lawn-care-tips-blog

Booming Blooms

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:00:00 GMT

Fertilizing trees and shrubs can help them thrive. It can improve root growth, prevent disease, and enhance the color of the tree and its leaves. The right fertilizer can balance the nutrients the plant needs both short-term and long-term. However, don’t confuse fertilizer with not plant food. Plants make their own food. Fertilizer can provide nutrients to help the plant produce its own food more efficiently and promote healthy growth. More fertilizer is not necessarily better – in fact, too much fertilizer can lead to disease and even kill trees and shrubs. A lawn care professional can help you to determine the right amount of fertilizer and the right time to apply it during the Maryland spring season.

Newly planted trees and shrubs should be fertilized carefully and lightly to prevent trauma to an already-fragile new plant. If the trees or shrubs were planted in the fall, spring fertilization is necessary. For those just planted in the spring, it’s usually wise to wait six to eight weeks before the first fertilization. For established trees and shrubs, Maryland lawn care professionals can evaluate the soil, plant growth rate and general environmental conditions and advise about fertilization. Rainfall and soil type will also determine the amount of fertilizer necessary - generally, dry weather like the recent Harford County spring means less fertilizer. Ornamental trees and shrubs are stressed under drought conditions, and fertilizer can injure the roots. A balanced fertilizer can help with bloom production on flowering ornamentals. It can promote the right amount of blooms and keep the plants healthy year-round.

Don't Be Caught With Bare Patches

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:58:00 GMT

Spring and summer in Harford County can mean little rain and lots of heat. Lawn maintenance started earlier this year due to the warm winter months. You may be seeing bare patches in your lawn for any number of reasons – pest infestation, high traffic on the lawn, dying grass due to drought or heat. Now is the time to repair those bare patches and make your lawn lush and seamless. Professional lawn maintenance can help repair and prevent future bare patches, but if you’re doing it yourself, here’s how:

Remove any dead grass or debris so you have a fresh area of soil. If you’ve used crabgrass control on the lawn, remove the top layer of soil and replace it with fresh, clean soil. This will keep the new seed from coming in contact with the crabgrass control, reducing the likelihood of damage to the new grass seed.

After the new soil is spread, use the grass seed of your choice, but include some perennial ryegrass, which germinates quickly. Seed generously and evenly, but keep the seeds to a single layer so they all have contact with the soil. Then, use straw mulch to protect the new seedlings from harsh direct sun. The straw mulch will also protect the area from heavy rains that can wash away the seed.

Lightly water the area daily to keep the seeds from drying out. As they germinate, keep them protected from the hot sun and keep the soil moist. Mow when the new grass is longer than one inch. After a few mowings, the new grass should blend in with the old, and you’ll have a lush looking lawn again.

Ready, Set, Garden!

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:54:00 GMT

Are you ready to get out in the fresh air and sunshine and start your yard work? More importantly, are your lawn and garden tools ready? Give your tools a spring cleaning by refreshing them before use. Maryland lawn care specialists know that maintaining tools will make your job easier and help the tools to last longer.

Clean pruning tools with alcohol to prevent spreading disease from tree to tree. If you cut trees or shrubs last year and simply put away the tools, they should be cleaned before using them again. The alcohol will take away any fungi, insect eggs or weed killer that might be clinging to the tools with the potential to spread to healthy trees and shrubs. This season would be a good time to start a cleaning regimen between uses, as well. Any tool such as a spade, rake, hoe or shovel that comes in contact with soil should be hosed off with water after use and dried with a cloth to prevent rust. These tools can also be oiled to help keep rust at bay. The oil acts as an insulator to prevent the steel from oxidizing.

Next, oil and grease moving parts on equipment like lawn mowers, wheel barrows or pruners. This not only makes them easier to use, it makes them safer. Sharpen blades on mowers, pruners and shovels. Sharp blades are much more efficient when it comes to time and effort. Check your rake and shovel handles – if they are rough in any spot, sand the handle to smooth it out and avoid splinters. Oil it to keep it smooth.

A little investment in time to maintain your tools can result in a big payback when gardening or doing yard work.

Season's First Mowing

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:50:00 GMT

Lawn-care season is just about in full swing in Maryland by now, and if you haven’t already made lawn mowing part of your busy schedule, make room before the grass is knee-high. Lawns across Harford County are looking green and manicured, and lawn care services are roaring to life throughout the area. Once a week grass cutting is about the most common schedule for lawn care specialists, if you are considering hiring out for this task. If you choose to do it yourself, then it’s time to break out the mower and get it ready for the weekly ritual.

