Fairway Green’s Blog

Tree, Shrub, and Lawn Care Blog

Ascochyta Leaf Blight

Lawn disease can affect any lawn at any time; regardless of having a professional lawn care company or, if you are a do-it-yourself, lawn diseases can and will happen. A disease in a lawn can occur when a host (grass),

properly watered lawn next to dormant lawn

Lawn Watering Schedule

Summer is in full swing and the warm weather makes it perfect to enjoy your outdoor living space. Unfortunately, the same warm weather and lack of rain can really stress your lawn. Maintaining a lawn and landscape takes a lot

Common Early Spring Broadleaf Weeds

If you’re an east coast homeowner, you may be noticing weeds popping up in your lawn just as winter fades into early spring. Common early spring lawn weeds are usually very noticeable as the grass hasn’t even greened up yet.

Why Does My Lawn Have Moss?

Moss is a plant that generates a lot of questions from our customers. Most homeowners want to know why it appears in their lawn and what can be done to get rid of it. Moss seems opportunistic and can usually

Soil pH and Lime: How Lime Affects your Soil

Maintaining healthy grass begins below the surface, where soil chemistry plays a critical role in how your lawn grows, responds to fertilizer, and withstands environmental stress. One of the most important and yet often overlooked factors is soil pH. Many

Planting Grass Seed This Spring: The Do’s and Don’ts

After a long, harsh winter in the Northeast, it’s common for homeowners to discover signs of lawn damage such as matted turf, snow mold, thinning grass, or exposed soil. The urge to repair these areas immediately is understandable — especially

Big areas of brown patches in a lawn after the snow has melted.

Winter Lawn Damage: What Prolonged Snow and Ice Can Do to Your Turf

Winters across Central New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania rarely behave the same way twice. Over the past few years, we have experienced lower snowfall totals, quick melts, and relatively mild temperatures. This winter, however, has brought an extended stretch of

Spring Lawn Care Guide: How To Prepare Your Lawn And Landscape For The Growing Season

Spring is an exciting time for homeowners, but it’s also one of the most important periods for long-term lawn and landscape health. Here at Fairway Green, Inc., we see that proper lawn and landscape care in the spring sets the

Evergreen Trees and Shrubs: Why They are Popular and How to Care for Them

We see that evergreen trees and shrubs are a cornerstone of residential and commercial landscapes throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. From privacy screens to windbreaks, evergreens provide structure, color, and functionality that lasts all year long. Homeowners often choose evergreens

OH Deer – Deer eating more “resistant” plants

As deer populations rise and their habitat decreases, their food supply also dwindles. Year after year we receive calls about deer resistant plants being eaten when the plants were supposed to be disliked by deer. In some cases, it may be a little nibbling and in others, plants are completely devoured. So why is this happening?

This shows snow mold disease up close in a yard

Snow Mold: When Winter Hides a Lawn Problem – and How to Fix It

Winter brings freezing temperatures, shorter days, and—if you’re lucky, a beautiful blanket of snow across your property. While snow can provide some turf benefits like protection from harsh winds and temperature swings, it can also create the perfect environment for

Protecting Your Evergreens This Winter: Why Anti-Desiccant Treatments For Plants Matter

Additional Winter Landscape Protection Tips To give your ornamental trees and shrubs the best chance of thriving through winter: Wrap vulnerable shrubs with burlap to reduce wind burn Water throughout fall but stop when ground freezes Maintain 2–3 inches of

The Science Behind Winter Lawn Dormancy

As autumn settles in and the lush green begins to fade, you may notice your lawn slowing down, turning tan and losing its luster. You might be wondering: Is my lawn dying? The answer, in most cases, is no-your grass

The Ultimate Guide to Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs In The Fall

As the vibrant colors of autumn sweep across the landscape, it’s easy to think that your trees and shrubs are winding down for the year. But beneath the surface, a crucial process is happening that can determine their health and

The Benefits of Core Aeration: Why Your Lawn Needs to Breathe

Ever notice how compacted soil can feel underfoot? Just imagine how your grass roots feel trying to push through that! Your lawn could be silently suffering from compaction. That’s where core aeration comes in—a powerful, yet often overlooked, lawn care

Spotted Lanternfly

You may have heard about a new pest that has invaded landscapes in New Jersey and other surrounding states: The spotted lanternfly. This insect is an invasive plant hopper, which means that it can be found on multiple species of

Fall Lawn Care Tips

Fall is here and cooler temperatures are fast approaching! The change in season brings new opportunities to help improve the health of your lawn. Below we have outlined a few ways to help your lawn look great this fall and

2020 Lawn Care – Year in Review

Benefits of a Healthy Landscape Studies have shown that maintaining a healthy lawn and landscape around homes and places of work can promote higher levels of well-being. There perhaps has never been a stronger testament to this concept than in

Organic Fertilizers

Throughout the past decade, there has been increased interest in customers wanting to learn about organic lawn care. Our experience with customers that contact us regarding organic treatments is they are more interested in reducing weed control, insect control, and

Hairy Bittercress: The Winter Invader

With over 30 years of experience in lawn care, I can say without question the most common misconception is that broadleaf weeds are preventable. There is nothing that makes customers more frustrated than seeing broadleaf weeds in a lawn they

Getting Outside this Spring

It is safe to say that 2020 was a long, long year. Covid-19 has taken a physical, emotional and/or financial toll on most Americans and now we have been dealing with the winter blues. The winter blues are real. Many

Benefits of Annual Mulching

It always seems like the list of things we need to do around the house keeps on growing, especially when it comes to maintaining the lawn and landscape. One of the items on the list should be mulching, it not

Sprinkler Setup Throughout the Difference Seasons

Let’s imagine you just had a new underground irrigation system installed on your property and the technician sets up your watering schedule. Now all you need to do is sit back and enjoy that nice green lawn all year long.

