Yards Done Right

07/14/2025

Recently a customer called us the day after we treated their yard and asked why they still had w**ds. They thought they would be gone the next day! Weeds DO NOT DIE in 30 seconds like in time-lapse commercials that you see on TV.

When we fertilize your yard, we also spray for any w**ds we see actively growing - the dandelion pictured was sprayed 6 days previously. You can see that the plant is no longer actively growing and is actually browning and slowly dying.

There are many lawn w**ds and they all react differently to the w**d treatments that we use. Some may turn brown right away and others may require several applications - like wild violets. That is why we highly recommend lawn applications from March to November to treat ALL the w**ds that germinate in your lawn (constantly!).

And one more thing... If your neighbors have w**ds, you can be sure they will send them over to your lawn.

06/06/2025

Mulching trees with "mulch volcanoes," where mulch is piled against the trunk, is a harmful practice. This is because it can lead to fungal diseases, bark/root rot, and even a slow death of the tree.

Excess mulch prevents the tree's roots from getting enough water and oxygen, which can lead to girdling (roots wrapping around the trunk and choking itself as it searches for water). This can weaken the tree and make it more susceptible to pests and diseases.

Proper mulching involves spreading mulch only a few inches thick and away from the trunk to allow for proper airflow and to prevent root problems. Mulch moderates soil temperature, preserves soil moisture, suppresses w**ds, and as the organic mulch slowly decays, it contributes to the organic content of the underlying soil.

But too much of a good thing can be a bad thing in this case! So if your trees look like this picture, please remove some of the mulch and put it elsewhere in your yard.

05/22/2025

Hello Neighbors!

We have been out in your neighborhood for two months, the grass is growing, and we're seeing this everywhere... lawns being cut waaay too short!

If your mower's set too low, you could be stressing your turf without even knowing it. AND WEEDS LOVE IT WHEN YOU MOW SHORT!

THE FIX?
– Set your mower to the tallest setting: 4" is best to protect the plant's crown.
– Don't trust the numbers on your mower: use a ruler to measure from the bottom deck edge/blade to the pavement.
– Don't remove too much at once: never cut off more than 1/3 of the grass blades in a single mowing. And if you leave piles of clippings, just run the mower over those areas a second time.
– And if your mower is struggling/stalling out? That's a BIG clue that you're cutting off too much at once! Raise your deck UP!

And we recommend mulching your grass clippings - don't send them to the landfill - they will make your lawn super happy and healthy!

Soon the grass will slow down growing and if you keep mowing high now, your lawn will still be green in July/August! And you won't have to water as much, if at all!

P.S. If you're already mowing tall, thank you!

05/01/2025

It's that time of year again when dandelions are appearing in EVERY yard. This pesky w**d can grow anywhere, loves hard soil, grows a tap root several feet long and each flower can produce up to 200 seeds!

And yes, each time we visit your yard we treat for the w**ds WE SEE - many of the dandelions blooming now were hiding deep in your lawn a few short weeks ago waiting for the warmer days which (finally) arrived in mid-April.

Also realize that the dandelions that are invading our lawns now are from the seeds blown in the wind from last October/November from all over your neighborhood. And if the taproot remains after the plant has been pulled, it can send off as many as 5 shoots to pop up later.

So be patient, we will spray for w**ds on every visit... about 5-6 weeks apart, all season - and it will kill the plant and the root. And this is one reason we highly recommend mowing your grass TALL (at least 3.5" or more) - short grass allows sunlight to reach the soil, w**d seeds germinate and thrive in shorter lawns.

The prettiest lawns right now are tall and happy!

03/27/2025

Timing is everything when it comes to crabgrass prevention. Soil temperatures need to be warm enough to be active and allow the preemergent to be watered in to be most effective.

So, when does crabgrass germinate? There is no straight forward answer to this question! If you are basing it on soil temperature, then you can count on crabgrass germinating when soil temps, to a depth of 1 inch, reach 57º– 64º for several days in a row.

Those temperatures may seem far off, but last year we had an early warmup with air temperatures in the 80s in April and we barely finished in time. So it's important that we put down the first lawn application soon on your lawn - and a few leaves on the lawn won't matter. So if you haven't had your first treatment yet, expect to see us in the next few weeks.

It's much easier to prevent crabgrass than to kill it later this summer!

03/12/2025

Winter is finally over in NE Ohio and now we are seeing patches of blighted grass on lawns from Snow Mold Fungus.

It is commonly found in areas where a thick layer of snow remained on the lawn for long extended periods - just like we had this past January when the ground was covered in snow FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH! And then it melted and it snowed again in February and created the perfect conditions for the fungus to develop even further under the blanket of snow on your lawn.

Gray snow mold symptoms are first noticed as snow cover melts away in late winter or early spring. The most notable signs are white or tan crusted patches of dead and matted leaf blades, with patches ranging from a few inches to several feet in diameter.

Snow mold affects mostly tall fescue lawns but can also be seen in perennial ryegrass, and creeping bentgrass lawns.

So What Do I Do Now?

After the snow melts in the spring, diseased areas can be lightly raked to break up the crusted areas, remove matted leaves, allowing air, sunlight and water to dry up and then the fertilizer we will be applying will enhance turfgrass recovery. Mature grass affected by gray snow mold tends to recover quickly when temperatures warm and leaf growth resumes in the spring!
(FYI - Applying fungicides after gray snow mold symptoms appear in late winter/early spring is of no value.)

03/03/2025

IS IT SPRING?

NOT YET, at least according to lawn care. Our first fertilizer application also includes crabgrass preventer and TIMING IS VERY IMPORTANT. Right now the soil is still mostly frozen, the grass isn’t actively growing, and anything applied at this point would likely run off during the next rain/snow melt event.
So we wait until about mid-March or so to start our fertilizing season for our customers - when overnight air temperatures are above freezing and grass starts growing.

NOTE: Keep in mind that CRABGRASS PREVENTER HAS A LIFESPAN (about 3 months) - applied too soon or too late and you will see crabgrass in August. This is one of those times when being super early isn't a good idea! We will apply it at the correct time for it to work best. However, excessive rain/water or disturbance of the soil (digging/edging) during the season will also break it down - it’s not perfect, but crabgrass preventer applied in the spring is way better than trying to kill the w**d after it has germinated in the summer!

So be patient, we will be on your lawn soon. And it takes us about 5 weeks to be on all our customer’s lawns once we start…unless we see a freak snowstorm in April, which has happened, then we wait for the snow to melt to start up again.

See you soon!

12/09/2024

We would like to thank all of our wonderful customers who allowed us the opportunity to take care of their lawns for 2024.

Our office will be closed for the holiday season until mid-January so that we can enjoy some earned time off. We will send out prepay renewal notices when we return and just as a reminder, unless we hear from you by email or phone, service will automatically be renewed for the 2025 season.

See you next Spring!

— Jim & Judy Beveridge

11/29/2024

11/11/2024

Thank you to our Veterans!