Seasonal Tips

• Early Spring Tips - Lawns
  
  With another harsh Wisconsin winter almost behind us, it is time to start thinking about your lawn.  After the recent snow melts, a number of common problems seem to be making their appearance.

  • Snow Mold – snow mold usually appears as dead patches in the lawn where piles of snow sat for long periods of time, such as at the ends of the driveway or along sidewalks – although it can happen anywhere in your yard.  The patches are usually brown or even pinkish looking.  They can be large or small.  It seems more prone in areas where grass was left long.  This can also appear where standing water from melting snow or rain sat and froze on exposed areas of lawn.
  • Vole Damage – voles are small rodents similar to mice that tunnel in the lawn under the snow.  You will see little pathways through your lawn and sometimes up to your plants.  This is more common when grass is kept too long in fall.  While they will cause damage, it is rarely detrimental.  Cutting the grass short and cleaning up piles of leaf debris in the fall will reduce the hiding and nesting areas in your lawn.  For spring remedies, cut grass short and rake up any matted areas of lawn.
  • Spring Green Up – generally speaking your grass will green up faster in the spring when it has been cut short the previous fall.  This is because there is less dead tissue for the new blades to have to push through.  If you didn’t cut it real short in the fall, cut it as low as possible (without scalping it) in early spring.  This also helps remove debris that may have accumulated over the winter months.

  Spring is a great time to fertilize your lawn.  The temperatures are generally cool and rainfall is reliable.  If your lawn has been installed for two or more years, use a good “turf builder” type fertilizer to stimulate a lot of growth.  Also don’t forget the crab grass preventer in early spring, if you have that problem during the year…just make sure the ground temperature is above 50 degrees or it won’t work.  If your lawn was newly installed, an all purpose fertilizer or Milorganite will work well without burning the sensitive new tissues.  Hold off on crab grass preventer or “weed and feed” type fertilizers if your lawn is less than two years old.
  
  
• Early Spring Tips - Pruning
  
  Spring is an excellent time to prune most plant material.  Cutting large and overgrown plant material back, removing dead wood and old braches to rejuvenate shrubs, thinning and shaping tree canopies and cutting down ornamental grasses are just of few of the things that can be accomplished.  The number one item not to prune in early spring is a lilac.  Trimming them in the spring will cut off the blooms before they open.  Lilacs should be trimmed as soon as they are done flowering for the year.  And just a note on ornamental grasses…they should be cut as low to the ground as possible.  Leaving even 3 – 4” of dead stalks can inhibit the growth of the new blades.  Often people will complain that the center of their grasses have died out…this is because they were not cut low enough for the grass to fill back in.
  
  Most trees required a proper pruning at least once every five years.  Shrub materials should be done yearly.  Screening plants like large shrubs and some evergreens should also be pruned at least every couple of years to keep them looking healthy and prevent them from becoming “woody”. 
  
  Many people are scared to trim their plants.  They are afraid of taking too much off or not enough.  And while you may not be the best at shaping your plants, you are rarely going to kill them by trimming them incorrectly.  Many people do not have the proper tools for trimming, especially large plants.  If you are going to prune your own plants, make sure to use the proper tools, otherwise you may be making more work for yourself the following year. 
  
  As always, if you are not a do-it-yourself type of person or are unsure of what to do, call in an expert.  Do not let your plant material go wild just because you didn’t want to prune it wrong.  A properly maintained landscape can last many years but landscapes that become too overgrown often have to be completely ripped out.  Starting over with a new landscape will be much more expensive than having your plants properly pruned.  Call for spring pruning in March and April to have it done before landscaping season is in full swing.  Early season discounts will usually apply.  Large trees especially are much easier to prune if the pruning is done when there are no leaves on the trees. 
  
  
  
• Early Spring Tips - Planting
  

  In general, spring is an excellent time for planting.  However, many flowering shrubs and perennials do not become widely available until mid-May so late spring is more common than early spring.  If planting any sensitive materials in early spring, keep in mind that you may have to cover them if the forecast calls for frost.

  
  
• Fall Tips - Lawns
  
  The average last mowing in the state of Wisconsin is October 26th.  Remember to mow your grass as short as possible at the last mowing.  This will help with a number of potential problems that may occur over the winter.

