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Lawn Care Akron

Lawn Care Akron Ohio

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Why does my lawn have brown spots?

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Why does my yard have brown spots? Why does my grass look dead? Why do my neighbors’ yards look better than mine?

These are questions that we receive all too often. Many times the answer is simple, yet not what a homeowner would like to hear. In Northeast Ohio we have soil that has a lot of clay. This will cause the yard to retain less water and will dry out very quickly, especially along driveway and curb edges and around trees. The soil will become hard as well. The solution to this is water. 1″ of water per week is what a typical yard needs between rainfall and irrigation.

Brown Spots in the yard can be caused by a variety of influences. Most commonly it is lack of water or a different type of grass than the rest of the yard.

Brown Spots can also be a disease or fungus. Most of the time an  application of fertilizer will give the yard what it needs to get back to being green. Sometimes a fungicide treatment will be required to remedy the problem areas of your turf.

Why does my neighbor’s yard look better than mine? They don’t even do anything!

Most of the time, neither of these statements are correct, but it is very true that the grass is usually greener on the other side. When standing on top of grass it is easier to see the flaws whereas looking from afar a yard seems much healthier. But, the most common reason for when this statement happens to be true lies in the soil and water. Having good soil or a yard that is watered or retains more water will endure drought and heat much better than a typical clay soil yard common around the Akron-Canton area.

There can be other answers to these questions, but these cover about 90% of what we see in yards.

If you need an answer to one of these questions, contact your lawn fertilization professional instead of a mowing service to evaluate your property. And keep on watering!

 

 

Spring is here – So is Mole Damage

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From what we’ve seen, mole damage this spring is much worse than previous years.  It’s snowed late and heavier than normal this year which insulated the ground from the normal deep freezing.  Due to the uncharacteristic winter we’ve had moles remained active, damaging lawns.

Mole Damage in Northeast Ohio during the 2015 winter season

Mole Damage 2015

It’s a been a rough two months in Northeast Ohio to say the least.  However, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.  Spring is in the air!  Can you smell it?  From what we’re seeing on the long term forecast, the temperatures during the rest of the month of March, highs will bounce between the mid 40s-50s with the lows between 20-35.  From what we’re seeing, not much precipitation.

Mole Damage Control

We’ve already started spraying for mole control so if you have mole damage, contact us and we’ll get an early start on getting rid of those pesky moles before they cause more damage to your lawn.  It takes about 4 weeks after our first treatment to rid the moles.

Why Mole Control Treatments?

Moles burrow in your lawn and beds damaging root structures and making for an unsightly appearance.  Our mole control services is 99% effective in driving moles out of your yard without killing them and it’s best to start your treatments now.

What we’ll do is have a technician dispatched to your home or business and we’ll apply an initial treatment.  We’ll then space our treatments to your lawn and landscape beds approximately 5 weeks apart, keeping the moles away for the entire year.

The benefits of our mole control treatments include:

  • It’s safe!  Doesn’t kill moles, just drives them out of your yard.
  • 100% natural and pesticide free.
  • Not harmful to your plants, children or pets.
  • Extremely effective on getting rid of moles.

If you’re seeing lawn and turf with turned up dirt similar to what we have pictured here, then you have a mole problem and if you lawn isn’t treated it’s only going to get worse.  Call us immediately for an affordable solution to getting rid of those moles for good.  Our phone number is 330-861-5035

Prepare Your Home and Lawn for a Harsh Winter

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Leaves on Lawn - Rake leaves before winter to prevent snow moldWe’ve been hearing that this coming winter may be a harsh one.  With that in mind, preparing your lawn correctly for the winter season will prevent damage to your lawn next spring and summer.

Driving around Northeast Ohio this time of year we see many folks outside of their homes, cleaning up their lawns from falling leaves and getting ready for the winter season ahead.  Below are our recommendations that any homeowner can do to help get their home and lawn prepared for winter. [Read more…]

Combating Mosquitoes in Northeast Ohio

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Mosquito Control Akron OhioIs there anything more annoying than mosquitoes?  Tips and information that will help your battle against the mosquito.

Like many of you, we like to spend time outside. Camping, fishing, golfing, cookouts or holiday weekend get-togethers, are just a few things we enjoy outdoors during the summer in Northeast Ohio. This year however, mosquito populations have been on the rise because of the rainfall and humidity.

It’s an All-out War Against Mosquitoes

Battling swarming mosquitoes isn’t any fun and in recent years, mosquitoes have become increasingly dangerous. According to the CDC, almost 40,000 people in the U.S. have reported having the West Nile virus disease and more than 1600 have actually died from it. 70-80% who become infected don’t develop any symptoms so there’s many more cases of the West Nile virus that are unreported and/or undetected.

Chances are you’ve seen an increase in mosquitoes this year. Largely due to the near-record rainfall, humidity and warmer weather. This creates the perfect climate conditions for mosquito breeding grounds.

Tips to Prevent Mosquito Bites

The only way to avoid infectious disease spread by these annoying little mosquitoes is to avoid being bitten by them. That’s definitely a challenge when we’re battling swarms of these blood-thirsty, annoying insects. The best and most effective method of avoiding mosquito bites is to eliminate the sources where they breed.

  • Remove all areas of standing water around your home
  • Check and clean clogged gutters
  • Remove discarded tires
  • Empty flower pots of standing water

Anything that can hold water, even a little bit, provides a place for mosquitoes to breed. If there’s no standing water for them to breed in, you’ll likely see a decrease in the mosquito population near and around your home.

Custom Spray Mosquito Control Services

One of our services include Mosquito Control. This is a service that will drastically reduce the mosquito infestation around your home or during that special event. We’ll come to your home and reduce potential mosquito breeding areas for you and then we’ll start a recurring Mosquito barrier spray every 21 days throughout the mosquito season.

Since mosquitoes don’t travel very far or live very long, we’ve found that spraying the mosquito barrier around the area surrounding your home is effective in reducing the mosquito problem and it’s affordable at $69.00 an application for up to a one acre property within our service area.

Read more about our Mosquito Control services and let us fight your battle against the annoying and disease carrying mosquito.

Other Mosquito Information Links

Near Record Rainfall Increases Fertilizer Consumption in Lawns

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Red thread is fungus that can cause spots in your lawn in Northeast Ohio Region

Red Thread Fungus

As we approach this 4th of July weekend we’re coming out of a June that’s experienced near-record levels of rainfall.  Lawns are growing faster than normal which uses more fertilizer than normal weather conditions.  If your yard isn’t very green or almost chlorotic, your lawn is more than likely suffering from adequate food.

The image shown in this post is of a fungus (lawn disease) called Red Thread.  We’re seeing more of this disease appear on Northeast Ohio lawns this year because of the lack of nutrients for fast growing grass.

Mild cases of Red Thread can easily be treated with a fertilizer application.  If it becomes more severe we may need to apply a fungicide treatment.  Our specialists will be able to determine the best treatment for each lawn.

Identifying Red Thread Disease

How do you know if your lawn has the Red Thread fungus?  Generally, Red Thread will appear to be brownish or yellow in color but if you look very closely at the affected areas of grass you should see a red or pinkish tint.  If you’ve identified the reddish color in your lawn then it’s likely the fungus is Red Thread.

If you’re having problems identifying your current lawn disease as a result of this spring’s weather, don’t worry, you can call us and we’ll have a technician come out and identify the disease and treat it right away.

Sometimes weather conditions that are abnormal can increase disease in your lawn.  If you see anything in your lawn you aren’t sure of, call Custom Spray and we’ll get your lawn green and healthy again.  Phone# 330-861-5035