Steve Pileggi

To Bee or not to Bee

To Bee or not to Bee, that is the question. With April showers past us, it’s time for those beautiful May flowers. With those flowers comes the all important Bee. These guys and gals are busy pollinating away and making that delicious honey. Bees can be a nuisance but they are way more beneficial than bad. Here is a quick list to help identify these all important insects.

Outdoor Insect Prevention

With the warmer temps approaching it time to start breaking out all the outdoor furniture.  Get those patios and deck hosed off and cleaned up for all those outdoor gatherings.  What does that also mean, bugs and lots of them.  

The first thing that can be done is to clean those gutters.  Debris and leaves get stuck, causing areas where water builds up and  mosquitoes and other insects can thrive.  We always recommend cleaning them 1 to 2 times a year, usually spring and fall.  

Take a look around your property and look for any standing water, maybe some old flower pots or left over winter toys. 

Change out those lightbulbs….Replace your white bulbs with yellow bulbs, the yellowish light is undesirable to some insects.  

Also here are a couple plants that help control the insects. So on your next trip to the home store stop and grab a couple of these plants, and plant them around all those hang out spots.  

Lemongrass

Petunias

Chrysanthemums

Marigolds 

Lavender

Lemon Thyme

Mint

Sage 

Rosemary

SHOULD WE WATER IN THE SPRING?

Not in most cases. But, (there’s always a but) it really does depend on the weather. In any typical year during April and May, Mother Nature will provide adequate rainfall for your turf. In some years, she may even provide too much moisture. In those cases, we would recommend our Fungicide Program to correct any issues that may arise.

In the extremely rare case of a dry May, we would recommend weekly watering, but of course, we will send you a note proactively to remind you. Check back in late May for updates on our Summer time watering advice.

Mowing

Why is mowing so important? It can be the most important determining factor in a successful lawn. Here are some tips we recommend:

1. MOW HIGH. We recommend 3.5” to 4” (this typically are the top 2 settings on your mower) The longer the grass , the deeper the roots grow, giving them better access to water and nutrients.

2. Don’t mow yet!! Give you grass a change to come fully out of its dormancy phase. Let it get a little shaggy, maybe your neighbors will look at you a little funny, but trust us. Give it an extra week or two and then mow on one of your highest settings.

3. Train your grass. Once you have the lawn at 3.5” or 4” keep it there! When the hot summer months start, switch you mowing to every other week (usually late June, July and August)

4. Sharp mower blades! Our recommendations is to buy an extra set and keep one set sharp at all times. Switch them out 2 times a year, spring and late summer. Sharp blades con reduce water loss and reduce the likelihood of disease by up to 25%.

Mulching

Why are you hearing so much about mulch this time of year?

There are a couple different reasons but mainly, weeds.  Nobody likes them and they are hard to keep out of the flower beds.  

Here are a couple of helpful tricks for your mulching process and some ways to improve the lawn too.  

  1. Use good mulch.  Most local nurseries have a great selection of high quality mulch. Most of these companies will deliver it right to your doorstep at a pretty good price. Most of them can also help you with measurements and/or estimates on how much you would need.  Who doesn’t like supporting they’re local nurseries instead of the big box stores?
  2. Edges, edges, edges. We can’t stress enough how important it is to have a defined edge between your mulch beds and your turf.  These edges will help keep weeds out of the lawn and also help with proper drainage. We recommend edges to be at least 2 to 4 inches deep.
  3. Using pre-emergent 2 to 3 times a year can greatly reduce the amount of weeds that you see in your beds. All of these nurseries have it available in many different size options. We would recommend putting down pre-emergents once in the early spring, once in late spring, and once in late fall.  By doing this, you can greatly reduce the amount of weeds in your flower beds, which reduces the chances that those weeds could reach your lawn.
  4. Maybe hold off an extra 2 weeks.  Most people want to get their flowerbeds looking sharp for the spring but that can sometimes have an adverse reaction. Oftentimes, trees are sprouting new growth that comes with a lot of debris and undesirable objects in the mulch. We recommend waiting till the very end of April or even mid May to mulch. This will also help avoid April showers that can wash away some of the color.
  5. Lastly, if you’re not up for the task, please reach out to a local landscaper in your area. If you cannot find one please give us a call and we have many different companies that we can recommend in the Tri-County area.

To Seed or Not to Seed???

Is it best to seed in the spring or the fall?   

Our suggestion really depends on the project at hand.   With that said, for most situations we would not recommend seeding in the spring and here is why…

It is the perfect time during the early spring months (March, April and May) to control weeds for the year. Applying a pre-emergent early in the spring is key to controlling your lawn’s nemesis, crabgrass!  Without this application, you will be fighting those pesky weeds all year long.  

Seeding in the spring can disrupt the timing and effectiveness of those pre-emergent applications.  Also, early spring is generally not recommended because the plant does not have time to develop the deep root system needed to survive the hot summer.    

Autumn has a great mix of warm soil and cool air which is ideal for seeding.  This also gives the plant enough time for the root system to develop ahead of the winter months.

WHY CHOOSE STOUT LAWN CARE

We are locally owned and operated. We looooveee grass.  We live, breathe and surround ourselves with everything grass. 

We are in your community and are just getting started.   If you are reading this we most likely service your area.  

We Support what you support, the local community .  Here are some of those organizations and small businesses,

  • 422 Sportsplex
  • Nor Gwyn Baseball 
  • Hello 422
  • Boyertown Healthy Run Series 
  • KaraJo Skin Care and Bee Farm
  • Jim Crawford Realty

Just to name a few…..and so many more coming for the 2022 season.  

We love to communicate.  We think we have mastered the art of communicating.   We are no means perfect but we are darn close.   Your questions will be answered in a timely manner and we get back within minutes not hours.

And last but not least… of course…

“GREEN GRASS MADE EASY”

We talk turf, let us know if you have any questions.  Stout Lawn Care

2022 Outlook

Stout Lawn Care is ready for a successful 2022 season.  There are a couple things that are new this year!!

In addition to our core services (lawn care, outdoor insect control, seeding, aeration, top dressing, and Perimeter Pest control) we are excited to be able to offer 3 new services 

  1. Tree and Shrub Program 
  2. Lawn Fungicide Program
  3. Deer Repellent Program

Please visit our website for more details and to request a quote….

STOUDT LAWN CARE IS GROWING!!! We have hired a new employee, Steve Pileggi.  Steve has been in the financial world for most of his adulthood.  But as a young kid his parents owned a small nursery in Montgomery County (Springhouse Nursery).  With that knowledge we believe Steve is a perfect fit for our company and culture.

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