6 weeks later: second application of fertilizer with weed preventer. This application should be slightly lower in nitrogen than the first, to prevent burning the grass and to prevent problems with fungus during the summer months.

September: aerate grass and overseed using high quality grass seed. Scotts for homeowners, or professional grade seed purchased at John Deere Landscapes or Stone Brothers and Byrd (web links). If soil is acidic, put down lime at the same time.

This is also a good time for a starter fertilizer application high in phosphorus to stimulate growth of new roots.

Week of or week after Thanksgiving: application of fertilizer high in nitrogen keeps fescue green during the winter months and stimulates deeper root growth. Healthy grass in the winter time also gives you a jump start in the spring.

There are several products that I have found to be affective for seeding bare spots in the grass, all of which are available at Lowes. Pennington makes a mesh-less thatch mat can be put down over large bare spots that have been newly seeded. The Thatch mat provides protection from driving rain, preventing the seed and new soil amendment from washing away. The mat also holds moisture in, and begins decomposing as the new grass seed grows up through it.

Scotts also carries a product called Patchmaster. This works well on smaller bare spots. This is a ground up paper product and has seed mixed in with it, so you just spread it in the bare spot and water.

Mulch is one of the few items in the landscape that can reasonably be done any time of year. We like to do mulch during the winter months for several reasons: Mulching in the winter means that for the most part, the leaves are already down for the season. These can be mulched on top of to provide a very effective natural protective barrier against weeds. Also, we are not as busy during the winter, so the job will be able to be scheduled with very little wait time, and may even be less expensive than during peak season.

Lawn aeration in the fall provides several benefits for your grass. Grass roots have a very difficult time penetrating the heavy clay soils that exist in this region. Core aeration helps open up areas in the clay for the roots to expand, and for moisture, nutrients and air to get down to the roots. Without aeration, often lawns become so compacted that the water and nutrients just run off, and roots are slow to expand beyond the first few centimeters down into the soil.

Aeration also prepares an ideal bed for new grass seed. Grass seed washes down into the holes and has a deeper start than seed that germinates on the surface. This allows newly germinated grass seed to develop roots in an area that retains moisture longer, and is more likely to survive the extreme temperatures of summer.

Landscape Design and Installation

Patios and Hardscapes

Sprinkler and Irrigation Systems

Maintenance Programs

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Testimonial Here …Property owners

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Meditation Garden

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The Bruhkala Residence

We’re very happy with First Impressions Lawn and Garden. We use their service for maintenance and have also used them for a landscaping project. Gardens have always been an important part of our lives, and thanks to First Impressions, our house has been transformed into a home. We love everything they’ve done with the yards and couldn’t be happier.
Jerry and Jacinta Brunkala

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Governors Park Patio

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With so many factors to consider — soil conditions, sunlight, plant characteristics, water needs, maintenance factors, wildlife factors, and of course, cost, designing your landscape can be an overwhelming task. We’ll apply our years of landscape experience to your yard. We’ll take out time to educate you on the choices available to you on grass, plants, trees and overall design . We’ll ask questions to ensure we design a landscape you can live with and maintain for years to come. We’ll even go with you to the garden store to see and select the various elements of your lawn and garden. Call us to set up a landscape consultation today.

Useful Links:
Skillins Tree Care-Tree Pruning and removals: www.skillinstreecare.com
Designing Solutions—my landscape designer: www.designingsolutions.info

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