The Holiday Season Is Fast Approaching

One of the neat memories from my childhood happens to be remembering my childhood home decorated with multi-colored lights, tugging on those emotions, I can almost see my home vividly from memory. Those special times in my life, helps me promote Holiday Lighting, and continues to be a big part of why I enjoy helping our customers create memories.
Christmas lighting can be a wonderful mood creating atmosphere and with the right company installing them, a treasured memory. Christmas Decor has been installing lights since 1985, insured and bonded, we offer the customer, quality, value and service. Give Lawntech a chance to help create memories that last for a lifetime, call us today @ 972-346-2696 to get on the list for a free lighting proposal and early installation discount.

*Don't forget if you own a business, holiday lighting can increase consumer traffic, help customers shopping moods and spread holiday cheer!

Fall Lawn Application, "The Importance of Pre-emergents"

Most landscaping professionals would readily admit to the importance of pre-emergent applications. Some agree pre-em is fifty percent of the battle when talking about success with ornamental turf grasses, "making them weed free is the primary goal and pre-em is a big part of that equation." Pre-emergents stop weeds seeds from germinating and some have post emergent activity as well, this aspect can play a big role in how well your yard looks thru fall, winter and into spring of next year. Leading into winter, discontinuing service prior to the fall pre-em application could have disastrous results. Weeds will be allowed to flourish in a time when your grass is dormant and weeds can take over. The importance of proper pre-em application is rarely debated and is a contiguous part of weed control and fertilization. If you want a yard people envy, pre-emergent is the biggest card played.

Soaring Temperatures Can Cause Concern

All to often in this region temperatures soar above 100 degrees, causing ornamental turf grasses to parch and become dry or broom like, without proper water, keeping your yard looking "sweet" is almost not reality.
If you are lucky enough to live in a crowded neighborhood, you may be able to keep some moisture in your topsoil, however, if you live in an open area or rural area, hot winds dry out sod more rapidly. Direct heat is the big culprit however and direct heat can make Bermuda look dead if allowed to go without water.
Your budget will take a big hit, while trying to poor on water to keep your yard looking good, try watering deeper for longer periods at a time, in the mid morning, once a week if possible. Setting the proper mow depth can also prevent burn, by raising mower depth and sharpening blades. Do a self audit of your irrigation system to insure all heads are watering adaquatedly. Water restrictions may come into play, depending on where you live, pay attention to mailers included with your water payment to notify you of any shortages.

How much and how often should I water my lawn?

Proper Irrigation management has been debated often in relationship to ornamental turf grasses. One common theme you can find in most debates stems from the amount of water and what time of day is best, both topics seem to be the most contested argument put forth by all parties.
Most arguments can be put to rest by following simple instructions about irrigation management.

1. Know your irrigation system output.

Knowing how much your system puts out per minute can be beneficial to establishing guidelines. Once you have established your systems output, one can make an educated guess as to how much water is being applied in any given setting. (contacting your irrigation specialist for a system audit, can give you accurate output amounts)

2. Water in the early morning hours after the sun comes up.

Watering in the morning prevents moisture evaporation and can help decrease disease. Watering later in the day can cause evaporation from the sun and watering at night or before the sun comes up promotes disease by leaving water on the leaf blade to breed fungus.

3. Long slow watering is considered ideal rather than short frequent watering's.

Long slow watering helps promote a deeper root system and gives your topsoil a healthier environment for growth, consequently, run-off becomes a major issue when trying to water longer, knowing how long you can water before run-off begins is a basic concept to water management. Water as long as you can before run-off begins, allow the yard to soak up the water and then repeat until run-off begins again, all in the same watering setting or watering day.

4. Soil type and Run-off are often evaluated when setting your system.

Understanding your soil type can help a homeowner gauge how long to allow a system to run, sandy soils leach more water and can cause run-off more rapidly, while soils with less sandy loam and clay can absorb more and prevent run-off. Know your soil and set your system to manage run-off.

In the region we live in, (North Texas) a watering prescription for ornamental turf-grasses has been proposed as follows: 1 to 2 inches per week or a depth of 4 to 6 inches. (how you obtain this amount is with the longest watering cycle possible, in the mid morning with the least amount of run-off, every irrigation system is different)

Look to the left of this blog entry for Texas State Watering Guidelines or
The links below can help you further on the subject of turf-grass watering questions:
(cut and paste this link or click on the link to access website)

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/county/smith/tips/land/waterLawn09.html

http://texaswater.tamu.edu/conference/feb05/havlak.pdf

Why do I have so many seedheads?

Seedheads in bermudagrass

The "seedhead" issue is much more a factor of management than anything else such as variety choice. If a Bermuda is throwing blooms out every 5 days, then it is stressed. Under stress conditions, even the vegetative sod Bermudas will throw up a lot of blooms. Stresses include-poor drainage, poor watering (too much and too little), drought, low nitrogen availiablity, soil compaction, temperature, etc. Low imputs of Nitrogen is the most common cause of a Bermuda turf throwing a lot of blooms. By improving these management and cultural practice traits a huge reduction in the amount of bloom will be seen. To find out more about Seedhead Formation Concerns, visit: http://www.bermudagrass.com/maintenance/seedheads.html

Why Do Other Lawncare Companies Offer So Many Treatments

Over the last decade, lawn care chemical companies have changed from a maximum of five yearly treatments to over ten, Why is this? Chemical applications for ornamental shrubs and turf grasses have grown with unnecessary applications and frequency, customers have been manipulated by big companies with powerful marketing teams, designed to get the most out of every customer. Each new promotion designed to squeeze more and more from their customer base, leaving them feeling less than satisfied when the final tally is added up at the end of the year.
One of the most common ploys to encourage new customers, is to market an inexpensive start up cost, luring the customer into a false sense of savings, (the old 25.00 dollar treatment ploy!) consequently, those same companies with the low sign up cost, end up adding additional services throughout the year, essentially starting low and ending high, they make up the difference by up selling the customer on services they do not need, i.e., grub control, disease control or aeration.
This is a bad practice to get into, yet most larger lawn care companies find themselves in this habit, offering cheap introductory prices to lure in new customers and then up selling treatments not needed. Training their lawn technicians to be salesmen, giving mandatory up sell quotas and putting their customers on call list.
We understand why other companies offer so many treatments; to increase income, keep employees working in the winter months and fortify their customer base, however, we also know how irresponsible this habit is for customers and for our environment. Over applying chemicals when they are not needed, is bad for the environment and against all ethical standards, secondly, most applications have some type of time frame to be applied, an arbitrary date they must be applied by, if you apply outside of those target dates, the chemical is not effective. And thirdly, affecting your pocket book, by up selling you for services not needed, just so they can keep working in the winter and make money.

Case in point:

I personally met a customer of ours years ago for the first time, he was using one of the other larger iconic companies, I will not mention their name! He told me he was not happy with his service and wanted me to come by in my travels and look at his yard, when I arrived I noticed granules on his sidewalk and driveway, now keep in mind this was in the dead of winter, I asked him if he had just applied something, and he stated that, "his current company had just applied a winterize fertilizer." I asked him to give them a call and ask them what the analysis was, he agreed. He called me a few days later and told me that the analysis was 18-18-18"winter coat" is what they called it. I laughed out loud! promptly apologized, and told him, a proven fact of dormant grass is that 94% percent of chemicals applied in the winter are leached away, not to mention the analysis made no sense, the middle number represents seed stimulation and growth, they had also reccomended an aeration, I had to scratch my head.

At Lawn tech we try to adhere to the same philosophy we have since 1985. Offer the customer value and limit up sells. We rarely ever offer any low introductory rate and rarely offer a discount, we try to apply everything you need in one treatment five times a year, just as all companies did a decade ago before yearly maximum treatments became popular. We never and I repeat NEVER, sell your information or put you on up sell call list, or apply chemicals on the weekend when your family is most likely in the yard, or call you at night when your eating dinner! Our treatment cost are affordable for what you get in return and at the end of the year, you save! We always offer free service calls, other companies use this as a unique opportunity to up sell you! We try to stick to a schedule of timed treatments in order to get the most out of the chemical, if the technician sees you have a problem with your lawn, needing extra services, we will call you and notify you of the need to spend more money to fix the problem, sometimes the up sell is warranted. So now you know the real story behind adding, up selling and number of treatments per year. Their is no need to over apply chemicals to you and your families environment, so call Lawn Tech today and let us show you why we are the responsible company offering you value for your money. 972-346-2696

Pictures of Common Weeds in this Region

The following are just a few of the most common weeds controlled with broadleaf herbicide this early spring, permitting the ground is not frozen. A good rule of thumb for herbicide application would be broadleafs in the cooler months, grassy in the warm months, however, most broadleafs respond to chemical application no matter the time of year, they are easier to kill, have more leaf blade surface for the chemical to adhere to and less of a fibrous root system.

