Lawn Care Blog

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.

Last week we talked about soil testing and focused on potassium. Your soil tests will also show pH levels. The University of Maryland Extension recommends testing every three to four years to check for acid levels. Emphasizing the importance of good soil for plant growth, its website uses an ideal quote, “It’s better to plant a $2 tree in a $25 hole, than a $25 tree in a $2 hole.”

Harford County and Maryland soil in general is often acidic, blocking the ability of nutrients to get to the lawn. If the soil is acidic, dolomitic limestone pellets can be applied in the winter months. This will lower the acidic levels and provide nutrients for the lawn. Wisegeek.com defines dolomitic limestone as “limestone that has been replaced with 10-50 percent dolomite and 50-90 percent calcite.” Dolomite forms within the limestone naturally, and according to this resource, it has also been known as magnesian limestone, dolostone, or dolomite rock. Dolomitic limestone usually contains at least 30 percent magnesium. Hillside Lawn Service offers dolomitic limestone applications for acidic soil. But be sure your soil needs it, because too much can be harmful to the soil. In addition, it takes several months for the limestone to have an effect, so it is wise to apply it before spring arrives.  

At Hillside Lawn Service, we’re offering granular potassium applications to our Harford County, MD residents during the winter months. Why is it important to have the right level of potassium in the soil? This nutrient is needed by plants and lawns so that they can tolerate drought and disease. It is also thought that plants need potassium to move water, nutrients and carbohydrate molecules inside the plant itself. According to the University of Minnesota Extension website, plants with a potassium deficiency lose their green color and often turn brown and die from the ground up. So, it is wise to have your soil tested for potassium.  

The University of Maryland Extension recommends soil testing every three to four years for lawn care in Harford and Cecil Counties. Soil testing will provide results not only for potassium, but also for pH (the alkaline or acid levels in your soil), phosphate and magnesium levels. You can test your soil yourself or have our experts at Hillside Lawn Service do it.  If you are doing it yourself, the University of Maryland Extension offers a soil test fact sheet on its website. It gives tips on taking a soil sample, interpreting test results and steps to take for fertilization. It also recommends eight soil testing labs in the region.

Regardless of whether you do it yourself or have it done professionally, if your soil shows a potassium deficiency, you’ll need to fertilize now to have the soil ready for springtime lawns and plants. Potassium is found in most fertilizers, and you can determine the portion of potassium by looking at the third number in a three-digit fertilizer number. Natural potassium comes from rocks in the soil, as well as wood ash and manure.

If you didn’t get the new lawn mower or leaf blower in your stack of holiday gifts, now is a good time to think about maintaining what you’ve got. Scheduled maintenance will keep your equipment in good working condition and give you the best performance. Just like your car, your lawn equipment needs a regular tune-up. At least once a year, have your mower checked.

Winter is a great time to do this so that your mower will be ready for spring. Lawn and garden centers will be less crowded during the winter months and can help get you on a maintenance plan. Lawn mowers should have a fuel and oil change, and a check of nuts and bolts to make sure everything is securely in place. Blade sharpening is important because a dull blade can rip up your lawn. A sharp blade makes the whole job easier. 

For leaf blowers, all parts and connectors should be checked, including the carburetor, screens, fan blades, fuel filters and cable connections. Have your lawn center keep a maintenance record for you and contact you when your next scheduled tune-up should take place.

Despite the mild temperatures Harford County has been enjoying, winter will be upon us soon. That means snow and ice. If you’ve winterized your lawn and gardens, all you have to do is wax your snow shovel, right? Be careful when the snow and ice hit. You’ll want to mark the edges of your lawn to protect it from errant snow plows. They can unknowingly rip up your lawn and give you bare patches in the spring. 

Also, be aware of de-icing products. Many of them contain chemicals that can burn your lawn if they are thrown on nearby sidewalks or walkways. Some plants are also less tolerant of salt or chemical de-icers. When salt drifts on to stems and buds of trees, it can injure the new growth. It can also settle near the root growth, and build up in the soil when runoff washes into it after a thaw. According to the University of Minnesota State Extension website, there are a few ways to reduce salt damage to trees and lawns:

• Avoid using salt if possible, or mix it with other items like sand, cinders and ash.
• Make sure your landscape is properly drained to avoid salt runoff in the soil.
• Protect plants with plastic or burlap, especially if the plants are right next to the pavement.
• Make sure your plants have enough water and mulching to maintain the moisture.

Get your yard ready for the holidays. With the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having, your yard is probably still a focal point. Perhaps you are even still mowing each week.

