This week much of the Southeast is expected to experience freezing temperatures, which can cause severe damage to lawns, trees and shrubs.  Here are a few tips to take when a freeze is in the forecast:

• Irrigate before a frost or freeze to ensure there is proper moisture in the soil root zone, however make sure irrigation is stopped early enough to allow time for leaves to dry to avoid ice forming on them.
• Cover cold-sensitive plants with blankets or boxes, but not plastic.  Be sure to remove the covering as soon as the temperatures begin to warm up.
• Do not mow turf that is frozen, and keep the lawn mowed high.  This can reduce cold injury in two ways.  First, it will promote a deeper root system that will provide greater stress tolerance.  Second, it will create a warmer micro-environment within the lawn.
• Avoid foot traffic and vehicular traffic on frozen turf, as it can increase damage.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us or visit our freeze information page!

I’m sure by now everyone has heard that the weather is calling for some very cold temperatures tonight throughout the Southeast. If you need tips on what to do for plants and your landscape during a freeze, click here. But what should you do if your plants or lawn become damaged?  NOTHING- right now, anyway.

The potential for freezing temperatures will be present for the next few months so replacing damaged or dead grass and shrubs at this time is not a good idea. However when Spring’s warm temperatures return, you’ll be able to see what plants and portions of the lawn definitely aren’t going to come back so you can begin to make decisions on renovation. You should also wait until Spring to prune dead branches. We’ve posted several tips from our lawn experts on what to do during and after a freeze, but feel free to give us a call with any questions!

For now, just keep your plants covered at night when freezing temperatures are imminent and make sure to monitor your irrigation so as to not ice over the landscape and cause freeze damage. And BUNDLE UP!!

Proper soil aeration is a critical element in producing a green and healthy lawn. And core aeration is one of the most environmentally beneficial things lawn care professionals can provide.

Core aeration is a non-chemical process that removes small plugs of turf and soil about the size of your thumb from the lawn. Removing these plugs allows oxygen, water and nutrients to reach the root zone. To put it simply, it allows your lawn to eat, drink and breathe. Oxygen is essential to healthy root growth because roots can’t absorb water or fertilizer without it.

And healthy roots help your lawn naturally withstand heat and drought, as well as pests, weeds and diseases. This means that you need fewer pesticides, less fertilizer and other products to supplement your lawn care. From an environmental standpoint, aeration also helps keep fertilizer from running off into our lakes, rivers and waterways.

If you would like to learn how you can have your lawn aerated, schedule a Free Inspection or call Massey’s GreenUP Landscape Services at 1-888-2MASSEY (262-7739).

Proper mowing can mean the success or failure of your lawn.

Proper mowing practices, along with fertilization and irrigation, can largely determine the success or failure of a lawn. That’s because mowing correctly increases turf density, producing a tighter lawn. Correct cutting also promotes greater root depth. And, a dense lawn with deep roots yields numerous advantages. Count among them:

• 

  Mow your way to landscape success

  Greater tolerance to drought

• Ability to withstand insects
• A reduction in weeds
• Disease tolerance
• Less temperature stress
• Survival in poor soil conditions
• Endurance in periods of nutrient deficiencies
• Ability to tolerate foot traffic

To determine if you are mowing properly, check two factors: height and frequency. See the guide below for your lawn type.

For more tips like these from our professionals, or to find out how our GreenUP Landscape Service can make your lawn beautiful, schedule a Free Landscape Inspection or call Massey’s GreenUP Landscape Services at 1-888-2MASSEY (262-7739).

Chilli thrips infestations started popping up in late Spring this year, with several severe cases observed in October. Last year chilli thrips populations seemed to explode in October as well and persisted well into January and even February in some parts of Florida. Cold snaps were short and sandwiched in between 80 degree days allowing them to survive in bark cracks and crevices, and in mulch.

