Tips for Getting Newly Delivered Trees & Shrub Healthy

tips for healthy trees and shrubs in cedar rapids
 

The extreme weather events of 2020 decimated and changed our environment. It has been estimated that 80% of the tree cover in Cedar Rapids is gone. Each year, that number goes up. Heavily damaged trees that have held on may not come out of the winter – increasing the number of mature trees lost due to the Derecho. On top of that, the damage from Emerald Ash
Borers continues to increase in severity, leading our municipalities on a project to eliminate all ash trees from right-of-way areas.

This has led to an explosion of tree planting in Cedar Rapids! While we love turf grass and helping you care for it, we understand and appreciate the value, beauty and environmental benefits that come from trees. UltraLawn offers a variety of services to help restore your landscape and maintain Cedar Rapids’ status as one of America’s best cities for trees.

Tips for Planting a Newly Delivered Tree

Planting a new tree is just the beginning. Any time a living plant is moved to a new location, it creates a stressful situation for that living organism. In order to package and transport a new tree, it must be dug from the soil in a process that removes root material. Roots are the life vessels for all plants, and there is a period of “shock” that we must help the plant endure. In addition to regular watering, supplemental fertilization will also help a great deal in restoring lost root material. When new grass is planted, we recommend watering until the plant develops a root structure that allows it to retrieve its own nourishment. Fertilization enhances the roots and helps the plant mature more rapidly.

Tips for Planting a Newly Delivered Shrub or Bush

The same thought applies to shrubs, but with a slower timeline. Once shrub or bush roots start to take hold, it is extremely beneficial to start deep-root fertilizations in the spring and fall. How can we tell if a shrub has started to take root? Simply look at the leaves! If they are green and full, that means the roots are effectively moving water and nutrients throughout the plant. If
you planted a bush in the fall, monitor the buds the following spring. If they emerge and enlarge, then you’re in good shape. Knowing this, we can get some nutrients in the soil to help replenish what was cut off in the transplant process.

In plants, the roots and shoots (all above ground growth) have a symbiotic relationship with the leaves. A healthy root system is able to absorb more water and nutrients, which are sent up to the plant to create more stems and leaves. With more leaves, the plant is able to manufacture more carbohydrates. Those starches are sent to the roots to create root tissue. Think of it as an engine, and fertilization is the fuel.

If you have new trees and are wondering how we can help give them a boost, please contact us for more information and a free quote!

When is it Time to Hire a Lawn Care Professional?

hire a lawn care professional

Since establishing our business in 1985 and helping thousands of customers across the corridor, we’ve encountered a variety of reasons why people have trusted us with their lawn care. No matter the reasons, everyone has their own motivation, or breaking point, for letting professionals help. We’ll talk about the most common discussions we encounter when chatting with new customers.

“I Just Don’t Have Time to Worry About It!”

In a 2007 survey, 30% of American homeowners hired an outside firm to help care for their lawn and landscape. In 2017, that number had grown to 40% percent. More recent surveys would likely reflect an even larger percentage hiring lawn care companies. There are many factors leading to this; working more hours and more time spent commuting to and from work leaves less time during the week to work on the lawn and landscape. After a long day of work, it’s understandable that trying to get everything mowed before sunset is less of a priority. With less time during the week, that leaves the weekend for tackling the list of tasks. Sounds great! Well, maybe NOT so great. It’s going to be rainy all weekend? The kids have baseball and soccer games two hours away? We all work very hard to do things that we enjoy, and the purpose of a weekend is for relaxing and doing fun things. You can see where I’m going with this; our time is valuable, and taking care of a home (inside and outside) is time consuming. Our job is lawn care. We do during business hours what our customers cannot. If Mother Nature interferes with our day, we can adjust and complete things as soon as weather allows. Many homeowners don’t have that flexibility. There’s a limited time to do things, and bad luck can ruin the best of intentions.

“Am I Even Doing This Right?”

