Blog entries

9 Steps To Follow Before Your First Mowing

Janine — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 06:17:45 +0100

How many of you St. Louisans are anxious to pull the mower out of the garage and give your grass that trim that will make it look exquisite? Here are 9 tips I recommend you follow before cutting the grass for the first time this season.

1. Rake
Raking is essential for spring clean-up. Some of us have the build-up of leaves that have been ...

What To Do About St. Louis Weeds!

Janine — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:48:56 +0100

The weather has been surprisingly warm for mid-March in St. Louis. You won’t hear many of us complaining about it either! This means that the weeds are back with a vengeance! This year I would recommend you pull out your landscaping gear a little earlier than normal and get ready to say “goodbye” to those weeds.

For significant weed growth, apply a pre-emergent herbicide once the soil temperature has...

Your 2012 Lawn Promise

Janine — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:30:48 +0100

How many of you made a New Year’s resolution last night? Now how many of you made a New Year’s resolution to make your lawn look better than ever before? It is not too late to make a 2012 promise to your lawn!

The most important thing to do is properly mow – the whole season; not just the spring . If this is all you focused on this year then this would be a fabulous start.

The length of your lawn is essential. Y...

Ways to Draw Out the Growing Season

Janine — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:18:46 +0100

If gardening is your passion or a hobby you are looking to explore, then it is worth your while to give your plants as much growing time as possible. I doubt you’ll find these steps too difficult.

1. Build hot beds or cold frames.

By creating a basic structure that fits over the garden bed...

Prepare The Plants For Winter

Janine — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 06:00:00 +0100

If you haven’t already, it is time to prepare your trees, shrubs, and plants for the winter. You want to be sure that you help your plants transition for the winter so that they remain healthy for the spring season.

You want to be sure your plants receive enough water throughout winter, but you do not want to keep your irrigation system turned on. The amount of water your garden needs during the colder months is signi...

What My Lawn Needs Before Winter

Janine — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:33:28 +0100

Before the winter arrives there are a few tips I recommend for maintaining a healthy lawn for the spring. There is still some mowing, watering, cleaning, weeding, and fertilizing that needs your attention.

Mowing

Many people feel it is best to mow your lawn a little shorter than normal on the last mowing of the season. If you are going to follow this belief, then do not mow shorter than 1/3 of the gras...

Why Aerate?

Janine — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:08:45 +0100

You might be asking yourself, “Do I need to aerate my lawn this season?” Or better yet, “what is aeration”, you might ask? Lawn aeration is the process

that removes small cores of hardened soil and thatch build-up from the ground so that air and nutrients can enter the root system of your grass. This allows air, water, and nutrients to absorb into the root system. The cores that are left on your lawn will help break down...

Stopping The Japanese Beetles In Their Tracks

Janine — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:50:31 +0100

You may know them as “June Bugs”, but whether you call them Japanese Beetles or June Bugs, you know how much damage they can cause.

These are the friends who begin their days on your lawn as typical grub worms. They can completely destroy entire lawns during the late summer and fall months. When these grubs develop into the adult stage of their existence, they become known as Japanese Beetles, ready to destroy not only your lawn, but your trees t...

Water Your Lawn The Right Way

Janine — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 03:17:23 +0100

As the weather heats up, it is crucial to know how to adequately water your lawn and garden beds. The last thing you want to do is kill the new flowers and shrubs you planted this year simply because the watering was done improperly.

The guidelines for watering state that your lawn should receive one-half-inch ...

Mulch Versus Gravel

Janine — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:44:14 +0100

Mulch versus Gravel

As you are braving the heat and getting into “design mode”, it is time to decide whether or not to put down mulch or rock in your garden beds. You’ll need to consider the pros and cons of each option.

The first question to contemplate is “what is the purpose of my garden bed?” If you are planning to grow flowering plants and shrubs that need lots of water and proper drainage, then you want to lay mulch. Howeve...

What You Should Consider Before Fertilizing

Janine — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 02:52:58 +0100

Now that the weather is finally warming up in this first week of April, it is time to fertilize your lawn. While you can lay fertilizer down when temperatures are chilly at night, it is best to avoid fertilizing if a freeze or snow is still expected this season. The firs decision you have to make is deciding which product to use.

