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

Here is a great short video from the folks over at K-State. Allen and his staff are a big help to us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OSE7Hp3JBs

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!

Oh no! Did I Winterize my Sprinkler System?!

When temperatures fall below 25 degrees at night, any water left in your sprinkler system can freeze, causing the pipes to burst.  Burst pipes can lead to other problems including flooded lawns, flooded basements, damage to landscaping, damage to neighbors lawn, and even costly repairs.

Many times, we get frantic calls from homeowners describing a “geyser” in their front yard.  We don’t want that to be you!  Time is running out before a big freeze hits. Winterize your sprinkler system now.  Or call us and we’ll do it for you.  In fact, we’ve got a $65 Sprinkler Winterization Special going on now through November 20th. 

PS  Make sure all of your hoses are removed from outdoor faucets.  Otherwise, those pipes can freeze and cause water damage inside your home.

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.

Wes Ory Owner Heritage Lawns & Irrigation

Now that your grass seed is coming up nicely when is the right time to mow? Should you let it get tall and established or keep it short? What do I do about how wet it is and should I stop watering? These are all questions we get this time of year and I tried to address them head on in my first video. You can view it here http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WesOry#p/a

Here at Heritage, we believe a healthy lawn starts with healthy soil.  Over time, the soil in your lawn will naturally become compacted and hard.  That makes it difficult for roots to get the nutrients they need because they can’t reach deep enough.  And rain, instead of soaking into the soil, runs off, and your grass doesn’t get the proper amount of water either.  It’s no wonder your yard doesn’t look very healthy.  The solution is aeration. 

Aerating pulls small plugs of soil from your lawn allowing food and water to reach the roots and giving them more room to grow.  It also helps break up thatch that collects just above the surface of the ground and hinders food and water absorption while promoting fungus and disease.  By breaking up the thatch and the tangled roots underground, the grass can establish a healthier root system.  Aeration is a great weapon in your lawn care arsenal.  It strengthens the roots, and strong roots are the first step in creating a lush, green lawn.

It’s a good idea to aerate your lawn once a year to keep it healthy.  Usually, spring or fall is best.  Now is the perfect time.  You want to make sure your lawn has four weeks or so of the growing season left so it can fill in the holes and make the most of your aeration efforts.  If you haven’t aerated yet, make plans for this weekend or give us a call before mid-November. 

Aeration Tips:

MARK YOUR TERRITORY – Make sure to mark sprinkler heads, invisible pet fences and any other yard accessories you may have buried underground so you don’t puncture them while aerating.

SOIL TEST – How do you know if your lawn needs aerating?  You can test it by poking a screwdriver into the soil in several different places.  If it pokes in fairly easily, your soil is not too compacted, but if it’s difficult to push it in past the first inch, it could benefit from aeration.

WATER – The day before you plan to aerate, water your lawn deeply.  This will help the soil be a little softer and make aeration a little easier.  Be careful not to overwater as muddy soil will get stuck in the hollow tines of the aerator and slow the process.

CORE NOT SPIKE – It is better to use a true core aerator that removes a plug of soil than a tine aerator that simply pokes a hole in the ground allowing some air in, but further compacting the surrounding soil

LET PLUGS DRY – After aerating, just let the plugs sit on top of the lawn for a couple of days to dry out.  You can crumble them with a rake or lawn mower, or simply leave them alone and nature will slowly dissolve. This is actually good for your lawn too because, as they dissolve, they provide micro organisms that feed on thatch and break it down.

From the last week in August till the middle of October is seeding season. As we posted earlier, this has been the worst year in the last 20 years for sustaining turf and there is a lot of seeding that needs to be done. By seeding this fall the grass plants will have the the greatest amount of time to mature and develop a strong root system before we go into the stressful time next summer.  Here are some reliable information on seeding best practices.

Here is a great link from our friend Dr. Rodney St. John at Kansas State University.  In this video he describes what we go through in the seeding process to deliver the best results.    YouTube Video.

Here is another article from the University of Arkansas http://turf.uark.edu/turfhelp/archives/091610%20Fescue%20Renovation.htm