As the 41 year old owner of a busy landscaping company, staying in shape is essential to prevent injury and keep my energy up. Besides the physical grind that comes with landscaping, most weeks I work out at my local gym 3-4 mornings as well as play hockey and jog on the weekends. It’s a lot but I wouldn’t have it any other way. This morning I returned to the gym after a 10 day hiatus (it was closed for spring break) and wouldn’t you know it, I didn’t feel quite as strong as when I’m consistently there. In fact, as I sit typing this my lower back growls as if to say,”well, what did you think would happen, you are 41…” My back can be kind of a dick… but it’s right! Consistency is the key to strength!
Every spring, we receive phone calls/emails from concerned clients who can’t seem to understand why their lawn is, “still struggling” even though they just paid for a costly renovation 6 months or a year ago. “It’s almost as if my lawn is getting weaker, just look at the moss/weeds that have come back.” Usually one question clarifies things. “What have you done to your lawn since you got the renovation?” Blank stare followed by, “I thought that’s what the renovation was for?” Well…I say….”that would be like me taking 6 months off from the gym and then blaming the trainer for my decreased strength and subsequent weight gain.” Hmmm…
Your lawn is alive and like all living things it needs consistent care to thrive. Air, water, food even exercise in the form of weekly cutting. Without these consistent inputs, your lawn, like you, will lose its natural glow and will gradually weaken – increasing its risk for injury and disease. And like the flu virus, there’s nothing moss/weeds love more than a weak environment with a compromised immune system. A new lawn or lawn renovation is a restart. It’s a process that gets your lawn back in shape but your lawn will not remain strong without consistent care.
elimination of all dead, dying, or diseased wood. Any dying branch or stub can be the entry point or build-up chamber for insects or disease that could spread to other parts of the plant, with devastating results. When removing diseased wood such as a fungal canker or fire blight, it is important that the cut be made in healthy wood, beyond the point of infection and always with a sterile blade. The development of a sound framework through proper thinning will help prevent disease and loss of vigor while maintaining good form. Even evergreen shrubs will usually benefit from an occasional thinning of foliage. This thinning will allow penetration of light and air throughout the shrub, resulting in an even growth of the foliage.
