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The American Lawn April 2012
Important information on your lawn, landscape, and our service to you.
www.LawnAmerica.com 5129 S 110th E Ave Tulsa, OK 74146 (918) 249-5296 |
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April is National Lawncare Month
 More than 30 million acres of lawns exist in the United States. It's 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.
As spring arrives, 30 million acres of lawns across the nation are becoming green and growing. The return of warm weather, green grass, and flowering plants makes April the ideal time to celebrate the benefits of turf.
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.
In addition to being beautiful, lawns have a positive impact on the environment. Homeowners can be proactive in April by working with a lawn care professional and putting together a lawn care program that ensures that their lawns will be healthy and beautiful throughout the year.
For more information, or to find a lawn and landscape professional, log on to LandcareNetwork.org/findaprofessional or call the PLANET office at (800) 395-2522.
PLANET is the association of members who create and maintain the QUALITY OF LIFE in communities across America. With more than 3,800 member companies and affiliates, these firms and their employees represent more than 100,000 green industry professionals. Some of these professionals have taken the extra step of becoming certified through PLANET and bear the distinction of being known as Landscape Industry Certified.
LawnAmerica is one of a handful of Tulsa companies who are members of PLANET. LawnAmerica also has more employees who are Landcape Industry Certified, than any other Oklahoma company.
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Owner Brad Johnson Featured in Tulsa World Business Article Recently
About 94% of all employment in the Tulsa area is with small businesses under 100 employees. LawnAmerica owner Brad Johnson was featured in the Tulsa World on March 13th as one of those successful small businesses in Tulsa.
We are very grateful for the 13 years of growth we've experienced at LawnAmerica. It has not been easy, as most successful small businesses would attest to. The competition seems to be getting more and more numerous and aggressive, but that's a good thing. It only makes us strive to be stronger, more creative, and serve our customers even better.
In the lawncare business, having a large customer base as we do actually helps to be able to serve our existing customers even better. When a lawncare technician can treat and serve many customers in the same neighborhoods, and spend more time on the lawn rather than driving all over town, he can be more efficient and productive. We can be much more responsive, by responding to service calls within one day or less in most situations, because our routes are very tight.
We've always viewed our customers as our partners in caring for their lawns, and in our business. So as a customer, you can really help us, and help yourself, by referring your neighbors and friends to LawnAmerica. That's really how we've mainly been able to grow--by referrals from existing customers. So our focus has always been first on caring for our existing customers.
For the remaining spring season, we are having a special promotion to say Thank You even more to customers who refer others to us.
We've always sent $25 Gift Cards to a local restaurant to folks who refer others to us. From now until May 1st, we are doubling that, with either a $25 credit on your account, or a $25 cash check sent to you in addition to the $25 Gift Card. See the information at the end of this newsletter for more information. |
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Come Alive Outside!
LawnAmerica participates in a program named Come Alive Outside, which helps to promote the benefits of getting outside, playing, working, and enjoying landscapes and nature outdoors. Most of us in the lawn  and landscape business love working outdoors--. that's why we've chosen this business to work in. And, we love providing great lawns and landscapes, parks, sports fields, and other areas for folks to enjoy outdoors.
There are many great benefits to turning the TV and computer off and getting outside, which have been proven to provide great health benefits to people of all ages. So get outside and play!
- Gardening is a great form of exercise, and you can burn as many calories in 45 minutes of gardening as you can in 30 minutes of aerobics. You also use many different muscle groups and increase your flexibility and strength.
- The negative impact of decreased time outdoors includes a doubling of the childhood obesity rate-accompanied by an incremental hundred billion dollar cost to our health care system-as well as declining creativity, concentration and social skills.
- In addition to promoting bone health, enjoying the sunshine could help older people reduce their risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to scientists..
- Contact with nature reduces stress, promotes physical and emotional well-being and has even been shown to boost cognition-people actually think more clearly after a hike in the fresh air.
- Children who are allowed to play and explore outside are likely to be more adventurous, self-motivated and better able to understand risk when they grow up, while children who spend a lot of time on the computer tend to spend a lot of time alone, away from reality.
- Research shows that regular, brisk walking can reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount as more vigorous exercise, such as jogging.
