Whats Next for Your Lawn In April

Things are finally starting to feel warmer as we move into April, and PPLM services are officially in full swing with active mowing routes, mulch and pruning services, outdoor pest treatments, and preparation for our second round of fertilizer and weed control. We would like to take this chance to again welcome our newest PPLM clients to the family. This is a great time of year to be getting started, and keep in mind the awesome referral and review reward programs that we have available for everyone who tells their friends and neighbors about their PPLM experience! With April comes rain, even though we’re all tired of wet weather at this point. So far, the forecast has scattered showers, but nothing as soaking as what we started to see this time last year. It’s still too cold for fungus and grubs, but we are only a month away from when lawn disease can become an issue. Stay posted on our blog and YouTube channel for information on what to start watching for in your lawn and let our team know as soon as you see any type of problem in your yard.

Replenishment Fertilizer

The second round of our fertilizer and weed control program is called our “Replenishment” fertilizer application because it is replenishing nutrients in the plant that can be depleted with the return to a growing cycle this time of year.
Like round one, round two utilizes a carbon based fertilizer that is bound with excellent organic soil amending products like humic acid and sea kelp, but the ratio of nutrients in this treatment is different than the previous application. This round’s fertilizer has a higher potassium component. Potassium is a vital and often overlooked nutrient for turf grass that is vital for overall plant health, water regulation, and cellular defense. This is a key time to boost your lawn’s access to potassium because of the exposure it will soon have to fungus and other detriments to your turf. The healthier we can get your lawn now, the more resistant it will be to disease at the end of the spring and into summer.
This application is also the second half of your spring weed control. Like with round one, we are applying pre- and post-emergent weed control. This will kill off remaining weeds in your lawn that didn’t get the hint with round one as well as further build the barrier that will prevent weeds like crabgrass from breaking through in the summer. If you missed round one, round two is going to have similar coverage, but you may see more weeds than normal during the summer due to an incomplete loading of pre-emergent.

How to be Picture Perfect

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that’s never been a more true adage than in today’s Instagram world. More photographs are taken today than at any point in history because of the easy access to cameras thanks to smartphones. Even more importantly, these pictures are more shareable than ever thanks to the ease with which we can publish them to social media. Most people today love to share pictures of the things that bring pride to their lives, primarily their kids, pets, vacations, and purchases. When most homeowners are spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year on lawn care to keep their yards looking nice, lawn photography becomes a popular venture to capture the success of their investment.
Lawn photography can serve three main purposes that require a different method for the best success. First, there is the documentation photo: this is going to be a picture taken of a weed, disease, or similar concern to you that you wish to report to your turf management company. Second, there is going to be the magazine photo: this is the perfectly staged picture that makes the lawn look like something out of a lawn and garden magazine. Third, there is the renovation photo: this is going to be a series of at least two pictures from the same location in the yard over time to document the progress it has made with some good TLC.

Spring Lawn Care FAQ

Spring is one of the busiest times of the year for RVA lawns, so we receive many requests for spring lawn care tips from our clients and neighbors. Here a few quick Q&A’s to help you out this season:

>>When should I start mowing my grass?
Mowing should start and end based on the weather and turf growth patterns, not on a set schedule. When your lawn begins to look shaggy, it’s a good idea to start cutting.

>>How soon do I need to start watering?
This is another decision that depends on the weather and can change year to year, but watering in RVA usually starts around the beginning of May. That being said, try to delay beginning your irrigation schedule for as long as possible.

>>I missed the first lawn treatment for the year. Will that be a problem?
Missing out on round one isn’t a huge deal, but the loss of weed control is very likely to impact the state of your lawn for the rest of the year. If you’ve missed this round, there’s no need to stress, but be aware that there will be a higher incidence of weed growth for the growing season.

>>How do I keep weeds from growing in my flower beds?
Spring is a great opportunity to reduce the future development of weeds with a granular pre-emergent treatment. It won’t eliminate future weeds, but it will slow down their development. When applying any herbicides, always follow the label.

>>Is it too late to prune my flowering plants?
Plants like crepe myrtles, roses, hydrangeas, et al. are almost always best to prune during the winter when they are fully dormant. By April, most of these plants are budding, and pruning them now will eliminate or greatly reduce the number of blooms this spring and summer.

Online Referral Giveaway!

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.