Henbit



Dandelion



Thistle



Plantain



Common Weeds Not Treated Until Warm Temperatures Rise Consistently, which unfortunately is most if not all grassy weeds, consistent 90-degree temperatures or hotter is best for chemical application performance. Sedge grasses are the most difficult to control because of their narrow blade surface, lateral root system and persistent nature

Dallisgrass



Crabgrass



Nutsedge

Wishing Everyone A Happy New Year And Beautiful Lawn Season

Lawntech wants to wish everyone a Happy New Year. This year promises to be a good one, with all of our current lawn customers being notified of our upcoming treatment schedule, we want to express to potential customers the need to call our friendly office staff, and have them explain how Lawntech can help you build and maintain a beautiful lawn, by our dedication, knowledge and years of experience, we have a proven track record of out performing our competition. So take the time to call and give us a chance, to tell you how we can help your yard look wonderful starting today, call us at 972-346-2696 for more information, be sure to continue to follow this blog for more great tips on how you can help make your yard look its best, once again have a great year!

Thinking about Christmas Lighting, Think Lawntech!

Lawntech Christmas Decor has been proudly serving our coverage area with custom Christmas Lighting for 14years. We take extreme pride in offering our customers the confidence which comes with being part of the National Franchise which is Christmas Decor Inc. CDI,Inc., is a National Franchise with over 400 franchises across America, affiliated with Ronald McDonald house charities, Christmas Decor is recognized as the foremost leader in custom lighting.
Lawntech takes pride in our installation projects and sees that each customer gets a professional lighting job with excellent service. This industry is known to have fly by night, quick to start up companies, which gives this business a bad name, Lawntech takes upon itself to try and keep Christmas lighting professional, courteous, and ethical.
What does Lawntech Christmas Decor offer our customers that the other fly by night companies can't?:

Customized Lighting
Insured and Bonded
Trained Installation Tech's
Courteous Staff
Safety trained and conscious
Uniformed installers
No undocumented workers
Outstanding Service call Program
Variety of Products
National Company Recognition
Ronald McDonald House Charities Donation
Competitive Prices
Proven Customer Satisfaction and History
Been in Business Since 1985
Best Products Made
Proud Member of the National Decorate a Soldiers House Program


Lawntech is looking forward to another wonderful year helping our area decorate for the holidays, We enjoy serving our community and providing the best product, service and enjoyable experience for our customers, please take the time to let Lawntech Christmas Decor give you a free estimate for lighting today, call our office staff @ 972-346-2696 for available times in your area.

Attack of the Killer Armyworms

"Armyworms are actually the caterpillar life stage of a moth. Their eggs masses which may contain several hundred new worms are deposited on or near plant foods. Each female may deposit several of these clusters. The caterpillar that hatches from the egg is only about one-eighth inch long, but when it is full grown, it reaches a length of about two inches. The caterpillars, usually feed at night and hide in plant litter just above the soil surface during the day. These moth larvae chew off the grass blades above the soil surface. If there is a major infestation, the grass is eaten to the soil level.
A frost may kill the larvae off, however inspection of areas where armyworms are likely to be found is advisable so that treatment can be applied before serious plant damage occurs and the larvae mature. Although the moths do no damage to plants, they will continue their life cycle and produce thousands of new worms."
Many do it yourself labels advocate only one application without much need for additional treatments, however the best course of action is to allow a trained technician or licensed applicator apply the appropriate chemical, to rid your yard of this seasonal pest, call Lawntech today. If you choose to try and fix the problem yourself and if the infestation is out of control (five or more per square yard) and chemical control becomes necessary, recommended insecticides containing chlorpyrifos, diazinon, Orthene, or Sevin should be applied. Please call Lawntech today @ 972-346-2696 for worry free applications done right.

