Most homeowners know what services are necessary for good Milwaukee lawn care: proper mowing, aeration, overseeding, adequate hydration and fertilizer. Aeration is one of the most beneficial Milwaukee lawn care services, especially if you live in an area that experiences episodes of little to no rainfall. Aerating your Milwaukee lawn will allow the water from your irrigation system to reach the grass roots directly and be immediately absorbed. However, even though aeration ensures that your Milwaukee lawn and soil are manipulated, you should go one step further and also have your soil periodically tested by a Milwaukee lawn care professional.

A soil test is a fairly simple procedure and many Milwaukee lawn care companies offer the service for free in conjunction with their Milwaukee lawn care programs. The Milwaukee lawn care technician will take a small soil sample and have it sent to a lab. A qualified soil expert will examine the sample and look at the pH level (acidity); the presence or absence of such macronutrients as phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen; the presence or absence of such micronutrients as iron, calcium, zinc, boron, manganese, copper and other nutrients that deter weed growth and enhance the Milwaukee lawn’s resistance to insect and disease infestations; the soil type, which can help your Milwaukee lawn care technician create a preventative plan to reduce the incidence of compaction; and levels of decomposed plant material, also known as thatch.

Once the results are back, your Milwaukee lawn care specialists can consult with you on what the best plan of action is regarding your Milwaukee lawn care regimen. To schedule a soil analysis, call your local Milwaukee lawn care company today.

Winter pruning allows Milwaukee landscaping experts to fully assess the health and structural integrity of the tree without the interference of foliage. It is important to have this process scheduled early in the winter in order to give Milwaukee landscaping specialists time to accurately diagnose any problems and devise solutions to keep your Milwaukee landscape looking beautiful.

Winter is the ideal time for pruning because the limbs can be fully assessed without the weight of foliage on them. Pruning is generally known to encourage growth, so when it occurs during the growing season, new tissue and bark are constantly being added to the branches. When the foliage is no longer on the tree, proper pruning can take place to establish how much dead or decaying material is on the tree.

Pruning during the growing season is encouraged, but can disrupt the tree’s energy. Landscaping authorities say that since leaves are the primary food source for trees, the pruning that goes on during the summer actually decreases the amount of energy the tree is getting. Obviously the tree is capable of getting through the winter on reserved energy sources, so pruning does not have as much of an impact.

Another reason why winter pruning is ideal and beneficial is because the tree is completely dormant, including disease and insect activity. Pruning sometimes makes trees vulnerable to insect infestations and diseases, especially if the pruning techniques aren’t performed correctly and the tree is wounded. If perchance the tree is wounded during winter pruning, it will be able to seal before or during the early spring before insects and diseases become active once again.

For more information on winter pruning, contact your local Milwaukee landscaping company and schedule a consultation!

Bagworms are often the bane of any homeowner’s existence. These stubborn insects can take a perfectly healthy and beautiful Milwaukee landscape and destroy it in a matter of months. Their incessant feeding depletes trees and shrubs of the nutrients necessary to keep them alive and thriving, thus killing the plants if there is no intervention.

The presence of bagworms is usually not diagnosed until early June, at which time the introduction of pest control applications is usually effective. The key is to eliminate them before they begin to reproduce, which they do at a rapid rate. If nothing is done about their presence in your trees until mid- to late summer, Milwaukee landscaping experts say saving your trees might be much more difficult, if not impossible. As time passes, the “bag” becomes thicker, making it more resilient against insecticides.

The primary method used by many Milwaukee landscaping specialists is removing the bags from the trees and burning them. In addition to this process, professional-grade insecticides are applied to stop reproduction and ward off future infestations.

If you have had problems in the past with bagworms and can’t afford to lose more trees to these destructive critters, contact your local Milwaukee landscaping professionals and ask them for their help in reducing these populations before it is too late.

Superior Milwaukee landscaping involves many steps, but perhaps none is as important as proper hydration. After all, a Milwaukee landscape cannot succeed without water. Adequately hydrating your Milwaukee landscape is not an exact science, but it is close. The best plan is to install a sprinkler system that ensures your Milwaukee landscape is watered every day at the same time. Sprinkler systems with a timer are even more ideal, but you still have several options there. Landscaping specialists highly recommend pulsating sprinklers for the best results.

Pulsating sprinkler systems spray water into the air and allow the water to fall back down to the ground in a fine mist. There are five different types of pulsating sprinklers: impulse, traveling, stationary, oscillating and rotary. Impulse sprinklers are the top choice of Milwaukee landscaping professionals because they cover larger areas.

It is important to know if you have high or low water pressure, as that also factors in to which type of pulsating sprinkler you choose for your Milwaukee landscaping needs. If you have low water pressure, an H-base is a better choice than a spike-based sprinkler which is better suited for high pressure.

