and how it gets water. These systems link up through wi-fi to a weather channel outlet. They can tell how much water your area has gotten and will adjust accordingly to get your grass watered efficiently and save you some money. You can also control the system from your phone. Pretty neat!

I know, I know. We talk about fungus a lot. It is one of those things that’s still a pretty big issue right now. We’ve had a lot of people asking us about it. It’s important to remember that a fungicide treatment will not reverse the damage already caused but the fungus, it will stop the damage from progressing. It takes a good long while to repair fungal damage, this is why it is so important to remain vigilant when it comes to it. As always, if you have any questions, let us know.

Preparation is key! Especially when it comes to annual color. Annual flowers need a certain type of soil to thrive. They really need a finer soil that provides good drainage with some type of filler to keep it from clumping. Mounding the soil is super important as well. This is really going to help with drainage. Also, make sure you know what type of flowers you’re choosing and what specific needs they have; some enjoy full sun, while others prefer some shade. Just a few things to keep in mind while you’re adding to your beds!

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Are you one of the lucky ones?? Hydrangeas did well with the winter weather that came through our area. We had some high hopes for hydrangeas since they were dormant during the storm. Most of the ones we have seen have put out leaves and even have buds on them! As the heat comes on, they’re getting ready to bloom, so don’t trim them just yet. If you have some dead portions of the plant, you can go ahead and trim those areas off with hand shears or just pop it off at the bottom. If you have any questions, let us know!

Hey guys! Our plant of the week this week is the beautiful and classic knockout rose. They did so well after the snow this past winter and are really looking good. Knockouts should have been trimmed back in February to about half of their size. Don’t trim them right now! It won’t kill them, but it would mean that you’d lose all of your buds and it wouldn’t bloom again until next season. The next time they will need to be trimmed will be around August. If you’re not seeing any blooms on your roses right now, you may have have some sort of issue going on. You could be experiencing fungal issues, insect issues, or even the dreaded rose rosette. Keep an eye out for more upcoming information about roses. Hope this helps and if you have questions, let us know!

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Stickers are such a pain. Did you know these are actually winter weeds? These stickers, or burweed, actually germinate in the fall and grow during the winter. In the summer they start to flourish like most other weeds, and as the summer goes on, the weeds begin to die. The catch with these weeds is that when they die they become a big pain. The burr itself gets hard and this is the part of the weed that’s painful when you step on it. There are a couple of ways to take care of them. The first and and most effective way is to prevent them from ever germinating in the first place by using pre-emergents in the fall. While that’s the best way to deal with them, it doesn’t really do you any good right now. This time of year, the best course of action is to treat for them while they’re still relatively underdeveloped; before they start to develop the burrs. Using a chemical like MSM will help knock them out, but if you’re too late in treating them, you may get stuck with them. Hope this helps!

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Make sure you feed your grass! There are so many products out there for fertilizing your lawn. We always recommend using a slow-release fertilizer. Slow-release fertilizer is a granular fertilizer that comes in various sizes and thicknesses of coating. The coating breaks down at different times and the fertilizer is released over a longer period of time. These slow-release fertilizers can last from 90-120 days! Most home improvement stores carry brands that only last 30 days. In the long run, you could save some money by treating with slow-release fertilizers, which means treating less often. Hope this helps! 

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Termite swarmers are active! We’ve gotten a lot of rainy days then warm days back to back. This created the perfect environment for termite swarmers to stretch their wings. When swarmers become active, they’re looking to find mates and branch out to form their own colonies. It is safe to assume that if you’re seeing them, there is a colony nearby. It would be a good idea to call a professional to get a good treatment plan. If you have any questions, let us know!

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