Lawn Dethatching Vs Lawn Aeration

Spring is dropping off quickly and summer will soon be rushing in, but it is never too late to aerate! You guys know I am a huge advocate of lawn aeration, but what if you think you need to dethatch?

De-thatching the lawn means you use a machine, appropriately called a “dethatcher” that literally combs through the lawn just above the soil line with a spiked roller. These spikes rip and pull the thatch from the lawn. I rarely recommend dethaching unless there is an extreme case.

Recently in my lawn care travels (yep, I see many lawns each week here in the Midwest) I have stepped on several that desperately needed dethatching.

Thatch is the layer of mostly dead grass roots and other organic matter that reside just above the soil line. If the layer of thatch is less than a half inch thick, we’re good, but when it gets thicker, and the lawn feels “spongy” underfoot, then something must be done.

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Social Media for the Green Industry – Part One

HomeGlossary – Landscape TermsMaterial CalculatorAbout UsIndustry VideosContact UsGopher SoftwareThe Lawn Blog – Sent to your EmailHustler – Makers of the Worlds First Zero-Turn MowersSearch all about Lawn CareSearch Results

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Happy St. Pattys Day

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The Lawn Blog Launches Forums

January 15th, 2010Filed under Business, General, Marketing

Hello all,

Well this has been long awaited.  We have finally launched our forums for easier communication with our readers.  Please visit them register and post away.  Also, if you would like a forum that is not included comment to this post and we will add it. For companies that wish to share their products services and ideas please let us know and we will be glad to share it with the public.

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Scientific Breakthrough Leads to Home Lawn Care Solution

February 4th, 2010Filed under General, LawnsAll-natural Product Kills Lawn Weeds in Mere Hours

Gardens Alive!(r) introduces Iron X(tm) Selective Weed Killer for Lawns
, the first all-natural weed control
to kill broadleaf weeds without harming lawns. It’s the fastest-acting
weed control product on the market, and it’s only available from Gardens
Alive!.   Iron X won a 2010 Green Thumb
Award for its innovative solution to weed control.

Although iron has been used as a fertilizer for years, Iron X is one of
the first products to use chelated iron as an active ingredient for weed
control in residential applications. Not only is it all-natural and
fast-acting, but Iron X is the first all-natural weed control to target
and kill broadleaf weeds without harming lawns.

Fast-acting and All-natural Weed control

Unlike other weed control products that require several applications,
perfect timing and a long wait before they take effect, Gardens
Alive!(r) brings you and your readers the perfect product to quickly and
easily combat broadleaf lawn weeds without using potentially harmful
chemicals.

Iron X kills lawn weeds faster than any other broadleaf weed control on
the market. It works by inundating weeds with iron. The form of iron in
Iron X is absorbed much more easily by broadleaf plants such as weeds
than it is grasses, so the weeds are killed almost instantly and grass
remains unharmed.

Within hours of application, broadleaf weeds turn black and begin to
die. Other similar products require 24 hours or more to take effect and
use potentially harmful chemicals as active ingredients. All-natural
Iron X gets the job done faster and without harsh chemicals.

Iron X’s active ingredient is chelated iron-at the most basic level, a
liquid compound of iron, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. All-natural Iron
X   does not harm people, wildlife or
the environment. It’s so innocuous that people and pets can enter
treated areas as soon as the spray dries!

Easiest Weed Control to Use

Lawn weed control doesn’t get any easier than this. Simply mix the Iron
X   concentrate with water and apply
to your entire lawn with a hose-end sprayer. Iron X
  targets only the weeds and leaves
grass unaffected (although you’ll want to be careful not to accidentally
spray trees, shrubs or other plants). You can also use Iron X
  to spot treat lawn weeds with a
hand-held sprayer.

Let the Weed Wars begin!

Use Iron X   to kill: dandelions,
English Daisy, False Dandelion, White Clover, Black Medic, Bull Thistle,
common chickweed, creeping buttercup, Persian speedwell, slender
speedwell, broadleaf plaintain, dovefoot geranium, healall, shepherd’s
purse, silverweek cinquefoil, wild chamomile, moss, algae, liverworts,
lichens and more.

