The official first day of Fall is September 22, 2013 at 4:44 PM!  It is referred to as the "autumnal equinox", and when we start winding down to have shorter daylight hours, balancing out with 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.  A lot of us not only feel the season change in temperatures and daylight, but also realize a change in our state of mind.  It usually triggers us to begin our preparation for the winter season ahead.  The change in season however, is a good time for our lawns to flourish and recover from the summer stress.  Although we had a brief return of Indian Summer last week, surely the crisp mornings and dry, warm days are here for a little while. Lawns are recovering nicely from the tough summer of 2013, as expected!  Now is the time to think about lawn seeding repairs or replacement of your lawn and landscapes! 

      Also, with the change of season, we face other challenges with our lawns...

GRUBS...

  This season, due to the high populations of beetles, which are the adult of the white grub, there will be the high possibility that grubs will be a problem throughout the month of September and October.  The young grubs feed heavily on the turf's upper root system, and can cause severe damage and even total loss of the lawn.

 Some obvious signs of grub activity are: weak appearance to lawn; loose turf due to separation of grass plant and roots; tilled or disturbed turf due to birds, raccoons or skunks feeding on the grubs.  If your are able to peel back your turf without resistance, you should be able to see the grubs on the soil surface.  Keep in mind that a grub or two discovered while digging usually won't be a problem.  It is the high populations of grubs that can destroy your lawn in a very short period of time. Usually 6 to 8 grubs or more within a square foot area is cause for concern.  The evidence of moles is NOT cause for alarm indicating that you have a grub problem.  Their primary food source are earth worms, which are beneficial to aeration of our soils.  In addition, moles begin to be more active at this time of year due to lighter use of lawns and mowing frequency.  The association of moles indicating a grub problem is not always accurate.  Most lawn owners, at the first sign of mole activity, apply a grub control not knowing if in fact they have a grub problem or not.  If in doubt, call us to evaluate your lawn. Moles, however, can also cause quite a bit of damage burrowing throughout your lawn.  We also offer mole control programs to help control these pests.