Think Fall! Tips for Prepping Your Yard for the Fall

It is hard to believe, but the fall season is coming up soon. There are several things you can do to prep your yard for the upcoming cold months. As a landscaping company serving Bloomington, we have a few tips on how to best prepare your yard and landscaping for the fall and winter.

Mulch

You will want to wait to do this task until after all of your garden’s flowers have died or all of your vegetables have been harvested. The first step is to remove all debris out of your garden. Make sure you weed your garden too so you will not have to deal with as many in the spring. If you removed a large amount of leaves, compost them and use them as mulch too. This is a great way to prepare the soil for next spring’s growing season.

Tidy Up

This is also a great time to tidy up the rest of your yard. Rake the leaves, spread some grass seed to fill in any empty patches and fill in any empty spots in your landscaping with fall-friendly plants like mums and asters. You can always call our landscaping company to find out more about fall-friendly flowers and vegetables. If you have any herbs growing outdoors, take the time to move them indoors for the fall and winter.

Organize Your Shed

Go through your shed and get it organized. Throw away or give away anything you do not use, toss out any old chemicals that are sitting around (make sure you read up on how to safely dispose of them first though!) and keep a running list of what you will need to replenish before spring rolls around again next year.

Our landscaping company can help with all of your fall lawn and landscaping needs, so don’t hesitate to call us if you need help!

For more information on our landscaping company serving Bloomington, call Fernbrook Landscape at 763-441-7575 or contact us for a Free Estimate.

Summer Lawn Care Tips

We are about to begin the dog days of summer. August is the second hottest month of the year after July. As a landscaping company serving Eagan, this is one of our busiest times of year. We have a few summer lawn care tips for you so you can keep your yard looking great even when it is hot out. And if you have more lawn care needs or questions, give our landscaping company a call!

Water Your Lawn

This seems pretty obvious. Water your lawn and watch it grow, right? Well, you’re partially right. You should water it, but you should only do it in the morning. An average lawn needs only about an inch or so of water a week. It might need more if there is a long hot spell, but an inch a week is a good rule of thumb. If you have an irrigation system installed, it should have a rain sensor that will tell it if the natural precipitation falling from the sky is enough water for your lawn. And if you can’t water your lawn regularly, it is best to let it go dormant. Trying to water a yard back to life is almost impossible. Don’t worry – your grass should regrow during the next growing season.

Keep Mower Blades at the Right Height

This is something most people don’t give much thought, but how closely you mow your lawn can make a big difference. Our landscaping company recommends that you cut only about one-third of the grass blade every time you mow. Make sure the mower blades are sharp, and make sure to raise the mower height gradually by 25% to 50% as the temperatures rise.

For more information on our landscaping company serving Eagan, call Fernbrook Landscape at 763-441-7575 or Contact Us.

Earth-Friendly Pesticides

In this day and age, it seems like everyone is hopping on the green bandwagon. Being environmentally-friendly is more and more important thanks to climate change, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions and other eco problems like those. As a landscaping company serving Eden Prairie, we are also concerned about the environment. So here are a few of our favorite homemade Earth-friendly pesticides.

Neem

Did you know that neem is the most powerful natural pesticide on the planet? All you have to do to make your own neem spray is to combine a half ounce of neem oil and half a teaspoon of an organic soap that is also mild. Add this to two quarts of warm water, slowly stir it all together and then put it in a spray bottle. Be sure to use it immediately after making it!

Eucalyptus

This is a great way to kill pests like flies and wasps. Just sprinkle a few drops of this aromatic oil wherever you find these insects. They won’t be a problem for long!

Onion and Garlic

Just mince a clove of organic garlic and an onion (medium size). Add both to a quart of water. After one hour, add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a tablespoon of liquid soap to the mix. Store it in your refrigerator and it will last for about one week.

Chile Peppers

Simply grind two handfuls of dry chiles into a very fine powder and then mix it with one cup of Diatomaceous earth, which is a natural, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock and a naturally occurring pesticide. Then add this mix to two liters of water and allow it to set overnight. Just be sure to shake it well before applying it to your plants!

For more information on our landscaping company in Eden Prairie, call Fernbrook Landscaping at 763-441-7575 or get a Free Estimate.

Summer Yard Tips from Landscape Designers

We here at Fernbrook Landscape are thrilled it's finally summer! It was a long and cold winter, so it feels good to be able to walk around without 20 layers of clothing on. Here are a few tips from our landscape designers in St Paul about how to keep your yard and garden looking good even during the hot summer months.

This time of year, the Japanese Beetle is one of your yard's worst enemies. They can eat up plants in almost no time because the grubs feed on the roots of the plants and the adults feed on the leaves. This species of beetle feeds on more than 300 different species of plants, so our landscape designers know just how deadly these bugs can be. However, don't go out and buy any pesticide just yet. Wait a few weeks and spray to kill the newly hatched adult beetles, which will emerge around early-to-mid July to start feeding on the leaves of the plant. 

Bag worms are another pest that can infest your trees if you're not careful. These pesky creatures tend to prefer trees like juniper, pines and arborvitae, but they will be happy in just about any broadleaf tree. If you see an infestation, you can pick them off by hand if it's a small one. For larger ones, you'll want to look into buying something called Bacillus thuringiensis. But act quickly if you see even just one of these bag worms! Landscape designers know that these infestations can kill an entire tree if left unchecked.

Insects can also invade your vegetable garden. If you spot a critter gnawing on your veggies, take the time go out and get insecticide to make sure the infestation doesn't spread throughout the rest of your garden.

Clearly, there are a lot of things to remember in caring for your plants. If you have any questions or for more information on landscape designers in St Paul, call Fernbrook Landscape at 763-441-7575 or Contact Us.

Sources:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/japanese-beetles/

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/county/laurens/yard_garden/06_june.html