Aerating and overseeding your lawn is the most important step, after a soil test and correcting the pH and phosphorous, to great lawn care.
What does “green” mean?
The answer is (obviously) stated what “green” means to us, GreenHow, Inc. “Green” is a vague or ambiguous term. The term “greenwashing” is a response by consumers to a perceived or real misuse of the term “green.” Generally speaking “green” means environmentally-friendly products and services. Usually it is self imposed by a business, but it can be part of a certification or accreditation process. The term organic is often misused. Organic really means contains carbon, but materials called organic or used in organic production may not always contain carbon. Low impact and more specifically reduced risk materials are great ways to augment organic programs.
In our business lines, which are lawn care, pest control and termite control, the term “green” refers to different aspects. A brief description can help people determine if this fits into what they are looking for from a service provider. Starting with Lawn Care: The four main types of service programs are organic, organic based, low impact and hybrid.
First, organic service uses materials listed on the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) list. This service includes no chemical herbicides or insecticides. Broadleaf weed control and grub control may be added as needed or requested by a customer, but that will make the program not organic any longer.
Second, the organic based service uses blended or bridge materials. These materials are mostly (as a percent of weight) organic and contain synthetic forms of nitrogen. The purpose of the synthetic nitrogen is to 1) provide a more rapid nitrogen or fertility and 2) to allow greater coverage per 1,000 square feet which decreases material and labor costs (and consumer price). This service may be a better option for some customers who are transitioning to organic, and may opt for organic based for one intermediate year from traditional lawn care programs. Broadleaf weed control and grub control may be added as needed or requested.
The low impact lawn care service utilizes more traditional types of materials including synthetic nitrogen with options for herbicide and insecticides as needed depending on the site. This service normally includes preemergent weed control and post emergent weed control. A grub application is normally added to this service.
Finally, the hybrid program starts the year as a low impact program with preemergent and grub control, but finishes as organic based or organic program. The benefit is for customers with heavy weed and insect pressure is protection against summer annual weeds and summer grubs combined with the long term benefits of organic water insoluble nitrogen.
To learn about these programs in further detail, please call and we can walk you through them over the phone or in person at your property. As always, any lawn care program needs the foundation of a soil test, aeration and overseeding and leave the clippings.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.
Spring growth
We are thinking about ants, pest and termite control. Specifically green pest and green termite control and as we inspect homes, beautiful bulbs are emerging in the gardens.
Here is a snapshot of what is coming up in my garden.
Next, we will see aphids on the ornamental bushes. Now is the time to clean up the debris from winter storms.
A new Scholastic program to get kids interested in the outdoors is sponsored by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute’s Education and Research Foundation. TurfMutt is the program. This K to 8 content includes a contest for grades 6 to 8 (due date April 24, 2019) to describe a natural space. In Belmont it could be a new design for the area around Clay Pit Pond by the high school, for instance.
How to Enter.
First, have students write/draw a nature space for their community. Second, explain what elements they need in their space, the purpose of those elements, and how people will enjoy it. Third, make sure each entry is no more than three pages and includes the student’s name, grade, school, state, teacher name, and teacher email.
The key to a good compost is what you put into it. The result is quality compost. You may have heard the terms brown and green. Brown materials are things like leaves. If you don’t have any leaves, substitute corrugated cardboard, shredded paper, or paper towels for the leaves as your brown. Green materials are vegetative materials like lettuce and apples. The ratio is the amount of brown to amount of green material in the compost pile. The rule of thumb is 2 parts brown for 1 part green. People often get confused over the brown to green ratio and often end up with too much green and not enough brown. In conclusion, the ratio is a simple way to make sure that the organic matter going in to the compost pile is balance.
Soil condition is a fired clay material added after aeration and overseeding to improve the moisture management in the soil and to reduce compaction in the future. This material can be added every year to continuously improve areas that have poor drainage or that dry out easily. It is used on playing fields to help the field when the field is too wet to play on. A simple addition that makes a big difference. Check out the information from Turface by following this link. 
Time to aerate your lawn. Run your irrigation system first and mark any heads that could be damaged by aeration. Then aerate & overseed your lawn. This opens up the root zone for air, water and nutrients to penetrate and stimulate growth. The best time to aerate is August 15th to September 20th to allow plenty of time for seed germination and establishment before the weather cools and the grass hardens off for winter. Water several days prior to aerating to open up the soil. After aerating and seeding continue to water enough to keep the seed wet.
Why is the Boston area obsessed with removing lawn clippings? 
No, granular fertilizer cannot be removed by mowing it. You should always leave your clippings on your lawn. Lawn clippings are mostly nitrogen and water and should be left to make your lawn healthier. Don’t bag the clippings, don’t let your landscaper bag the clippings. Clippings don’t lead to thatch and are not thatch. If you have clumps of clippings in the lawn after mowing hit them with a rake or blower to disburse them.
Don’t take my word for it, follow this link to the UMASS fact sheet on good turf care.
Spring temperatures are here in eastern Massachusetts. We are pulling soil tests and putting down the first applications of the year. Hold off on seeding until temperatures get warmer, usually mid – May is a good time is you must seed in the spring. Only seed bare dirt, salt or plow damaged areas. Any disruptive seeding to existing lawn and turf areas should wait until August. When mowing starts – Sharp blades, Cut high and frequently (not on hot afternoons), always leave the clippings, clippings are not thatch. Water deeply and infreqently when the soil needs it.
Bulbs rise up.
Finally a chance to put our knowledge out in an audio only format. For people that like to learn new things on the move, our Pestcast podcast may be the ticket to learning something about pest control and lawn care.