Reference Cited: http://www.thegardenhelper.com/armyworm.html

How Season Changes Affect Turfgrass Management

In North Texas our regional climate change is significantly less than other regions, however, our climate does affect how our turf grasses grow. Turf grass management becomes more in depth as the year progresses, leaving some landscapers scratching their heads. Cooler temperatures usually mean slower top growth and more plant root stimulation. Plants begin to store nutrients for the long dormant period to come. In our region turf grasses slowly go into dormancy caused by a slower than normal cooling period. When it comes to dormancy and temperature, pre-emergent application dates become critical, what time period to apply fall pre-emergent is a matter of debate. Pre-emergent typically are applied after Sept 15th, Consequently, temperature and rate of rain fall play a role as to when to apply fall pre-emergent. Some pre-emergent are post activity pre-emergent, which means they have a longer than average residual, with the ability to kill weed seeds after they have germinated, while other pre-emergent such as pendimethalin must develop a weed barrier over time to prevent weeds seeds from ever germinating in the first place. Nevertheless, a good rule of thumb is to apply pre-emergent after Sept. 15th in this region. Controlling spring weeds is first and foremost the job of a fall pre-emergent, however, some do control winter weeds as they germinate in the fall.

Pictures of Common Weeds in our Region

The following are just a few of the most common weeds controlled with broadleaf herbicide this time of year. A good rule of thumb for herbicide application would be broadleafs in the cooler months, grassy in the warm months, however, most broadleafs respond to chemical application no matter the time of year, they are easier to kill, have more leaf blade surface for the chemical to adhere to and less of a fibrous root system.

Henbit



Dandelion



Thistle



Plantain



Common Weeds Not Treated Until Warm Temperatures Rise Consistently, which unfortunately is most if not all grassy weeds, consistent 90-degree temperatures or hotter is best for chemical application performance. Sedge grasses are the most difficult to control because of their narrow blade surface, lateral root system and persistent nature

Dallisgrass



Crabgrass



Nutsedge

Insecticide for Grub Control

White grubs eat organic matter including the roots of plants. Therefore, damage first appears to be drought stress. Heavily infested turf appears off color, gray-green, and wilts rapidly in the hot sun. Continued feeding will cause the turf to die in large irregular patches. The tunneling of the larvae cause the turf to feel spongy under foot and the turf can often be rolled back like a loose carpet. Once the damage is done, its hard to regain any new turf without sodding or seeding. The best alternative to damage is preventative grub insecticide, however, topical insecticide can be applied once grubs have reached mature stages to kill on contact, preventing any further damage from occurring. Often grubs are found in soft soils or healthy lawns near and around street lamps or outdoor lighting. If you would like to find out how you can prevent grubs from ruining your lawn, call Lawntech or visit our website.

Need a Beautiful New Lawn?

For over 10 years Lawntech has offered our customers an affordable alternative to sod, Hydromulch a process by which wood fiber mulch consisting of seed, fertilizer, additives and water are added to a mixer and sprayed on to prepared areas to create a beautiful lawn. Over the last decade, hydromulch has become more reliable with industry created additives to insure higher germination rates and increased overall satisfaction. Lawntech has proven itself in the Hydromulch community by providing quality service, guaranteed results and professionalism. We also offer our customers turn key soil preparation as well, Please call Lawntech if you have any questions about our services @ 972-346-2696

For more information copy/paste the following link:

http://www.answers.com/topic/hydroseeding

Do I water now, or wait till it gets hot?

Believe it or not, watering should be done year round in order to maintain proper health and weed control, although dormant turf grasses need water to survive, annual spring rainfall usually handles watering issues this time of year unless drought conditions exist. Check out the link for water guidelines located on this page.

Early weeds are starting to pop up.