Start your season off right by making sure your mower is in the best possible shape. Get your mower blades sharpened and clean the mower deck. Blades can be sharpened at a lawn care shop. The difference between a dull and a sharp blade can mean the difference between a lush lawn and lazy lawn. It can also save you time cutting the grass. The mower deck should be free of debris for safety purposes.

For a thick-looking lawn, set the blades to cut at a height of four inches. This height will also help keep the lawn from burning in the dry weather conditions Harford County has been experiencing. If the grass is too long or heavy and bunches up in the mower, double cut in the opposite direction. Finally, mulch your clippings instead of picking them up – it’s a great way to provide natural fertilization for other areas of your lawn and garden.

Rough Stalk Bluegrass: The Spring Spoiler

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:52:00 GMT

Rough Stalk Bluegrass is a common naturally occurring grass also known as Poa Trivialis. It shows up in early spring as a light green stalky grass in the lawn. It grows faster than the normal fescue and perennial ryegrass varieties often used in Maryland lawns. Lawn treatments only encourage its growth and vigor as if it were normal turfgrass. The light green color will moderate and blend in with the other turf varieties as summer wears on. Fall aeration and seeding will help crowd this grass with better turf varieties making it less noticeable in the lawn.

Fertilize Trees and Shrubs for Better Blooms

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:57:00 GMT

Preparation continues for the blooming season. You've attended your lawn, your ornamental grasses, your flower beds. Don't forget the trees and shrubs. They need attention too. They will be bursting into bloom soon, and you can insure those blooms will be even more hardy with the help of some early fertilization and insect spray.

While a year-round program by a professional lawn care specialist in Maryland would provide the most benefit, you can still make a difference if you start now. In March in Harford County, trees and shrubs benefit from a fertilizer at the root zone, or a foliar spray. These will enrich the plants and help encourage strong growth.

Next, consider a dormant oil spray for appropriate ornamental trees, as well as large evergreens and fruit trees. The dormant oil spray will control insects and their eggs or larvae that have been laid over the winter months, preventing them from ever hatching to become a bigger problem. Then, prepare for another round of insect spray next month to control insects that chew on the trees. Apply fungal spray that will prevent fungus-related diseases on your ornamental trees. Space out each of these treatments by a month, allowing the trees and shrubs to fully absorb each fertilizer or spray.

With proper fertilization and preventive measures, your trees and shrubs will have the best chance at beautiful blooms and a good, healthy season.

Mulch in March Before Bulbs Bloom

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:55:00 GMT

The month of March can be so unpredictable in Harford County. Weather conditions can range from blizzard to 70-degree spring days and back again. No wonder the plants and grasses are confused! As Harford County lawn maintenance specialists, we've been emphasizing early intervention for weed control and grass growth, but what about spring flowers? Though very fragile, spring flowers can be stronger if the soil is rich and the environmental conditions are right.

Before your bulbs begin to bloom, it's a good idea to mulch, if you haven't already done so. This process can enrich the soil, enabling your bulbs to be just a little more hardy. Mulch will reduce the amount of water that evaporates from the soil, keeping it moist. It will also keep soil from compacting, which will enable water to get to the plants more easily. Mulch actually helps keep soil temperatures cool to moderate -- better for your bulbs. Mulch also prevents weed growth.

Ideally, flower beds should be maintained with mulch year-round. Sometimes it makes sense to enlist the help of a professional lawn care service for year-round attention. Maintaining a consistent program will benefit your flower beds by cooling the soil in summer and moderating it in winter.

Regardless of who does it, now is the time to pull back your mulch and either thin the layers or replace existing mulch with new material. If you're just starting, put down no more than three inches of mulch. This will allow air and rain to reach the soil more easily, while still keeping the soil temperature steady. You'll get the benefits of richer soil and beautiful spring blooms.

Give Your Ornamental Grasses a Haircut For Health

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:53:00 GMT

Have you ever looked out your window after a windy night and seen long, dry ornamental grass "blades" all over your lawn? If they haven't blown off yet, the strands of grass are probably dried and dead looking, like a shaft of hair with dried, split ends. They both look lackluster. Get a good haircut, and your whole head of hair looks fuller and shinier. Similarly, ornamental grasses will grow fuller and more vibrant if they are cut back before they begin to grow again.

