There are steps you can take to protect your trees and the roots below from damage during construction on your property, however, plans aren’t always followed and mistakes are made. So what do you do to provide care to your damaged trees?

If your tree has experienced damage to its exterior, the first place to start is with the bark. Any tree bark that has been damaged should be shaved away to encourage healing. Lawn care experts recommend using a sharp knife to trim around the wounded area in a rounded motion, not cutting any deeper than is necessary to avoid cutting into healthy bark. Removing the damaged bark will promote moisture and nutrients into and around the bruised area. Just like a wound on human flesh, the tree will have a scar, but if the bark is properly cared for, the tree should heal around the wound.

If a large section of the tree has been damaged, for instance more than half of the tree’s circumference, you may want to consult your local Cincinnati lawn care company to save it from dying. Trees will not immediately exhibit symptoms of damage, but without proper nutrients and moisture getting to all the parts of the tree, branches will become brittle and break off, leaves will fade and eventually the tree will stop growing at all. Your tree company can stop the dying process of the tree through intensive Cincinnati lawn care that involves corrective pruning, fertilization and curative irrigation.

If your tree has become damaged during the construction process, call your local Cincinnati lawn care company as soon as possible to save this vital feature of your landscape.

When the leaves on the trees start to fall, each year you are faced with a tough decision: to bag, or not to bag, that is the question.

Raking and bagging leaves is a tedious lawn care chore. It means spending countless hours outside, hoping and praying a gust of wind doesn’t come along and undo all your hard work. However, despite your disdain for this lawn care have-to, you know that leaving the leaves on the lawn isn’t an option. Or is it?

Many homeowners believe in the power of mulching. It is a common misunderstanding that using a lawn mower to mulch leaves is bad for your turf or landscape. Quite the contrary, actually. But mulching the leaves and cutting them up into teeny tiny little bits, you will create a buffet of nutrients and organic matter on which your lawn or landscape can feed and thrive.

In addition to the nutritional benefit and the fact that mulching leaves with a lawn mower requires less time and effort, there is also the environmental benefit. Unless you use the brown leaf bags provided by Lowe’s or The Home Depot, you’re probably filling plastic bags and hoping the garbage men don’t get too nosy when loading your trash into the compactor. These plastic bags will end up in landfills, taking up even more room and putting a material (plastic) into the ground that will never decompose.

So the next time your lawn is covered with leaves, rev up the mower and get those leaves mulched!

So you’ve finally decided this is the season you will add an outdoor living space that will give you a place to escape to and take in the sounds, smells and sights of your gorgeous landscape, as well as provide a comfortable and convenient area to entertain great friends and family. Lawn care experts suggest adding a hexagonal gazebo might just be the perfect avenue to that destination!

Hexagonal gazebos are traditional in appearance, but add a style and sophistication to your landscape. And although you may choose a design and materials that exude luxury, Cincinnati lawn care specialists say hexagonal gazebos are quite affordable. Furthermore, your property value will increase with this beautiful addition!

Hexagonal gazebos do not have to be one-size-fits-all in style. Lawn care professionals say there are several different options, including whether or not to add benches inside the gazebo and different types of railings. When it comes to topping your hexagonal gazebo, you can choose from a canopy top, an ornamental cupola or more traditional roofing shingles, perhaps to match the roof of your home.

Hexagonal gazebos typically come in 8 foot and 10 foot sizes. Lawn care pros suggest a great way to accentuate your landscape gazebo is by adding garden lights and seasonal plantings around the gazebo itself. The plants and flowers will give you something beautiful to gaze upon as you relax the day away in your landscape and the garden lights will allow you to enjoy this outdoor living space even on cool, summer nights.

Contact your local Cincinnati lawn care company today to find out more about adding a hexagonal gazebo to your landscape this season!

There are several different varieties of mulch to choose from, but many homeowners and commercial property owners seem to prefer cedar mulch. Cedar mulch offers the landscape a hint of rich color, and of course there is the aromatic cedar smell that adds an extra incentive. Cedar mulch also offers landscape beds superior protection against soil erosion and compaction, weed growth and protects the roots of your plants from the hot sun. If you think cedar mulch is only useful when the weather is warm, you’ll be happy to know that mulch also protects the roots from freezing during spells of cold weather. So now that you know all the benefits of cedar mulch, you may wonder how you can make your own.

In order to make your own cedar mulch, according to Cincinnati lawn care experts, you will need cured cedar wood in the form of a stump or logs, a chainsaw, a hatchet and a hammer. Using the chainsaw, cut the cedar stump or the logs into two-inch sections, stacking the pieces atop one another. Once you have a complete stack, use the chainsaw to cut vertically down the stack again in one- to two-inch sections. Gather the stack back together and proceed to perform another vertical cut, this time forming a crosshatch pattern. All of the resulting wood shavings and pieces will serve as part of your mulch.