As you are taking advantage of the mildness to do outdoor holiday decorating, consider freshening up your gardens with a new layer of mulch. Not only will it make the yard look more attractive, it will protect and nurture your soil over the winter months. Mulching discourages weed growth. It also retains more soil moisture so your plants don't dry out as quickly.

Most important for the Harford County climate, mulch can help to moderate changing temperatures in the soil and protect plant roots during the cold weather. Mulches can be made up of any number of natural ingredients -- grass, leaves, wood chips, compost, hay, gravel. You can choose it based on your aesthetic preferences or on what works for your plants.

Regardless, the spreading of mulch can be a daunting and back-breaking task. Consider enlisting a professional to do the mulching while you focus on the holiday lights!

Treat your turf grass to some winterization. Keeping your turf healthy will keep you and the environment healthy. Turf releases oxygen, helps control pollution, reduces soil erosion and purifies and replenishes the water supply. Treat your turf to nutrients through fertilization, only after planting more to thicken the turf. Put off fertilizing until the new turf has grown in and you’ve mown a few times. Disease can fester when the daytime temperatures are still high, so waiting to fertilize will ensure you eradicate any warm-weather disease.

If you live in Harford County (or surrounding counties) and want to keep turf green through the winter, overseed with a cool-season grass before the end of October. Overseeding with cool-season grass may also bring success in weed control. When the grass is dense and fed well, the weeds tend to be fewer and more easily controlled.

Treat your turf well, and treat yourself to lush greenery all year long!

  

Your ornamental trees can benefit from nutrients to help them grow, as well as oils to help keep pests at bay. In a previous post we talked about what to do with tree roots underground. Now, come above ground and take charge of the pests before they have a chance to appear.

Dormant oil spray is a highly refined oil that is sprayed on the bark of the tree. It coats the tree and covers the dormant insects that reside there, actually smothering them. Fall is a great time to apply a dormant oil in Harford County, because there will be no damage to new buds on the trees. Never spray a tree that is in full bloom. Apply the dormant oil on a clear day when temperatures will range between 40 and 70 degrees F. for at least 24 hours. In Harford County, the time frame extends until at least mid- to late-October. This will help the oil to spread properly and seep into all areas of the bark.

In addition, dormant oil applications can be done in the spring to be sure any new pests are eliminated. Again, spray before the buds begin to swell to avoid damaging the blooms. Giving your ornamental trees the right attention both above and below the ground in the Fall will make them the healthiest they can be in spring time.  

Homeowners in Harford, Cecil and Baltimore Counties who are interested in professionally applied dormant oils to protect their ornamental trees should contact us very soon. Dormant oil application may also be purchased as part of our regular tree and shrub maintenance service.

 

If you’re still looking at all the leaves covering your lawn and wondering how you’re going to find time and energy between football games to tackle yard work, consider leaving it to the pros. Not only will hiring a professional lawn service save you time and effort, it will also help you to have the yard that turns heads all year long.  

When you enlist the services of a professional, you get their expert advice on your specific situation. The lawn care professional should ask you about your maintenance habits for your lawn and shrubbery, and recommend treatments that will keep your yard at its peak for the longest time period. The service should give you choices for treating your plants, trees and shrubs, as well as your lawn all year long. Click here for examples of lawn maintenance packages.  

Treatments like grub control, pest control and lime application need to be done at certain times of the year. The professionals can get the timing right for your geographic area, whether it’s Harford County or Baltimore County. Then you won’t miss getting it done because you’re too busy for your yard work.  

And you won’t have to worry about missing those Sunday football games, either!  

   

The party’s still rockin’ for Fall lawn maintenance. Aeration and over seeding are the last guests, but don’t confuse aeration with that party crasher - dethatching!
   
Not every lawn in Harford County needs dethatching. If your lawn has a layer of dead organic matter that is more than ½ inch above the soil, then dethatching is in order. A liquid dethatcher will break down the layer and turn it into soil. Be careful about raking the thatch – this can damage the roots of the grass.

Lawns in Baltimore County and Harford County do need aeration and over seeding to complete the season. The soil in your lawn has been compacted over the last year due to foot traffic, heavy rains and snow, creating a tight layer. Aerating your lawn makes room for the food, water, oxygen and grass seed by creating space, or “plugs” where the nutrients can get into the root system. By over seeding – or adding more seed over the aerated soil, the chances increase that these seeds will germinate and create new grass.
 
The result: a full, lush lawn in the spring! Aeration and over seeding should be done 45 days before the first frost, which averages between October 29 and November 3 in Harford County.