Professional lawn care specialists in Maryland recommend that the best time to trim ornamental grass is just before new growth begins. You can do several things to prepare for the new growth. First, mulch around the base of the grass to protect it from freezing temperatures. Consider this a "leave-in conditioner" for the ornamental grass. Cut any falling or leaning blades frequently to prevent mold from developing under snow. The ornamental grass should be cut within four to six inches of the soil level. The sooner you cut it back, the sooner new growth will appear. If your variety of ornamental grass remains green year-round, just cut the old, dead foliage, not the whole plant. Finally, divide grass plants if they are getting too large. Lift them out of the ground and divide the root ball into two pieces. Replant them at the same depth as the original plant.

If you cut your ornamental grass early, the next windy day won't be filled with fly-aways.

Don’t Let Crabgrass Make You Crabby

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:50:00 GMT

Don’t wake up on the wrong side of your lawn this spring, opening your eyes to a crabgrass forest. If you’re worried about crabgrass, start paying attention to it now, so you won’t be scowling at it later. Certainly, crabgrass is ever-present in the lawn, especially during warmer months, but it’s always in a different stage. Rarely is the entire lawn full-grown crabgrass, because individual seeds are different in size, depth and germination time. As the weather gets warmer, crabgrass begins to emerge. According to researchers at the University of Maryland, the minimum daytime soil temperature for the first sighting of crabgrass is 54 degrees. Soil temperature has to be between 60-70 degrees for major crabgrass growth.

Harford County lawns can see 54-degree soil temperature as early as March. Short of taking painstaking temperature measurements, you can take the advice of Harford County lawn care services and watch for weeds to grow next to sidewalks, patios and driveways. Soil next to concrete gets warmer more quickly, and seeds often get lodged between the concrete edges. Once crabgrass begins to sprout here, you can be sure the rest of the lawn is not far behind. The earlier you apply a preventer or pre-emergent, the better chance you have of staying ahead of the crabgrass. However, the earlier you apply, the earlier it will wear off, so be aware that two or three applications might be required during the season.

Finally, if you have thin or bare patches in your lawn, be sure to seed it first so the new seeds can take hold. Crabgrass preventer has to be applied after seeding.

Hillside Technicians Learn at MD Turf Grass Conference

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:13:00 GMT

Our lawn technicians attended the Maryland Turf Grass Council Conference in early January. Held at the University of Maryland in College Park, the conference is a fundraiser for turf grass research at the University. Hillside Lawn Service attendees experienced a variety of seminars and trade show booths showcasing the latest lawn and turf technologies.

The general session opened with a discussion of the 2011 Fertilizer Act, moderated by Dr. Gary Felton of the University’s Department of Environmental Science and Technology. Our professional lawn care specialists attended Lawn Care and Lawn Turf Sessions that highlighted nitrogen fertility, organic weed control, green lawn projects, water conservation with irrigation, and white grub behavior and disease management, among other topics. Ornamental Care presentations educated our staff on healthy trees, the Emerald Ash Borer and Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, and pest control for ornamental trees. The conference also covered golf course turf and athletic field turf technologies.

"Attending the conference allows us to stay current on industry trends and improvements and stay compliant with the MDA. The end result is a better product for everyone involved. Simply put: It's better for business, it's better for the customer and it's better for the environment," says Rob Rosolowski, one of our lawn and tree specialists.

You can be sure that all of our technicians will apply their newly acquired knowledge to the customers of our Harford County lawn service, giving them the latest in ornamental and professional lawn care in Maryland.

Automatic Sprinkler and Lawn Irrigation Systems

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:07:00 GMT

If you’re thinking of investing in your lawn this spring, one of the items you might consider is a lawn irrigation system or automatic sprinkler system. Expensive? Yes. An investment? Yes. But if you regularly water your lawn, a system can be both convenient and conservative.

Convenience comes with not having to move the sprinkler, roll out the hose, move the hose, forget about the sprinkler, and have saturated grass in one area. Conservation comes with the well-thought-out plan for sprinklers placed strategically throughout your yard and put on a timer. They will eliminate over-watering, water run-off and wasting water because you forgot to turn off the hose. The lawn will be healthier and less likely to harbor weeds and pests. Pesticides and fertilizers can be applied and watered as needed. The system will also result in a beautiful, green lawn throughout the season, because it will be convenient and conservative. Remember that this lush lawn will require more mowing and lawn care maintenance from your lawn care specialist.