2010 Green Thumb Award Winner

Iron X   is one of just 5 new
products and 5 new plant varieties to win a Green Thumb Award in 2010.
Gardens Alive! is the only company to win multiple awards in 2010-its
Critter Chaser XR(tm) Deer and Rabbit Repellent Strips
  also won a Green Thumb Award in the
product category. Sponsored by the Mailorder Gardening Association
(MGA), the world’s largest nonprofit association of companies that sell
products directly to consumers, the award-winning products were selected
by an independent panel of garden writers and editors for their
uniqueness, technological innovation, ability to solve a gardening
problem or provide a gardening opportunity and potential appeal to
gardeners.

For more on Iron X Selective Weed Killer for Lawns, send your readers to
www.GardensAlive.com/IronX or contact us at publicity

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The Lawn Blog Forums looking for FREE Sponsors

February 8th, 2010Filed under Business, General, Marketing

This message goes out to all potential sponsors.  We are currently looking for manufacturers, retailers, creators, inventors, innovators…if you have a product or services related to the ‘green’ industry and you want to share it with the world then we want you.  Check out the Forums and send me an email using our contact us form to tell me about your product or service.  Then register on the forums.  We will then create a Forum for you under the Sponsors category where you can post all the new and exciting information about your product or service.  Interested?  I think so.

Share and Enjoy:

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5 Steps To Growing Your Green Industry Business FAST In Spite of The Current Economy

February 9th, 2010Filed under Marketing

I’m sure this comes as no surprise, but if you want to grow your lawn care or landscaping business you’ve got take steps to make it happen.  You can’t simply sit back, put in minimal effort and expect your business to grow.  And in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace it’s even more true.

Achieving above average results definitely requires above average action. But what kind of action?

So many business owners are frustrated and stressed out because they say things like

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Turfgrass is a Positive Sequester of Carbon

February 17th, 2010Filed under EnvironmentOutdoor Power Equipment Institute Seeks Correction and Public Disclosure of
Significant Computation Error in AGU and UC-Irvine’s Recently Released Urban
Turf Report; Correction Shows

Alexandria, VA – February 15, 2010 – The  Outdoor
Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) today announced that Dr. Amy Townsend-Small
of University of California – Irvine (UC – Irvine) acknowledged a
computation error of carbon used to maintain turf in the recently released
UC-Irvine study published January 19, 2010, titled “Carbon Sequestration and
Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Urban Turf.”  With the error corrected,
ornamental grass is in fact shown to be a net sequester of carbon even when
inputs are accounted for in grass maintenance.  The correction has been
submitted to the American Geophysical Union (AGU) who published the paper.

Upon review of the report, various flaws were discovered, including one
significant math error that was made in computing the carbon consumed during
mowing.  The carbon from fuel consumption was multiplied by 12, one too many
times, to convert from monthly to annual data.  The error was not caught
during the peer review process prior to publication of the paper by the AGU.
When the computation is corrected, turfgrass actually is a net sequesterer
of carbon dioxide, reversing the conclusions of the original report that was
widely reported in the media.

“Blaming grass for contributing to global warming is a non-starter when you
look at the facts.  The grass in your backyard is working hard to keep us
cool, soak up carbon, capture particulates, produce oxygen, capture rain
water and reduce run-off.  We need to focus on the right plant in the right
place and on management practices that maximize the environmental benefits
potential of turfgrass,” said Kris Kiser, Executive Vice President of OPEI.

Kiser added that, “While the UC-Irvine study, rightly so, highlights that
mismanagement of turfgrass can occur via excessive fertilization and
irrigation, and inefficient maintenance practices, the focus should be on
proper management techniques.”  OPEI stressed that proper management
techniques can minimize carbon emissions and maximize the benefits of carbon
sequestration in turfgrass; for example, proper selection of turf based on
climatic region (drought resistant species) and leaving grass clippings on
the grass to serve as a natural nitrogen fertilizer.

