The Duck Pond Blog

Choosing a Lawn Care Service

11/3/2017

Are you looking to hiring a lawn care service?
But you’re not sure how to you go about choosing the right company for your lawn?
Here are 10 important details to consider before hiring a lawn care company.

1. Reputation
Do your research. There are many lawn care services out there, some better than others. Do a quick Google search to see how they compare to one another? Are there a lot of good reviews or bad reviews? Does the company have any local press mentions or accolades? Asking neighbors what lawn service they use, this is a great way of finding a good local lawn care services.

2. Licensing
Make sure the lawn service is licensed according to local by-laws. It might be cheaper to hire a company that is unlicensed; however, a license implies the company is professional and trained to work in their field.

3. Insurance
Make sure the company is insured. An insured company ensures that you’re not going to be held responsible if a worker gets hurt on your property.

4. Memberships
Is the lawn service in a provincial or national trade organization? A lawn care company that is a member of a trade organization demonstrates that this company is truly dedicated to their profession, and dedicated to upholding the standards of the lawn care industry.

5. Customer Service
Look for a company that you can easily communicate with should a question or problem comes up.

6. Equipment
Check to see how the lawn care company takes care of their equipment. Are the blades of a mower changed out or sharpened for every ten hours of mowing. Don’t be afraid of asking how often they change out their blades.

7. Contracts
ask what kind of contract the lawn service requires. Monthly, Yearly? Is it mandatory to get a contract or is verbal agreement okay? Also, make sure you know what the contract entails.

8. Pricing
Always get a quote. Do not trust companies that guarantee a rate without seeing your lawn first. Find out what payment plans are available. Can you pay a yearly fee upfront and save costs? Will you be charged for service calls?

9. Services
before you start looking for a lawn-care company, decide what it is you are looking for. then look for a company that offers the services you require.

10. Reliability
Word-of-mouth and online reviews sometimes are not enough. If you are unsure about a company’s reliability, ask them for references. A good company will not hesitate to provide you with references.

Put your lawn down for the winter

10/8/2017

With fall upon us and winter rapidly approaching, you're probably not spending much time thinking about your lawn. But fall,with its cooler temperatures and occasional rainfall, is the ideal time to prepare your lawn for next spring.

Many homeowners think lawns need less care in the fall because the grass tends to grow more slowly. But in fact, just the opposite is true. During fall the grass is busily absorbing energy, moisture, and nutrients in preparation for a long, dormant winter. By giving it a little attention now you will be rewarded with a lush, healthy spring lawn.

KEEP ON MOWING
Continue to mow your lawn, as needed, throughout the fall. Then as the season draws to a close, drop the mower's blade to a lower setting for the last two cuttings of the year. That will allow more sunlight to reach the crown of the grass, and there will be less leaf to turn brown during the winter.

*Remember As you lower the the mower not to trim off more than one-third of the grass blades at any one time. If necessary, gradually lower the cutting height until the time of the final two cuttings.

AERATE THE SOIL
Fall is also an ideal time to aerate your lawn so that oxygen, water, and fertilizer can easily reach the grass's roots. The self-propelled aerator will quickly punch holes into the soil and extract plugs of dirt.

RAKE THE LEAVES
Raking leaves is no one's idea of fun, but it's important to remove fallen leaves from your lawn. Don't wait until all the leaves have fallen from the trees to start raking, the leaves will become wet from rain and morning dew, stick together, and form a mat that if left unmoved will suffocate the grass and breed fungal diseases.

FERTILIZE FOR FUTURE GROWTH
If you fertilize your lawn only once a year, do it in the fall. Why the fall? Grass blades grow much more slowly as the weather turns cool, but the grass roots and rhizomes continue to grow quickly. (Rhizomes are roots that lie just beneath the soil's surface that produce the blades of grass above) A fall application of fertilizer delivers essential nutrients for the grass to grow deep roots now and to keep nutrients on reserve for a healthy start in the spring.

FILL IN BARE SPOTS
Fall is also a great time of year to fix any bare spots in your lawn. The easiest way to do this is with an overseed of grass seed, a special quick-starter lawn fertilizer, and/or an organic mulch then water thoroughly, and continue to water every other day for two weeks.

WEED CONTROL
If weeds like dandelions have taken over your lawn, now's the time to treat them. Weeds, like most plants, are in the energy-absorbing mode during the fall. They're drinking in everything that comes their way. Apply an herbicide now and the weeds won't return in the spring.

Chinch Bugs

8/5/2017

Chinch bug is a common type of bug in Eastern Canada. With their piercing-sucking mouth parts, they feed on the sap of grass plants.

Chinch bugs are black with a white spot on their back between their wing pads. Adult chinch bugs have white wings folded over their backs, and are 4 mm (.16 inches) in length. The immature chinch bug (the nymph) is bright red with distinctive white bands across the back. As it matures, its colouring will change from orange to brown, and finally black. Nymphs do not have wings.