You will still have some smaller pieces that need to be broken up into tinier pieces. Use your hammer and hatchet to bust them up in whatever sizes you prefer. Place all the wood in a large container and add an amount of water that is proportionate to the wood chips. Lawn care professionals say for this project, a gallon of water is usually plenty. Make sure all the wood chips have been dampened by the water and let sit for three days. Drain the water from the container and let the cedar mulch dry in the sun for a day, turning it occasionally to make sure the undersides of the wood chips have a chance to dry out as well. Once all the pieces have dried, you have your very own source of cedar mulch to adorn your Cincinnati lawn!

Making your own cedar mulch may be a fun activity, but perhaps you’re looking for a more professional approach. Call your local Cincinnati lawn care company and ask about their mulching services.

Ever wonder what to do with those scraps of food that shouldn’t go down the disposal, but create a terrible smell if left in the garbage for more than a day? Or perhaps you’re looking to enhance the growth of your landscape plants in a more natural and cost-effective manner? Lawn care experts recommend using your kitchen waste to make your own all-organic mulch.

The first step in this journey toward a more eco-friendly way to fertilize your Cincinnati lawn and landscape is by choosing the right type of composter. Many Cincinnati lawn care experts recommend using worm bins. Filling the bin with live worms, your kitchen waste will be broken down by the worms and voila! You have a nutrient-rich fertilizer for your Cincinnati lawn and landscape! Using a worm bin is also beneficial because you can keep it inside your home if you wish for easy access. The only rule when it comes to worm bins is to not leave it in direct sunlight.

If you’re not sure how to use a worm bin or where to get the materials (or the worms), check with your community’s Department of Water and Power; they may offer worm bins as well as instructions on how to use them.

So what can you throw in the worm bin? The ingredients that make up worm bin mulch can range from fruit and vegetable rinds and pieces to most Cincinnati lawn and landscape debris, according to Cincinnati lawn care experts. So instead of throwing your kitchen scraps in the trash, or even to the dog, think about creating your own personal brand of all-organic mulch.

If making your own mulch is too much of a hassle but you still want to bring a more organic approach to fertilizing your Cincinnati lawn or landscape, call your local Cincinnati lawn care company and ask about their organic fertilization program.

All grass types are susceptible to diseases and weeds, however, there are ways to prevent, deter and combat these issues through proper Cincinnati lawn care techniques. But even with the absolute best care, you cannot guarantee that disease or insects will never be a problem with your St. Augustine Cincinnati lawn.

St. Augustine grass is a sturdy type of turf and is able to assert itself over weeds as long as it is healthy and is receiving adequate care. If St. Augustine grass is left to fend for itself, it may become weak, at which time opportunistic weeds will stop popping up throughout your landscape. This is especially true if the Cincinnati lawn is already infested with insects or has been infected with a disease. St. Augustine turf is usually found to have broadleaf and grassy weeds, however, chickweed, clover and henbit have also been found by Cincinnati lawn care specialists to be a menace to this type of grass. These weeds respond best to hormone-type herbicides that are applied in the early spring. Other weeds such as fescue, crabgrass or annual bluegrass require a different type of treatment that includes precise applications of pre-emergent herbicides.

In addition to fighting off weeds, St. Augustine grass is also susceptible to a number of turfgrass diseases including Helminthosporium, brown patch, SAD, Pythium, gray leaf spot, rust, downy mildew and more. Most of these diseases are caused by the presence of fungi and can be easily controlled by a knowledgeable Cincinnati lawn care company. SAD is a virus disease for which there is no chemical solution, which means only defiant types of St. Augustine grass are resistant to the disease.

Brown patch and gray leaf spot are the most severe diseases caused by fungi infecting St. Augustine turfs. Although these diseases seldom destroy St. Augustine, they weaken and thin the grass to the degree that the Cincinnati lawn is extremely unattractive. Precautionary treatments of fungicides are most effective against these diseases.

To keep your St. Augustine Cincinnati lawn primped and pristine, call your local Cincinnati lawn care provider and ask about their weed and disease control programs.

Unless you have a sprinkler system that automatically goes into the ground after it has completed its watering chores, you may be familiar with the damage that can occur to your irrigation system when performing such lawn care services such as mowing. Thanks to the ingeniousness of Leo D. Gauthier III, there is now an easy way to minimize or completely eliminate the chance of damaging your sprinkler system with the invention of the Sprinkler Buddy.

The Sprinkler Buddy was designed to help homeowners and possibly lawn care technicians be more aware of the presence of sprinkler heads by indicating their presence on the lawn. According to Gauthier, the Sprinkler Buddy promises to be able to fit any model of sprinkler head by measuring, cutting, inserting and installing the Sprinkler Buddy over the irrigation parts.

