A Little Lesson in Aerating & Overseeding

So, many of us know that the Fall is the perfect time to aerate and overseed Fescue lawns, but not many of us know why.


Basically, all cool season grass should be overseeded each Fall to keep it thick and lush. Unlike warm season grass, Fescue, Rye and Bluegrass don’t spread. Seeding it each Fall ensures that your shade grass stays nice and thick.


THE OVERSEEDING PROCESS


Water heavily a day or two before we come out, in the absence of rainfall. This will allow the aeration machine to work more smoothly.


After we have aerated and overseeded we can work together to accomplish the following:


WATER - Please keep your newly-seeded areas moist for 3 weeks. Water lightly (5-10 minutes) at least once per day, up to 3 times per day. If it’s windy and/or still warm, it will dry out more quickly. If the seed dries out, it will not germinate. If newly-germinated seedlings don’t get water, they will die quickly. After we mow for the first time, you may return to a normal watering schedule.


GERMINATION - Seed should begin to germinate in about 7-10 days. All of the seed will not germinate at once. Maximum germination will not occur until mid-February of next year.


KEEP LEAVES OFF – Fescue must have sunlight to do well next year. When the leaves are off the trees in the winter, fescue is busy using sunlight to build carbohydrate reserves (by photosynthesis) to get through the hot summer coming up. We will need to keep leaves off of the seeded areas, before germination and after. A blower is best for this until the seed is up and it’s been mowed. Please do not use a rake on the seed or new seedlings.


KEEP TRAFFIC OFF – Please keep heavy traffic off your newly seeded areas. If dogs or children are present, you may want to rope off the area until it is established.


MOWING – When your new grass is about 2-2 ½” tall, it’s okay to mow, but we will forego scheduled mowing until proper growth is shown.


If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to call us or email us at info@teamturflandscapes.com.

Remember -- now is the time to get on the schedule!

Yard Makeover: Day 3

And we so continue with our yard makeover project of the week.  On Day 3 Team Turf installed sod in the front yard, continued to pull out unwanted shrubs and dangling limbs, and finished the day by adding fresh pinestraw, and cleaning up the mess we made in the progress!


So here is the original before photo . . .

And here is the newly landscaped front yard . . .

Wow!  What a difference a landscape can make!  Not only will the homeowners now be able to add new plantings in the pine areas down the road, but their home is no longer hidden behind overgrown junipers.  And curb appeal?  They've definitely got it now.  Take a look --

On Day 4 the backyard gets its makeover, so make sure you check back to see the final results!

Yard Makeover: Day 2

We've been so busy with this week's yard makeover that I just realized I forgot to update you all on the progress we made yesterday.

If you remember, we were removing an outdated railroad tie retaining wall (that was actually hidden beneath a mound of junipers -- yikes)!  and replacing it with very natural-looking stacked stone, installing new sod, and in general, just tidying up the aesthetics of the yard.

So here's what we started with on Monday . . .

And this is what the front yard looked like at the end of the day yesterday . . . 

The junipers were completely pulled out and disposed of, as was the hidden retaining wall underneath.  Grading was done to accommodate the new retaining walls, and we also pruned existing bushes that will remain in the new landscape.

We're so excited to have you all follow along on this yard makeover, and I hope that you'll see how easy it is to give your landscape an entirely new look!  What I especially love about the changes taking place at this property is that in the end you'll really be able to see the house -- it won't be hidden behind a mound of plants and foundation bushes.

Also, this is a good example of how you don't have to do everything at once.  The beauty of re-landscaping is that you can bite off chunks at a time.  The Roaches are doing a major overhaul with the new retaining walls and sod, but they will also be waiting until the fall to install fresh plantings that will complement their new landscape.

So, that was day two, and currently day three is underway.  The sod is being installed, and even more clean-up is taking place.  Stay tuned . . . 

What Team Turf Is Up to This Week

So, we're trying to get better about showing you all exactly what we spend our time doing other than making rounds at our regular maintenance accounts.  Our install crews have been extremely busy this summer enhancing the outdoor living spaces of several of our existing clients, as well as new clients that sought us out for specific projects.


