Lawn Blog – Page 2 – Green Servpro Home and Garden

Lawn Maintenance Tips Part 1

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Larry

Part one of a series on lawn maintenance explores some tips for summer.

Lawn Maintenance Tips for Summer

In a lot of parts of the US, it is spring. Arizona, however, operates under different rules. One of the complaints that people have from other parts of the US is that Arizona lacks seasons, which isn’t true. Arizona has seasons, however, they’re super-compressed seasons. Arizona’s spring is pretty much from February to March. Then our summer starts. So it is a good idea to know some lawn maintenance tips for summer.

First off, it is time to weed and feed. Your grass isn’t the only thing growing in your lawn, weeds are growing as well. Some species of weeds, particularly the woody variety are extremely hard to get rid of. One of the best lawn maintenance tips we can offer you where weeds are concerned is to not pull them. You want to spot spray them to kill them off. The only time you can really pull weeds successfully is if your ground is thoroughly soaked. Otherwise, when you pull weeds, you’re more than likely just pulling the top part off. The reasons weeds thrive so well is that they can survive even if all of the above ground structures are gone. They just need a small amount of roots and then they grow. In addition to weeding, you want to start to fertilize your lawn before it gets too hot.

Don’t Burn Your Lawn: Fertilize Now

If you want to avoid burning your lawn, you want to apply your fertilizer now while it is still temperate. Otherwise, you are basically causing a chemical burn that will essentially kill your lawn off.

So remember, this is the time of year you want to fertilize your lawn and get rid of the weeds. Our next article on lawn maintenance will cover when to mow and water your lawn.

This concludes part one of our series. For more information on lawn maintenance tips, be sure to read part two and part three as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Lawn, Lawn Care

Lawn Care Basics Part 2

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Larry

Part two of a series on lawn care basics explores the importance of the right type of grass seed and the amount of sun it’s going to need.

What Grass Grows Best in Phoenix?

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What grass grows best in Phoenix? There are five types of grass that grow well here. First off there’s Celebration Bermuda grass. Celebration Bermuda grass is low-maintenance can be cut either with a weed whacker or a lawn mower. Bermuda requires little fertilizer, and thrives in Arizona’s hot climate. Palmetto, Midrion, Tifway 419 , and Tifgreen 328 are the other four types that do well. As to which one you should plant, it depends on what you’re looking for where your lawn is concerned.

If you need a sun and shade mix, you use Bermuda or Palmetto. For heavy traffic, you use Midiron or Bermuda. If you want a golf course type lawn, you use Tifway 419 or Tifgreen 328. As for mixing and matching grass seed types, you must be more than a bit cautious, particularly where lawn care is concerned. For one thing, all of these grass types differ on the amount of sunlight as well as the amount of water that they are going to need. However, there are other reasons you want to use caution.

How to Plant the Right Grass Type

Planting the right type of grass for your lawn depends not just on what you need your lawn to look like, but also the amount of sunlight as well as the amount of water the seed will need. You also want your turf to look natural. Bermuda grass and Palmetto look unnatural together for example, so you’d have to mow the grass down to a short level to avoid it.

So remember, that it isn’t just fertilizer and water, it’s knowing what to plant and where. Knowing lawn care basics will help you keep up your lawn.

This concludes part two of our series. For more information on lawn care, be sure to read part one as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Lawn Care

Lawn Care Basics

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Larry

Lawn care is all about the right balance of elements. All you have to do is balance the amount of sunlight, the amount of water, and the type and amount of fertilizer you should use. In this two part series, we will explore these elements. Let’s start with fertilizer.

How Much Fertilizer to Apply to Your Lawn

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A lot of times we’re asked: “how much fertilizer should I use on my lawn?” Well, the answer to that question depends on a lot of factors, as this article excerpt from Lawn Care for Dummies shows:

“Fertilizer recommendations are based on the amount of actual nitrogen a lawn needs in a year. The amount of grass fertilizer you decide to apply should take into account several factors, including the type of grass you have planted and the size of your lawn.