The Sprinkler Buddy gives homeowners and lawn care technicians a clear warning so anyone who performing any type of lawn maintenance will be well-aware of the product. Instead of ruining your lawn mower and your sprinkler system, possibly resulting in expensive damages, the Sprinkler Buddy provides a more cost-effective solution.

Gauthier says the Sprinkler Buddy can be installed by the homeowner, but if you want to make sure it is installed correctly, you can inquire to your lawn care company whether or not they use Sprinkler Buddy or if they can help you properly install it prior to their maintenance.

For more information, visit Gauthier’s website or contact your local lawn care professionals for more information on this innovative and helpful lawn care product!

Most homeowners know what services are necessary for good lawn care: proper mowing, aeration, overseeding, adequate hydration and fertilizer. Aeration is one of the most beneficial lawn care services, especially if you live in an area that experiences episodes of little to no rainfall. Aerating your lawn will allow the water from your irrigation system to reach the grass roots directly and be immediately absorbed. However, even though aeration ensures that your lawn and soil are manipulated, you should go one step further and also have your soil periodically tested by a lawn care professional.

A soil test is a fairly simple procedure and many lawn care companies offer the service for free in conjunction with their lawn care programs. The lawn care technician will take a small soil sample and have it sent to a lab. A qualified soil expert will examine the sample and look at the pH level (acidity); the presence or absence of such macronutrients as phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen; the presence or absence of such micronutrients as iron, calcium, zinc, boron, manganese, copper and other nutrients that deter weed growth and enhance the lawn’s resistance to insect and disease infestations; the soil type, which can help your lawn care technician create a preventative plan to reduce the incidence of compaction; and levels of decomposed plant material, also known as thatch.

Once the results are back, your lawn care specialists can consult with you on what the best plan of action is regarding your lawn care regimen. To schedule a soil analysis, call your local lawn care company today.

Are your best efforts to grow a picture-perfect Cincinnati lawn being literally trampled? Growing a Cincinnati lawn that is often traversed by kids and animals can seem like an uphill battle that is often lost; however, there are some Cincinnati lawn care tips that can make the process a little more successful.

The first step is choosing a resilient type of grass and making sure it is well maintained. Lawn care specialists recommend using tall fescue blended with perennial rye grass. Different parts of the country respond differently to various grass types, so it is important to contact your Cincinnati lawn care company and get an expert opinion on your specific location, but tall fescue tends to do well in most climates. Tall fescue also performs well under high-stress conditions such as constant traffic. Regardless of what type of seed you use, what is more important is aerating your Cincinnati lawn once a year (sometimes twice). Core aeration alleviates the compaction that occurs when people and animals are constantly walking over the Cincinnati lawn. An added benefit is that aeration also improves the color and density of your Cincinnati lawn.

Another way to combat the effects of high traffic is to regulate the traffic itself. Instead of allowing your dog to roam free in your yard, take him to a dog park where he can wear himself at the expense of someone else’s Cincinnati lawn. If you have both a front and back yard, have your kids switch their play areas every few weeks to give one area a chance to recover. Even better, send them off to the park as well!

If none of these options are ideal, Cincinnati lawn care professionals recommend artificial turf. It is more expensive than a regular Cincinnati lawn, but its resiliency is much, much higher than a natural Cincinnati lawn.

If you aren’t sure what to do to keep your Cincinnati lawn healthy, contact your local Cincinnati lawn care company and put it in the hands of the professionals!

You are really looking forward to sprucing up your lawn this year and have decided to add fertilizer into your lawn care regimen, but you might be wondering which is better: liquid or granular fertilizer?

The choice between liquid and dry fertilizers may depend on what lawn care goals you hope to achieve this season. If you have a persistent weed problem, then liquid fertilizer may be the way to go. Some fertilization treatments include pre- and post-emergent weed control elements and when they come in liquid form, they are absorbed more quickly, producing faster results. Lawn care specialists also suggest that liquid fertilization treatments are better for the environment because the fertilizer does not spread all over your landscape like granular treatments.

Liquid fertilizer has the benefit of taking less time to be effective. In order for granular fertilization to work properly, there must be adequate moisture. If you’re having a dry season, the results may not be as successful as with liquid fertilizer.

There are some lawn care experts who suggest using a combination of dry and liquid fertilizer for optimal results. When you begin to fertilize in the spring, the weather is typically wetter than in the late summer and early fall months. You can take advantage of this moisture and use granular fertilizer to jumpstart your lawn. The warmer months typically produce less rainfall, so liquid fertilizer is more ideal during this period, along with proper hydration.

For the best results, contact your local lawn care company and leave it up to the professionals. Employing a lawn care company often allows you to expect higher quality results.