Heritage Lawns and Irrigation

I’m proud to say we get these kind of notes on a regular basis. Clients saying thank you and relaying their experience with their lawn coach.  But this one got me to to thinking about how grateful I am to have the team we’ve built here at Heritage.
I’m attaching this note to publicly recognize this great team!

Hi Wes:

I often see the days of customer service going away as we move further into another decade.  But your team exemplifies customer service and continually provides that service which is beyond the 15 minute yard or 30 minute tree application.  Your team is customer service.   An example would be Matt where he assesses the yard before and after and follows up with me to make sure all is ok (I have a great yard because of him).  Jay this last time knows I always have issues with spider mites in my boxwoods.  He found a couple of bushes with them, sprayed them and told me that he would check them this week to make sure they did not spread and you know spider mites follow me and love me like me the plague (thank you Jay).   I appreciate that customer service tremendously and think very highly of these two individuals.  However, I got another story.

Yesterday Jeremy went above the call of the sprinkler.  I am in the process of planting a row of Annabelle hydrangeas and I ran into significant trouble on Sunday with one hole .  Out of 13 holes that is pretty good, but that one hole contained this massive and enormous rectangular shaped boulder that I could not move.  I literally spent over an hour digging around the boulder and trying to move it and could barely budge this rock that the developer through into my berm. Not only did I spend the afternoon trying to move it, I broke my best shovel trying to hoist it out of the hole.  Jeremy was out to the house yesterday adding an replacing a sprinkler head with an extension and I asked him to see if there might be some cost effective options for watering this row of water sucking hydrangeas.  I mention to Jeremy that this idea might not be the smartest idea I have had and besides me having to water them daily, I have run into boulder problems.   Upon my nightly inspection, it is to my wildest amazement that this boulder which weighs more than me has been excavated from this hole and onto the berm.  Unbelievable and amazing!!!!   Let me tell you – that is beyond the call of sprinkler duty because that was not one little rock.    Many thanks go out to him.  I am very appreciative of what he did.  After spending Sunday trying to move the boulder and then some time on Monday, I had almost given up.   What a man – that took some amazing strength to move that rock!   Thank you Jeremy.

Thank you Wes for having such a great team.

Todd

A Wet but Smiling Crew

Civil war memorial statue donated by the Grand Army of the Republic

Spreading Lime the easy way

Service in the rain.  Our annual service day project at Olathe Cemetery was a wet one again this year.   We have several history buffs in our group so we chose the Olathe Cemetery for a way to help the community.  It is our local piece of history with an amazing World Wars section and a Civil War section that really blows you away.  We decided to help by doing what we do best, maintain the turf.   After conducting several soil tests it was determined that Lime applications would help keep the turf healthy but not lead to extra growth (more mowing).  We also do spot weed control treatments in areas with heavy weed populations to allow the grass to thicken and naturally keep out the weeds.  This year we also applied a special bed pre-emergent in the flower and shrub beds to help keep the weeds down and minimize labor later in the year pulling the weeds.  A big thanks to Helena again this year for their product donations.

Even though this van came on line last spring, I really noticed the new logo when it was parked next to an older unit.  I really like the new logo and design but still feel nostalgic for the original.

Gotta give an A for effort but I just shake my head when I see this.  The home owner had the right idea that it is time to put the Pre- emergent down but he didn’t apply it properly.   Uneven fertilizer application will cause this and in the case of the pre-emergent will give them poor crabgrass control later in the year.  Proper rates and even application of any product is a big piece of the puzzle to achieve good results.  Last but not least for the same amount of money (may be less) he will spend on the application and the fix he could have a professional deliver top notch results.  

Someone likes coffee

Art is what we call…………………  the thing an artist does.

It’s not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human. Art is not in the eye of the beholder. It’s in the soul of the artist.

This is a quote form the great Seth Godinhttp://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/02/art-is-what-we-call.html? I’m not a deep thinker like he is but when you read short, profound thoughts like this I have the utmost respect for people who can do this.  What I think are great about comments like these is that everyone can put it in their own context.  For me,  I think of the different “yard art” that I see in our daily stops.  Some make you shake your head and some you go “wow”.   The neat part is that the “artist/homeowner” cared enough to do something to make their lawn unique and give them some joy.  So don’t be afraid to invest a little of yourself in your lawn.

Ashes in the Garden  ??

