Top 3 Ways to Keep a Green Lawn

Top 3 Ways to Keep a Green Lawn

Top 3 Ways to Keep a Green Lawn

It’s May and everyone is looking for that eye-catching green lawn. Temperatures are moderate, rainfall is abundant, and you could probably cut the lawn twice a week if you really wanted to. This week we are looking at spring turf applications; how they work, and what you should be doing to promote strong stands of green grass and minimal weeds. While there is a world of science behind turf programs, we are breaking it down to the basics that will drive the best results.

Here are the best tips to keep your lawn green all season long:

1. Timing is Everything:

Good weed control starts before the grass is growing. The timing of applying weed control products can be just as important as the application itself. For both cool and warm season grasses the first application almost always involves a pre-emergent weed control. Pre-emergent works by inhibiting the germination of seeds that are dormant in the soil, therefore, timing the application for when soil temperatures are right for seed germination is critical.

2. There's Bad Before the Good:

While pre-emergent weed controls help to limit certain types of weeds; mostly crabgrass, it’s not impactful on broadleaf weeds. “Broadleaf weeds” are what we recognize as Dandelions, Clover, Buttercup and other commons weeds. The best way to treat these types of weeds is to apply a post-emergent herbicide. Post-emergent herbicides work to kill weeds after they have germinated. When trying to achieve a beautiful lawn, you’ll have to wait until the bad weeds come out, so you can feed the lawn to look good!

3. Feed Me:

After a long winter that’s exactly what your lawn is thinking; FEED ME. As grass transitions from a dormant to an active state, lawns need nutrients to stimulate new growth. Early Spring fertilizers that are higher in Nitrogen will fuel vegetative growth, providing those lush green lawns we admire.

While developing and maintaining a strong lawn doesn’t happen overnight, or in any one season, there is never a bad time to start. By treating the lawn with the proper fertilizers in the spring you minimize the competition from weeds. This will give your turf the headstart it needs to excel through the landscape season!

Contact Us

To learn more about landscape maintenance or comprehensive landscape programs for your multi-site portfolio, give Ferrandino & Son a call at:

866-571-4609

and ask to speak to someone in our Business Development Team. You can also reach us at:

 sales@ferrandinoandson.com

5 Property Maintenance Tips Everyone Should Follow

5 Property Maintenance Tips Everyone Should Follow

5 Property Maintenance Tips Everyone Should Follow

Details Matter…For Brand Image

When we look at the anatomy of a landscape season, our focus typically migrates to what we often identify as milestone services. “Has the Spring Clean Up been completed?”, “When are we scheduled for mulch?” or “Has the irrigation system been activated?”. All are common questions we hear from our clients. These are also among the services that are the most closely tracked. While these deliverables are without question critical pieces of any program, the truth of the matter is that the things we often bundle into “routine services” by far represent the bulk of what occurs across the year and what ultimately drive your properties’ exterior brand image.

So, once you’ve checked the box on that last Spring milestone service and the focus shifts to mowing lawns and controlling weeds, take a look at the 5 Property Maintenance Tips Everyone Should Follow. These details are often overlooked, but can make a big impact on how a site represents itself.

Follow These Tips for the Perfect SITE Property:

1. Hard Surface Weeds

The landscaping doesn’t stop at the edge of the parking lot. Few things look worse than weeds growing along curb lines, in parking lot cracks, or against the foundation of a building. Keeping these unwanted plants at bay is easy and relatively cost efficient.

2. Don’t Forget the Grass Edges

A recurring schedule to edge along sidewalks and curb lines can make a world of difference. Grass growth encroaching onto hard surfaces can make a property that is otherwise maintained well look average.

3. And the Other Grass Edges

That’s right! It’s not just keeping grass off the curbs and walks. Using a line trimmer to keep bed lines crisp represents well and can be impactful to the overall aesthetic of a site.

4. Don’t Be a Sucker

Okay, so maybe it’s not about you being a sucker but those random branches that pop up along the trunk of a tree or along its base are called suckers…and they have to go!

5. Out With the Dead

It happens, plants die. Cars hit them, snow piles crush them, foot traffic wears them down. While it may be too late to save a dead or dying plant, it’s never too late to have those eyesores removed from the landscape. While ideally, a replacement would be installed, its generally better to have no plant versus a dead plant.

Now Your Site is Perfect!

Now that you’ve thought about these 5 property maintenance tips everyone should follow, you can leverage this information as the majority of the landscape season is still in front of us. Placing some focus on the details of routine services can make a world of difference and be a real differentiator between you and your competitors.

Contact Us

To learn more about facilities maintenance or comprehensive landscape programs for your multi-site portfolio, give Ferrandino & Son a call at:

866-571-4609

and ask to speak to someone in our Business Development Team. You can also reach us at:

sales@ferrandinoandson.com.

To Mulch, or Not to Mulch…. That is the question.

To Mulch, or Not to Mulch…. That is the question.

To Mulch, or Not to Mulch….

That is the question.

It’s All About Mulch

Every year it seems as if more and more facility managers are challenged with delivering budget savings. One of the most common areas to search for these savings falls into the service lines where traditionally highest costs are found, which almost always brings the search to landscaping. Under a similar premise when you break down the anatomy of a landscape contract one of the greatest expense’s there is, is the value associated with mulching. Which all too often has led to the question, To Mulch, or Not to Mulch?

Many have already been faced with this question and no doubt many more will be in the future. The attributes of mulch are many and honestly aside from being a cost driver, the negatives are few, If, or should we say, when, you are faced with this decision you should consider the following.

The Pros

Aesthetics

By and large this is the true driver behind mulching. No other individual landscape service makes as much impact as does freshly installed mulch, it’s the true sign that the seasons have changed and that your properties are ready for the year ahead.

Brand Advantage

With many choosing to prioritize cost savings over curb appeal, mulching is actually an opportunity to separate from the competition. When viewed from the eye of a consumer they are far more likely to frequent businesses whose properties are maintained at a higher standard than those which are not.

Horticultural Advantages

While most recognize mulch for its visual attributes it provides some very real benefits to the landscape. When installed to an adequate depth mulch will help to prevent weed growth and provide significant reduction in the amount of water loss related to evaporation and transpiration. By reducing water losses, a plants ability to withstand droughts or decrease dependence on irrigation is greatly increased. Since mulch is an organic product as it naturally breaks down adding nutrients to the soil contributing to improved soil and plant health.

The Cons

Cost

While the positives are many, the reality is that mulch is labor intensive to install and a costly material to supply. Outside of the costs associated with weekly services mulching is almost always the largest cost driver within a landscape contract.

Durability

Mulch requires renewal on a regular basis, in most cases at least annually, so the cost impacts carry on. Since it is generally lightweight in nature it tends to not stay in place, meaning heavy rain, foot traffic and wind can often displace mulch onto sidewalks and other areas where it is not intended.

Will You Mulch?

As the competitive nature of business will no doubt carry on it’s only a matter of time before most all Property Managers are faced with this choice or a similar one. While the answer is rarely a clear one, it is best to have a full understanding of the attributes and impacts of your choices.

Contact Us

For more information about commercial landscape programs that cater to the national retail market, or to consult with our Subject Matter Experts:

call (866) 571-4609

or email our Business Development Team at:

Sales@FerrandinoandSon.com.