You may have noticed early signs of weeds cropping up in your turf. This is normal as the temperature starts to try and rise. The stark contrast of your grass remaining dormant and the bright green of the weeds may bother you, however, most winter weeds will fizzle out as the temp climbs.
The most prevalent weed in our region this time of year is a weed called Henbit. Henbit is a annual winter germinating weed that flowers early in the spring, a member of the mint family with a square stem and branched near the ground. Tiny tubular bluish pink or white flowers poking above the leaves, this troublesome weed can get out of hand quickly. Mowing early can help control most weeds, yet henbit with it's square stem prevents the weed from falling over and dying, giving the appearance that the weed is still alive even though the weed has been treated properly.
There is good news for weed application this time of year however, Henbit dies very easily with broad leaf herbicide. The weed may stay vertical and appear to be alive, all the while the chemical has effectively killed it. Mowing will help finish off this colorful pest and as the temperature rises henbit will disappear. Mowing early in the season can help rid your yard of winter weeds faster than not mowing, adding another defense to late winter/early spring weed removal.
Most commercial chemicals work best when the temperature is higher, the combination of heat and chemical to the leaf blade causes a dual action process leaving the weed parched and burnt. During the winter months this effect is minimized, leaving the applicator with less chance of effectively killing weeds. Controlling weeds is always a big concern, and as the year progresses we will be able to address weeds more effectively. Our main focus within our early spring treatment is to apply a spring pre-emergent, stopping spring and summer weeds from ever germinating in the first place.

Start the Season Off Sharply

Grass will be coming out of dormancy soon, spring is around the corner, this means you or someone you hire will have to start mowing again. Mowing your yard can be rewarding, the results, a beautiful manicured lawn, however for the expert, mowing can make or break an ornamental lawn. Mowing height, regular mowing and blade maintenance is all part of correct mowing habits. The most crucial is blade maintenance or sharpness. Mowing with poorly maintained blades rips thru the leaf blade making the grass appear dead or dying, causing the lawn to stress. Also, your equipment is not functioning as intended, shortening mower life, causing costly repairs later and can be dangerous. With properly maintained blades your yard is cut uniformly and with precision, resulting in a healthier, disease free leaf blade. Mowing height is critical depending on time of year, for example; Spring mowing should result in a lower cut causing the yard to green up, summer and fall the yard should be left taller to prevent over exposure to heavy sunlight. Mowing height is often debated among landscape professionals and is often left to debate, however, a good rule of thumb is to set mower height 1 to 2 inches cutting depth each time you mow, this usually results in proper mowing height anytime of the year.

For more information on blade maintenance, click on the following link:

">http://www.weekendgardener.net/lawn-mowers/sharpen-lawnmower-blade-70607.htm">

What is an aeration and why is it beneficial?

Many ornamental turf grasses are found in areas of high traffic, in and around houses where children play, golf coarses and public parks. Constant traffic can cause soil to become compacted, leaving little room for the absorbtion of much needed nutrients. Aeration is a process by which a machine is driven over the target area extracting core plugs of soil, depositing them on the lawns surface, in turn the root zone is exposed allowing nutrients, i.e., water, fertilizer and air to rapidly penetrate the root zone, resulting in a healthier lawn.

The most frequently asked questions in regards to aeration are; When is the best time for aeration? and What about my sprinkler heads?

When is the best time for aeration? An aeration can be performed any time of the year with benefits, taking into account how frozen the ground is. Spring and Fall offer the best conditions to reap benefits from aeration, high traffic areas such as golf coarses perform aerations monthly to prevent soil compaction.

What about my sprinkler heads? Marking your sprinkler heads is vital to preventing damage and for that matter, marking anything in your yard that could be damaged by the aerator is crucial. Buying marker flags from your local hardware store is a simple way to mark your yard before aeration.

Please call Lawntech to schedule an aeration on your yard today!!!


For more information click on the link below:

http://www.1800lawncare.com/topics/lawncare101_aeration.htm

LawnTech wishes you a Happy New Year

Lawn Tech wants to wish everyone a Happy New Year, as we face another year of lawncare, our focus needs to be on creating an ornamental lawn our customers can be proud of, with proper, timed chemical applications and proper homeowner maintenance, i.e., proper mowing, watering and weeding, creating a beautiful lawn is a snap! We appreciate your business this year and we look forward to a great 2009.

Lawntech and Christmas Decor'

Don't forget Lawntech/Christmas Decor' is an excellent way to brighten your holiday by letting us hang your christmas lights. Call 972-346-2696 today for a free estimate. Have a happy holiday season.