Unwanted grass/weeds invading your flower bed is a nuisance. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend the whole growing season on your hands and knees pulling out grass/weeds. By using newspaper to smother the grass, or applying selective herbicides to your flower bed, you can begin to take your flower bed back from invading weeds.

Here are 2 Helpful Options to rid your flower beds from pesky grass/weeds:

Option 1:
1. Lay down sheets of newspaper over the invasive grass/weeds. Make the newspaper barrier around four sheets thick for the best results. Leave room around the bases of the flowers in the flower bed. If you don’t have a lot of newspaper lying around, try getting some at your local recycling plant.

2. Wet the sheets of newspaper with a hose. Get them wet enough that they won’t blow away in the wind. Getting the newspapers wet will also help them decompose faster, which will be good for your flower bed.

3. Add a three-inch (7.6 cm) layer of mulch over the newspaper. You can use any type of mulch, like shredded wood chips, leaves, or compost.

4. Pull out any grass/weeds that manages to grow through the newspaper. If you don’t want to pull out the grass/weeds by hand, try using an herbicide to kill the grass/weeds and stop it from spreading.

5. Repeat the process every year to prevent new grass/weeds from growing. Lay down more newspaper, smothering any existing grass/weeds in the flower bed, and add a fresh layer of mulch.

Option 2:
1. Pour boiling water onto the grass/weeds. One natural way to kill your grass/weeds only requires water. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil on the stove. Then, carefully carry the pot to the flower bed and pour the water directly onto the grass/weeds. Be extremely cautious when handling the water, as it can burn you if you spill it on yourself. Do not pour any hot water onto your flowers, or you may accidentally kill them as well. Refill the pot with water and boil it if you don’t cover all of the grass/weeds with the first pot of water.

2. Spray a vinegar mixture onto the grass/weeds. To create a natural vinegar mixture that should be able to kill your grass/weeds, mix together 1 gallon (3.8 l) of white vinegar and 1 cup (240 ml) of table or rock salt. Stir in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dish soap and pour the mixture into the body of a garden sprayer. Spray your unwanted grass/weeds directly with the sprayer.

3. Cover the grass/weeds in lemon juice. Lemon juice is another chemical-free option that may be able to kill your grass/weeds. Douse the grass/weeds in lemon juice and then check on the grass/weeds after 1-2 days. By this time, the grass/weeds should be mostly dead. If not, repeat the process until you’ve achieved your desired results.

https://www.wikihow.com/Kill-Grass-Invading-a-Flower-Bed

Co-authored by: Maggie Moran

Happy Spring,

We do hope all is well with you and yours. 😊

Winter is coming to an end and Spring is right around the corner. We would like to touch base with a friendly reminder, we will be starting up our Lawncare Services in late March, or early April depending on the weather conditions.

Please give us a call or e-mail this Spring if you are interested in Lawncare this Season.  Once we receive your request, we will schedule a time for our Lawn Service Manager to come out to your property and provide you with an Estimate. Once the Estimate has been completed he will leave the Lawn Analysis and Estimate with you for your review.

You do not need to be at the property for the Estimate. If no one is home at the time of the Estimate the Service Manager will leave the Estimate either at your door or in your mailbox. If for any reason you cannot find the Estimate that has been left behind please e-mail or call the office, we will be able to provide you with a copy of the Estimate.

Our time frame for an Estimate to be completed is no longer than a week but depending on weather and scheduling you might see us sooner.

Breakdown of our Materials:

• Our Fertilizer is Organic Based
• Our Pesticide is a Natural Product
• Our Weed Control is a low Toxicity Chemical. Therefore, the Weed Control is only applied where needed on the property. We never do a blanket application unless requested by homeowner. (Our Weed Control is only strong enough to kill weeds not grass.) The material only needs 3 hours of drying time then it is safe for adults, children and pets to be on the property.
• Our Grub Prevention is a low Toxicity Chemical . This application is only applied once throughout the Season and this is the only application we ask you to water in once it has been completed. (Our Grub Prevention is so low in toxicity that its only strong enough to dissolve the beetle egg, not the actual grub.)

If you would like to join our program please let us know ,we would be happy begin working with your property and making it enjoyable for you and your family throughout the Summer months.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Word Press Blog! Our purpose is to reach customers and friends to share important tips and facts about lawncare Do’s and Don’ts and much more.

• Twitter User Name: SutherlandsOrg2
• Face Book Page: Sutherlands Organic Solutions
• Word Press Blog: https://sutherlandsorganicsolutions.blog
• Website: http://www.soslawn.com

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you. You are a valued customer, and we will always do everything possible to ensure your satisfaction.

(401) 764-0740 / info@soslawn.com 

Licensed in MA, CT RI and comply with all state regulations

Do you still have snow piles on your lawn?

If you do, you are in great company! Most of us still have snow lingering on our lawns and while the temperatures are slowly beginning to rise the snow remains.

Did you know that piles of snow can create snow mold on your lawn? Snow mold is a sneaky disease that damages your grass after the snow melts.

