Does Your Lawn Need Aeration?

Is your lawn looking a little sad? Aeration is one of the best things you can do to care for your lawn. 

Aeration is the process of removing small plugs of soil from the lawn, allowing air, water and fertilizer to better nurture your lawn.

What are the top benefits to aerating in the summer?

1. Loosens hard, compacted soils

2. Improves air exchange in the soil

3. Improves water absorption

4. Stimulates a deeper root system

5. Reduces thatch

6. Accelerates soil microbe activity

Some lawns need aeration more than most!

While all lawns benefit from aeration, certain lawns need it more than others. If your lawn contains clay-based soils, you are probably in need of aeration. Clay-like soils get compacted easily and that leads to additional lawn care problems.

If your lawn suffers from heavy traffic (think weekend soccer matches with the neighbors), you also run the risk of compact soil.

Additional signs to be on the look out are: lawns that brown easily in the summer, lawns with ½ inch of thatch and water run off from rain or irrigation.

Get on the schedule before it’s too late! Call Vivid Lawn to sign up for aeration today!

Your Plants Need Probiotics!

With Mother Nature kicking summer into high gear, team Vivid Lawn is getting ready to visit lawns for the summer rounds and we are armed with 100% organic plant probiotic, Holganix.

Why are we applying a plant probiotic in the summer?

Plant probiotics nurture your lawn during the summer months to keep it greener longer and revive the lawn in the early fall if it goes dormant (AKA brown and crispy).

In fact, plant probiotics can help in three key ways:

1. Growing a strong, healthy root system – Plant probiotics help develop a strong, healthy root system that dig deep within the soil to look for moisture.

2. Keeps the moisture in the soil – Plant probiotics like Holganix contain natural wetting agents that keep moisture within the soil longer, letting plants drink up before the sun sucks the soil dry.

3. Healthy turf comes out of dormancy strong – Plant probiotics proactively nurture your grass. Strong, resilient turf will come out of dormancy healthier and at times faster than turf treated with only chemical fertilizers.

How can you help protect your lawn this summer?

With the summer heat upon us, we need your help to protect your lawn this summer. Be sure to incorporate summer management practices like keeping your grass longer and watering consistently to maintain turf health. To learn more about summer lawn care management, visit our blog:

Is Your Backyard Prepared for Summer?

Lawn and Landscape Trends in 2016

Looking back at this past spring, we’ve noticed quite a few exciting trends that are becoming popular in today’s lawns and landscapes. Here are three of our favorite trends that you should pay attention to!

Native Plants

Homes in our neck of the woods are starting to incorporate more native plants in their garden beds. Not only are native plants more likely to thrive in garden beds, but they also allow gardeners to cut back on the need for water and chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides. By planting native plants, you also attract more honey bees, butterflies and birds to your garden.

 Agriscaping

Agriscaping is the practice of incorporating edible plants like herbs, vegetables and fruits into gardens. Not only can edible plants be just as beautiful as flowers, but it also provides food for your table!

If you don’t have a green thumb, but want to get involved in agriscaping, consider starting with some hardy tomatoes and herbs like mint, thyme and rosemary.

Going Green! 

Sustainability has become extremely important to our local communities. That is one of the reasons why Vivid Lawn is dedicated to using organic products like Holganix in their lawn fertilization programs. Holganix allows Vivid Lawn to reduce their use of fertilizer and pesticides by 50% while still maintaining the best quality results in the area.

You can learn more about Vivid Lawn’s programs by clicking the image below:

7 Creative Garden Planters for DIY with Vivid Lawn

As you start digging into your garden, try incorporating these creative, cheap DIY flower planters.

7 Creative Garden Planters For DIY (Vivid Lawn) from Andrew Bagwell

Beware! Take Care of Your Flowers This Season

After taking the time and the money to plant annuals and care for perennials, it can be down right sickening to watch them fall pray to disease and insect damage. Here are 5 flower culprits to be on the look out for.