- Outdoor activity and exercise is beneficial not only to the average adult's health but to their relationships as well. Spouses who receive adequate amounts of exercise have a higher satisfaction in their marriages and family life.
- Getting active and outside is particularly crucial for senior citizens. Not only does the activity keep seniors in better overall health, but being outdoors is linked to a sense of independence which increases quality of life.
- Public health professionals are now saying that today's children may have life spans that are three-to-five years shorter than their parents' due to their inactive, indoor lifestyles.
- Playing outside without coaches or parents, but with other kids, fosters imagination and helps teach youngsters to share, cooperate and solve problems. It "demands of us that we create a fort out of a backyard, a treehouse out of a tree and a bunch of old boards," said Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center for Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital in Boston.
- Five minutes a day of Green Exercise (outdoor activity in presence of trees, open sky, water, garden or other natural scenery) can give people a big improvement in mood or self-esteem.
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STOP--Don't Scalp Your Lawn!
It's good to mow down any persisting or dying weeds, And if you want to mow jsut to clean up the lawn, that's OK too. Just keep your mowing heights no lower than 2" or so. Never scalp a cool-season turf such as fescue.
I wrote about this a few weeks ago, but it's so important, I'm telling your again. If you are just itching to go out and enjoy this great early spring weather we've been experiencing in the Tusla area, take a hike, ride your bike, plant a spring garden--anything but scalp your lawn. And if your mowing company is trying to give your lawn a close shave down to the ground, ask them to just top it off, and don't remove a bunch of the dead stems and leaves quite yet.
We don't want the bermudagrass to be greening up alot until after the frost date of April 15th or so. By scalping bermudagrass and removing much of the dead vegetation, you are also removing valuable insulation which protects the crown of the plant at the soil level. This is the heart of the grass plant. If it dies, due to cold weather or other factors, the grass plant will die. Even freezing temperatures in the upper 20's in late spring can damage bermudagrass if the conditions are right. I've seen it several times over the years.
See our website for more information on mowing. |
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Even I have been battling moles for the past year in our Tulsa lawn.
Moles obviosly are not too smart if they make the decision to invade the lawn of Brad Johnson, owner of LawnAmerica! But while they are not smart, they are persistent, hungry, and reproduce quite well it seems in the Tulsa area.
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This mole was no match for
Brad Johnson! |
The best way to rid a lawn of moles is to trap them. But that's not easy to do, as this is the first one I've been able to nail. The keys are to be persistent in moving the trap around and to set the trap in a main tunnel, where he frequently runs. Those main tunnels are often found along a driveway, home foundation, landscape bed, etc. I recommend a scissor-type trap, which seems to do better than the harpoon traps.
At LawnAmerica, I'm personally overseeding our new EnviroCare Program, which includes monthly treatments of Liquid Fence Mole Control, along with a bundle of other important products for your lawn. The goal is to rid a lawn of moles, while providing a nicer lawn, and one that is better for the environment. I also set Talprid Mole Baits each time if needed. And if those don't work, I'll even be setting traps if needed. Primo, which slows down the growth of bermudagrass by 50%, is included with the summer treatments. So with this, you'll be using your mower half as much, saving time, and helping to decrease carbon emissions. The deadline for switching to our EnviroCare Program is April 15th, so contact our office for more information. |
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Sincererly,
Brad Johnson
LawnAmerica Inc. |
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Recieve a $25 Gift Card to a local restaurant, PLUS either a $25 credit on your account, or $25 in cash!
Refer a friend or nieghbor to LawnAmerica, and if they start service with our 5,6, or 7-step Program, we'll send you the normal $25 Gift Card, plus we'll send you a $25 check or credit your account $25. You can send us their information, or if you have your referral contact us, just make sure they tell us you sent them our way so that we can know who to send the goodies to.
We really appreciate your help in growing our business. By doing so, you're not only helping us, but your are really helping yourself and the community we all live and work in. We are also donating $50 to one of 5 local charities for every new customer who signs up with our service this spring. |
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Offer Expires: May 1, 2012. Offer good for NEW program subscriptions only. Enter Coupon Code April on contact form in order to confirm this special New Customer Referral Rebate. Or, just print and clip this coupon and send in to us with your name and the name of your referral. Limited to 2 referrals during this promotion. |
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