The start of February 2019 heralds the final full month of winter, and with that usually comes some of the most unpredictable winter weather yet. Despite that, PPLM has several standard services planned that will start the 2019 season off on the right “root.” For everyone who has a Picture Perfect Program, we have by now collected your 2019 soil sample and sent you the results. We will be wrapping up soil samples this month and starting our first round of fertilizer and weed control for the season. This application is called our “Recovery” round because it will help your lawn recover from winter stresses. On the maintenance side, we are completing clean up projects, finishing winter pruning services, and beginning spring mulch installations. Winter pruning maintains specific types of growth like crepe myrtles, ornamental grasses, and blooming perennials like hydrangeas. If you aren’t currently signed up for a soil sample or for winter pruning this year but are interested in having them performed, please feel free to contact our office to have the services set up.

Have You Gotten Your Soil Report?

As mentioned above, soil samples were taken for all of our Picture Perfect Program clients during January. We were thrilled to receive fast turn around of the results from the lab, so the head of our fertilization division Brandyn has emailed out all of the soil analysis results from the samples collected last month. If you had a soil sample taken but have not seen an email of your results yet, please let us know! We want to make sure that you see your results to stay informed on the condition of your lawn’s soil. If you did not have a soil sample taken last month but would like the service performed, please contact our office to get it set up before your first round of fertilizer is scheduled. Having a soil analysis done each year is a very useful way to track the objective data on variables like soil acidity and nutrient density that directly impact the success of your lawn. When we send you the soil analysis results, we also include a detailed explanation of what is being shown for your unique yard. As appropriate, we will also make recommendations for corrective treatments that will speed up the process of getting the soil in your yard back on track. The science behind soil sampling and corrective treatments is very complex, but we recently published a four part blog and video series that answers many frequently asked questions about soil reports and corrective treatments. Be sure to check them out and let us know what you think!

February is one of PPLM’s favorite months of the year because it’s when our fertilizer team gets back in the game of making your lawn Picture Perfect! This application is a complex and effective blend of organically based fertilizer paired with pre- and post-emergent weed control. The fertilizer being used is carbon based, giving it the ability to transfer multiple fertility components efficiently. These include humic acid and kelp, which help encourage advanced root development in the turf. Other components are macronutrients like nitrogen and potassium as well as several micronutrients that all work together to build a healthy, attractive lawn throughout spring and into summer. Meanwhile, the pre- and post-emergent weed control built into this treatment covers the first of two spring weed control applications. Pre-emergent weed control reduces the occurrence of spring and summer weeds like crabgrass and some broadleaf weeds by preventing their germination. Post-emergent weed control kills off most existing broadleaf weeds that have developed during fall and winter. Tackling weeds and bolstering your lawn with key nutrients early in the year sets your lawn up for greater success in the year to come.

Fertilizer Round One

Mulch Ado About Flower Beds

For almost every property, an array of flower beds incorporating flowers, shrubs, and trees is a key part of landscaping. Most of these beds are filled with a layer of mulch on top of the soil. February, March, and April are ideal months for installing mulch because this time of year is just when soil is warming up and plants are starting to grow again, but weeds have not yet moved in. Mulch is vital to the health of the plants in the beds because it greatly reduces the invasion of weeds, insulates roots from rising temperatures, supplements nutrients plants receive from the soil, and holds in valuable moisture. Without a fresh layer of mulch applied annually, much more time is spent weeding and watering flower beds to make up for what mulch is able to prevent. In addition to being key to the health of your ornamental plants, mulch is very useful for preventing soil erosion and is a simple way to give your yard a distinctive and tidy aesthetic. Spring mulching services are included in our 270, 360, and Pristine Programs, but are also available a la carte to any clients who are interested.

Don’t forget, PPLM is proud to offer our clients a $50 credit toward your account for every person you send our way that signs up for a Picture Perfect Program. Additionally, we are hosting a quarterly giveaway for referrals posted to your neighborhood Facebook page! You can also win a $25 gift card and PPLM swag when you post to your neighborhood Facebook page recommending our services. Just email us a screenshot of your post on the page, and we’ll enter you into the drawing. You can enter monthly so long as the posts are different, which means you can be entered up to three times per giveaway! At the end of the year, we’ll have a mega prize for all of the entries together, so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity.