Lawn care in Cleveland Heights & Shaker Heights reflects our lifestyle

Our yards and gardens are reflections of our personalities lifestyles and beliefs. When I drive through different communities, both local and afar, I find it interesting to note how lawns are cared for and the role they play in peoples’ lives. Locally I’ve either worked on or visited thousands of lawns over the last twenty odd years and I’ve seen the range from neglected pastures to manicured trophies.

 It ‘s funny how the importance of a healthy, functional lawn became a greater priority to me once we put up a swing set for my son. I suppose it’s only natural that as we go through life stages our lawns shift in accordance with these priorities.

 When I get called out to visit a homeowner about their lawn, it’s not surprising anymore when I hear they don’t mind the weeds. Growing up in Cleveland Heights and working for many of my neighbors I learned at an early age that a “weed” in one person’s garden is welcome in another. A weed can quite simply be defined as a plant out of place. Whether we choose to accept or reject these plants in our yards and gardens is a personal choice. What most people want, like me, is a healthy lawn.

Weeds, or other pests, in and of themselves are not necessarily unhealthy for the lawn. The problem becomes when weeds, or pests, take over in greater quantity than is acceptable for the homeowner and either the lawn becomes unsightly in their opinion or even worse potentially unhealthy for the turf because the weeds compete for the same available water and nutrients.

For those of us with lawns we can almost all agree that we want a healthy lawn. Disagreement may come in the form of how we go about creating a healthy lawn and whether or not some amount of pesticides (e.g. herbicides for weeds, insecticides for insects) will be used. Controlling pests in the name of a healthier lawn is necessary at times, but ultimately the homeowner will decide their comfort level. 


Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies focus on long-term prevention of pests by building a healthy ecosystem, using methods that are least harmful to the environment. Pesticides are applied in such a way to pose the least possible hazard by targeting the selected pest and are only used as a last resort when other controls are inadequate. The focus is on building a healthy lawn by using all other means available, and balancing this with their tolerance for pests, their vision for the lawn and their budget.

Practically speaking achieving a healthy lawn is more about the overall management strategy and less about controlling pests. Often pesticides are thought of as the silver bullet to make a lawn healthy, when in fact they only remove the pest that is most likely present because the lawn is not healthy to begin with.

 A healthy lawn comes from a blend of activities and this spring is the ideal time to get your lawn into the desired shape that meets the needs of your lifestyle. Get started with a spring clean up so the lawn can dry out and breathe. Healthy soil is the building block for your lawn. Adding and replacing organic material, like you do in your gardens with compost, is vitally important. Aerating will help to alleviate compaction and get air into the soil helping roots to grow deeper and make for a more robust and drought tolerant lawn. Proper watering, fertilizing and mowing play important roles Spot seed thin and bare areas to prevent weeds from taking over.


With the demands placed on our time it can be challenging to keep up with the needs of our lawns. Like many things in life, waiting only makes it worse. Get out early this spring and focus on the building blocks of a healthy lawn.

Snow mold in your lawn this spring

Snow mold is a fungal disease that appears in the early spring when temperatures are cool and the ground is wet - first visible when the winter snow melts. There are two types of snow mold - pink snow mold and gray snow mold.

Snow mold damage looks like circular patches (2"-12") of dead and matted grass - often mistaken for dead or dying patches of grass.  Depending on the severity of the outbreak, the circles can grow together and become a large mass. It is not uncommon to find both gray and pink snow mold together in the same lawn.

Pink snow mold (picture below) is distinguished by the pink color of the web-like mycelium growing on the grass surface (see picture below). While the grass is wet, the mycelium looks like cobwebs, as it matures it turns its pink or salmon color.  Pink snow mold infects the crown of the plant and can cause more severe injury than gray snow mold. 

Gray snow mold (picture below) is similar to pink snow mold except that its mycelium remains whitish-gray and only infects the blade of the turf grass plant. Gray snow mold is also distinguished by the presence of tiny black mycelial masses on the grass blades and leaf sheaths of infected plants which pink snow mold does not produce.