Different types of grasses need different amounts of nitrogen to keep them vigorous and healthy. The following table lists the yearly nitrogen requirements for 1,000 square feet of the most common lawn grasses.

That recommended nitrogen range shown in the table has to do with the length of the growing season. If you live in a cold-winter climate where the seasons are short, you use the lower end of the range. If, on the other hand, you live in an area where the summers are long and the winters are mild, you use the upper range. Basically, the longer the growing season, the more nitrogen the grass needs.

Yearly Nitrogen Requirements for Grass
Grass Type	Pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 Square Feet
Bahia grass	2 to 4
Bentgrass	4 to 6
Bermuda grass, Common	2 to 6
Bermuda grass, Hybrid	4 to 6
Blue grama	1 to 2
Buffalo grass	0 to 2
Centipede grass	1 to 2
Fine fescue	2 to 3
Kentucky bluegrass	4 to 6
Ryegrass	2 to 4
St. Augustine grass	4 to 5
Tall fescue	2 to 6
Zoysia grass	3 to 4

Source Article

How Much Should I Water My Lawn and When?

How much you should water your lawn depends on factors like your climate, the type of grass that you have, and the time of year. In winter months in Arizona, as a rule, if you water your grass once a week, you’re good. In the summer, you want to water every two or three days. You always want to water your lawn in the evening in Arizona, or very early morning as it will keep the water from evaporating.

As to how to water your lawn, using a sprinkler as a opposed to a hose is best as it thoroughly soaks your grass. So again, remember that you want to balance the amount of water you get and the amount of fertilizer. Then you’re on the way to knowing the basics of lawn care.

This concludes part one of our series. For more information on lawn care, be sure to read part two as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Sprinklers

Sprinkler Repair in Prescott Part 2: Stay Out of Trouble

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Larry

14
Feb

Part two of a series on sprinkler repair focuses on some more reasons why you need to get it done.

Sprinkler Repair and Your Neighborhood

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In our last article we covered some simple financial reasons why you should conserve water by fixing your sprinkler. Well in addition to saving a lot of money on your water bill, you’re also going to avoid trouble with a whole lot of people. Like who? Well for one, if you live in the Phoenix area, unless you’re living in an older neighborhood, odds are you might have a homeowner’s association to deal with.

If you live in a Master planned community, you want to make sure that you stay in good with your homeowner’s association. Why? Well, for one, when you bought the property, you most likely signed away some rights to them to enforce the way that your property looks. When you have a broken sprinkler, it can cause water damage. Maybe not a lot, but just enough to get into trouble with your neighbors, your HOA, and the city as well.

Why Should I Fix a Broken Sprinkler?

Well if saving money on your water bill isn’t a good enough reason, how about avoiding fines and potential lawsuits? Your HOA can fine you for a bad sprinkler, as can the city. If you flood your neighbor’s property and cause damage you can be liable for those damages, and it is very likely that the court would side with the plaintiff as the cost of fixing your sprinkler is minimal compared to the damage that it can cause.

So, adding to our previous article, you can keep good will in your neighborhood, avoid trouble, and save money on your water bill. How? All you have to do is to call a sprinkler repair service.
This concludes part two of our series. For more information on sprinkler repair, be sure to read part one as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Sprinkler Repair

Sprinkler Repair in Prescott Part 1: Save Water and Money

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Larry

31
Jan

Part one of a series on sprinkler repair explores why you should get your sprinkler repaired to conserve water.

Why Conserve Water?

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There are several reasons why you should try to conserve water as much as possible. First off there is the fact that no matter how much we develop this area, we are still living in a desert. The population has increased, and the water reserves have not. And we are already starting to feel the pinch.

There are several ways to conserve water, and one of them is to get sprinkler repair done as soon as you know you have a problem. Why? Well, if you have a sprinkler system, the water is under pressure. If one of your sprinkler heads breaks, you can easily spill 5-10 gallons of water before it shuts off. So water that could have gone a lot farther has been used up because of something as simple as a busted sprinkler. However, there is another reason why you want to conserve water.