  • Vole Damage – voles are small rodents similar to mice that tunnel in the lawn under the snow.  You will see little pathways through your lawn and sometimes up to your plants.  This is more common when grass is kept too long in fall.  While they will cause damage, it is rarely detrimental.  Cutting the grass short and cleaning up piles of leaf debris will reduce the hiding and nesting areas in your lawn.
  • Snow Mold – snow mold usually appears as dead patches in the lawn where piles of snow sat for long periods of time, such as at the ends of the driveway or along sidewalks – although it can happen anywhere in your yard.  The patches are usually brown or even pinkish looking.  It seems more prone in areas where grass was left long.
  • Spring Green Up – generally speaking your grass will green up faster in the spring when it has been cut short.  This is because there is less dead tissue for the new blades to have to push through.

  Fall is a great time to fertilize your lawn.  The temperatures are cooler and rainfall is more reliable.  You don’t want to stimulate a lot of top growth so avoid fertilizers that are high in Nitrogen.  “Winterizer” fertilizers work great in late October but do not use them if your lawn was seeded within the last two years.  Spreading winterizer on newly seeded lawns can cause burning and dieout.
  
• Fall Tips - Pruning
  
  Fall is an excellent time to prune most plant material.  Cutting large and overgrown plant material back, removing dead wood and old braches to rejuvenate shrubs, thinning and shaping tree canopies and cutting down perennials are just of few of the things that can be accomplished.
  The number one item not to prune in fall is a lilac.  Trimming them in fall will cut off the coming season’s blooms.  Lilacs should be trimmed as soon as they are done flowering for the year.
  
  Most trees required a proper pruning at least once every five years.  Shrub materials should be done yearly.  Screening plants like large shrubs and some evergreens should also be pruned at least every couple of years to keep them looking healthy and prevent them from becoming “woody”.
  
  Many people are scared to trim their plants.  They are afraid of taking too much off or not enough.  And while you may not be the best at shaping your plants, you are rarely going to kill them by trimming them incorrectly.  Many people do not have the proper tools for trimming, especially large plants.  If you are going to prune your own plants, make sure to use the proper tools, otherwise you may be making more work for yourself the following year.
  
  As always, if you are not a do-it-yourself type of person or are unsure of what to do, call in an expert.  Do not let your plant material go wild just because you didn’t want to prune it wrong.  A properly maintained landscape can last many years but ones that become too overgrown often have to be completely ripped out.  Starting over with a new landscape will be much more expensive than having your plants properly pruned.  Call for fall pruning in October and November to have it done before snow falls.  Large trees especially are much easier to prune if the pruning is done when there are no leaves on the trees.
  
  
• Fall Tips - Planting
  
  In general, fall is an excellent time for planting.  Trees and shrubs are going dormant and are easily moved with little to no transplant shock.  Availability often increases in fall, as many plants can be dug directly from the fields.  However, we recommend that any evergreens be installed prior to October 15th.  Evergreens do not go dormant and need approximately 6 weeks to store up enough water before the ground freezes.
  
  
• Summer Tips - General
  
  Water! Water! Water!
  Whether you have a newly installed landscape or have lived in your home for 10 years, don't forget to water your plants and lawn. 

  • While a healthy mature lawn can survive a dormant period in summer, a relatively new lawn or a lawn that is already struggling may not emerge from dormancy looking very healthy.  Large dead patches often occur or you may notice a higher percentage of weeds.  Weeds often take over when your lawn is struggling and the best way to combat weeds is a nice thick healthy lawn.
  • When watering your flowers, don't forget your plants and trees.  Just because they have been installed for several years doesn't mean they won't get stressed in periods of drought and/or extreme heat.  After the last couple of droughty summers and falls, we have seen many people lose trees due to lack of water.  They figured the trees could withstand the drought.  Think of it this way...when its hot outside, does a 40-year old man need less water than a 5-year old?  Is the older man any less thirsty?  NO!  And sometimes, the older the trees may need more.  A large Maple tree has a dense thick canopy that blocks most rainfall from actually hitting the ground underneath the tree.  So even in an average year, sticking a sprinkler under your tree every now and then will be very beneficial. 
  • Just remember, your plants and lawn are living things...and like all living things, they need water to survive!