Pulsating sprinklers have the benefit of being designed with gusty winds in mind, as well as low-hanging trees or tall shrubs. The height of the water spray can be adjusted accordingly and since the water is typically sprayed close to the ground, its spray is unaffected by the wind.

If you think a pulsating sprinkler may be beneficial to your lawn, contact your local Milwaukee landscaping company. Many Milwaukee landscaping companies also install irrigation systems, especially since proper hydration makes their job that much easier!

Mowing might seem like the simplest of Milwaukee lawn care tasks, but it is actually quite important to know how to properly mow your Milwaukee lawn to ensure the best results. Over-mowing or mowing at the wrong times or height can have detrimental effects on your Milwaukee lawn. Here are some Milwaukee lawn care tips on proper mowing procedures.

Most Milwaukee lawns are dormant during the winter months, so once spring rolls around, it is time to drag the mower out and get back into the routine. But when you should begin mowing? Lawn care technicians recommend keeping the mower stored away until the ground is thoroughly thawed. Once the ground is soft, that means that grass is growing and mowing it will not cause any damage to the crowns or the shoots.

Most people know that allowing the excess clippings to remain on the Milwaukee lawn is beneficial because as the clippings deteriorate, they become natural fertilizer for the soil below. However, for the first few cuts, attach the bag and gather the clippings. Allow your Milwaukee lawn to grow and breathe without the weight of clippings on top of it.

Lawn care professionals recommend mowing your Milwaukee lawn at a slightly shorter height than you may typically have your mower set. If you normally mow at three inches, take it down to two. This will allow your Milwaukee lawn better stimulation to get the season started off right.

If you have any questions about spring mowing, contact your local Milwaukee lawn care professionals.

You have been noticing that the plants in your Milwaukee landscape are not growing as fast as they should or perhaps they just do not appear as vibrant as they used to look. You may want to call your Milwaukee landscaping company and ask them to perform a soil analysis. There could be several explanations as to why your Milwaukee landscape isn’t thriving, but one reason may be that the pH level of your soil is not where it should be. If that is the case, your Milwaukee landscaping specialist will more than likely suggest lime applications to correct the acidity level. However, wood ashes are an alternative to lime applications that with continual use can have the same level of effectiveness as lime.

The reason wood ashes are used to correct the pH level of soil is because the ashes contain small quantities of boron, potassium, phosphate and other elements pertinent to increasing the soil’s pH level. If you do decide to use wood ashes, you need to be vigilant about using them often and having your soil’s acidity tested annually. Wood ashes are particularly effective in sandy soils. Landscaping experts recommend spreading a thin layer of the ashes over the soil in the winter, then mixing the ashes in with the soil again in the spring. Be aware of what other plants the ashes come into contact with, as they can cause damage to plant roots or seedlings that are in a state of germination.

If you aren’t sure about how much to use or how to correctly apply the wood ashes, call your Milwaukee landscaping professional.

As we get out our heavier sweaters and winter coats to protect ourselves from the cold, it’s also time to think about our trees, shrubs and plants.  Just like many of us don’t like a dip in temperatures and unpredictable temperature swings, neither do most plants.  But there are some things you can do to help make sure your precious ornamentals will survive what Mother Nature has to dish out this winter.

One of the biggest problems is that trees and shrubs lose a lot of moisture during the winter and tend to dry out.  To help prevent that from happening, it’s important to continue to water all your trees and plants throughout the entire fall, as long as possible.  Mulch is also important.  It’s recommended that a layer of mulch two-to-four inches thick is placed around the base of your landscape plants and trees to help them retain moisture.  Anti-desiccant sprays can also help.  They leave a waxy coating on evergreen needles preventing moisture loss.  You can also wrap your trees in canvas or burlap.  That will help them retain moisture during windy days and help prevent breakage from heavy snow.

Fertilization is also a key to keeping your trees and shrubs healthy, but you have to make sure you do it at the right time.  You must fertilize after they’ve gone dormant so the nutrients can help the plants overwinter and recover in the spring.  If they’re not dormant, the fertilizer may spur growth making the plant vulnerable to damage.  Now is also the time to protect against hungry critters.  Place a metal guard or liquid repellent around the base of trees and shrubs to keep small animals from eating them for dinner when the food supply diminishes.  It’s also a good time to put up windbreakers and tie branches together with twine or netting to prevent breakage from the weight of snow.

Also beware of salt or ice-melting products.  Just like they’re hazardous for animals, they’re also hazardous for your plants and trees.  Use sand instead and make sure you protect your ornamentals from salt thrown by road crews, with plastic sheeting.  And when the white stuff sticks, be sure to remove all accumulating snow on your landscape plants and trees with a broom so they’re not damaged.