OPEI also noted that the UC-Irvine study did not acknowledge the dramatic
reductions of emissions and fuel use profile for today’s gasoline and diesel
equipment, nor did the study disclose what model equipment and corresponding
fuel use numbers were used.

Mowers and outdoor power equipment today are the cleanest in history and
fully regulated by the U.S. EPA and California’s Air Resources Board since
1997.   EPA Phase 3 and CA Tier 3 compliant product are 90 percent cleaner
than pre 1997 models. Coupled with improvements in emissions, there have
been substantial improvements in mower fuel efficiency.  Additionally,
outdoor power equipment manufacturers have introduced a number of electric,
battery, biodiesel, gasoline-electric and diesel-electric hybrids, propane,
CNG, solar and other alternative fueled products with corresponding
reductions  in carbon output.

Other issues found with the UC-Irvine urban turf study:

.         The paper uses a technique (passive flux chambers) that is often
inaccurate in measuring surface flux because it is not clear that what is
being measured is at equilibrium.

.         The UC-Irvine study focused on one urban center in Southern
California.  Management techniques across the country are variable and
therefore, can’t be applied broadly. Future studies should look at sites in
other parts of the country.

.         The UC-Irvine study did not measure actual inputs of water and
nutrition but made estimates based upon standards or agriculture averages.
Future studies should measure actual inputs or use the best available
technology to estimate inputs of water and fertilization.

To learn more about the carbon sequestration benefits of turfgrass, see the
paper, Technical Assessment
  of the Carbon
Sequestration Potential of Managed Turfgrass in the United States by Dr. Ron
Sahu.

About the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute

OPEI is an international trade association representing the $15 billion
landscape, forestry, utility and lawn and garden equipment manufacturing
industry. OPEI is a recognized Standards Development Organization for the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and active internationally
through the International Standards Organization (ISO) in the development of
safety standards. Founded in 1952, OPEI represents and promotes the outdoor
power equipment industry before federal, state and international legislative
and regulatory bodies. For more information on OPEI, visit
www.OPEI.org.

##

Kris Kiser

Executive Vice President

Outdoor Power Equipment Institute

(703) 549-7600

KKiser

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Grow Hedge Roses to Provide Privacy, Control Foot Traffic and Organize Space

February 17th, 2010Filed under Gardening

How to grow hedge roses for form and function.  Tip: Start with the
right rose.

Hedge roses are grown for their beauty and function.  Planted closely
together and pruned to maintain a tight habit, hedge roses provide
visual or physical barriers and help organize your garden spaces.  They
can be used to hide a fence, screen unsightly views like utilities or a
compost pile, provide privacy and control foot traffic.

Hedge roses also provide an attractive, colorful backdrop for other
plants and can create a focal point around a patio, fountain or other
garden feature.  When selecting and planting your hedge roses, consider
a disease-free and low maintenance variety and how and where you’ll
plant them.

Careful Choices and Pairings

It doesn’t take much imagination to buy 50 hedge-type plants and plant
them in a straight line along your property line.  Landscaping with
roses takes a little more thought because you’re dealing with vibrant,
long-lasting color.  When choosing your hedge roses, consider their
colors carefully and how they will work with the other plants in your
garden.

Plant hedge roses behind a perennial border or in front of a taller
evergreen hedge to create a truly remarkable focal point.  You may also
consider pairing ornamental grasses or other highly textural plants with
your rose hedge to provide a nice contrast in textures and add interest
to the base of the hedge.

The rose hedge variety you choose should be disease-resistant and
low-maintenance.  For the most maintenance-free, trouble-free roses ever
developed, we recommend Freedom(tm) Hedge Roses
  from Spring Hill(r)
Nurseries.  They have been specifically hybridized to resist diseases
and insects and produce a profusion of exquisite flowers.  Paired with
lush green foliage, its brilliant 3 1/2-inch double blooms are long
lasting and incredibly fragrant.  Blooms appear by the hundreds all
summer long and keep coming even in fall.  Freedom Hedge Roses are
available in pink and red.