This invasive pest has no natural enemies, feeds on over 100 plant species, is extremely small and can re-infest very quickly from adjacent landscapes. Symptoms may include leaf curling, twisting,stunting, bunching, scarring, and/or loss of leaves.

In most cases our GreenUP Landscape Program can keep populations suppressed to avoid significant damage and plant loss. There may be “hot spots” where populations get out of control and control is difficult. We aren’t able to predict where these may occur at this time, but we have a more intensive treatment regimen available for use in such situations which can prevent plant loss.

Recovery from chilli thrips damage is very slow going into the winter months, but if treatments are successful, new spring growth will improve the appearance of plants dramatically.

To find out more about our GreenUP Landscape Service, sign up for a Free Landscape Inspection Today.

Chilli thrips infestations started popping up in late Spring this year, with several severe cases observed in October. Last year chilli thrips populations seemed to explode in October as well and persisted well into January and even February in some parts of Florida. Cold snaps were short and sandwiched in between 80 degree days allowing them to survive in bark cracks and crevices, and in mulch.

This invasive pest has no natural enemies, feeds on over 100 plant species, is extremely small and can re-infest very quickly from adjacent landscapes. Symptoms may include leaf curling, twisting,stunting, bunching, scarring, and/or loss of leaves.

In most cases our GreenUP Landscape Program can keep populations suppressed to avoid significant damage and plant loss. There may be “hot spots” where populations get out of control and control is difficult. We aren’t able to predict where these may occur at this time, but we have a more intensive treatment regimen available for use in such situations which can prevent plant loss.

Recovery from chilli thrips damage is very slow going into the winter months, but if treatments are successful, new spring growth will improve the appearance of plants dramatically.

To find out more about our GreenUP Landscape Service, sign up for a Free Landscape Inspection Today.

What relief the cooler weather brings, but along with it comes the season for Brown Patch. Just as the name implies, this disease, caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani,causes expanding brown patches in the lawn.

Our Massey GreenUP Landscape Program is very effective at treating and stopping this disease before it gets out of hand. Once a treatment is applied, recovery usually starts within 1 – 2 weeks, depending on weather conditions.

If brown patch is an ongoing problem, it may be possible that the lawn is receiving too much water. Lawns need less water during the winter because it doesn’t evaporate from the soil as quickly as it does during the summer and plants aren’t using the water up as quickly. Watering once per week is generally sufficient in the fall and winter months.

If you see a brown patch in your lawn, contact Massey Services for a free landscape inspection. We’ll be able to identify your problem and provide recommendations to make your lawn green, healthy and beautiful.

It’s finally starting to feel like Fall in the Southeast. As the colder temperatures become more frequent, you should be aware of the effects on your lawn.

Why Does My Lawn Turn Brown and Yellow During The Fall and Winter?
As a homeowner, this can be very frustrating. You have a green, lush lawn and it begins to turn brown and yellow. Well, different grass types have different ways of surviving the Fall and Winter weather conditions.

Some grasses have natural “hibernation” periods that preserve energy for the spring. Zoysiagrass for example, will go dormant in the Fall and Winter months and turn yellow and brown. This is a normal reaction for this grass type under adverse conditions and loss of color is common.

St. Augustinegrass, on the other hand, usually maintains acceptable color and quality well into the cool season until frost occurs. A hard freeze often causes brown patchy areas.

Fall/Winter Lawn Tips:

• Mow your lawn about once very two weeks, even if it’s not growing, to keep weeds from seeding
• If a freeze occurs, avoid walking across the lawn and mowing until frost is melted
• Provide adequate irrigation – watering once per week is generally sufficient

Call us at 1-888-2MASSEY (262-7739) if you have questions about your lawn and what it should do during the Fall and Winter months. You can also sign up for a Free Landscape Analysis where we’ll provide you with recommendations and a plan specific for your landscape.

Mulches provide a multitude of benefits to your landscape, including prevention of water loss, suppression of weeds, and insulation of soil and beautification of your landscape.

