Lawn Doctor Spring Turf Alert 2022

Welcome to Spring Newsletter 2022

March 20, 2022 - Happy First Day of Spring!

Soil temperature patterns have been very similar to last year and soil temperatures and growing degree calendars indicate that it is now appropriate to start fertilizer treatments in our area. It is important to start applying crabgrass prevention at the appropriate time. Fertilizer and crabgrass prevention granules are not negatively effected by any snowfall or brief cold snaps that could happen.

2022 Weather patterns & concerns for our lawns:

Long range forecasts are helpful in understanding what concerns we may face this year. The La Nina weather pattern continues this year. While not a copy cat of 2021, our summer temperatures are expected to be similarly above normal. Luckily, rainfall this summer is expected to slightly above normal which is a relief after last summer's drought conditions. (Last summer, most of our area rated 4th to 10th driest year since records were kept).

Weather visualization

For a fun way to see how hot we were last year, take a look at this Facebook post from a fellow Batavian (Thank you Lisa for your permission to share this.)

You can see that there is a LOT of red (80-99 degree days).

Text Li

Lawn Insects: We are again expecting insects to be a bigger concern due to the high temperatures and longer periods of high heat. In addition, more bugs survive through mild winters. Grub prevention will be important (applied in mid summer to prevent Japanese beetle eggs from developing) in lawns that are at risk. We have also seen significant Chinch bug damage (see photo below) in the past 4 summers with the long periods of high heat. Unfortunately, there are no effective preventative chinch bug applications, so it is important to watch for changes in your lawn this summer. We usually start to see the damage from chinch bugs in July. You can read more in the newsletter I sent out last summer: https://conta.cc/3AmUHkF. Army worms were a HUGE concern in nearby areas last year due to summer winds blowing their moths farther north than normal. Luckily they did not reach our area in significant numbers to see turf damage last year.

Mosquitos & ticks: While mosquitos always are a nuisance, we again expect more mosquito pressures, similar to last year, according to pest control experts. Mosquitos carry so many infections like West Nile, Dengue and Chikungunya. As nasty as those are, in the last few years we saw an uptick (no pun intended) for "Tick Control." The Lone Star tick which causes people to become allergic to eating meat and the ever common Deer Tick which carries lime disease are what people seem to be concerned about lately. Do not hesitate to call us about our Mosquito & Tick programs.

Prepare for the Season

Every year we can almost always expect some flooding rains, some hot temps, some really dry weeks, and cold weather in the fall. As long as you have a plan and implement it, the season should be pretty easy going.

Some things to consider are:

Do I want to upgrade my landscaping this year?
Am I going to mow the lawn or is someone else going to for me?
Should I invest in a robotic mower (Dan loves his Worx landroid)?
Should I upgrade my sprinkler controller to save money?
Does a battery powered leaf blower make sense?
Should I watch the sales ads for some new gadget?

Get Your Gear in Check

Mowers, trimmers and pruning tools should all be sharp and ready to go. Consider replacing poorly working tools.

If you have a sprinkler system, schedule your irrigation turn on for April or early May... Do it now... I know you may not NEED your irrigation running in April or May, but last year customers were unable to get their sprinkler company to come out in May because they were completely booked. GO call the sprinkler company. Do it now seriously... (Come back and read this later.)

Get Your Helpers scheduled

Call us if you want to make changes: Now is the time to get that mosquito control program, add aeration or get shady spring power seeding (if needed) on our schedule (I sent a separate email with seeding recommendations. If you missed it, you can click here: Are you Seeding at the Right Time?: https://conta.cc/3hJ432a)

Contact your mowers: Many mowing companies are facing personnel issues, we know of some that have closed up shop this winter. Be sure you have a mowing plan for the spring.

Call Landscapers NOW: We continue to have landscapers tell us.... "Please stop sending your awesome customers to us, we are already booked for the YEAR!" (exact quote). If you have a plan to update or change your landscaping, start getting quotes and getting on the schedule now. With labor issues and fuel costs, many will have limited availability.

I didn't know you did that!

We hear quite often that customers are unaware of the other services we offer (& many are also asking about services that we do NOT offer). Here are some services that you may not know we offer:

Yard Armour Mosquito and Tick Control (with regular and natural options)
Tree and Shrub care for insect and fungal issues (not trimming or removal)
Mechanical and Liquid Aeration (Liquid vs Mechanical Core Aeration: https://conta.cc/2Wg9hev)
Hydretain Moisture Management (WaterSaver): https://conta.cc/369I3ex

REMINDERS

Here are links to some of the newsletters that I have sent out regarding important issues:

Lawn Watering Guidelines: https://conta.cc/3vyDHFp

Proper Mowing Guidelines: https://conta.cc/34uU9KY

Shady Lawn Concerns & Options Newsletter:https://conta.cc/3hElY9V

Watering:”But I have a Sprinkler System:” https://conta.cc/2TofkvH

Are you Seeding at the Right Time?: https://conta.cc/3hJ432a

Employee Spotlight: Our team

Much of our team stays the same. You will be able to reach Kim & Dan (owners), but also in keeping our office running smoothly (or working from home) will be Donna, Sarah, Carole, Yvonne and Kennedy.

Doug is our Customer Service and Sales Manager. He joined us in 2019 and will be out for evaluations and service calls, training and assisting technicians, and helping new customers get started.

Nick J. will also be evaluating lawns, coming out for service calls and you may talk to him on the phone, as well. He is also handling equipment and vehicle maintenance, product ordering and inventory, equipment allocation, and more.

Our lawn technician team of John, Kyle, Luis, Jack M., and Dylan remain the same. Our new technician this year is Jack D.

Below is a photo of our team in March. After some training days, we had a great fun outing at Splinters Axe Throwing in St. Charles.

Looking forward to a Healthy & Green 2022!

Dan & Kim Toth

www.lawndoctor.com

[email protected]

(630) 406-8535