Each Freedom Hedge Rose
grows 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide.  Plant them 3 feet apart for the
greatest hedge density.

Hedge Rose Planting and Care

Like all roses, hedge roses need full sun (at least 6 hours of direct
sunlight) and well-drained soil.  Space Freedom Hedge Roses
  3 feet apart for
maximum density, or slightly further apart for a softer texture and
feel.  Water deeply and consider installing drip irrigation along the
length of your hedge for easy future watering.

With a pair of long-bladed hedge shears, lightly shear the roses to
remove spent flowers and maintain the hedge’s shape.  In winter, you can
shear your hedge back by as much as half (or less if you want to keep
the hedge tall).  Every thee or four years, it’s easy to clean up your
hedges by removing old, woody, less-vigorous canes and any dead wood.

For more on Red Freedom Hedge Roses or Pink Freedom Hedge Roses, visit
www.SpringHillNursery.com/FreedomHedge
  or contact us at
publicity

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Do Minutes Matter for your Business?

February 17th, 2010Filed under Business, GeneralIn the beginning of my green industry career a wise man told me that “Landscape Maintenance is all about minutes”. I had a hard time fully understanding what that meant as I was young and still green (sorry for the pun) in the industry and life. He went on to explain that every minute matters in this business… if you don’t jump on opportunities, somebody else will… if you don’t track your time, you will be lost… if you cannot be efficient, you’ll never survive. As he explained I started to understand but it would take me years and the startup of my own company to fully get the picture.

Opportunity knocks more than once… But only a few times.

Take the opportunities that come your way. Quote everything (within your scope) that passes over your desk. Follow all leads and return all calls quickly. There is something to say about that old adage “The early bird gets the worm”. Generally speaking, if you are the first contractor to provide a call back and quote, your chances of getting that job increase dramatically. And if you start turning down quotes, you may not get another chance.

Potential clients don’t like shopping around for shotty expertise so make sure to give them what they want from the start.

Do your timesheets!

Make sure to do a timesheet everyday to track your work. This is a very big part of tracking your business. Here are a couple of good examples of timesheets you can use.

Blank Timesheet (MS Excel file)

Blank Timesheet – Snow Removal (MS Excel File)

Remember to keep them simple yet detailed… Simply Detailed if you will (I believe we have an oxymoron in our midst). As you can see in the example sheet the columns you need are;

- Client/Property
- Description of Work Done
- Time IN / Time OUT
- Staff and Times
- Total times

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Attract Beneficial Insects for All-natural Pest Control and Greater Yields

March 3rd, 2010Filed under GardeningBeneficial insects kill the damage-causing pests in your garden and provide pollinating power for more flowers and higher yields.  Here’s how to attract them.

Beneficial insects are invaluable in the home garden.  They kill the bad bugs by eating them or parasitizing them, and increase flower production and crop yields by providing the valuable service of pollination.  Luckily, attracting beneficial insects is easy.  Provide a habitat they’ll like, avoid using chemical pesticides and attract and keep them around with all-natural, easy-to-use products.

Good Bugs Abound

Take a close look in your garden, and you may find that you already have a few species of beneficial insects calling your garden home.  These may include lady beetles, green lacewings, hover flies, parasitic wasps and predatory mites.  The predators, such as lady beetles, lacewing larvae and mites, prey on aphids, caterpillars, mealybugs, leafhoppers, whiteflies and insect eggs.  The parasites, such as wasps, defend your garden against tomato hornworm, cabbageworm and tent caterpillars by laying their eggs on or into them.

Providing a proper habitat for beneficial insects is the first step in attracting and retaining them.  Many predators and parasites feed on pollen and nectar, so growing a variety of flowers that bloom at different times will help sustain them throughout the season.  Try planting cosmos, buckwheat, hairy vetch, calendula, marigolds and dill, which are known to attract beneficial insects.

