Mulching Newly Planted Trees and Shrubs

When a tree or shrub is planted in a new region, use an organic mulch around the trunk or base of the plant.  

Mulching Provides Four Advantages:

• Conserves moisture at the root zone of the plants.
• Greatly reduces weeds or unwanted plants from growing around the base.
• Protects the trunk from mechanical damage from lawn movers and weed trimmers.
• Enhances the visual appeal of your landscape.

Important Information about Mulching:

• Mulch should be 4 inches deep.
• Mulch should be kept 4 to 6 inches from trunk/base.
• Wood mulch is available in a variety of types, sizes and colors.
• Avoid covering the soil above the roots with rocks or stone.
• Never use plastic as a weed barrier.  Landscape fabrics are available if needed.
   

Here are some tips to get your lawn off to a good start!

• Water immediately.  Thoroughly soak the sodded area and the soil below.
• Water daily about an hour or two depending on the temperature.  The hotter and sunnier it is, the longer you should water.
• Water at the hottest point of the day if possible.  Just like yourself, your sod needs a cool drink when it is hot.
• Remember that the edges of the sod tend to dry out first, along cement drives and walks especially.  These areas should receive special attention, "A little more water."
• Check for rooting on a full piece of sod.  Gently pull.  If the sod does not lift, it is rooted.  If the sod does lift, it is not rooted.  This should take one to two weeks before checking.  Use different pieces of sod each time.

Mowing

Your first mowing should be done as soon as the sod roots.  Let the sod dry-Don't water it for a day or two.  Make sure that your lawn mover blade is sharp to avoid tearing the grass. Put your mower at the highest setting.  If clippings matted on lawn after mowing, rake them up.  Water for two days, let dry and mow at a normal height of 3" to 3 1/2".

Fertilizer

Apply a starter fertilizer at this time.  Do NOT spray with a liquid fertilizer. You can start a normal fertilizing program three to four weeks after applying the starter fertilizer.

Reminder

Remember that on new sod the roots are shallow and that frequent watering is necessary to maintain a good-looking healthy lawn.

Shade gardens can be as colorful as any sunny garden.  Some plants thrive in the shad4 and can provide a beautiful display of color.  Shade-loving plants usually require more moisture than their sun-loving counterparts.  

Here are some shade-loving plants that provide bright flowers for extended periods of time

• Begonias
• Tuberous Begonias - red, orange, yellow, pink or white flowers
• Fiberous Begonias - green or bronze foliage with red, pink or white flowers
• Rex Begonias - bright colored leaves with silvery overtones
• Fuchsias are colorful, two-toned flowers that cascade from hanging baskets or window boxes, but dislike wind and heat.
• Impatiens
• Bedding impatiens come in purple, lavender, rose, pink, red, orange and white
• Double-flowered impatiens resemble full-blown roses
• New Guinea impatiens feature a nice color selection with the added bonus of striking foliage patterns
• Mini-flowered impatiens are short with small blossoms
• Coleus the queen of shade garden foliage is available in many colorful and unique leaf patterns.
• Houseplants can be placed in your shade garden during the summer months in Michigan.  

TIP: Planting one or two colors in more pleasing and restful to the eye.  Multicolor gardens are more interesting but more difficult for the human eye to focus on.
 

Our Five Step Plan to Revitalize Your Lawn

"We Guarantee Results"

Site Analysis: We will come to your property and analyze your lawn needs.

Aeration: We aerate your lawn - To increase air, water and nutrient movement to the root zone * To help relieve soil compaction * To stimulate new growth * To improve drainage * To provide a better environment for new seed growth * to incorporate organic matter into the soil.  All this adds up to a healthier lawn!

Seed Blending: The advantage to our custom seed blending is that we can pick the particular type or types of grass plants for each individual job.  Many jobs require two different blends of seeds due to shade and sunny areas.

Slit Seeding: We run our specially designed seeder over your lawn.  This machine meters the seed directly to the ground.  The advantage is perfect soil to seed contact, which results in the best germination rate possible.

Fertilization: We put down our specially blended starter fertilizer, which is high in potassium and phosphorus.  This gets everything off to a good healthy start.