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Salt and snow damaging your lawn
December 2013
 

The weather outside may be frightful, but we hope you are cozy and warm inside.  December does not offer much for your lawn, but it is a great time to start planning your program for 2014.  Check out this month's Timely Tips on choosing the perfect ice melt and diagnosing those brown spots you may be seeing on your lawn.  Lastly the grand prize winner of our photo contest has been chosen.  To see who won keep reading and enjoy!
Photo Contest Grand Prize Winner!

We are pleased to announce the winner of our "Show Us Your Lawn" photo contest!  Sally from East Longmeadow, MA won a $500 gift coupon and New American Lawn kit valued at $300!  This year we asked homeowners to submit pictures of their lawns from March-October for the chance to win a $50 gift coupon and ultimately the grand prize of $500.
Grand prize winning lawn!
Sally shops for all of her Jonathan Green products at A.W. Brown's in East Longmeadow, MA. Sally's lawn is 100% organic.  Congratulations Sally!  Thank you to everyone who participated we saw many beautiful lawns.  Be sure to keep an eye on newamericanlawn.com for more chances to win in 2014!
Tis the season for ice melt

melting snowman The snow and ice is on its way or in many cases may already be here.  Be sure to take the proper precautions and apply ice melt products around your home to avoid any injury.  The most common ice melt products on the market are rock salt, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride and urea.  If any ice melt product is applied too heavily it can dry out plants and the lawn.  Unfortunately, it is hard to avoid lawn damage since many towns use large amounts of rock salt on roads which ends up on your lawn.  Watering heavily can help to neutralize an area if it is hit with too much salt.

We recommend that you do not apply ice melt to any concrete areas that are less than one year old.  As the ice and snow melts and freezes again it can crack surfaces and cause damage.  The best way to handle this is to use a premium ice melt like Melt-A-Way.  It is less corrosive and melts ice at a very low temperature.  It has a reduced freeze-thaw cycle which helps reduce the amount of damage to concrete.  Plus Melt-A-Way will not damage leather shoes and is gentle on lawns and shrubs.

What should you do with your lawn in the spring if it is damaged?  Click here!
Are you seeing spots?
 
Does your lawn have yellow or brown spots?  There could be several reasons for this.  One is a lack of fertilization.  If your lawn was fed in the late fall with Winter Survival Fall Fertilizer it would most likely hold some of the desirable green color.  Many lawns tend to go into dormancy stage to survive the winter which can create an all-over yellow brown look.  This may also be the result of salt or ice melt applications.  Too much ice melt on one spot can kill the lawn and it will need to be reseeded in the spring.  Sometimes you will find patches of brown which is actually dead crabgrass.  Crabgrass dies in the first frost and will most likely germinate in the late spring.  If your lawn is damaged plan on reseeding in the spring and then addressing weeds.

Looking for even more possible reasons for spots on the lawn? Click here!
Plan your program now
 
Now is a great time to start planning your lawn care program for 2014.  Think about how your lawn performed this year and what you would like to improve upon.  Many homeowners will have to reseed in the spring due to winter damage.  Use a quality grass seed like Black Beauty or Black Beauty Ultra to get the best results and then consider weed control applications later in the spring.  Following the New American Lawn plan will help you to grow a great looking lawn.  Want to to know more about the New American Lawn plan? Check out this helpful video:

To learn more about the New American Lawn click here and download the helpful guide.
For more information, how-to videos and informative articles visit  jonathangreen.com and NewAmericanLawn.com.  Follow  us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media sites listed below for even more daily lawn and garden tips.  We would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.  See you in 2014! Kids having fun in the snow
 
Sincerely,    
 
Jonathan Green
Seedsmen

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