Beneficial insects also need a source of water and protection from heat, rain and predators.  Watering your garden with overhead sprinklers will create puddles and wet leaves for them to drink from.  Growing leafy plants offers protection from the sun, pounding rain and birds and predatory insects.

Avoiding chemical pesticides is also key to providing a healthy habitat for beneficials.  The same chemicals that kill the damage-causing insects in your garden will also kill the good guys, so you’ll want to steer clear of them.

What’s on the Menu?

The menu for beneficial insects changes constantly as the pest population in your garden dwindles and grows again.  To attract and keep beneficial insects in your garden, we recommend these all-natural, easy-to-use products.

When beneficial insects are done feasting on the pests in your garden, they’re likely to leave in search of a new source of food, allowing the pest population to return.  Use Benefeed from Gardens Alive!

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Mow, mow, mow the lawn…

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With spring showers and the best Greenview Fertilizer products stimulating the growth of the most beautiful lawn you’ve ever created, you’ll soon be merrily, merrily mowing and watering to keep your lawn looking neat, trim and green.

Besides our desire for the look of a

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What grows like a weed?

not a pretty picture for passers-by. Let’s face it, we all find weeds in our lawns and gardens at least some of the time. But the healthier your lawn is, the easier it will be to combat weeds. How do you keep your lawn healthy? First, you select the right lawn grasses for your climate zone and sun exposure, then you choose the right fertilizer and lime (depending on your soil test results), de-thatch and aerate if needed, and lastly, you mow and water.

The absolute best weed preventative is to follow a good lawn maintenance schedule. Using the Greenview Annual Lawn Plan takes the guesswork out of it for you, and will result in a spring lawn that’s weed-free. Just one application of Greenview Fairway Formula Spring Fertilizer Weed & Feed with Crabgrass Preventer 24-2-8 addresses two lawn spoilers: weeds and crabgrass. And believe me

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Caring for your lawn during Winter

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Here are a few quick tips to take care of your landscape during the winter months:

Make sure to brush off snow gathered on the top of bushes and other plants. The weight of the snow can break branches and damage the plants.

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The greening of America

Spring Fertilizer

With the dawn of spring comes regional landscape andgarden celebrations. Here's a peek at how Americans do spring from sea to shining sea.

And don't forget: It's time to fertilize! Wanna take the guesswork out of making your lawn beautiful? Here's a tip. GreenView's online Lawn Plan Program makes it easy by shipping you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. You'll never have to worry about timing again.

Check to see if the Lawn Plan is available in your area, and then sign up online!

The Great Northwest

Alaskans call Spring "the breakup." One day there'slots of snow and it's bitterly cold. Then, suddenly, the snow is melting andthere are puddles of water for children to splash in their

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Make your yard a bird oasis

Warmer temperatures and the sunny disposition of springwelcome Mother Nature’s best-dressed and most talented performers: her birds.

If you’re lucky, they will migrate to your yard bringingendless hours of entertainment in song, dance and color, seeking only food,water and shelter in return. If you plan it right, they might make theirbackyard their home, feathering their nests with materials you provide in yourgarden and landscape, to produce a new generation of talent for many seasons tocome.

So what can you do to make your yard an oasis for birds? Lyric Wild Bird Food is a great place to start. But the answer is more than bird feeders, bird houses and birdbaths. A more effective (and natural) approach is to plan for their arrival from the ground up!

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May checklist

Ah ... May.

It's the month gardeners in many U.S. climate zones dream about. We peek out our windows each morning, hoping to see dew instead of frost on our lawns and tender tulip petals. We revel in the brilliant color of forsythia and inhale deeply to enjoy the tantilizing scent of hyacinth. We clean and fill our birdfeeders and recoverthe bird bath from shed or garage. And while sipping our morning java, we reach for pencil and pad to plan the gardening tasks needed to make ours the bestlooking landscape in the neighborhood!

At first it can seem overwhelming, but fret not. We've got tips and a handy checklist.