Beetles – Regardless of the type, leaf-eating beetles are nasty buggers. Beetles will chew holes in the plant leaving 1/8 an inch in diameter. When you have a surplus of holes, your leaves will become discolored or die. In large numbers, beetles can do serious damage to your flowers. As soon as you spot beetles lurking on your flowers, take action. Purchase an insecticide that contains permethrin, esfenvalerate or carbaryl.

Aphids – Neon green, aphids seem to run rampant no matter the garden. These tiny insects are 1/3 to 1/8th an inch making them nearly impossible to spot. While they will munch on just about any part of the plant they can get their hands on, aphids love new growth best of all. You can spot aphids by searching for stunted or yellowing leaves. Turn the leaves to the underside as this is an aphids favorite lair. To get rid of an aphid infestation, try using an insecticidal soap or wipe the plant with mild soap.

Black Spot – This fungal disease is especially common with roses. When struck with black spot, leaves begin to yellow around the spots and may fall off. They will also appear on the rose flower itself. When flowers are kept wet for over 7 hours disease may occur, so water properly and keep your flowers in sunny places where water can evaporate quickly.

Azalea Lace Bugs – These bugs have suckers that cause stippling on the leaf surface of azaleas. Nasty cases result in a yellow leaf with green veins. Drought like conditions caused during the summer and increase azalea susceptibility to lace bugs. 

Crape Myrtle Scale –  Crape Myrtle Scale can cause black sooty mold on bark and can make blossoms look poor. To treat crape myrtle scale, apply a root drench of an insecticide and look into dormant oils.

Need help caring for your flowers? Check out our flower care program at Vivid Lawn below:

Help! My Trees and Shrubs are Under Attack!

It’s always sad to watch a prized tree or shrub decay away because of insects or disease. But, if you know what to look for, you can often catch the disease or insect before populations are too high to properly control. Here are 3 tree and shrub culprits to be on the lookout for.

Spider mites – Think you have spider mites? Look for signs of brown, red or purple dots on the underside of leaves. You can also check for a spider-web looking webbing.While spider mites are tiny, if you look closely enough you can see them moving about. When you are sure you’ve identified the culprit, purchase an insecticide to get rid of the mites before they spread.

Bagworms – Bagworms form bags on their hindparts to hide in when disturbed. They target tree leaves, leaving holes in the foliage. The best time to spot bagworms is June through August. When detected early, it’s easier to control.  But, when left to their own devices, populations will increase and killing with insecticides can be downright difficult.

Aphids – Neon green, aphids seem to run rampant no matter the garden. These tiny insects are 1/3 to 1/8th an inch making them nearly impossible to spot. While they will munch on just about any part of the plant they can get their hands on, the love new growth best of all. You can spot aphids by searching for stunted or yellowing leaves. Turn the leaves to the underside as this is an aphids favorite lair. To get rid of an aphid infestation, try using an insecticidal soap or wipe the plant with mild soap.

Need help caring for your trees and shrubs? Check out our tree and shrub care program in the link below:

Four Tips For Summer Landscapes in Pennsylvania

June is just around the corner and with it, summer weather and pests approach. To ensure a lush, green lawn this June, follow our four best practices!

1.   Looking For Nutsedge

Nutsedge is a type of grass that grows twice as fast as your turf and is a light green color. You can look for nutsedge between June to August. If you are interested in having your lawn treated for nutsedge, give us a call.

2.     Water once a week for an hour

Watering a few minutes each day will result in a shallow root system that needs to constantly be watered to remain healthy. Instead, we recommend that you water once a week for an hour. Not only will this allow the water to penetrate the soil and increase your lawn’s tolerance to dry conditions, but it will also cut down on weeds.

3.     Keep your mower sharp!

If you see white tissue sticking out of the leaf blades after you mow, your mower needs a tune-up. When cut from a dull blade, the turf will become nutrient deficient and will harm its growth. Be sure to sharpen your mower twice a year.

4.     Keep your grass tall

Keep your grass blades about 4 inches in length during the hot season. Tall grass keeps the soil shaded, increasing water rendition.

Want to ensure that your lawn receives the best possible care for the summer?  We are here to help! Check out our summer lawn care program at www.Vividlawn.com