The cause of snow mold:
Snow mold can occur even when there is no snow, however, it is generally  more severe when snow increases the amount of moisture, reduces sunlight and prevents the lawn from drying out.  Thicker layers of leaves can have a similar impact as snow cover on the grass creating a more ideal environment for snow mold. 

Good cultural practices will help to reduce the appearance and impact of snow mold:  

• Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizers in the fall
• Mow the lawn in the fall until it stops growing
• Thorough fall clean up removing leaves and debris from the lawn
• Manage thatch to avoid accumulations of more than 2"

Repairing snow mold damage: 
Fungicides are available for both curative and preventative treatments of snow mold. However, they are not recommended due to the temporary damage snow mold inflicts on the lawn.

Even though a lawn infected with snow mold can look horrible in early spring, most snow mold damage will recover as temperatures warm and the grass begins to grow out. Once the area has dried, the infection will cease and the turf will grow out and renew itself making snow mold damage practically disappear.

To speed the recovery process it is best to lightly rake the infected area to increase air flow to the grass and encourage drying. Some overseeding may be necessary if there is extreme damage and recovery is slower than desired.

Written by:
Eric Johns, Lawn Care Specialist
Adam Perkins Sr, Landscape Industry Certified

Growing Degree Days and your garden

Temperatures this week will remain consistently warm in the Cleveland area. The weather forecast from the National Weather Service and a consulting meteorology service we subscribe to points to a seasonably warm March. Not that we can't get a "surprise" March snowstorm, the closer we get to April the less likely it is.

What does warm weather mean for your lawn and garden? As the temperatures warm plants will begin to come to life in your yard and garden. There is a programmed sequence that repeats itself each year. Obviously plants can't use a calendar to know when they should bloom, instead they follow their que in the sequence of flowering trees and shrubs based on Growing Degree Days (GDD). Plant phenology follows a predictable pattern each spring season, although the start of the spring season may be earlier or later based on the temperatures. This March is forecast to be more on the mild side as was last year, while March 2008 we had cold temperatures and over 30" of snow delaying spring.

At The Ohio State University OARDC Growing Degree Days and Plant Phenology website you can input your zip code to see what the current GDD reading is and compare to a chart of expected plant and insect activity.

While the ground is still too wet to do much work in the garden, now is the time to begin fertilizing and preparing for work in the yard.

Dormant pruning improves plant health

It certainly is refreshing to have sunny days after so many days of snowy weather. Now is a great time to get out into the garden to get some dormant pruning done before spring arrives. Your plants will thank you.

Pruning your ornamental bushes, shrubs and small trees this time of year is beneficial for many reasons. Once plants leaf out it becomes more difficult to see the shape and structure of the plant. With bare plants it is much easier to see the dead, diseased and damaged wood to be removed and identify good structural and corrective pruning cuts.

Dormant pruning will redirect growth to create a more natural looking plant while revitalizing the plant by directing new growth to healthier branches.

You can learn more about dormant pruning from the Heights Observer article here.

Save the Date: NCSL plant sale

The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes will be having their annual plant sale on Saturday May 15, 2010. (http://www.shakerlakes.org/)

Come join the plant sale to help support the mission of the Nature Center - connecting people with Nature!

Is this a challenging econonmy?

I certainly can't say that we have not been impacted by the down-turn in the economy. We have been both by customers who have had to suspend their service until they find employment again and by those customers who have trimmed back on the amount of service they receive as they look to tighten their personal budgets. Many would find this disheartening and would become discouraged. Maybe it's my entrepreneurial spirit that doesn't accept 'no' as an answer that keeps me pushing forward and seeing this period of time a wonderful opportunity.

