What are all those bumps on my lawn?
We get asked this question allot. What are all these little bumps in my lawn? If you have bumps in your lawn its generally a good thing as it indicates earthworm activity in your soil.
Earthworms chew their way through the soil and eliminate behind them. The elimination is called castings. The castings are usually moist and look like little mud balls. As the castings dry it hardens and makes little mounds of dirt in amongst the turf. If you flick off the top of the dirt mound you’ll usually find a small hole. Night crawlers are the little guys that make the biggest mounds. Generally you can see holes up to 1/4″ after removing the casting mound.
It’s a good thing what they do in that they are helping aerate your soil. This Read more...
Caring for your new lawn
If you have just seeded a new lawn, here are a few tips that should help get it off to a good, healthy start. A little attention in the beginning goes a long ways to providing years of beauty and enjoyment in the future.
Watering
the single most important requirement for germinating turf grass seed is adequate moisture. Keeping the seed damp – either by rainfall or irrigation – will encourage proper seed development. The first watering can be done right away. It should moisten the soil to a depth of two to three inches…but gently! be care not to apply the water with such force that it washes away the soil or dislodges the seed. After the initial watering, irrigate the newly seeded area lightly and frequently – two or Read more...
Keeping Ladybugs from getting in your house!
A guide to preventing ladybugs from entering your home. Each fall, many homeowners experience the nuisance of thousands of swarming ladybugs looking for shelter in homes and out buildings. As they try to find a place where they can hibernate during the winter, ladybugs often congregate on outside windows, doors, porches, and decks and sometimes even get inside of houses!
If you have experienced the nuisance of swarming ladybugs, rest assured that these beetles do not bite, sting, or carry human diseases, nor feed on wood, clothing, or food. They also do not reproduce indoors. These beetles are harmless to humans. In facts, ladybugs, also called lady beetles, are very beneficial to agriculture and gardens. Ladybugs feed on harmful aphids and scale insects associated with trees, Read more...
The Truth About Ticks – Outdoors Magazine
If the old phrase “As goes Maine so does the rest of the nation” is true, than residents of Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York can expect a tick-filled spring.
In a story just released by the Maine Sunday Herald, reports of confirmed Lyme disease cases have been pouring into the Maine Center For Disease Control at a rate three times above the average.
The weather was an obvious factor. “I was pulling ticks off (dogs) in January and seeing active cases of Lyme disease in January,” said veterinarian Sandra Mitchell at Animal Medical Associates in Saco, Maine.
Maine state officials point out that in many areas ticks did not hibernate as they traditionally do because of the mild temperatures. This group of ticks will feed voraciously all summer Read more...
Taking control of lawn traffic
When lawns are subjected to ongoing foot traffic, leaves, stems and crowns can be crushed from continued, direct pressure on grass plants. Soil compaction is also common in these situations, making it harder for roots to expand and limiting the flow of air, water and nutrients to the root zone. where foot traffic is excessive (such as when a path between two points in a yard is constantly used), thinning of turf and death of grass plants is inevitable.
WALKWAYS TO THE RESCUE
the last thing you want in your lawn is an ugly trail of bare soil where healthy grass used to be. In places where excessive foot traffic is unavoidable, walkways can relieve pressure on your lawn while enhancing both the looks and functionality of your property.
With Read more...
Water Wise
Temperatures this spring have been unusually warm and it has us all thinking about being outdoors again. As we begin the growing season, it is important to take a look at our watering habits. How can we best serve our lawn and landscapes while working hard to conserve a precious natural resource? Not all watering is good watering, and bad watering can lead to bigger problems than a lawn that isn’t as green as you may like. Improper watering habits will hurt your grass and your wallet. If you follow these tips on watering, you will not only improve the overall health of your lawn, but feel good knowing you are doing what is right for the Read more
Slugs
Hosta growers always seem to have more than their share of slugs. During drought years, slugs almost disappear from sight. Prolonged periods of wet weather, however, have the opposite effect and numbers become noticeable. The grey garden slug, Agriolimax reticulatum, starts very small (less than one-quarter inch) and grows to almost 1 inch in length.
Slugs require a damp environment to survive. They are protected from drying by hiding during the day and feeding at night. Slugs may be found during the daytime by looking under boards, Read more
Why does my lawn have brown pink patches?
You too? It’s funny that every year we hear the same question at this time of season. Why does my lawn have these brownish-pinkish patches everywhere?!!! It’s a common question right now since we’ve had so much rain.
With all the rain we’ve been having it’s difficult to get out there and mow the lawn. Most folks use that opportunity to look over their lawn condition of either consciously or unconsciously. So when we finally get a break in the weather we sometimes notice these weird patches. In fact it is a disease… Don’t worry not all lawn diseases are major threats especially for residential turf grass.
If there are pinkish areas on your lawn there is a good chance your lawn has “Red Thread”. Red Read more...
Channel 5 Local Discovery TV Spot
If you haven’t yet seen it, here is the TV spot we had on Channel 5 TV show “Local Discovery.
Proper mowing for healthy growing
I just had to share this photo with everyone. It’s a prime example of how to properly mow your lawn. On the other hand its a great example of how not to mow.
It is a fact that if you mow your lawn properly you will dramatically improve the overall health of it at the same time. Simply following the 1/3 rule is really all you need to know. Never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade per cutting. You’ll never have to bag your lawn again and you will greatly improve the overall Read more