Gazebos are a fairly traditional addition to most Milwaukee landscapes, but a wrought iron gazebo will add class, charm, luxury and style, not to mention an element of uniqueness.

One of the most advantageous qualities of having a wrought iron gazebo on your Milwaukee landscape is that the iron does not wear out. Typical Milwaukee landscape gazebos are made from wood will deteriorate over time, and will eventually need to be replaced. But with a wrought iron gazebo, the structure will remain standing for as long as you desire. There is the risk of the iron rusting, but it can easily be painted and treated with material that will prevent rust from occurring. You will want to re-paint your gazebo anyway every few years to maintain the luster of the gazebo’s appearance.

Wrought iron gazebos not only add aesthetic appeal to your Milwaukee landscape and give you and your family a distinctive and stylish place to enjoy the outdoors, but they are also popular for having ceremonies such as weddings or providing a special backdrop for your family photo. The gazebo can be decorated with flowers, ribbons and netting to add even more beauty and charm.

Wrought iron gazebos are available in so many distinct shapes, sizes and styles. Most iron comes in black or white, but with the help of metallic and rust-proof paint, you can use paint to blend your gazebo in with the rest of your Milwaukee landscape or match your home’s motif.

If you have fallen in love with the possibilities a wrought iron gazebo can bring to your Milwaukee landscape, call your local landscaping company and schedule a consultation!

When your Milwaukee landscape needs fertilized, the best solution is to contact your local Milwaukee landscaping company and have the professionals attend to the task. However, if you’re one of those do-it-yourselfers, then there is some research to be done on the subject. Not all fertilizers are the same, so you should decide which fertilizer is right for your Milwaukee landscape, how much should be applied, when it should be applied, as well as what to do to ensure the application is successful. If you’re using granule fertilizer, you will want to look into purchasing a spreader to disseminate the fertilizer evenly.

There are generally two types of spreaders: drop spreaders and broadcast spreaders. Broadcast spreaders are particularly advantageous for those who have a large area of Milwaukee landscape to cover. However, if the area you’re fertilizing is small, a drop spreader might be more ideal.

Whereas broadcast spreaders fling the fertilizer in every direction, drop spreaders are more focused, releasing the fertilizer directly underneath the device through the hopper. This means you have to decide what area you want to focus on and make certain you have covered that area thoroughly, or else you could have some plants growing wildly while others are barely past the seedling stage. Another downfall to using a drop spreader is the risk of over-fertilizing your Milwaukee landscape. Applying fertilizer is a very delicate balance and if you apply too much fertilizer, you run the risk of frying your plants.

If this sounds like too much of a hassle or you’re not particularly good at staying within the lines, your best option is to contact your local professional Milwaukee landscaping company and leave the fertilizing to them. After all, your Milwaukee landscape’s beauty and perfection should melt your stress away, not add to it!

If you have a Milwaukee landscape that is in the sun for the majority of the day, lawn care specialists will tell you that not just any type of grass will do. In order to have a successful Milwaukee landscape, you need to have a groundcover that can withstand the constant sunlight and the heat that accompanies long periods of sunlight.

Your lawn does not have to be the typical kind of groundcover most people have. Part of having a beautiful Milwaukee landscape is employing creative ideas that will give your property a distinctive appearance. Interspersed with your lawn should be groundcover that will thrive in the beating sun, such as thyme, anemone and stonecrop.

Thyme is a dense groundcover that will successfully survive in sunny or partially sunny areas of your Milwaukee landscape. This lawn care option offers a variety of colors when it comes to foliage, from bright green and bluish to a greyer green. Unlike your typical lawn, thyme yields a beautiful pink or lavender flowering carpet. Perhaps you won’t want to step foot on this beautiful Milwaukee landscape canvass, but if you do, thyme holds up exceptionally well under occasional foot traffic.

Anemone is perfect for soils that are finicky and have a hard time producing healthy lawns of the typical variety, according to lawn care professionals. Blooming in the late spring, anemone produces tall and exquisite flowers that are certain to add to your sophisticated Milwaukee landscape. What makes anemone even more ideal is its high tolerance for dry soil.

Stonecrop also offers beautiful foliage and is also a flowering groundcover. This ideal turf mat is tolerant of hot, dry weather, but also can withstand cold, harsh winter weather. Depending on the variety, some stonecrop grows close to the ground and is not impeded by foot traffic; however other species are more delicate and would require an area not frequented by feet.

If you aren’t sure what kind of groundcover would be best suited for your Milwaukee landscape, call your local lawn care company and have an expert help you decide what would be best to withstand the unvarying blazing and unforgiving heat of the sun.