Ugly Weeds Are Showing Up Brightly

Those ugly weeds your seeing in your yard, are in stark contrast to the gray/brownish dormant grass you've planted. Ugly green weeds classified as winter weeds germinating in the winter months, are common and easily controlled with a broad leaf herbicide, give Lawn Tech a call and we can usually get rid of most of the unsightly weeds so ugly this time of year. Call 972-346-2696 today for help with stubborn weeds.

Thinking About Planting Red-tip Photinias?

Red-tips are great border plants, perfect privacy shrubs, they grow fast, flower in spring and can be beautiful when healthy. Planting them in the right spot can be an added dimension to your landscape. Red-tips however, can have negatives, technically classified as a tree, they can outgrow your existing landscape, without proper maintenance they can overwhelm your property, secondly they are extremely susceptible to leaf spot or entomosporium, a disease when left untreated can spread and kill your investment. So how do you overcome these negatives?
Several options are available to you to protect your investment. First, select a variety of red-tip which is known to be a healthier strain, the "Chinese Red-tip" has recently become widely available in nurseries, prized for it's ability to overcome disease, unlike it's cousin the "American Red" variety normally planted in this area. Secondly, plant your shrubs with distance between them and structure, don't plant so close to your house or fence. Leaving enough room for air to get behind them, helping them to dry out and prevent the build up of moisture. When planting, think about planting them away from your house or fence, planted in a open area to add scale and color will give them room to grow, dry out and be chemically sprayed effectively if needed.
Red-tips can be an excellent privacy shrub, large shade shrub or ornamental shrub to any landscaping design, however, keep in mind to choose a disease resistant variety, and be selective in your choice of planting area. If your heart is not set on Red-tips, be creative and choose a shrub less prone to disease and abandon Red-tips altogether.

Click on the title of this post for a pointed article about Red-tips,(Red-tip Photinia Almost Eliminated). Good Luck

Spring Is Around The Corner

Ah yes, spring, the best time of the year in this region, mild temperatures and beautiful sunsets. Spring is my favorite time of the year, enjoying the mild weather is a luxury here in Texas. Spring signifies to most homeowners the lawn season has officially began, but, your lawn begins to change much earlier than spring. Dormancy transition can come at different times depending on rainfall, temperatures and mowing schedules.
Taking the right steps to insure a beautiful lawn for the season actually begins much earlier than spring. Controlling weeds and applying fertilizer as spring arrives, pre-emergents can be critical to a beautiful lawn. Now is the time to start with a lawn service, applying much needed pre-emergents to start spring off with a pop. Getting rid of early winter/spring weeds and fertilizing the lawn at the right time can help dormancy be a smooth transition.
Mow dates become critical, When to mow for the first time and how short is a practical solution to spring transition. Your first mowing should be after the last freeze and before top growth is in full transition. Scalping or "Mowing Shorter" is appropriate at the right stage and can help a yard transition from dormancy faster.
Call Lawn Tech if you have any questions and need a service to help apply the right chemicals at the right time, spring aeration can also be a big booster to spring transition, let the pros help you make this year a beautiful lawn season, visit our website today for great deals on lawn care, www.lawntech.com

"The Big Freeze" How Does Winter Effect Ornamental Turf Grasses?

As you already know, winter has arrived, stout winter storms have taken a toll on the North Texas region, dumping record amounts of ice and snow. Not necessarily common to this region, winter storms do happen and when they do, ornamental turf grasses suffer. The biggest concern is "Winter Kill" a term often referred to by the experts as; areas of dead patchy grass, visible when the yard transitions out of dormancy, leaving dead areas, unable to green back up.
These areas can be very small or large blanket areas depending on many factors. Some factors associated with "winter kill" are as follows: Areas of constant shade, preventing dry out of moisture, low lying areas without proper drainage, poor soil, or rocky areas with shallow root systems and any area where large amounts of ice or snowfall cannot adequately evaporate.
Sometimes, small round areas are left dead, seemingly without explanation, only to discover a snowman was built and left to melt, leaving the turf underneath without the ability to recover. Areas left with large amounts of ice and snow can cause "Winter Kill" ultimately leaving stubborn areas which refuse to green up, leaving a dead or patchy appearance. Grasses left vulnerable after a hard winter, can be susceptible to diseases like "Spring Dead spot" a big problem with ornamental turf grasses.
Several methods can be used to try and circumvent the amount of area damaged by winter, follow some simple procedures to insure less area is effected.

1. Allow Lawn Tech to apply a high potassium/potash fertilizer in the fall before winter.
2. Allow Lawn Tech to perform an aeration, helping nutrients to absorb.
3. Make a final mowing before the first freeze, insuring an inch and 1/2 height, (higher is better)
4. Insure your yard drains properly, identifying problem areas.
5. Water your yard when winter dry times arrive.
6. Rake up leaves and debris, allowing your yard to dry properly.