Follow these tips when using mulch:

• Use mulches made from recycled materials. This keeps unrecycleable materials out of our waterways and landfills.
• Apply mulch that’s at least 2-3 inches deep after settling.This maximizes the suppression of weeds and the prevention of water loss.
• Do not pile mulch against a tree. Trees need a clear space for air to reach the trunk.
• Do not pile mulch against your house. Mulch helps retain moisture, a vital source of sustenance for termites.

For more landscape tips, visit our GreenUP Landscape Tipsarea.

We hear a lot today about the environment.  In fact, it seems almost as if focusing on improving the environment has become the “coolest” thing to do these days.  But did you know that all you have to do to start being a true environmentalist is by looking right under your feet?

The earth is truly an amazing planet, utterly unique in our observations to date and the shear magnitude of its resources is nearly unfathomable.  While industry and technology have provided jobs and goods to make life easier, the effect on our environment has been substantial.  Many of us who grew up in the 1970’s can remember the widespread and rampant decline of our environment as it was burned into our minds by Chief Iron Eyes Cody in the 1971 public service message the “Crying Indian.”  The tag line of that commercial was “People start pollution, People can stop it.”  (If you were born in a later generation or don’t remember the commercial, watch it here on YouTube.)

Since the 1970’s we have made many strides towards improving the impact our industries and our personal activities have on the environment.  Unfortunately, over the last few years we have begun to see quite a bit of misinformation about the environmental impacts that maintaining a landscape has on our environment. The truth is that a healthy well-maintained landscape is an environmental benefit.

The Benefits of Turfgrass

The U.S. Congress has acknowledged the following positive benefits to our environment:  “Turfgrass sod in urban areas and communities can aid in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, mitigating the heat island effect, reducing energy consumption and contributing to efforts to reduce global warming trends.”

Our turfgrass lawns, parks, and open areas:

• Provide a natural, comfortable, and safe setting for fun and games.
• Release oxygen and cool the air.
• Control pollution by sequestering more carbon than is released by their maintenance.
• Reduce soil erosion.
• Purify and replenish our water supply.

Our Environment
The satisfaction of creating beauty within the landscape can be rewarding for you and the environment.  With turfgrass sod and landscape trees and shrubs, the rewards are practically immediate.

Research has shown that a well-maintained lawn and landscape can enhance the “curb appeal” adding as much as 15 percent to the value of a home.

Pollution Control
Landscape trees, shrubs and grasses are very effective in reducing pollution.  Landscapes trap and remove dust and dirt from the air.  2,500 square feet of lawn absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and release enough oxygen for a family of four to breathe.

Nature’s Air Conditioner
Another benefit that everyone enjoys, usually without notice, is the landscapes tremendous cooling effect.  On a hot summer day, lawns will be 30 degrees cooler than asphalt and 14 degrees cooler than bare soil.  The front lawns of eight houses have the cooling effect of about 70 tons of air conditioning.  That is amazing when the average home has an air conditioner with just a three or four ton capacity.  The cooling effect of landscapes reduces the amount of fuel that must be burned to provide the electricity which powers the air conditioners.  This gives landscapes a positive net effect on atmospheric carbon reduction.

A Natural Filter
Storm water runoff in urban areas carries many pollutants.  Turfgrass acts as a natural filter, significantly reducing pollution by purifying the water passing through its root zone.

Soil Erosion
The clean gentle strength of turfgrass is the most cost-effective method for controlling wind and water erosion.  Bare soil landscape beds or mulch beds are much less resistant to erosion than a dense lawn.

Our Mental Health
Beautiful landscapes quietly add to the beauty of our lives and even our mental and physical health.  Doctors have shown that people recover faster in a hospital when given a landscape view, rather than seeing only the walls of adjoining buildings.

At Massey Services we strongly believe in being a responsible steward of our environment.  Our Landscape Services are a great way to help you improve yours.

Adam W. Jones
Vice President,
Director of Quality Assurance