Turf management requires a great deal of technical knowledge and experience, like other skilled trades and professions. Many people don’t feel comfortable taking care of their lawn or don’t trust their own level of knowledge. A lot can go wrong if products are used incorrectly. Having been in business since 1985, the staff at UltraLawn has amassed an impressive resume of education and experience. This experience and knowledge has been used to come up with the best blend of fertilizers and weed control. We also have developed programs for controlling insects and disease on landscape plants and ornamental trees, mosquito control, preventing various insects from entering the home, and controlling vegetation in areas that aren’t mowed.

The products that we use are not the same as what can be bought at the “big box stores”. Raw materials used to create fertilizers vary greatly. Naturally, a better raw material demands a higher cost, and those products are usually used by professionals. Because of recent issues with manufacturing and suppliers, it’s becoming more difficult for homeowners and smaller lawn care companies to obtain high-level products. As one of the largest lawn care providers serving the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area, we have developed relationships with vendors that have put us in a favorable position to make sure that we have the right ingredients to help your lawn.

One obstacle that may make a person hesitant is the cost; the equipment and products needed for DIY lawn care are fairly expensive. Unfortunately, those costs don’t appear to be coming down any time soon. By hiring UltraLawn to feed your lawn what it needs and to eliminate weeds, there’s no need to keep bulky equipment in the garage that may only be used for a few hours every year. You won’t have the hassle of keeping pesticides or fertilizers, let us worry about keeping that product safe and sound. Products and labor aren’t the only thing you’re buying when you are an UltraLawn customer. You’re buying over 250 years of experience taking care of turf in Iowa. That type of expertise isn’t easily found under one roof.

The turf industry is constantly changing, with new and improved products being released regularly. We are always looking for any way to improve results, and utilizing better science is an easy choice to make. As stewards of the land, we take very seriously our responsibility to care for the environment in a way that provides results for our customers and is kind to the ecosystem.

“The Work Has Become Too Difficult”

Lawn care is hard work. Mowing, mulching, raking, watering, pruning…not to mention an extremely rare hurricane-force weather event that turned everyone’s lives upside-down! As time marches on, we all slow down just a bit, and there is no shame in enlisting the help of others. “Many hands make light work”. We understand that some of our customers have taken meticulous care of their home for decades. The least we can do is approach their property with respect, care, and a keen eye for detail that leaves them satisfied and proud. We’re well-equipped and trained to do the job right!

No matter what reason someone has for calling in the lawn care calvary, the dedicated staff at UltraLawn is here to provide help in any way possible. And if you’re not completely sure about it, our estimates are free!

Tips for Seeding Lawns in Eastern Iowa

Seeding grass growing with UltraLawn

If you’ve been waiting to seed those thin or bare patches in your lawn, we suggest timing it between August and September to get optimal results for homeowners in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Once the seed is down, it’s important to begin daily watering immediately. At least twice per day is a must in order to keep the surface soil moist. Depending on the heat, additional shots of water may be needed. If the seed has been properly irrigated, you should see germination (sprouting) within a couple weeks. Once the germination process has completed (around four weeks) you can begin to reduce your watering routine to two to three times per week – an application of 1.5” of water at a time is typically sufficient. Seeded areas will need to be watered and fertilized throughout the growing season to allow it to thicken. These first year seedlings will not take drought well and will require your attention to survive the remaining hot summer months.

Once seedlings reach around 3.5” tall, you can include those areas as you mow the lawn. Make sure to leave 2.5” to 3” of the blade remaining – mowing too short will stress this new grass which can allow weed infiltration. Remember, these areas of your lawn can’t receive weed control treatments at this time and you should expect some weeds to show up as the new grass matures.

Avoid heavy foot traffic on these new patches until they’ve been mowed four to fives times. It may take up to a couple full years until these seeded areas reach the full thickness and health of your existing lawn. The speed of recovery ultimately comes down to water access so keep this rhyme in mind – keep it wet to avoid regret!

Remember that Ultralawn is here to help. If you’d like us to assist you in seeding your lawn, give us a call or contact us online for a quote. Every invoice comes with tips and comments related to our visit. See why homeowners in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City know that the grass is always greener (and fuller) on the UltraLawn side of the fence!

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