Get Sprinkler Repair and Save Money

Getting sprinkler repair done is a bargain when you compare it to how much your water bill can skyrocket when you have a sprinkler that’s not working right. So yes, if you need another reason to get it done, there is the fact that you’ll save money.

So, let’s recap shall we? You can save money on your water bill. You can make a difference and help to save the planet. And if you need more reasons, be sure to read our next article on sprinkler repair.

This concludes part one of our series. For more information on sprinkler repair, be sure to read part two as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Tree Service

Tree Trimming Part 2: Summer and Winter Pruning

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Larry

Part two of a two part series on tree trimming explores what time of year you should trim trees.

What Time of Year Should You Trim Trees?

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What time of year should you trim trees? The answer to this question depends on the reason that you’re trimming your trees. You can remove dead or diseased wood at any time, and you can do light tree pruning as well.

Another thing to realize is that some species of trees need more tree care than others. There are some species of trees that have very high growth rates. As such, you’re obviously going to need to trim these more than twice a year. Otherwise, the best two times of year to prune trees are winter and summer.

Why Should I Prune My Tree in Winter or Summer?

When trees go dormant in the winter, unless of course they’re an evergreen, it is easier to trim them with little to no risk to the tree. Pruning during the winter causes your tree to experience a lot of new growth come springtime. If you’re pruning in the winter, it’s best to wait until the coldest part of winter is over. Usually Arizona is coldest from mid December until early January, unless you’re living at higher elevations. As for tree pruning in the summer, it serves a much different purpose.

Summer pruning helps you to control and direct the way you want the tree to grow. You usually want to prune right after spring, or right after summer. As we covered in our last article, when you do tree pruning, make sure that you cut at an angle, particularly upward pointing branches, as this will allow water to flow down the tree better.

When you’re in doubt about , you’re better off actually calling in a tree care service to help you. Tree services are professionals where tree care is concerned. And if you get a tree service with an arborist on board, you’ll be very safe indeed.

This concludes part two of our series. For more information on tree care, be sure to read part one as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Tree Service

Tree Trimming Part 1: How Much Should You Trim?

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Larry

Part one of a two part series on tree trimming explores the frequency of trimming your trees.

How Much Should I Trim Off My Tree?

As a tree service, we’re often asked by customers “how much should I trim off my tree?” How much you should trim off your tree is only part of the problem. You also want to make sure you’re trimming the right material off your tree.What is the right material? Well, for one thing, if you have dead or dying branches on your tree, you should get them off as soon as possible, unless you are exceeding a certain amount of pruning. For example, a good figure is 25% maximum of the tree’s total foliage in order to keep the tree healthy. This figure also includes the dead branches as well.

Why Can’t I Trim More Than 25% of My Tree?

Well, just as continuous bark is necessary for your tree’s circulation, you want to make sure that your tree’s branches aren’t trimmed too far back. Particularly in Arizona, the more branches you have, the more water it will catch during a rainstorm, and the more water the root system will receive. If you trim too many branches off, your tree will not get enough water unless you go to a higher level of watering. Also, the nutrient level will drop.

When you do tree pruning, make sure that you cut at an angle, particularly upward pointing branches, as this will allow water to flow down the tree better.

When you’re in doubt, you’re better off actually calling in a tree care service to help you. Tree services are professionals where tree care is concerned. And if you get a tree service with an arborist on board, you’ll be very safe indeed.

This concludes part one of our series. For more information on tree care, be sure to read part two as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Fertilizers, Lawn, Lawn Care, Lawn Maintenance

Lawn Care for Winter and Spring Part 3

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Larry

Part three of our series on lawn care for winter and spring explores the use of synthetic and natural fertilizers.

Which Fertilizer Should I Use as Part of Lawn Care?

Which fertilizer should you use? Should you use artificial fertilizer or stick with natural fertilizers? How often should you fertilize your lawn? As a professional lawn care service in Prescott, we get asked these sort of questions a lot. First off, artificial fertilizer works just as well as natural fertilizer does, and it doesn’t have that much odor.

