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 lawns 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!

What does Salt Damage look like on my lawn?

'Tis the Season For Salt...

As we wrap up our winter and prepare for spring, our attention turns to green grass and blooming flowers. Spring signals the season of regrowth and rejuvenation, but it can also pose many issues and problems left over from the winter. One of those problems is salt damage. Despite the necessity of using salt melt to keep us safe, there are downsides to its’ use as well! It’s use can be extremely damaging to turf and landscape plants. Salt granules will move off pavement to turf areas and landscape beds, where it dissolves and saturates the soil. This extremely concentrated saltwater dries out roots and makes the soil toxic to plants. Salt damage can also occur on bushes and shrubs when the foliage of these plants is covered in salt or salt water.

Salt-damaged turf and landscape plants damaged by salt show many of the same symptoms. In all cases of salt damage, moisture is lost from the plant or the soil. Salt absorbs incredible amounts of water, and the result is a plant leaf or soil that has had a great amount of moisture removed. That moisture is essential for plant health, so the effects are extremely detrimental! Salt-damaged turf is usually yellow/brown, accompanied by the turf having a very “crunchy” texture. Leaf edges on trees & shrubs will be discolored with curled/deformed edges.

Can Salt Damage be "Fixed"?

To a certain extent, yes. However, that extent usually isn’t known until late spring when plants have recovered from winter dormancy and are fully growing. Light salt damage will go away once spring rains begin, and salt is flushed from the soil. If salt damage is suspected, one could spray down the foliage of exposed plants, and saturate the soil to speed up this flushing process. New growth emerges and the damaged plant material falls or is mowed off. On slow-growing plants, this damage may take a few years to grow out, and be properly pruned off. However, part of that strategy being effective is making sure that no further salt damage is done (we’ll touch on that later). In our part of the country, where copious amounts of salt may be used in a bad winter season, the damage may not be so light. Plants may need to be replaced, and turf areas will require new seed or sod. Once the dead/damaged plant material is removed, new soil will need to be added in its place. In order to make sure salts are out of the soil, it is recommended that gypsum is applied. Gypsum contains calcium and sulfur, which help to counter the effects of salt. It is a good maintenance practice to apply gypsum in the spring and fall to areas where salt damage may occur, as building up calcium and sulfur in the soil will help mitigate further damage.

Can Salt Damage be prevented?

In a word, yes! In some instances, using ice melt products is unavoidable. The good news is that there are products available that are much safer to use around plants and turf. Our “typical” ice melt is made of sodium chloride. It’s inexpensive and effective, making it the most-used product. However, it is not kind to plants and can even corrode concrete and stone over time.  Magnesium chloride is much safer to use around plants and turf, but is more expensive and can be hard on certain flowers. It is a great option, as it is moderately priced compared to some other ice melt products while being gentle to most plants. Calcium chloride is a product that is effective at VERY low temperatures, and while it isn’t completely safe to plants, is a better option than sodium chloride. Potassium chloride is safe to use on plants but the cost of raw materials has risen over the last few years making this an expensive product to use. There are a few different Acetate products (containing calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium) that are “as corrosive as tapwater”, making them the safest products to use for plants, pets, and hard surfaces. Acetate products are used on airport runways and other critical areas where performance is paramount, but they are the most expensive products available.

 

While it probably isn’t feasible to treat our properties like an airport runway, plant damage can be avoided by using plant-safe products where necessary. The added cost for the right product is worth it, if it means saving time and avoiding the cost of replacing turf and landscape plants.

Does Your Lawn have Summer Patch Disease?

Summer Patch Disease UltraLawn Cedar Rapids

Does your lawn look like this?

One of the most common diseases encountered is summer patch, a soil-borne condition that targets Kentucky bluegrass during the summer heat. The damage from summer patch manifests as incomplete rings of discolored or dead turf, typically with a patch of live turf in the center. This disease is sometimes dubbed “frog-eye” due to its appearance.

Several conditions promote the development of this disease:

  • Lawns grown on compacted soil are much more likely to show signs of summer patch, as their root structure is stunted and is more adversely affected by the stress of heat and humidity.
  • Excessive thatch buildup also encourages summer patch development. Thatch prevents water from reaching the soil and acts as a sponge that holds moisture. Regular aeration, especially on sodded lawns, is highly recommended to both alleviate compaction and help remove excessive thatch.
  • Lawns that are watered lightly and frequently are more susceptible to disease. Diseases favor humid conditions, and a frequent irrigation schedule doesn’t allow the turf or thatch layer to dry out as it should. The rule of thumb when watering turf is “deep and infrequent”. The goal is to provide about ½” of water through irrigation, then not water again for 3-4 days or until the turf needs it.
  • Low mowing height puts undue stress on turf and makes it susceptible to all weeds, pests and diseases, not just summer patch. Mowing heights of at least 3” are recommended throughout the growing season. During times of extreme heat or drought, raising the mowing height to 3.5” is good practice.
  • Recent research has shown that summer patch tends to be more of an issue in soils that are lacking certain nutrients. There are 15 nutrients necessary for turf growth, and most of them are present in the soil. Different soil types are abundant or deficient in certain “micronutrients” (elements that aren’t needed in great supply), and soil tests will tell us exactly what is needed.

