Early Spring Newsletter 2023
We Are Starting Service on Lawns
The soil temperatures are appropriate and we are starting our Early Spring service. The snow cover served to insulate the soil, so our winter soil temperatures did not get as cold as some years. We do want to make sure we start applying crabgrass preventer down sooner than later. The great news is that our crabgrass preventer is not negatively effected by any snowfall or brief cold snaps that could happen. If the weather does turn wet or cold again, there could be a break in our servicing but fear not, if you are reading this newsletter, we plan to be on your lawn soon. I would expect that we will be out for your service now to mid-April, weather permitting (possibly sooner if weather is appropriate).
Bugs are expected to be bad
We are again expecting insects to be a bigger concern due to the high temperatures and longer periods of high heat. In addition, with the mild winter, more bugs survived. Grub prevention will be important (applied in mid summer to prevent Japanese beetle eggs from developing) in lawns that are at risk. We have also seen significant Chinch bug damage in the past 4 summers with the long periods of high heat. Unfortunately, there are no effective preventative chinch bug applications, so it is important to watch for changes in your lawn this summer. We usually start to see the damage from chinch bugs in July. 

Mosquitos & Ticks
While mosquitos always are a nuisance, we again expect more mosquito pressures, similar to last year, according to pest control experts. Mosquitos carry so many infections like West Nile, Dengue and Chikungunya. As nasty as those are, in the last few years we saw an uptick (no pun intended) for "Tick Control." The Lone Star tick which causes people to become allergic to eating meat and the ever common Deer Tick which carries lime disease are what people seem to be concerned about lately.

Our Yard Armour program controls chinch, sod webworms along with the major culprits like Flea's, Ticks and Ants. Click Here To Learn More! CALL or TEXT 563-690-5296 to act now!
Not always Crabgrass
When it comes to keeping and maintaining a healthy, beautiful looking lawn, a big obstacle in the way can be grassy weeds. Invasive grassy weeds can stick out like a sore thumb and mess with the overall look of the lawn. No matter the weed - We CAN HELP!

Some of the main grassy weed culprits include Quackgrass, Fescue, and Crabgrass. What’s particularly frustrating about these grasses is that they look very similar to one another, so much so that they can be confused or mistaken for each other.
If you’re wondering what CRABGRASS looks like, it stands out because of how the blades stick out like legs of a crab, which is how they earned their name. Crabgrass is not noticeable until June.
QUACKGRASS is an annoying and tough to get rid of perennial grass which can show up in your lawn and frustrate you with its persistence. Some of its characteristics include thin, creeping underground rhizomes that spread and release chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants so they are able to outcompete them and take over where they are not wanted.

You can identify quackgrass by their auricles. It’s these little things that wrap around the stem of the grass plant, almost grasping or hugging it. Right at the end of the leaf which hooks up to the stem, Quackgrass has finger-like projections that are a great indicator that you’re dealing with Quackgrass and not a different type of grass.

The tough thing about Quackgrass is it’s a perennial weed which means it has a deep root system with rhizomes and usually a patch will be there for many years, making it hard to control.

To eliminate Quackgrass, you will need to inspect regularly so if you spot it early, then it will be much easier to get a handle on it and remove it completely. The bad part about Quackgrass is using normal weed killer will usually not work to remove this pesky weed.
COARSE FESCUE
All too often coarse fescue is incorrectly identified as crabgrass.

Coarse fescue is a thick bladed fast growing and uncontrollable perennial grass that usually grows in clumps in the middle of a lawn. Coarse fescue is NOT controllable without killing the desirable grasses surrounding the tall fescue.
Get Your Gear in Check
Mowers, trimmers and pruning tools should all be sharp and ready to go. Consider replacing poorly working tools.
 
Schedule your irrigation turn on for April or early May... Do it now... I know you may not NEED your irrigation running in April or May, but last year customers were unable to get their sprinkler company to come out in May because they were completely booked. Some of those lawns got drought damage and needed touch up seedings. GO call the sprinkler company. Do it now seriously... (Come back and read this later.)
I didn't know you did that!
We hear quite often that customers are unaware of the other services we offer (& many are also asking about services that we do NOT offer). Here are some services that you may not know we offer:
 
·   Yard Armour Mosquito Control
·   Flea, Tick & Ant Control
·   Lime, Soil Enrichment
·   Power Seeding
·   Aeration
· Hydraguard Moisture Management (WaterSaver):
 
Contact information
As with last year, you can call or text us as 563.690.5296. You will reach Christina, Amy or Annelien. We are each local to the area.

Please keep in mind that during the spring window, we spend a great deal of time on the phones which sometimes can get tied up for a lengthy period. When this happens, please feel free to text, leave a voicemail or opt for a callback while on hold & someone will get back to you as quickly as possible. Our customers are our priority!

Reminder - You CAN text us at our office number 563.690.5296. When our technicians are out and need to text you, they will also be texting from this number.
Payments
Please use the online payment options as much as possible. We continue to see significant delays with USPS mail of personal checks and online banking checks. We are happy to set up autopay by ACH if you usually pay by check. This is a great way to have a secure payment with no stamps or delays. We are also happy to set up autopay by credit card as well.
Looking forward to a Healthy & Green 2023!
Thank you for choosing Lawn Doctor of Dubuque.