Our Lawn Care Programs to top ^

Whether it’s weeds or pesky mosquitoes, we have an organic alternative treatment that can help!

“I have so many weeds…”
Timing is key. To combat weed problems, we use a corn gluten based product that works by halting the root development, preventing them from becoming established. It is important to begin an organic weed control program before weeds germinate. We recommend treatment in the early spring followed by a second treatment in late summer. Treated areas can be used immediately following application.

“Ugly brown spots are all over my lawn…”
Grubs. Grub damage in a lawn appears as large, irregular areas of brown turf that can detach from the soil without much effort. Unlike other forms of turf damage such as too much or too little watering, or excessive fertilizing, grub damaged areas make the turf easy to peel away very much like rolling back a carpet.

Grubs are normally out of sight and therefore out of mind but they are feeding on grass roots making their presence known only after they have done severe damage.

We use a live organic product that attacks and rids lawns of grubs. Nematodes are microscopic worms that infect and kill grubs, effectively reducing the grub population in the turf. We recommend two to three treatments before grubs become a dominative destructive factor in your lawn.

"Japanese Beetles are destroying my roses!"
Japanese beetles are a devastating pest that can feed on 300 species of plants ranging from roses to poison ivy! They normally feed in groups starting at the top of the plant and working downward. Adults emerge from the ground in late May or early June. They can fly up to five mile but generally stay within a 1 to 2 mile area, making short flights to find additional feeding sources.

We use an organic pest treatment that helps controls these infestations. We recommend treatment as part of our Organic Grub Control program.

"My lawn looks tired and haggard!"
Your lawn probably needs healthy food! Our fertilizer is a blend of natural ingredients including seaweed, leaf and grass compost. We recommend applications in the spring, summer and fall.

"My plants look lifeless!"
We use a granule bio-stimulant that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria to help stimulate root development. It can be applied to existing and established grasses, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Applied in the spring and fall annually. We strongly recommend application for all newly planted or transplanted materials.

Compost tea to top ^

“What is compost tea and compost spread?”

As the name implies, compost tea is produced by “steeping” healthy compost in water using some method of aeration. Compost tea is brewed from compost and microbial food source additives, such as molasses, kelp, rock dust, and humic-fulvic acids.

This liquid form of compost is sprayed instead of worked into the soil. Compost tea inoculates microbial life and adds soluable nutrients to foliage and soil to better feed plants. It will impact the plant more quickly than compost spread.

The compost tea brewing technique varies depending on the soil and plant needs. This is one reason we strongly recommend Soil Testing and Analysis. The soil analysis gives us important information on the condition of the soil and enables us to determine what nutrients the soil needs.

Lawns that have previously been repeatedly treated with chemical pesticides, fertilizers, fumigants or herbicides will eventually be stripped of the beneficial microorganisms that encourage healthy plant growth and development. Compost tea applications help to invigorate and infuse tired, worn out soil with the proper balance of nutrients it needs to flourish.

Compost spread is also produced using organic matter and when added to the soil, improves soil structure and helps soil retain moisture. Compost also promotes a biologically healthy soil by providing food for beneficial life including earthworms, soil insects and microorganisms.

Compost spread, applied to the lawn or flower bed, IS NOT a fertilizer. It is low in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The benefits of compost spread are generally released more slowly into the soil than a liquid form of compost tea.

Again, Soil Tests and Analysis are ideal aids in determining what is needed to rebuild and rejuvenate soil. Compost can be applied to soil around shrubs and trees and will help improve moisture retention, aeration and fertility of the soil. It can also be applied to turf and is an excellent way to establish or renovate a lawn.

This scenario isn’t hard to imagine. It’s summertime. The grill is heating up. Your lawn chair beckons. The children are running around the yard waiting for that hot dog. It’s dinner time and life in the backyard is good. Swat.

You shake your head, scratch your arm and go back to cooking hot dogs. Swat. Swat. Swat. Swat. Ouch.

Finally, indoor go the kids, indoor goes the hot dogs, and slam goes the back door. Mosquitoes are everywhere.

Mosquitoes have been around for over 30 million years and have earned a reputation of being among the most dangerous insects on earth. The diseases they can spread include West Nile Virus, Lyme’s Disease and Encephalitis. The threat today is very real. Do we take our chances outdoors or do we use potentially dangerous chemical solutions? If only there was something that was effective against mosquito bites and yet safe to use and handle.

There is!

Our multi-step organic mosquito and tick control program is natural, safe and effective. The initial treatment begins by impacting the egg stages dramatically working to decrease the mosquito population in your yard. Following the Organic Mosquito Egg Eliminator treatment, we apply a Granular Mosquito Repellent which creates an invisible barrier keeping non-beneficial insects away from backyards, pools, patios and porches.

These treatments can be spread anywhere on your property from lawns to mulch beds and will not harm pets, people or vegetable gardens. While the number of applications will vary depending on property conditions and infestation levels, we initially recommend one application of the Egg Eliminator followed by three granular applications.

• Mosquitoes belong to the group of insects known as diptera or flies. In fact, mosquito means “little fly” in Spanish.
  
  
• Mosquitoes need water. The females of some species deposit eggs on moist surfaces including mud or fallen leaves that may be near water but are dry. Rain can then trigger the eggs to hatch into larvae. Other species deposit eggs in such places as ditches, street catch basins, tire tracks, streams, fields and excavation areas that can hold water.
  
  
• Only female mosquitoes bite. Females seek a blood meal for the protein necessary for the development of the eggs. Eggs are hatched after the blood meal and depending on her stamina and the weather, she may repeat this process many times without mating again. Male mosquitoes feed on plant nectar and live only a short time after mating.
  
  
• Winter survival is important. Most mosquitoes survive the winter in the egg stages. Eggs hatch when the water and weather warms.
  
  
• Mosquitoes can transmit diseases. Young adult female mosquitoes do not transmit diseases since they have not taken their first blood meal. Older females are more apt to pick up a disease organism after multiple blood meals.
  

There are several things you can do to help limit the
mosquito habitat in your yard:

• o Reduce the amount of standing water.
  o Dispose of unwanted tin cans and tires
• o Clean clogged roof gutters and drain flat roofs
• o Flush sump-pump pits weekly
• o Stock ornamental pools with fish
• o Change water in birdbaths and fountains at least twice a week
• o Turn over unused wading pools and other containers that may collect    rainwater.
  
  

People are not sure what it is. You might have seen them – tiny green inchworms crawling on oaks, maples, and fruit trees. You might have noticed more caterpillars around or more moths flying around. You may not know what it is but you know something is wrong, especially when the leaves on your crabapple look like Swiss cheese!

Winter moth.

For the past several years, many communities have reported large populations of moths emerging around Thanksgiving and continuing through December. In the spring, there has also been an astounding number of caterpillars defoliating deciduous trees.

The damage that winter moth can cause is tremendous. Many different deciduous plants are susceptible including maples, white elm, cherries, oaks, crabapples, apple and certain spruces. The tiny caterpillars get inside the buds of these trees and start to feed. When the weather is cool and bud opening is delayed, these larvae feed and feed and then move from bud to bud resulting in bud death. As the larvae grows, they begin to feed on expanding leaf clusters and can defoliate in extremely high numbers.

To protect your valuable trees, we recommend treating for winter moth in the later winter to early spring. It is imperative to address this problem before there is irreparable damage. Winter moth will migrate from bud to bud and repeat their destructive process.

Please call us if you would like more information.