Removing Dead Ash Trees

Do you have an ash tree on your property? Have you been treating it for the Emerald Ash Borer? If the answer is yes, you should continue to have your arborist treat them for the foreseeable future. If you answered

How the weather affects landscape plants

Today we live, work, and play in controlled environments. Climate controlled homes, cars, workplaces, and even athletic stadiums allow us to enjoy ideal conditions every day. Unfortunately, for plants and turf, environmental changes impact them daily. So, how does the

Japanese Stiltgrass

Japanese stiltgrass is an invasive summer annual that is troublesome for many homeowners, especially those whose properties are adjacent to wooded areas. Although this weed may be difficult to control and eradicate from residential lawns, this blog will walk you

Benefits of Winterizing Fertilizer

We are often asked if applying a winterizing fertilizer at the end of the fall is beneficial. This blog will take a closer look at what a winterizing fertilizer does for the turf, and its importance to maintaining a healthy

Lawn Care Year in Review 2023

Early Drought Stress After a great start to the spring, there was a surprise drought during the month of May. The overall precipitation was 2 inches under the average for the month. After the summer drought of 2022, the last

Is Dormant Seeding A Good Idea?

What is Dormant Seeding? Over the years it has become common practice for some homeowners to spread seed over the lawn during the winter with the hope that the seed will remain “dormant” in the soil, then sprout to life

Debunking the Myth: Forsythia Bloom and Crabgrass Preemergence

Introduction: As spring arrives, homeowners and lawn care companies like Fairway Green prepare to combat the annual invasion of crabgrass, a persistent weed that can wreak havoc on lawns. Among the various strategies for controlling crabgrass, a common misconception persists:

New Jersey Neonicotinoid Pesticide Ban

On January 18th 2022, Governor Phil Murphy signed new legislation that affects the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. In summary, the new legislation prohibits any use of neonicotinoid pesticides that is not for agricultural purposes after October 31st, 2023. The intent

Dollar Spot Disease

Summer weather provides a host of environmental stresses to the cool-season turf varieties that we have in New Jersey. Temperature, humidity, lack of rain, and sometimes too much rain all impact residential lawns throughout the summer months. Outside of heat

How to Control Ground Ivy in Your Lawn: A Multi-Pronged Approach

Ground Ivy, also known as Creeping Charlie, is one of the more persistent weeds found in lawns and landscape beds. Its rounded leaves and purple flowers can quickly overtake a previously lush, green lawn. At Fairway Green, we’ve learned that

How to Water Your Lawn in the Summer Months

Prior to the summer heat setting in, deciding whether or not to spend the time during the season on watering your lawn is an important decision to be made. A lawn’s self-defense against summer drought is to go dormant, similar

Why Weeds Grow and How to Control Them

What is a weed? A weed is defined as any plant growing in locations that are not desired, like in a lawn or landscape. Why do weeds grow? Weeds are considered opportunistic and grow when conditions are favorable, such as

Tick Control: Important Facts You Must Know About Ticks

It seems that ticks are getting a lot of press coverage lately due to their potential to transmit diseases such as Lyme disease and Powassan. 2017 is forecasted to have higher than normal tick populations leaving many people wondering what

Turf Damaging Insects

There are many types of insects that can damage a lawn, but we are going to focus on a few of the most common turf damaging insects in the New Jersey. Grubs First of the lawn destroying insects are grubs,

Getting Rid of Voles

What is a Vole? Have you ever heard of a vole? Don’t worry, although this rodent is common, many people have never heard of them. Often referred to as meadow or field mice, these small rodents are generally dark brown

Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moths

About Tent Caterpillars The eastern tent caterpillar moth is a native North American pest, that can regularly be found throughout New Jersey. Tent caterpillar nests are a common sight on cherry, apple and crabapple trees in the late spring and

Mosquito Control Treatment

Nothing interrupts a pleasant evening quite like a mosquito buzzing around your ear. Mosquitoes are certainly annoying and their bites can be aggravating. They can also carry mosquito-borne diseases which make them a serious health and safety concern. Millions of

Scale Insects on Landscape Plants

Scale insects hiding on plants in New Jersey can cause substantial damage to a homeowner’s landscape. Of the most common insects, scale is a small insect that feeds on sap from many plants. Below we discuss the two main categories

Japanese Beetles

Unfortunately for New Jersey residents, the Japanese beetle causes damage on lawns and plants everywhere. Japanese beetles have been found to feed on over 275 species of plants. This little beetle feeds on the leaves, fruits, and flowers of many

The Benefits of Preventative Grub Control

As the old saying goes “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This statement is spot on when it comes to preventing grubs and the damage associated with them. Beetle Life Cycle Before we get into the

Bagworms and Treatment Methods

Have you ever noticed pine cone shaped or cocoon-like sacs on ornamental trees and shrubs in the spring and summer time? These are not normal pine cones that we see on evergreen plants in the winter time, instead they are

Integrated Pest Management

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