In the Maritimes (and most of eastern Canada and the northeastern USA), chinch bug damage is not seen before July, so the time of year in which damage is first observed provides the first clue on whether it is due to chinch bug. .
As more chinch bugs hatch and feed, homeowners will notice scattered patches of grass beginning to wilt on warm, dry slopes and near pavement edges. Because the damage they cause is similar to natural drought effects, small infestations often go unnoticed. If left untreated, chinch bugs may destroy entire yards.

Chinch prefer hot, dry, south-facing slopes
Since we can’t predict how heavy chinch activity is going to be we count on you to be vigilant – watch your lawn for the signs and let us know when they appear, so that remedial steps can be taken.
Patches of lawn destroyed by chinch bugs will appear in July or August and spread over the summer. Additionally, the pests can be identified by the strong, unpleasant odour they give off when crushed. Lawns that smell after being mowed or walked on may be infested.

Chinch bugs like poorly tended lawns with compacted soils, accumulations of thatch, and a lack of moisture or an excess of nitrogen. Maintaining your lawn properly will discourage infestations and improve tolerance to damage. Some helpful practices include the following:

If replanting grass, choose an insect-resistant, endophytic variety of tall fescue or rye grass (endophytes are naturally occurring fungi that kill lawn pests, including chinch bugs).
Aerate the lawn in spring to reduce soil compaction.
Remove thick layers of thatch (organic debris on the surface of the soil) in the fall. Keep in mind that some thatch may be needed to prevent winterkill in cold regions.
Do not over-fertilize, since this will encourage greater insect activity.
Use water-insoluble or slow-release nitrogen fertilizers. Using 1 kg of nitrogen per 100 m2 should be enough for most lawns.

Water the lawn thoroughly (but not more than once a week) during the summer.
Keep soil moist to a depth of 6 to 8 cm.
Do not cut the grass too short. A length of 6 to 7.5 cm will help avoid stressing the grass.
Add agricultural limestone when the soil pH is below 6.5.
All the experts agree that improving soil quality is the long term key to eliminating insect problems in lawns. Chinch bugs are much more likely to be a problem in chemically treated lawns, or lawns making a transition from chemicals to natural, than in naturally treated lawns.

All the experts agree that improving soil quality is the long term key to eliminating insect problems in lawns. Chinch bugs are much more likely to be a problem in chemically treated lawns, or lawns making a transition from chemicals to natural, than in naturally treated lawns.

Resources:
wikipedia.com
http://versicolor.ca/lawns/chinchNOW.html
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/08-019.htm
http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/chinch.htm

Graham

Lawn : Aeration

7/8/2017

What Is Aeration?
Technically speaking, aeration is the naturally occurring process of air exchange between the soil and its surrounding atmosphere. Practically speaking, aeration is the process of mechanically removing small plugs of thatch and soil from the lawn to improve natural soil aeration. It’s commonly called “core aeration” in the lawn service industry, and you may have heard of it as soil cultivation (coring, spiking and slicing). Most homeowners simply call it aeration.

Aeration Benefits:
Core aeration can help make your lawn healthier and reduce its maintenance requirements through these means:
-Improved air exchange between the soil and atmosphere.
-Enhanced soil water uptake.
-Improved fertilizer uptake and use.
-Reduced water runoff and puddling.
-Stronger turf grass roots.
-Reduced soil compaction.
-Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance.
-Improved resiliency and cushioning.
-Enhanced thatch breakdown.

Aeration Equipment Affects The Outcome...
The type of aeration equipment can determine how effective the treatment will be. In general, turf responds best when core holes are close and deep. Equipment with hollow tines removes soil cores. Equipment with open tines divots the soil surface. Aeration equipment also varies in tine size up to
3/4 inch diameter and in depth of penetration up to 4 inches, depending on the manufacturer’s specifications.

How Often Should You Aerate A Lawn?
Most lawns benefit from annual aeration. Heavily used lawns, or those growing on heavy clay or subsoil may need more than one aeration each year. Again, turf responds best when tine spacing is closer and penetration is deeper.

When Is The Best Time To Aerate Lawns?
If you have cool season turf grass such as Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass, both spring and fall are ideal times to aerate. In spring, aerate between March and May.
Perform fall aeration between August and November. Aeration before or at the time of late season fertilization enhances root growth and improves spring green-up and growth. Warm season turf grasses such as zoysia grass and Bermuda grass should be aerated in mid-spring to summer. Avoid aerating when warm season grasses are dormant – it may encourage weed competition. In addition, avoid aerating warm season grasses during spring greenup, and not until after their first spring mowing.

Welcome to the DuckPond

Choosing a Lawn Care Service

Put your lawn down for the winter

Chinch Bugs

Lawn : Aeration

Graham Oldreive

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