Newsletters

Let’s face it, we love our lawns and we want them to be thick, lush and green. Our yard is where we play ball with our kids, frolic with pets and host our weekend barbecue. Unfortunately, many of the synthetic chemicals we add to keep our lawns lush are not good for our families, or the environment. Many chemical weed and feeds contain herbicides that have been linked to increased rates of cancer in people and pets. The use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides by residential homeowners is one of the leading causes of deteriorating water quality we have in North Texas, as well as a host of other environmental and health issues…

On behalf of my family and the families of the men and women who work for Spriggs Brothers, we want to “thank you” for your loyal patronage of our services. During these tough financial times we know that you are having to make tough financial decisions about where to cut costs and expenses. Because we value you, our customer, we have frozen the prices for the services that we perform, even though our company cost of doing business continues to increase…

As we come to the close of spring, there are a couple of things you need to do as you transition your lawn from winter to summer. This is particularly important for those of you who planted a winter rye lawn, or nature planted a partial winter lawn with annual bluegrass (Poa). Annual Bluegrass is that weed that has the little white seed heads and usually takes up habitat in the shady areas of your lawn before spreading to other areas of your lawn.

The most important thing you can do to improve your lawn this fall is to begin building the organic matter and nutrients in your lawns soil. Unfortunately, the high nitrogen synthetic chemical fertilizers that most of us use do the exact opposite. Synthetic fertilizers often strip the soil of its nutrients and kill beneficial microorganisms and macro organisms that live in the soil. The result is sterile, lifeless dirt that just holds up plants, rather than a living ecosystem teeming with beneficial life and nutrients for your lawn.

Record Rain Fall Causes Lawn Problems – I know many of you are just as confused as we are about the constant rain we have had so far this fall. Currently, we are on pace to have the highest recorded rainfalls in North Texas. While this has been good for

It is the last few days of 2009, as I prepare this newsletter for print and distribution. Already I’ve had two phone calls today that remind me how tough 2009 has been on all of us economically. Some of our customers have lost their jobs and others have had their hours or pay cut in order to keep their job. Our savings and retirement portfolios declined in size. We have had to tighten our belts financially and make some tough financial decisions. If you are like me, you are hoping and praying that 2010 brings a reversal of all the bad fortune we faced last year.

One thing about the landscaping business, it never gets boring! It seems the weather conditions go from one extreme to another. I visited with one customer who literally had lakes of water standing on his 1 acre lawn this past March. Three years ago, I walked this same property and there were 4 -6 inch wide fissures in the ground because it was so parched and dry. I joked with the customer that we ought to dig out 2 or 3 more feet and stock his natural ponds with bass so we could go fishing this summer! During May and June, our weather has flip–flopped from cool and wet … to hot and dry. These extreme weather conditions are creating new and different challenges for us as we seek to maintain a green, healthy lawn.

Just about every February and March I will have inquiries with perspective customers who will say, “I want my lawn to be green like my neighbor’s lawn.” Nine times out of ten, the neighbor has planted a winter rye lawn that looks “fantastic” in the late winter and early spring months while their lawn is struggling to come out of brown dormancy. Many people think that having a green lawn year-round is beneficial. There are pluses and minuses to just about every decision we make, and this seems to be especially true with the decision to overseed your lawn with winter rye grass.

It’s that time of the year when our lawns are still dormant, but cool seasonal weeds are beginning to pop up in the lawn and landscape. The 14th century reformer, Martin Luther, once said, “You can’t stop a bird from flying over (or landing on) your head, but you can stop it from building a nest in your hair.” While no lawn or garden will ever be 100% weed free, we can keep the weeds from taking over your lawn. Organic weed control involves a multitude of gardening techniques and it is quite possible to have a weed free lawn & garden and not use toxic synthetic chemicals.

The quickest way to improve your soil is to use a compost foliart tea on a regular basis. Many of those in the bioremedial (repairing soils) business will apply it several times a season (think monthly) to soils that require assistance. Gardeners know that compost is terrific stuff. But there’s something even better than plain old compost, and that’s compost foliar tea.