Author Archives: Bob Windish
Crabgrass Prevention and Control
April 4, 2017 | Bob Windish
What is Crabgrass? Crabgrass is an annual grassy weed that is a problem in most home lawns throughout the country. As an annual, it completes a full life cycle in one season and germinates from seeds that were dropped during a previous season by a mature crabgrass plant. One crabgrass plant produces thousands of seeds...
Applying Pre-emergent Weed Control for Landscape Beds
March 28, 2017 | Bob Windish
What is Pre-emergent? A pre-emergent is a type of weed control used to control broadleaf weeds as they germinate and before they become a problem. There are many products out on the market today. Most times it is a granular (pellet) formulation type product that is used but liquids are also available. For many landscape...
Soil pH and Lime: How Lime Affects your Soil
March 6, 2017 | Bob Windish
What is pH? Soil pH is the measure of its acidity or alkalinity and is rated on a simple logarithmic scale. The scale represents hydrogen ion concentration and ranges from 0.0-14.0, with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. The halfway point on the scale, 7.0, is neutral. Soil acidity increases...
Integrated Pest Management
February 24, 2017 | Bob Windish
What is Integrated Pest Management? Integrated pest management (IPM) is defined as an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of sound cultural practices and judicious pesticide use. For turf grass management, pest prevention is accomplished by focusing on optimal cultural practices to promote a healthy lawn which can...
Salt Damage to Plants and Snow Removal Tips
January 26, 2017 | Bob Windish
Salt Damage to Plants Each year, we apply more than 15 million tons of rock salt nationwide to help de-ice roads, walkways, and driveways. While the salt makes it much safer for us to travel in the winter, it is important to understand the impacts it can have on your lawn and landscape. If you...
Are You Prepared to Comply with the New Jersey Fertilizer Laws?
December 15, 2016 | Bob Windish
What are the New Jersey fertilizer laws? The New Jersey fertilizer laws were signed into effect by Governor Chris Christie on January 5, 2011. It is one of the most restrictive fertilizer laws in the nation for good reasons. It was enacted in three phases. Phase one- This required the use of best management practices...
Anti-Desiccants: Everything You Wanted to Know About Protecting your Plants During Cold Weather
December 8, 2016 | Bob Windish
What is desiccation? In biology and ecology, desiccation refers to the drying out of a living organism. In your landscape plants, winter desiccation injury occurs when plants lose moisture from the leaves and do not have the ability to absorb water from the frozen soil. This moisture loss may cause your plant’s leaves and stems...
Winter Deer Repellent
November 21, 2016 | Bob Windish
New Jersey is home to a very high deer population. While many of us enjoy the wildlife that New Jersey has to offer, deer are destructive to landscape plants. Damage to plants in the landscape is more prevalent in the winter. There are several reasons for this. First, the deer’s natural food supply in the...
Lawn Rust Disease
November 18, 2016 | Bob Windish
What is Lawn Rust Disease? Lawn rust disease is a very common and harmless foliar fungus that develops on areas of turf that are slow growing. This disease can be found from mid-summer into the cooler months of the fall. What does Lawn Rust Disease look like? Lawn rust disease will turn areas of turf...
Core Aeration
October 8, 2016 | Bob Windish
Why should I Aerate my lawn? The simple answer is core aeration reduces soil compaction, thatch build up, and promotes healthy root growth. Soil compaction and heavy thatch build up can greatly reduce the flow of water and nutrients into the soil. This results in reduced uptake of water and nutrients, lower oxygen levels in...