The grass will soon begin to grow, which also means you will begin to see our fierce enemies: the weeds. A green, lush la...

Where to Lay Mulch and How Much to Apply

Janine — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:00:04 +0100

With spring right around the bend, you may have begun planning which perennials and annuals to plant in your garden beds. Before you make your final plant purchases, I recommend you add mulch to the list.

Mulch should be placed in all of your perennial and annual plant beds. Don’t forget your trees and shrubs. They deserve a little TLC as well! Be sure to place mulch in rings around your trees and shrub plant beds at least three feet wide. Mulch sho...

Early Spring Lawn Tip

Janine — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 03:22:15 +0100

Most of us associate raking leaves with the fall season. Unfortunately, raking is also a chore that should be done in early spring. Raking deep into the ground will control thatch.

If you have a build-up of thatch of one half-inch or more, then this needs to be taken care of before you begin your weekly mowing. If you notice patches of grass blades stuck together throughout your lawn, then this is a sign that you have matted patches preventing new grass from growing. These patches ca...

To use or not use deicer this winter?

Janine — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:00:00 +0100

The prediction for St. Louis’s winter season is a bleak one: cold, ice, and snow. We have heard this forecast before, but assuming that this season we will see substantial accumulations of ice and snow, you might consider laying down some alternative deicers.

Most of us are accustomed to purchasing bags of salt at your local store, and laying it on the concrete before the storms hit. This works, but has its fair share of negative consequences. Salt deicers are harmfu...

Fall Lawn Care Tips

Janine — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 08:33:42 +0100

As we move into the fall season, it is important to maintain a healthy lawn. Here are 4 tips that will provide your lawn with the care it needs this fall:

Dethatch your lawn so that you are removing the dead turfgrass, or thatch, that has gathered in your lawn. One of the easiest ways to do this is by raking. If you find that raking is not improving the soil and health of your grass, then core aeration is the next step to provide the ground with the approp...

Protecting Your Plants This Winter

Janine — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 02:36:54 +0100

Many of us spend considerable time caring for our plants during the warmer weather, but as the temperatures begin to drop and frosts become a more realistic threat, you might be wondering how you can protect your plants this winter. If you can keep your flowering shrubs and plants warm, then the stems and buds are much more likely to survive.

There are a few ways to cover your plants. If you are protecting plants, like hydrangeas or rose...

Three Helpful Tips for Mowing and Keeping Your Lawn Healthy

Janine — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Mowing can become an annoying chore to keep up with, especially when the weather is as unpredictable as it has been this summer. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you keep your lawn looking healthy this summer.

Mow your lawn when it is dry. You may be tempted to cut your grass despite the fact that it rained an hour ago. When wet grass is cut this spreads fungi and weeds. However this is very unlikely to happen if you wait to mow your lawn until it is dry.
Let your grass grow! You ...

Why Do I Keep Finding Moss On My Property?

Janine — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Moss is commonly found in many lawns around the St. Louis area. There are 50 different types of moss that pop-up in lawns, mainly in moist, shady areas. Moss looks like a fuzzy green blanket sitting on top of the ground, where one expects to see grass.

There are a few reasons you might see moss where you hoped grass would be growing. If your lawn does not receive enough air circulation, then water is unable to evaporate from the ground. This keeps your lawn moist, encouraging the grow...

What is Edging and Why Should I do it?

Janine — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:12:22 +0100

How convenient it would be if the lawn mower could also trim and edge your lawn. Unfortunately, this is not the case. On the edges of your lawn, next to the driveway and sidewalk, grass eventually grows so that it is lying on top of these areas. Edging will get rid of this grass. An edger’s blades are positioned so that they cut the grass growing past the cement. If you have not used an edger for these spots, there is a good chance that you have grass growing four or five inches over th...

Keep Your Gutters Clean!

Janine — Sat, 22 May 2010 18:21:18 +0100

At this time of year it is especially important to clean your gutters. Gutters will become clogged with debris such as leaves and tree branches if not cleaned regularly. This debris makes it nearly impossible for running water to flow properly. As a result of this blockage, water becomes trapped and sits in your gutters. This will cause problems.

It is possible the weight of the water and debris in your gutters can cause them to fall off your building. Even if your gutters can withsta...