Ticks and the deli....

No there were no ticks in the deli but as I was waiting for my order to be processed the owner was telling another customer how sick his new puppy was. Poor thing could barely move and was sick as...well...a dog. The veterinarian diagnosed Lyme disease. So not only can you catch this debilitating disease, your pets can too.

I asked what he was going to do about it and he said after the dog received treatment he was going to start the Advantix treatment for the dog. I then asked "what are you going to do to protect yourself?" "I have no idea" was the reply. I then handed him my business card.

A Tick Control treatment program for your yard can reduce the risk of exposure to this tick and the diseases they carry. We have monthly treatment programs for high risk properties and also 4 step programs for less risk properties. Constant vigilance against this pest is important. Northeastern Mass and southern New Hampshire are in the bulls eye for the spread of lime disease.

Help protect your family and call us today.

Happy Birthday!!!

              !!!!!!HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

              Green Grass is 20 years old this month.  It has been quite a ride.  We have seen the company grow, improved our product lines and offerings, seen good employees come and go and expand their horizons, created many fine lawns and landscapes, and we had a good time along the way. 

              What’s next?  We will continue to grow our core Healthy Lawn product, expand our tick control product, and move into structural pest control.  We can use your help in growing these products through your feedback and your recommendations.

As I reflect on the past 20 years, I come to the realization that my passion for growing beautiful lawns and improving the health of the landscape has not waned one bit.  I think my passion for my profession has actually increased in the past few years.  I love what I do and how I make your lawn look.  I wish more people would recognize my passion for the industry and realize that when they sign up for my Healthy Lawn Program, they get someone who will do everything in his ability to provide them with a nice lawn and landscape.

I am also constantly improving myself.  I attend several trade shows every winter and a few throughout the year to stay on the cutting edge of turf fertility research and pest control.  My colleagues call me “Yoda” (hey, its not do my height!) it’s because I am all things knowing when it comes to lawn care.  I have been diagnosing, fertilizing, treating, and studying lawns for over 26 years.

The family is doing quite well.  Yes, that’s Ceara  driving around the seacoast.  Eilise is happy cheerleading.  Both are looking forward to going to the beach this summer.  We are now visiting colleges around New England.  Aaack, they grew up too fast!  When I am not at work I am either in my own yard or at the racquetball club.  I had a setback this winter when I tore my bicep during a game but it was all for the better.  I no longer have any shoulder pain!  Lots of working out to get strength back into the arm but it will turn out fine.

That’s all for now.  I’ll see you in the front yard.

Erik Sweetser

President

Happy Birthday!!!!

Irrigation winterizing

Winter is on the way. Call now to schedule your irrigation winterization.

Water your lawn!

Water...water...water.....20 minutes every other day is not sufficient on most residential systems. When it is hot like this week boost you per zone time to 40-50 minutes per day. You should be delivering 3" of water per week to maintain a lush green lawn.  If you don't have an irrigation system, call us or request information about lawn irrigation systems

Ticks and Tick Control

I keep harping on tick control but the reality is that Lime Disease is becoming more prevalent and there are ways to decrease your risk of being infected. Our tick control program is becoming more refined and I can now say we have everything we need at our disposal to control the ticks.

Understanding the disease and how it is transmitted from the tick to you is paramount to the program. An infected deer is bitten by a tick which then bites a mouse, chipmunk, of other rodent, which becomes infected. That tick and disease carrying rodent then gets into your yard or even house and the ticks fall off the rodent and find you for a blood meal.

Treating the perimeter of the yard will control the ticks themselves as they look for a mouse to feed upon. We can’t treat the deer so our other option is to treat the mice. We do this by providing them building materials for their home. Tick tubes provide the mouse with cotton they line their lairs with. The cotton is impregnated with a permethrin based insecticide that controls the ticks. We place the tick tubes in areas frequented by the mice. They are a very effective method to eradicate the ticks and do no harm to the mice.

Call for an estimate for a tick control program today. You’ll be happy you did.

Spring Lawn Care Check List

• Rake out snow mold areas immediately to break the mycelial matt created by the fungus.

• Overseed thin spots

• Repair plow damage and rake out sand/salt buildup in the lawn and beds

• Prune non-flowering shrubs and trees

• Prune spring flowering shrubs after they flower.

• Start seeds indoors the last weeks of March.

• Prune and fertilize roses

• Compost garden beds

• Divide perennials

• Fertilize bulb plantings after flowering

• Take down winter bird houses and do not put out the summer bird houses until the bear threat has past.

Lawn Care -Spring 2010

This spring is already looking up. We have had a resurgence in calls for patios, walkways and retaining walls and the lawn program calls are coming in as well. We do have some capacities in all divisions so if you know anyone looking for a landscape company please refer us. I would greatly appreciate it.

