Lindstrom Lawn Care and Landscaping – Antioch IL

Spring Lawn Care Tips

There are many Sping Lawn Care Tips out there , although cleaning up your yard may seem like a “no brainer ” there are a few simple tips that you need to keep in mind.

1) Get all the debris rock gravel & sticks off the turf

2) Fertilize all planting beds with a good 10- 10- 10-  fertilizer   Do NOTuse lawn fertilizer this will cause an major over growth especially in perennial plants.  This is due to the high nitrogen level.

3) Aerate your lawn, this will help reduce soil compaction, and provide passageways for air water and nutrients.  This is the most import spring lawn care tip of all

4)Apply a pre-emergent to you turf. This will help kill all the seed before they have a chance to germinate.  Read the instructions before you put down application.

5) If you are going to plant anything  don’t jump the gun, WAIT until mothers day weekend that way your safe from any  surprise frosts.

For more Spring Lawn Care Tips any many other seasonal tips contact Lindstrom Lawn Care & Landscaping   We serve Antioch, Lake Villa, Illinois & Salem & Bristol, Wisconsin.

Winter is a great time for pruning your trees and shrubs, because insects are not out to transmit disease.  You will not have guests outside so this time of year you can prune your plants severely.  If you are a do it yourself landscaper get outside on a nice winter day and go for it!

Health

You want to take out any abnormal growths such as crown gall.  Fertilizer is good for the health of the plant but this should be done during the growing season.  Watch out or winter plant damage from snow, ice, and salt, for more information read our blog on Winter Plant Damage.

Maintenance

Keep trees limbed in a nice canopy.  All of the “suckers” coming up from the ground should be cut off.  Shrubs should be kept below windows so if you have to take a foot off that hedge growing up against your house, don’t worry it will have plenty of time to recover.

To Protect People

You want to make sure that your plants do not block the view of traffic in this can be a problem in medians in newly built subdivisions A nice small tree is planted without thinking ten years later in grows and now is blocking your view when driving. Watch out for these thaese things and if it’s problem prune them.

How to make a clean cut

By making three cuts you will take the weight off the limb before making the third cut so it will be nice and clean.  When pruning in the winter you do not need dressing also known as the “black paint” they use to cover up the pruning cuts.

Price

Price is not always the main factor. Although we are all looking to save money when hiring a contractor, price should not be how you make your decision.  There should be several other things that influence your decision including their reputation, whether or not they have insurance, and the quality of service the contractor provides.

Reputation

Make sure the contractor is from a reputable company.  Ask around for others opinions, check local reviews online such as Angies List, Google Places, or Yelp. If a previous client is unsatisfied they will usually go out of their way to let everybody know.

Insurance

Your contractor should have insurance! Most do, but some don’t. It doesn’t hurt just to ask for a copy of thei insurance license before hiring a contractor.  This could save a lot of headaches down the road.

Quality

It’s just the old saying “you get what you pay for” we have all tried to save 20, or 30 bucks and then realized we should have spent the 50 just to get the service done right and save the headache.

The Bottom Line

When searching for a quality respectable contractor you want to get a least three estimates.  Take your time consider the points made above.  These are extremely important because the client is usually responsable for putting a portion of the payment up front (usually for materials). Although a cheap price sounds good, if a contractor or any service business does not have a Reputation, Insurance, or do a Quality job, that can leave you the client, dead in the water.  Although these point are simple I still here stories about people getting “ripped off” please do your homework when hiring contractors.

Salt Damage

Salt used for deicing walks and roads in winter can cause damage to plants. To prevent salt damage, do not plant trees and shrubs in highly salted areas.  Avoid areas where salty runoff collects or where salt spray is occurs, or if you are going to use salt tolerant plants (Street Trees)

Animal Damage

Mice, rabbits (rodents), and deer can all cause severe damage to plants in the winter. These animals feed on the delicate twigs, bark, and foliage of landscape plants during the colder months. They can damage trees and shrubs and eat shrubs to the ground line. Deer can cause significant injury and breakage by rubbing their antlers on trees during the fall.  During the design process you usually want to think about planting something that is deer resistant if you know you have this problem.  You can also buy many repellents at your local hardware store. Be sure to read the instructions before using.

Snow and Ice Damage

Heavy snow and ice storms cause damage by bending and breaking branches. Multiple leader, upright evergreens, such as arborvitae and juniper, and multiple leader or clump trees, such as birch, are most likely to have problems with snow and ice damage.  Prune in the fall, to eliminate multiple leaders and weak branches.  This will reduce snow and ice damage. For trees with large wide-spreading leaders or large multi-stemmed trees, such as arborvitae and juniper you can simply go outside yourself and brush the heavy snow off the plant.  This will save you a lot of work come spring.

DO’s

1. Place your plant in indirect sunlight for at least six hours per day. If direct sun can’t be avoided, diffuse the light with a shade or sheer curtain.
2. Provide room temperatures between 68 – 70° F. Generally speaking, if you are comfortable, so is your poinsettia.
3. Water your plant when the soil feels dry to the touch.
4. Use a large, roomy shopping bag to protect your plant when transporting it.
5. Fertilize your plant after the blooming season, with a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer. 10-10-10.

DO NOT’s

1. Place plants near cold drafts or excessive heat. Avoid placing plants near appliances, fireplaces or ventilating ducts.
2. Expose plants to temperatures below 50° F. Poinsettias are sensitive to cold, so avoid placing them outside during the winter months.
3. Overwater your plant, or allow it to sit in standing water. Always remove a plant from any decorative container before watering, and allow the water to drain completely.
4. Expose your plant to chilling winds when transporting it.
5. Fertilize your plant when it is in bloom.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), approximately one tenth of one percent (0.12%) of residential fires involve a Christmas Tree — both real and artificial. At no time can a Real Christmas Tree start or cause a fire. Christmas Trees DO NOT spontaneously combust.

In 1998 more than 32 million Real Christmas Trees were used in the U.S. Of these, only 0.00093% were ignited in home fires. Christmas Trees are not as likely to be the first item ignited in residential fires.

Common household items to ignite a fire:

• Newspapers and magazines — 13x more likely (than your x-mas tree)
• Boxes or bags — 10x more likely
• Curtains or drapes — 9x more likely