You may have heard that using wood ashes on your garden can help make the soil more fertile.  Though ashes do contain significant amounts of potash, they contain little phosphate and no nitrogen. Most Kansas soils are naturally high in potash and do not need more.  Also, wood ashes will raise the pH of our soils, often a drawback in Kansas where soils tend toward high pH anyway.  Therefore, wood ashes add little benefit, and may harm, many Kansas soils.   In most cases it is best to dispose of cold ashes in the trash.

Lawn Mower Blade Sharpening

Now that mowing season is over, it’s the perfect time to get your lawn mower ready for next year. During December and January, we offer a lawn mower maintenance service. What people really like about it is that we pick up and drop off your lawn mower, so it’s super convenient.

If having your lawn mower serviced over the winter is something you’ve never done, you are exactly the person who could benefit the most. If you usually park your lawn mower in the garage after the last mow of the season and don’t touch it again until spring, you’re not doing the engine any favors.  Cold temperatures can make the fuel left in your lawn mower turn to varnish and gum up the entire fuel system. Besides being an unpleasant surprise come next spring, it can be costly to repair. 

As part of our winterization process, we add stabilizer to the fuel tank and let it run to be sure it reaches the carburetor. This will keep the cold temperatures from turning your gas into gravy. Besides stabilizing the fuel, we also take care of other items to keep your mower running like a champ all season long.  Below is a complete list of services we perform:

• Stabilize the fuel
• Sharpen and balance the blade
• Change the oil
• Change the spark plug
• Change the air filter
• Replace fuel filter if needed 
• Clean the mower
• Pick-up and delivery is free

Most people just don’t think about their mowers until they don’t start.  Don’t wait till next spring when you need it to find out your mower needs maintenance.  Now is the perfect time to perform a little maintenance. Call us today and we’ll schedule a pick-up time for your mower. We offer free pick up and drop off, and right now, we’re running a Lawn Mower Winterization package for just $85 through Dec. 31^st.  Look for the coupon on the home page of our website www.heritagelawnskc.com

George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

New grass in the spring

If you thought there was nothing left to do this year about those bare or thin spots in your lawn, there is one more trick you may want to try – dormant seeding. What is dormant seeding? When the weather gets cold enough to prevent grass seed from germinating, you can add it to areas of your lawn that need a little thickening. The advantage of dormant seeding over spring seeding is that it allows the young seedlings to become more established before summer arrives. It basically is like giving the seeds a head start on the spring season.
 

Contact with the soil is key. Ideally, you want to over seed after the weather has turned cold but before the soil is frozen. If you are over seeding bare areas, make sure to loosen the soil just like you would if you were seeding in the spring. If the areas are small, a hand rake should do the trick. Larger areas may require a power rake or vertical mower. The key is to go over it lightly. You just want to penetrate the top ¼ inch or so, not rototill the area.  This light raking will also remove any thatch or dead grass buildup to reveal the soil. Spread the grass seed like you would in the spring.  The freezing and thawing over the winter will work the seeds into the soil. Water the area if it is not moist and then just go back into your warm house and forget about it.  When the soil starts to warm next spring, your grass will start to grow as early as possible.  If we have a dry spring you will have to water once the seed starts to germinate but the nice thing about spring watering is you only have to water one time per day not three times per day like you would in August.  Plus, there is a better chance that it will rain.
 

You may want to spread some starter fertilizer in the spring to encourage new growth, but be careful with chemicals on tender new grass. Crabgrass preventers and broadleaf herbicides will damage the establishment of the grass.  Do not apply these until the new grass has been mowed. Be sure to read and follow all label instructions before applying any pesticide to new seedlings.  Here’s to a thicker, healthier lawn come spring!

How did your flowering trees and shrubs do this summer?  Did your Rhododendron look like road kill?  Choke Cherry tree look like someone choked it?  If you want bigger, healthier trees and shrubs in the spring, the time to act is now.  The summer is hard on trees and shrubs.  The heat and drought can take a toll sending them to their winter slumber hungry, thirsty and tired. 

Brian performing deep-root fertilization on a Japanese Maple

Now is the perfect time to give them an extra boost with a fall deep-root fertilization.  Our special compost tea mix will help them recover lost nutrients, improve winter hardiness and have more flowers and foliage in the spring.  So if you want your Magnolias to look magnificent and your Knockout Roses to knock your socks off, call us for a deep-root fertilization treatment today.  You can fertilize until the ground freezes, so call soon and watch your trees and bushes go bloomin’ mad next spring! 

PS  Send us some pictures of your flowers next spring and we’ll post them on our blog and Facebook pages.