While, there is no way to entirely prevent snow mold from growing on your lawn, there is one essential step you can take that can help lessen the possibility of snow mold becoming an issue on your lawn this Spring.

If you have snow piles on your lawn, spread the snow out evenly throughout your lawn. This important step will not only help the snow melt faster but it will decrease your chance of snow mold.

SNOW MOLD
“Snow mold, also known as snow rot, is a lawn disease that thrives under snow or wet leaves during the winter months. It can have a grayish or pinkish color and take on a web-like appearance. Snow mold occurs when too much snow stays on the ground for extended periods of time. The longer the snow sticks around or the wet leaves are left in place, the more it spreads. As the temperatures begin to warm up snow mold will likely go away on its own. If not, you’ll need to rake the area and reseed any bare spots.” (www.lowes.com)

#1 Easy Pickins
Get to the bottom of why wild turkeys invaded your neighborhood. Do you see them gobbling up food scraps in your neighbor’s backyard? Or, do they hang out near your bird feeder, waiting for seeds to fall? Like any wild animal, if they find a place where they can easily get food, they’ll stick around. So, what you need to do is create a food desert. As much as you enjoy watching the wild birds perched on your bird feeder, you need to store the feeder in the shed. Also, politely ask your neighbor to stop feeding the wild turkeys. Other potential sources of food for wild turkeys include garbage cans, grass seeds, nut trees, and berry bushes. Secure your garbage cans, cut your grass often, and install a fence around your fruit-bearing plants and garden.

#2 Climb to the Top
The Humane Society of the United States recommends positioning yourself at the top of the turkey pecking order. This way, your neighborhood turkey will fear you, rather than treat you like a doormat. How do you climb to the top? The Humane Society recommends using noisemakers (a can of pennies works great), waving your arms overhead, throwing tennis balls, hosing turkeys down with squirt guns, or employing any other method that will scare away the turkey, but not physically harm or injure it.

#3 Sculpture Garden
Create a “sculpture garden” in your yard. Install a 3D coyote replica and a scarecrow as 24/7 sentinels. The neighborhood turkeys won’t know what to make of these “sculptures”, especially if you move them frequently, giving them the appearance of being mobile creatures, who could strike at any moment.

#4 The Day and Night Dream Team
Nite Guard offers the day and night dream team. During the day, when turkeys are active, install Nite Guard Repellent Tape. And for night, we offer Nite Guard Solar lights. Like us, turkeys sleep at night. However, in the event your neighborhood turkey wanders around at night, it’s best to have all your bases covered with day and night protection. Our durable flash tape creates bright flashes of light and loud, crackling noises that scare away wild turkeys. With its red flashing light, Nite Guard Solar lights mimic the presence of a predator, which triggers the fight or flight response, resulting in the wild turkey fleeing your property.

#5 Not a B&B
As mentioned in tip #4, turkeys sleep at night, and are active during the day. In the evening, they search for a nice, comfy spot to roost, such as on your roof, in one of your trees, or in among your bushes. Don’t be their B&B. Install bird wire and prune your trees and bushes to give these turkeys zero roosting options.

Coyote Urine or blood granules can also be used to serve as a deter for Wild Turkeys. Coyote Urine can be purchased at Pet Shops and/or Online at Walmart or Lowe’s. Apply the Coyote Urine several times throughout your property, the scent will give the illusion a predator has made a home on your property.

http://www.niteguard.com/post/how-to-deter-turkeys-5-humane-wild-turkey-friendly-tips

1. WATER WHEN DROUGHT BEGINS
If you notice any of the following signs, you should do a thorough watering as soon as possible to help your lawn stay out of drought mode, if your municipality allows it:
• change in color (dull gray, blue/green at first);
• lingering prints or marks after stepping or driving on grass; and,
• folded or rolled grass blades/wilting.

2. DON’T WORRY ABOUT WATERING EVERY DAY
Lawns rarely need to be watered every day. Keep your grass healthy with about one inch of water per week.

3. WATER EVENLY
If you’re using sprinklers, make sure they distribute water evenly and deeply throughout the lawn. If you find patches of dry, discolored grass, you’ll know the watering isn’t even.

4. MOW HIGHER, LESS FREQUENTLY
Taller grass will help protect your soil from drying out. Depending on your lawn’s species, set your mower deck higher – anywhere from 3-½-5 inches tall – to protect the soil and help conserve water.
Also, mowing less frequently helps the grass stay higher and healthier, because you’ll be cutting less of the blade off each time.

5. USE CLIPPINGS WISELY
You may be used to throwing out your clippings, but it’s best to spread them on your lawn. Spread them evenly to give it an extra source of nutrients, as well as moisture and shade to help the soil retain moisture.

6. STAY SHARP
The sharper your blades, the smoother your cut will be and the more accurate your height setting will be. Be sure to sharpen them often.

valleygreen.net/2017/08/02/6-drought-tips-keeping-lawn-green/