New products...this year we will be pushing Techo Bloc materials. It is a far superior product for use in driveways, walkways, patios, and retaining walls. I really try to use nothing but the best in our hardscape construction division and Techo is the real deal. They have great patterns, colors, materials, and the way the products are made is industry leading.

New Services...We currently offer structural pest control (for carpenter ants, weed boring beetles, rodents, and other inhome pests) to our Massachusetts clients. We hope to be offering the same services to our NH clients very soon.

On a personal note...This July my wife and I will be taking our oldest daughter Ceara to Orlando for the North American Irish Dance Championships. I am so proud of her. Many of you have seen her dance so you know how good she is. Eilise is looking forward to another spring of softball. I have been playing well in the Open racquetball series and I won the tournament in Newmarket this winter.Look us up on facebook to see pictures of our latest projects and other interesting facts...I hope all is well with you, I look forward to seeing youthis spring.

Compost Tea by ICT Organics

Compost tea is a liquid created by “brewing” compost in water. The brewing process loosens microbes and nutrients that adhere to the compost particle and suspend them in water.

The beneficial microbes, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi, and rhizobacteria are then sprayed on the lawn, trees, or garden. The resulting microbe rich environment helps decompose organic matter and return trapped nutrients to the soil environment.

Turf generally likes a more fugal environment and trees like a bacteria rich environment so compost teas will be brewed specific to the site where the application will take place.

Compost teas not only help soil fertility they can also lead to a decrease in damaging fungus, such as leaf spots, due to more efficient decay rates.

We will be using a compost tea by ICT Organics on the organic program lawns.

Fully organic Healthy Lawn programs are now available

3-D Landscape Rendering

3-D graphic rendering of landscape plans are a new tool we can use to help landscape clients better visualize the impact a project will have. These can get so detailed that you can also do a photo rendering of the image and view it in photo quality. They do take some time to create but they are well worth the effort to both the client and myself as the designer.

The two pictured here are simple ones used to show the overall impact the new area would have. The rendering also helps visualize the scale of the project and we can even put images of potential plants in the drawings.

Walks and Patios

When I say we are a single source landscape solutions company, I mean it. In addition to our maintenance of some of the finer residences in NH, and our Healthy Lawn Programs, we also build some of the finer landscapes in the area as well.

Current projects include the landscape at Kingsbury Hall at UNH, patios and retaining walls in Hampton and Windham, a bridge in Dover (ok that’s my house). Whatever your project, we have the experience and expertise to complete it.

Give me a call to discuss your next project and enjoy your landscape again.

Asian Longhorn Beetles

They are on the march.  The asian longhorn beetle has recently been found in Worcester; the beetle is native to Asia. In this area it is an invasive species as there are no natural predators.

The beetle feeds primarily on Maple trees but it has also been found in Poplar, Willows, chestnut trees, and black locust trees. There are no chemical controls available for this pest so they only remedy is to cut down the tree and destroy the wood.

The beetle is large and would make me scream like a toddler. Their bodies can grow to 1 1/2” and with the antennae can approach 4” in length. If you see one, or suspect one, trap it and give me a call.

Spring Lawn Care 2009

A fine spring day finds me writing this years newsletter…. sunny yet only 27 degrees. Inside you will find information on the Asian longhorn beetle, 1-2-3 compost tea, a to do list for spring gardening, 3-D landscape rendering, and an article about peonies.

This year we don’t have massive snow banks at the beginning of April so I fully expect to be on the lawns in the southern region the first week of April. Last year the programs started a full 3-4 weeks later and affected the timing the whole year. The landscape crews will be busy as well picking up debris from the ice storm and other spring cleanup activities. If you have limbs down and need them removed please feel free to call us.

As part of the Green Grass Stimulus Package, we will not be raising prices this year in any of our programs. I am getting a lot of requests for patios, walkways, and other landscape activities and would encourage you to take a look at your landscape and consider upgrading or adding a landscape feature to it. Many people have realized that since they are not selling the house any time soon they might as well build that patio or water feature to get more enjoyment out of their current house.

Speaking of landscape design, we have added 3-D landscape renderings to our portfolio. It give the homeowner a good idea of what they will see when the project is finished.

On the personal side, the girls are getting older and more beautiful every day. Ceara is going to the National Irish Dance Championships in Tennessee this July. Eilise is looking forward to another year of softball. I have reached the Open division in racquetball again and have played fairly well. Green Grass is a proud sponsor of the NH Open Series and I look forward to playing in and hopefully becoming a bronze sponsor for the IRT Pro Racquetball event coming to NH in August.

I hope all is well with you, I look forward to seeing you this spring.