Ready, Set, Go...

Ready: Think strategically. Before you clip one branch or pull one weed, gather your gardening tools from wherever you stored them over the winter months. If you get your ducks in a row first, you’ll save yourself a great deal of time and frustration as you move from task to task, avoiding the delay caused by

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Preventing broadleaf weeds

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Defending your turf against the onslaught of broadleaf weeds isn’teasy. You might never be able to wipe them out forever, but you can control their growth and spread.

Our experts advise that before you treat, do a little investigation. The broadleaf weed can be a symptom as well as the problem.

To make sure the environment in which your turf grows is optimum for healthy grass, first, identify the weed, and you may uncover a deeper problem. For example, the presence of sheep sorrel may indicate low pH. Broadleaf plantain thrives in high pH, and if you see goosegrass, soil compaction is the likely issue. Legumes like clover can be a sign of low nitrogen and a lack of fertility. Quackgrass could be a sign of poor soil, so you might not have a healthy lawn, even if you get rid of these weeds. Moisture-rich soils will encourage the growth of sedges and algae, which means that you must pay attention to the drainage issues before you go any further.

Defending your turf means creating the most favorable conditionsfor its growth. Keeping your lawn dense and strong, by definition, will reduceall weed problems because the turf will take the space and block the light thatthe weeds need to germinate and thrive.

GreenView Broadleaf Weed Control plus Lawn Food 22-0-4is your best defense against a weed invasion, because it does just that: It builds a dense, green lawn with deep roots, feeding your lawn for a full 8 weeks. It controls theweeds with this 2-step method. First, GreenView Broadleaf Weed Control plus Lawn Food contains Trimec

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Applying Lawn Iron in Spring

Spring, as you know, is a great time to work on your lawn. I think I have blown that idea up with excitement pretty well this season thus far. But one of the coolest things you can do to your grass in spring is give it a little micro-nutrient iron.

Iron is essentially what makes Kentucky Bluegrass “blue” in appearance, but it also deepens the green of most other grass types. In fact, if you want the deepest green color in your lawn, some iron may be in order.

What Kind Of Lawn Iron To Buy

Iron for lawns comes in a couple different forms, but you will probably want to purchase “chelated iron.” That basically means the lawn iron is packaged in such a way as it is readily available for grass roots to absorb. In many cases, iron gets bound or caught up in high pH soils, and, if that happens, it’s useless.

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Weekend Lawn Quick Tips

The weekend is pretty much here guys… do you have a lawn care plan? So many of you get all hyped up and ready to get going during the weekdays, but, then, when Saturday comes, other things take precedence. I know because I’ve been there. But, now that April is in full swing, I really need you to get out and follow these familiar lawn care quick tips ASAP.

The very first thing I want you to do (besides mowing the lawn of course) is get out and aerate the lawn. You can rent an aeration machine or hire a local lawn care company to do it for you. This is the most important of all steps in my opinion. Aerating breaks up thatch and also loosens soil, allowing everything else you do this year to work a little better.

Seeding the lawn is a pretty important task that can be done in the spring. But, before you get all happy with the seed, make sure you plant the right kind of seed for your lawn and follow these guidelines:

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Starting To Think About Lawn Irrigation And Watering

It’s just a little early yet, but I need to get this information to you quickly before it comes up on us and we miss it. This info is all about lawn watering. Because I know you guys are doing everything I say about lawn cutting, lawn fertilizing and everything else, this one becomes even more important as the summer draws near.

Water Deep and Infrequent

The first thing to think about is that you need to water your lawn deeply when you do and not really too often. What that means is it is better to soak the lawn a couple times per week than it is to water for 10 minutes every single day. This really is one of the biggest mistakes that people make with their automatic irrigation systems with lawn watering. If you have an underground sprinkler system, chances are it is set to water daily for a few minutes per zone. The issue here is that will cause shallow rooting in the lawn (a spongy condition) because the water is not penetrating deeply, rather hanging on the surface.

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