Your irrigation or sprinkler system should simulate natural weather patterns, according to about.com. Water should go deep in the soil; shallow and frequent watering leads to a weak plant, but deeper watering helps develop strong root systems. Drought and extreme heat have less effect on healthy grass.

Finally, if you are considering a system, consider having it professionally installed by a professional lawn care company in Maryland, like Hillside Lawn Service.

Lawn Analysis – Free! And the Doctor is IN!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:58:00 GMT

Remember the Charles Schulz Peanuts comic strip with Lucy behind her wood-plank stand giving out advice? The sign read, “Psychiatric Help - 5 cents.” So for a nickel, one could get a psychiatric analysis. You can get a lawn analysis for free from professional lawn care specialists at Hillside Lawn Service. While Lucy’s analysis probably included a review of her customer’s problem and a few questions before she gave her advice, Hillside Lawn Service’s analysis will be comprehensive and complete. Our expert lawn technician will make an appointment to talk with you about your goals for your yard and landscaping. He will view your lawn from all angles and assess the soil health, grass growth, weed growth and fertilizer needs. He’ll note the types of trees, bushes and flower gardens throughout the yard, as well as their proximity to your home and walkways.

Within two days, you’ll have a personalized lawn analysis plan, including solutions for a greener, healthier lawn. We are among the best Harford County lawn care companies whose technicians are trained on care and landscaping. They attend various annual seminars to stay up-to-date on technology and new techniques for lawn maintenance. These technicians are the ones who will be treating your lawn and evaluating its progress. Contact us to get your personal lawn analysis – free!

Warm Winter Weather Keeps Hillside Busy With Free Estimates.

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:22:00 GMT

Even though its early February, the unseasonably warm weather has kept us busy promoting the business and delivering free estimates for lawn care. Springtime seems to be on everyone's mind. If you've ever considered getting a free estimate, but were afraid that we might be a marketing company disguised as a lawncare business, don't be. Hillside prides itself on delivering good service at a reasonable price for customer satisfaction. We're into service agreements and not yearly contracts. All programs come with free service calls, and being a customer starts the moment you call in to request an estimate. At Hillside, we know your time is valuable and appreciate the opportunity to earn your business!

Pelletized Limestone Recommended for Ideal Application

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:52:00 GMT

Continuing our discussion of limestone, Hillside Lawn Service is beginning its lime applications as part of its professional lawn care in Maryland. We use pelletized limestone, because it can be applied thoroughly and evenly to lawns, helping to neutralize acidic soils. Pelletized lime can be applied either by using a spreader or by hand, and it has the advantage of not producing dust, keeping walkways and flower beds free of lime debris. Additionally, it is the most abundant type and more cost-effective than burnt or hydrated lime. While burnt lime and hydrated lime can be harmful to human skin, pelletized lime is easier to handle.

Not only does lime counteract the acidic soil and offer nutrients, it also reduces the toxicity of elements like aluminum, manganese and iron in the soil. It regulates zinc, copper and phosphorus. Lime also improves the activity of bacteria, enriching the soil’s composition.

Winter in Harford County and Cecil County, Maryland is the ideal time for lime applications, due to the alternate freezing and thawing. This helps lime to be absorbed into the soil more easily. Early spring rains also allow it to penetrate the soil. So, if you’re considering an ongoing lawn treatment package this year, start now with lime application and get your lawn ready for spring.

Thinking Of Transplanting Or Moving A Tree?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:28:00 GMT

One good thing about the cold, winter dormant season: its the best time to dig and move your landscape plantings. If there is a particular tree or shrub in your yard that needs a new location, all you need is a shovel and a strong back. Roots will tolerate being cut at this time of year which allows you to move plants with relative ease and success. I recommend cutting a nice size root ball, carefully lifting the tree (while keeping the root ball intact) onto a tarp or wheelbarrow. Next move the specimen to the pre-dug whole at its new location. Then, following proper planting procedures, plant your plant.

Not everyone thinks of working in the yard in February. But if you need to re arrange your landscape a bit, now is the time. Once you've completed your task, you may be ready to have HillSide Lawn Service come and re-mulch your landscape beds. Call or click now for a free estimate!