There are many homeowners who want to hire a professional landscape company for a project or some assistance with their maintenance but don't know where to turn. We have heard more stories this year from homeowners about bad experiences with so called "landscapers" that turned out to be little more than a couple of guys with a lawn mower and wheelbarrow. We have heard time and again how they hired a particular person or company and had hoped for the best and ultimately were disappointed by the experience and outcome.

Some have told me this spring that they thought they could save money by hiring the one or two guy outfit, even though they knew they were taking a risk. They decided afterwards that professionalism does matter and it often saves them time, money and unnecessary frustration.

When I'm on sales calls I am always looking for ways to help the customer maximize their budget and get the best value. I will even recommend that the small guy be brought in at certain points based on the owner's needs and priorities. I learned a long time ago where we fit well into the equation and where we should defer to someone else. We are not interested in doing anything for anybody, but rather serving our customers where we know we can provide results and value.

I'm proud of our team this spring - they are working long hours to make sure that our current customers are pleased with the service they are receiving. They are also working hard to develop and build new relationships in the neighborhoods where we already work.

I am excited every time I am able to give one of our current customers a $50 service credit on their account as a result of their referral. Not only does it tell me that they are happy enough with our service that they would refer us to a friend or neighbor, but it is also good for the customer because they have saved on their landscape cost. Our referral program has introduced us to many people and I'm thankful for these new relationships.

Tough economic times many will ask? Not for us - I reply, it's an exciting and rewarding time to be in business. It's fundamentals really. Listen to your customer, offer them options, provide consultation, deliver on your promises and follow through. We're certainly not batting 100% this spring, but we're working hard to make sure that each person gets what they need.

Thank you to our customers for making this a great spring and an inspiring time to be in business.

Will your lawn survive the summer heat?

Here are some tips for growing and keeping a healthy lawn.

Mowing tips

1. Mow the grass tall, at least 3 inches, but 3 ½”. The taller the better. Longer leaf blades collect more sunlight for increased photosynthesis, which is how the plant creates food for itself. More food means more energy and stronger grass plants and healthier roots. Tall grass shades the soil, keeping it cooler and minimizes sunlight that weed seeds need to germinate.
2. Cut shady lawn areas less frequently, allowing the grass to grow taller so it can capture more sunlight.
3. Sharpen your lawn mower blade before summer heat, and again in late summer for best results, or any time you run over sticks or rocks.
4. Change the direction of travel with each mowing to help stand the grass up.
5. Mulch the grass clippings back into the lawn. Rake out clumps of clippings. Clippings are more than 80% water and they will return nutrients and water to the lawn. Clippings do not contribute to the build of thatch.

Watering tips

1. Measure the amount of water your sprinkler delivers by setting out some cake or pin pans. Measure the water collected in the tins on a level surface after ½ hour to determine how much total time is required to deliver one inch of water each week.
2. Supplement rain fall as needed to make sure your lawn receives at least one inch of water per week.
3. Break up the watering into several sessions, watering for as long as possible without allowing the water to puddle. When puddles form the soil is saturated and can not absorb any more water and water is being wasted. If you have watered less than one inch you will need to water again.

Other tips

1. Clean up leaves, sticks and other plant litter before mowing. Plant litter and debris may contribute to excessive thatch build up and should not be left on the lawn. Mowing over sticks and other debris will dull your mower blades more quickly.
2. Do not leave hoses, children’s swimming pools or other items on the lawn for an extended period of time. Hot plastic items will heat up and bake the lawn creating dead spots.
3. Fertilize the lawn with either traditional or organic products to deliver the equivalent of four pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet for the season. Break up the fertilizer into four or five applications. Reduce the amount of fertilizer you apply in shady lawn areas by half or two-thirds.
4. Avoid aerating and de-thatching the lawn when dry and hot. Wait until cooler temperatures return this fall, or if you must do it now then water the lawn thoroughly.

It is easier to keep a lawn green and healthy than it is to make a lawn green and healthy. Follow these tips to avoid having to repair or renovate your lawn this fall.