Eco-Friendly, Natural Lawn Care Methods

Eco-Friendly Lawn Care

Our lawn care program is designed to be environmentally sensitive by employing the least amount of herbicide or insecticide to accomplish the task. We monitor and treat for problems rather than using a blanket of material over the entire lawn. This is an approach called Integrated Pest Management or IPM and it is strongly advocated by U.Conn turf experts. We use slow release Nitrogen to reduce leaching and waste and we are careful to blow off all hard surfaces to reduce run off and keep product where it belongs-on the turf.

IPM carries with it some level of compromise. Weeds and other problems appear fast, they are opportunistic and well adapted to take advantage of weather and open or compacted ground. Weeds simply out- compete turf grass in difficult situations. This is why we are finding aeration and liming to be very valuable parts of an ecologically sound lawn care program.

Ways to Reduce Disease and Improve Turf Health- NATURALLY

Mow regularly and with sharp blades. Buy a new set if you have to! Only remove 1/3 of the blade at each mowing to avoid stressing the turf. This means frequent mowing in Spring. DON’T SCALP! Leave blades at about 3in or more. Cutting short promotes a shallow root system, one unable to tolerate dry spells.

Do not remove clippings. (Unless you are having a graduation party or a wedding-then it’s allowed one time only!) Clippings break down fast and contain valuable nutrients as well as improving soil texture.

Water weekly. Turf grass needs about 1 inch of water a week delivered to the roots. Note: GRASS LEFT TALL REQUIRES NO WATER. One deep watering is best; avoid spraying the surface as much of the moisture evaporates.

Shrubs and Other Stuff
Things to cut back now include:

• Ornamental grasses
• Forsythia [after it finishes blooming].Cut back as hard as you like
• Lilac-cut it and bring indoors to enjoy-it blooms better next yr when trimmed back like this.
• PG Hydrangea[white ones- do not touch the blue]
• Roses-cut off all winter damaged branches and begin feeding, continue monthly fertilization
• Buddleia-butterfly bushes
• Any shrub that would look better thinned out or with fewer branches around the base. You may lose some flower buds but shrubs can recover well from pruning at this time. Examples include Rose of Sharon, privet, holly, azalea, spirea and rhododendron. Also remove any winter damage.
• Any tree with crossing branches, or growth that is outside of a pleasing form.

Any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Frank or Diana at greenscapeofclintonct@yahoo.com or call us at 860-669-1880. We look forward to hearing from you!

Please visit our website at http://www.greenscapeofclinton.com

Most common complaints- Mole Infestation

The most common complaints from our customers recently seem to be moles which are doing damage as they tunnel after earthworms…

Moles are VERY ANNOYING. Moles are insectivores: their primary diet is earthworms and other insects including grubs. An average mole consumes 45 lbs of food per year.

Many lawns have seen damage from moles this spring-but there are not many grubs in evidence. The moles are really digging after the worms, which are plentiful due to all the rain. This means that no lawn care application is going to get rid of them. They are really a sign of healthy soil! Moles are really extraordinary creatures: they can excavate surface tunnels at a rate of 18ft per hour and they can run through those completed tunnels at 80ft per minute! No wonder they are so hard to catch!

Traps are the single most effective way to get rid of moles. Find active tunnels by stamping them down in the early am and placing the trap in the runways raised again in the next 24hrs.

GRUBS are emerging from the soil in the next month or so but they do not feed heavily on turf roots at this time of year. We will treat for grubs later in the summer to intervene and make them less likely to damage lawns.

Please feel free to call us for further questions regarding mole treatment or other lawn care problems. We love to talk lawns!

Frank and Diana Byrne 860-669-1880

http://www.greenscapeofclinton.com

Lawn Program Applications

Your lawn is our business, we want it to look its best! Call us anytime with questions or concerns or visit our website at http://www.greenscapeofclinton.com

It was actually a great winter for turf, which grew and put down roots well into December and has enjoyed plenty of rain this Spring. Lawns are greening up fast and are benefiting from the cool soil temperatures. Now that spring is here we have come up with some information regarding our application process.

Lawn Program Applications

The first Spring application consists of: slow release fertilizer, broadleaf weed control for weeds such as dandelions and chickweed and pre-emergent crabgrass control to prevent crabgrass germinating. Remember that this application will also inhibit new grass seed from growing, so ideally save any reseeding until fall.

If weeds do break through we will spot spray them during the 2nd application- which is done during late May/June. On an as needed basis we treat for surface insects such as chinch bugs at this time and apply an additional amount of slow release fertilizer to last lawns through the summer. On an ongoing basis we check for crabgrass and spray it.

While weeds detract from the lawn we want to emphasize that our program is environmentally geared to use as few herbicides as possible. Ideally we try to eliminate weeds slowly by encouraging a healthy lawn to crowd them out.

A healthy lawn includes healthy soil -which should be at the correct PH of about 6.7.

We will be doing soil testing on many new and existing customers’ lawns and will then provide you with accurate liming recommendations.

After this application we wait until the summer to do GRUB treatment to the turf. The summer is the optimum time to prevent grub infestation -which can seriously damage lawns in late summer /early fall when they hatch and eat the grass roots.

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Any questions or concerns about your lawn care please call Frank or Diana and 860-227-6872
www.greenscapeofclinton.com

What do lawns need in the Spring?