However, you have to be careful that you don’t put too much nitrogen based fertilizer down, or put any of it down when it is too hot outside. Otherwise, you can scorch your lawn. Before fertilizing as part of lawn care, make sure you check the labels to see what the nitrogen mix is. If you need help, don’t risk your lawn, call in a lawn care service instead. Now, let’s go over natural fertilizer.

Is Natural Fertilizer Best?

Is natural fertilizer best? There’s a lot of debate about that. Environmentally, natural or organic fertilizer is a little better than chemical fertilizers, however, what a lot of companies don’t tell you is the downsides to natural fertilizers.
Steer manure for example, while it is very effective, will make your lawn stink like a stockyard. Also, some other types of natural fertilizers like compost are only of limited effectiveness. You also have to watch some organic fertilizers as unless it’s screened, you have to be ready to do some weeding, as you are likely to get weeds on your lawn. So, what you have to be careful of is finding the balance between effectiveness and eco-friendly.

When you don’t know what to do, you want to make sure that you don’t run the risk of ruining your lawn. Call in a lawn care service if you have any questions.

This concludes part three of our series on lawn care for winter and spring. Be sure to read part one and part two as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Lawn, Lawn Care, Lawn Maintenance

Lawn Care for Winter and Spring Part 2

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Larry

Part two of a series on lawn care for winter and spring explores fertilizing and watering.

When Do I Water My Lawn in the Winter?

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We are often asked by some of our lawn care customers: “when do I water my lawn in the winter?” Be aware that in the winter months, you do not want to water your lawn too much. A good guideline to follow is actually based on the temperature outside. A great many cities have water conservation guides that can give you a timetable of how much and when to water as well.

The warmer it is, the more you’re going to need to water your lawn. When it is winter and spring however, cooler temperatures mean that water doesn’t evaporate as much. This in turn means that you don’t water as much. Water your lawn every ten days in the winter on the average. Part of the answer is also based on your grass type. When in doubt, call in a lawn care service for tips on when to water. But what about fertilizing your lawn?

Do I Fertilize My Lawn in the Spring?

You want to fertilize your lawn in the late fall and in the early spring. However, don’t let the season fool you. When to fertilize is based on temperature. You never want the external temperature to be above 85 degrees when you fertilize, particularly if you use chemical fertilizer, as this can cause a chemical reaction and thus burn your lawn.

Our next article will cover the great debate regarding fertilizers: synthetic or artificial. Until then, if you need any lawn care tips, feel free to contact us.

This concludes part two of our series on lawn care for winter and spring. Be sure to read part one and part three as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Lawn Care

Lawn Care for Winter and Spring Part 1

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Larry

Part one of our series on lawn care for winter and spring explores care of Bermuda grass and perennial rye seeding.

Lawn Care for the Winter Months

Bermuda grass is used a lot in Arizona, and it makes sense if you think about it. Bermuda grass is very much a warm climate grass. Lawn care in the winter months is a bit different in Arizona as a result of this. First off, be aware that Bermuda-grass lawns go dormant in the fall. Establish your lawn least one year before perennial ryegrass overseeding. to keep your Bermuda grass lawn healthy, only plant a winter lawn once every three years. You want to mow your grass down to between 1/4th and 3/4 of an inch in height, which will allow room for rye seedlings.

Once evening temperatures are lower than 65 you want to overseed with perennial rye grass, approximately 10 lbs for 1,000 square feet. Call in a lawn care service in Phoenix or apply the seed with a spreader. Instead of overseeding your entire lawn, focus on one area, such as the front lawn.

Lawn Care Tip #1: Reduce Your Watering and Fertilizing

You want to reduce how much you fertilize and water your Bermuda lawn at this time of year as part of good lawn care so it will go dormant quicker. Our next article will explore fertilizing tips and water for your ryegrass lawn. Once you have overseeded your lawn, you either want a ground cover, or you want to make sure that your grass seed is covered by a bit of potting soil, otherwise, you are going to lose a lot of your grass seed to any migratory birds who want a snack.

During winter, it is time to start planting the things you want to see in the spring. And one thing you want to start at this time of year is winter lawn care.

This concludes part one of our series on lawn care for winter and spring. Be sure to read part two and part three as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com