Lawn America, a member of the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) celebrated National Lawn Care Month in April by reminding consumers about the environmental benefits of a healthy lawn. The staff at LawnAmerica treated 27 acres of city parks with their fertilization & weed-control services on April 22nd, and will continue to provide services for no charge through this year and next. “We know the challenges that local municipalities are facing in this environment, so we want to help out as much as we can by doing what we do—provide a thick, green, healthy turf,” states Brad Johnson, owner of LawnAmerica. “By later this summer, and especially next spring, park patrons will see a dramatic improvement in the turf and landscape at these parks, and at no cost to the cities,” says Johnson.
Parks that LawnAmerica has adopted and treating for free include:
|
City
|
Name of Park (s)
|
| Tulsa: | Braden, Cowen, & Johnson |
| Owasso: | Friendship & Centennial |
| Sand Springs: | Freedom Field |
| Broken Arrow: | Jackson |
| Jenks: | Veteran's Park |
Patrons at these parks will see a gradual improvement in the thickness and quality of the turf. Most of these parks have not been treated due to budget constraints, so it will take a year or even two to bring the turf up to its full potential.
More than 30 million acres of lawns exist in the United States. It is estimated that these lawns remove five percent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and provide a significant amount of oxygen. Lawns also trap more than 12 million tons of dust and dirt annually. Healthy lawns trap and filter rainwater and they protect from erosion. Additionally, they provide a cooling effect in summer months and help boost energy efficiency. Healthy lawns play an important role in home sales and they have a huge impact on “curb appeal.” Realtors report that homes with beautiful lawns and landscaping can increase property values by 15 to 20 percent.
Lawn care companies provide jobs and significant financial benefits for the economy. “Homeowners understand that their lawns and landscape are a valuable investment, and most are not cutting back on their lawn care services,” states Johnson. A green, healthy lawn not only looks great and adds to the value of property, but also provides valuable environmental benefits to our cities and towns we serve.”
Aside from economic and aesthetic benefits, a well-maintained lawn provides many environmental benefits including:
• Oxygen production — turf’s power to generate oxygen has a major impact on the environment. A 50 foot x 50 foot lawn produces enough oxygen for a family of four.
• Cooling effect — grass is a natural air conditioner. Eight healthy front lawns have the cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditioning — enough for 16 average homes.
• Pollution control — turf traps dust and smoke particles from the atmosphere, which helps keep the air cleaner. Grass also converts carbon dioxide to oxygen, a process that helps clear the air.
• Water quality — dense, healthy grass slows down and filters runoff, removing contaminants and trapping soil. Fresh, filtered water returns to the underground water supply.
PLANET represents approximately 4,300 green industry service provider companies and suppliers nationwide that specialize in design/build/installation, interior plantscaping, landscape management, and lawn care. These firms and their employees represent more than 100,000 green industry professionals.
LawnAmerica is leading the way towards raising funds, making contacts, and building a new youth baseball field in North Tulsa at the Hutcherson YMCA. The Hutcherson YMCA is a new facility located at 1120 E. Pine St. in Tulsa. There is an empty lot on the south end of the property, that’s just begging to be converted into a top-notch baseball field.
“We want to help build a baseball field with an irrigation system, fencing, dugouts, bleachers—the works,” LawnAmerica owner Brad Johnson said. “Kids in North Tulsa deserve a great place to play baseball on, just like kids from other areas of town.” While the cost to construct a quality field runs in the $75,000 range, we hope to save money through cash donations, donated services, and sweat equity.
For LawnAmerica customers, if you make at least a $50 donation to the YMCA for construction of the field, you’ll be given a $50 coupon good for any new optional service you subscribe to this summer. You can send LawnAmerica check made out to the YMCA, or send your donation or credit card information directly to the Hutcherson YMCA.
We’ll be posting updates and photos on our website as this develops. Let’s play ball!
If your bermudagrass lawn has brown circles as the rest of the lawn is green and healthy, you probably have a common turf disease named Spring Dead Spot. Many varieties of bermudagrass are susceptible to this disease, especially lawns that were established from 3-10 years ago. Older lawns are not as prone to the disease.
The fungus infects the turf in the fall, but symptoms do not show up until the following spring, as brown dead spots averaging about one foot in diameter or larger. There is no relationship between which lawn service you use, or even if you use one, as to the incidence of the disease—it just happens on some lawns more than others. Not much can be done to prevent this disease, short of digging out the spots in the spring, replacing with a few inches of new topsoil, and putting in a new piece of sod. Just raking the dead areas and even putting in a thin layer of sand or dark topsoil will also help the surrounding bermudgrass to fill in quicker.
There are some fungicides that are labeled for Spring Dead Spot with a fall application, but not in the spring. We have had some success with this, but only recommend if the disease is severe. With the fall fungicide, you should have a decrease in the number of dead spots the following spring, and quicker fill-in of the remaining spots. Since the fungus infects the turf in the fall, that is the time to apply, and not during the spring after the spots are present. Contact our office if you have questions or would like a price quote on this.
What happens if it rains after a lawn treatment?
It’s been a rainy late April and May so far. Let’s hope it doesn’t turn into the monsoons we’ve experienced the last two springs. The good news is that with rain following a treatment, you don’t have to worry about watering in your fertilizer. Most turf requires about 1.5” of water per week for best performance, but excessive rainfall or irrigation can have negative effects. Long periods of rain with saturated soils will cause the soil nitrogen to leach through the root zone faster, and will cause pre-emergent herbicides to break down a little faster than normal. Weeds love wet soil, so expect more broadleaf weeds and nutgrass especially after rainy periods in spring.
If we have rainfall move in within about 2 hours of a weed treatment, it may decrease the effectiveness of the herbicide. We add a special broadleaf product to our springtime mix which makes the treatment rainfast after just one hour. Grassy weeds however may need a service call if rainfall occurs within 2-3 hours after a treatment. Your fertilizer will be fine, but the weeds may need to be spot-treated again for complete control. Service calls are free, as long as it’s been less than 30 days from your previous regular treatment.
Rain can form and move in quickly during spring and summer. We can’t wait for perfect weather conditions with a zero percent chance of rain to do our work, or we’d never get anything done in Oklahoma! And, as we all have experienced, the weather guy is sometimes dead wrong. You see your lawn every day, so just call or e-mail if you feel that rainfall decreased your weed-control. You can also request service right from our website.