This week we're at the home of Al and Betsy Roach where we're planning an extreme yard makeover.  The homeowners have gone through multiple yard environments over the years as they slowly lost three very large oak trees that were original to the property when the home was built.  The loss of the trees dramatically changed the landscape until they were left with a mass of junipers, a failing railroad tie retaining wall beneath the junipers, and no real focal point in the yard.


Once the project is complete, the junipers will no longer be present, nor will the rotten and outdated railroad ties.  Instead the front yard will boast a stacked stone retaining wall, completely new sod, and several areas for new plantings.


Take a look at what the front yard looked like before we began this morning:

We're very excited to be a part of this yard transformation, and we hope you'll check back to see the finished result.  What you'll find is that a good clean-up, the addition of a more modern hardscape created from resilient materials can really pack a punch!

Spruce Up Your Yard Without Breaking the Bank

So many times I hear, "We'd love to make our yard look better, but it's just not in the budget this year."  I imagine for some folks updating their landscape is never really in the budget, just like when you hear someone say that they're not financially ready to have children.  Those of us with kids know that you're never really ready financially!  And granted, a complete yard overhaul can get costly, but there are some simple ways to improve outdoor living areas that aren't so hard on your wallet.

One of the easiest ways to achieve a quick yard makeover is to do a clean-up.  Many properties that we see have tons of bedded areas, and gathering and removing branches and pine cones, raking out dead leaves, and freshening the straw or mulch in those areas packs an immediate punch.  We also suggest removing aged, overgrown shrubs.  Less is definitely more in this instance -- bare and clean is much crisper and pleasing to the eye than overgrown and wild.  This is supposed to be your yard after all, not a jungle!

And, of course, mowing, edging, and simple, regular maintenance will help your yard look tended and loved. Adding some color in flower beds or bright colored pots will also distract the eye from other the other stuff and take care of bumping up your curb appeal at the same time.

So those are just a few of the simple ways to vamp up your landscape a bit, but if you've got bigger plans in mind, then we'd love to talk about those, too.  Retaining walls, paver patios, outdoor fireplaces . . . these are a few of our favorite things!  Whatever your plans for your yard this season, Team Turf is happy to help you make those a reality.

March Is the Time To . . .

• Prune hollies, boxwoods, gardenias, spireas, abelias, butterfly bushes, evergreen shrubs, and most summer-blooming shrubs.  
  
• Cut back and fertilize roses (although you can do this as early as Valentine's Day).  Cut hybrid teas back to 18" tall, remove dead canes, and canes that rub. Knockout roses can be pruned back to half their size if necessary. Climbers should be pruned after first flush of blooms.
  
• Fertilize shrubs, trees, and Fescue lawns.
  
• Fertilize blueberries with Cotton Seed Meal.
  
• Get those vegetable seeds started so you can set them out in mid to late April.
  
• Cut back ornamental grasses to 6-10 inches tall.  If they were laying over on you last year, it may be time to divide them as most grasses will need dividing every 4-6 years.
  
• Clean any debris from fountains and ponds, check hoses for cracks, scrub clean with a mild solution of bleach.

Want some help?  Give us a call because we'd love the chance to help get your yard ready for Spring!

It's Time to Prune

This is the time of year that you will look outside and see our crews pruning and cutting back the perennials in your yard.  So don't get upset when you come home and things look tidier, and perhaps a bit smaller -- we're doing what needs to be done to get your yard ready for spring. 

Here is a quick overview of why we do what we do:

Why prune?   

• Reduce plant size,
• Reshape plant
• Remove dead, damaged, diseased wood
• Encourage new growth and more bloom

When?

• If it blooms in spring, prune soon after it finishes blooming - these plants bloom on last year's growth. 
• If it blooms in summer or fall, prune in late winter to early spring - these plants bloom on current year growth.
• Dead and diseased wood can be removed anytime.

How?             

• Use sharp tools, with the cutting edge toward the part that stays on the plant.
• Cut about ¼" above an upward- or outward-facing bud, at a 45˚ angle,

OR

• cut back to a main branch or trunk, not flush, but just to the slightly raised branch collar.

Pruning the plants in your yard is just one more thing that Team Turf does to keep your yard looking its very best.  If you have any questions about specific plant pruning, please feel free to give us a call.