We typically see summer patch in sodded lawns that are 2-3 years old (although it certainly is an issue for golf courses and athletic fields too), and it is a condition that eventually goes away (research suggests 7-10 years). Over time, the soil builds up defenses and immunity to it, but it can be unsightly until then. Summer patch becomes active when soil temperatures reach 65 degrees, but it only shows itself during period of more extreme heat and humidity when lawns are under more stress.

Control of Summer Patch

Whenever we’re encountered with a pest or disease, there are two treatment options; chemical and cultural. Chemical control involves using pesticides or other compounds to eradicate an unwanted disease. Cultural practices involve a variety of management techniques meant to change the environment, so a pest won’t survive or find favorable conditions. We outlined a few earlier, but it would be useful to go over those again!

Cultural Controls for Summer Patch

  • Aerate regularly to alleviate soil compaction and help prevent thatch build-up.
  • Irrigate infrequently, and when you do irrigate, try for a deep watering of ½” water.
  • Raise mowing height to at least 3”, and in times of extreme heat or drought, raise mowing height to 3.5”.
  • Maintain consistent nitrogen fertilization throughout the season to avoid periods of time where the grass is starved for nutrition or excessively fertilized.
  • Maintain a soil pH around 6.5. This can be found with a simple soil test. Some “old wives tales” suggest adding lime to the soil every year to raise its pH. We rarely encounter soils with low pH in this part of the country, and a lime application is not likely to be needed.

Chemical Controls for Summer Patch:

Regular fungicide applications can effectively combat summer patch. However, for the average home lawn, this approach isn’t practical. Such applications can be costly and require reapplication every 14-28 days. This regimen is more typical for golf course putting greens or high-maintenance athletic fields.

As mentioned earlier, summer patch and other diseases tend to favor lawns that are deficient in certain micronutrients. At UltraLawn, we’ve helped customers with summer patch by making supplemental applications of micronutrients. This program is aimed at modifying the soil, which takes some time to accomplish. We’ve noticed that summer patch damage is less severe and recovers faster after one year of micronutrient applications. After two years, we can achieve near-complete control. These applications must go in conjuncture with the proper cultural practices outlined earlier.

As more university research is done on summer patch and information is gathered, we at UltraLawn will continue to pass our knowledge and expertise on to our customers. If you suspect that your lawn has summer patch or have any other questions or concerns, feel free to give our staff a call!

Dead Grass in Your Lawn? You May have Bluegrass Billbugs

Throughout the course of a growing season, grass can be affected by several damaging insects. One of these is the bluegrass billbug. It gets its name from the long snout or “bill” that it uses to chew on leaves and stems. However, it is the larvae of these insects that cause considerable damage. Adult billbugs are usually seen in spring, and then again in early fall. Damage from their larvae usually appears in July. This damage begins as discolored, irregularly shaped patches. These patches turn yellow/brown, and when the damage is most severe, the turf can be lifted out of the soil with ease. To better understand the when’s and why’s of billbugs and their damage, it’s good to understand their life cycle.

Identification & Life Cycle

Adult billbugs are about ¼” long, with a brown/black body. The distinguishing characteristic is the long, curved snout and bent antennae. The larvae of the bluegrass billbug looks very much like the dreaded white grub, only they are considerably smaller. They have a white, fleshy body with a small orange/red head.

Adults emerge from “hibernation” in the spring and chew small holes in the leaves and stems of turf plants. This damage is not harmful to the plant. They will then lay their eggs in these holes. Those eggs hatch in June/July, and these larvae are voracious eaters. They will chew their way through the plant down towards the “crown”, which is an area near ground level where growth originates. 

Here are a few pictures of the damage caused by billbugs, up-close and from a distance:

Control of Bluegrass Billbugs

The saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” certainly applies when dealing with these creatures! The best way to treat them is with a preventative insecticide aimed at eliminating billbugs in their larval stage. The product that UltraLawn uses for its grub preventer is also effective on the larvae of bluegrass billbugs. Should you or residents in the Cedar Rapids or Iowa City area have any questions or concerns, feel free to give the experts at UltraLawn a call and we’ll be happy to assist you!