We want your lawn to look its best and we will work hard to accomplish this. Please see the list below for recommended steps to take in order to keep your lawn looking green and healthly in the Spring and all year long...

Cleaning and light raking
After winter storms and windy weather most lawns need to be cleaned of sticks and raked lightly to remove debris. This gets turf ready for fertilizer and crabgrass control, which is part of our first application. No need to go crazy with the raking - dead grass and cut up leaves will quickly decompose and form a valuable organic soil enhancer. After this first application is put down, do not disturb the turf too much as this may break the barrier that prevents crabgrass and weed seeds germinating.

Aeration
Spring aeration is an excellent way to open up the soil to allow rain, fertilizer and oxygen to penetrate to the grass roots. Mechanical aeration removes a soil plug from the lawn and this plug effectively acts as a top dressing of loosened soil all over the lawn. For most turf, or where thatch is a problem, aeration can be very helpful in improving root growth, reducing run-off and relieving compaction. Note: For shady lawns aeration is not beneficial. It is also ineffective as a way of breaking up tree roots.

Fertilization & Weed and Crabgrass control
Turf does a lot of growing in the spring and quickly uses up available nitrogen. We therefore do two applications of fertilizer in the first part of the season. Greenscape uses high quality slow release Nitrogen fertilizer with an appropriate percentage of phosphorus and potassium. Spring is the optimum time to control crabgrass and weeds with a pre-emergent barrier to prevent undesirable weed seeds from germinating. Our specialized lawn care equipment also enables us to spot spray any existing broadleaf weeds and reduce overall herbicide usage.

Spring seeding is rarely recommended
Unless absolutely necessary, for example due to construction, we do not recommend seeding in the spring. We highly recommend the early fall as the best time to seed lawns in this area. Spring seeding conflicts with the timing for crabgrass control, which itself has an inhibiting effect on the growth of new grass seed. Without some control for crabgrass and weeds bare areas in the lawn fill in with undesirable, opportunistic plants during the summer. This further inhibits the newly seeded growth. In addition lawns seeded in spring may experience dry periods in the summer and without irrigation the new grass cannot develop the root structure to survive.

To contact us for a free lawn care estimate and lawn evaluation please Call us at (860)669-1880 or e-mail Frank at greenscapeofclinton@yahoo.com

Getting ready for Spring!

March is here and we hope you have all had a pleasant winter... we have some exciting news here at Greenscape of Clinton, LLC!

The Times They Are A'Changin
The challenges to the economy have made us all re-evaluate our priorities. Your homes remain a significant investment and your lawn and landscape is an important part of your property, one where you and your family spend quality time together. We care about your lawn as much as you do and we know we can do a great job of maintaining them, leaving people with some much deserved down time to spend on other things.

Greenscape is a LOCAL, family owned company and when you hire us you are supporting the local economy in a very real way. We support our local community every day; by purchasing from local vendors, by providing good jobs at a fair wage for our employees and by supporting local schools and civic organizations. Lawn care is our passion. We are constantly educating ourselves and our employees about lawn problems as well as exploring alternative solutions. We guarantee we will always respond to your concerns with truthful, accurate information and that we will try our utmost to provide practical solutions in a timely fashion.

Environmental Importance of Sound Lawn Care
Lawns play a major role in the environment: protecting ground water by reducing water runoff, preventing soil erosion, filtering contaminants and conserving moisture. Lawns provide a "green" extension of your overall living space and an enjoyable place for recreation and entertainment. However, turf does not always grow thick, green and healthy without some help. Soil conditions are rarely ideal and weeds and insects also weaken the turf.
Our employees are trained to apply products accurately and in the correct amounts, targeting problem ares only and recognizing unusual weeds or insects. Our products are extensively tested and used only as directed. We are extremely careful about wasting product and we do our utmost to prevent run off into valuable watersheds.
Greenscape continues to be committed to providing excellent, reliable services. This is our 22nd year in business and we hope to keep on making your life easier and your grounds something to enjoy and take pride in. Please call us if you have any questions or concerns for the coming season!

- call Diana or Frank at 860-669-1880
-email us at greenscapeofclinton@yahoo.com
-visit our website at http://www.greenscapeofclinton.com/

Cheers to a happy spring!
Frank and Diana Byrne
Owners of Greenscape of Clinton, LLC

Welcome to Greenscape of Clinton, LLC

Thank you for taking the time to visit your best source for lawn care newsletters and recommendations, covering the Connecticut Shoreline.

We are a locally owned lawn care company providing commercial, residential and athletic field maintenance since 1987. We provide reliable, quality lawn care at a competitive price and offer customized fertilizing programs for every type of lawn and budget. We pride ourselves on our staff of professional, well-trained, year round employees. Greenscape is owned and operated by a local family.

We also offer regular newsletters about seasonal lawn care problems and ways to improve your turf so please keep your eyes out for our next issue.

Please stay tuned for future updates, newsletters and relevant lawn care recommendations!

For further details about our services, which include a full range of lawn care programs as well as weed control in your landscape and tree and shrub health care programs you may:
---visit our website at http://www.greenscapeofclinton.com
---email us at greenscapeofclintonct@yahoo.com or
---call Frank or Diana at (860) 669-1880

We have been exploring alternative lawn care treatments for many years and have a number of ORGANIC options that we can recommend!


Thank you and we look forward to serving you in 2009!
Diana and Frank Byrne
Owners of Greenscape of Clinton, LLC