Sustainable lawncare is as easy as mowing the lawn!

Reduce, reuse, recycle is the sustainability mantra and it pays off for your lawn when you cut the grass with a mulching mower.

Here are some facts about grass clippings:

• 1,000 square feet of bluegrass lawn generates about 200 pounds of clippings each year.  
• Yard waste makes up 20 percent of all debris sent to land fills.  
• Hauling yard waste to landfills is labor, energy and emissions intensive.
• A mulching mower solves these problems by cutting up all the clippings as you mow and depositing them on top of the lawn.

Not only does mulching stop waste, it turns clippings into a green by-product that makes the lawn healthier.

Clippings left on the grass provide additional shade and green matter that helps keep moisture in the soil. Clippings are actually about 75 percent water.

Mulching is a water-saving process. If you change to a mulching mower, be sure to decrease the amount of water from what you've usually applied to the lawn. In some cases, this can be as much as half the amount. Monitor soil moisture and the weather and adjust accordingly.

Clippings are nitrogen-rich and will provide 25-30 percent of the nitrogen needs for the lawn. Since nitrogen is the primary ingredient in fertilizer, that means you will need less fertilizer to achieve the same results.

Clippings break down rather quickly and that process encourages beneficial microorganisms and earthworms which also promote lawn health.

  

Mowing tip: Unfortunately, many people sharpen their mower blade in the spring and forget about it the rest of the mowing season. Be good to your grass and sharpen the blade about once a month. A dull blade actually tears the blades of grass and can open the way to disease and other health issues. Keep the blade sharp--and keep mulching!
 
 
 
Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

PLANET Day of Service

PLANET Day of Service is Underway!


FLM has teamed up with ALCC and other landscape contractors in Northern Colorado to coordinate the Northern Colorado Chapter Day of Service. By being part of PLANET's Day of Service, a nationwide volunteer effort, we are giving back to the community in which we live and work in, while encouraging participation from our industry. We will update soon with news and photos about our project at the Larimer County Food Bank!
 
HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Welcome Springtime!

Bulbs planted last fall are the early taste of spring.


Spring's eruption in sensational color is a jolt to the senses. Wow! It's all around us--up in the pear trees, down in the tulips and grape hyacinths and at eye level in the forsythia.

The gift of spring is way and above what the other seasons have to offer. Spring color is our reward for making it through yet another Colorado winter. So savor it, smell it, indulge in its sheer bliss.

Also, be thankful to Mother Nature who knows, just like all good mothers, that too much of a good thing is a spoiler. She lets us have dessert first, but then moves us through the seasons to a more refined diet.

Her strategy is smart because the burst of spring wets our appetites to get outside and motivates us to plant.

So if we're going to plant, we need to think about what those plants will be. What do we want to see growing around us and enjoy during the other seasons? What plants will thrive in the sizzle of summer? What should we plant now to give us the subdued shades of fall? What will enhance the cold subtleties of winter?

To help you explore some of the options, ALCC offers a new photo gallery, Plants for All Seasons, where you can find ideas for plants that will colorize your landscape all year long. We are grateful to Colorado State University and Plant Select for sharing plants they have developed that are so very suitable for Colorado's growing conditions and that require minimal water. These are plants to spiff up and round out any landscape.

One month from now, we'll be planting petunias. Two months from now, we can plant anything. Between now and then, enjoy spring and decide what you'll plant this year to enhance your outdoor world.

Photo courtesy Lauren Bloom, Colorado Concrete and Landscape.

Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide.
Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC.

Spoiled grass--like spoiled kids--just wants more, more, more!- Lawn Care in Northern Colorado

Spoiled grass--like spoiled kids--just wants more, more, more!

Kids who are spoiled keep asking for more stuff. And grass that is spoiled by over-watering will also ask for more water. Just like a psychologist will tell you not to spoil your child with overindulgence, a turf scientist will tell you not to spoil your lawn by overwatering it in the spring. Whether applied to kids or grass, good science is good science.

So here's the science that will give you great grass. Turf scientists at CSU and elsewhere know that grass only grows its feeder roots in the spring. Later on, it will grow more grass blades and in the fall, it will store nutrients for the winter. Only springtime, however, is root growing time. Now is when we all decide whether we'll spoil our grass by over-watering or train it to grow deep and resilient roots that will be its staying power in the heat of July.

When watered frequently, all those new spring roots will stay in the top inch or so of the soil. But if that top area is allowed to dry out while the roots are in growing mode, the roots will grow deeper in search of moisture. That is ideal because deep roots that seek out moisture help to build a healthy and water-wise lawn.

How you train the roots to grow deep
If we have a good rain or snow every 7-10 days in the spring, do not water.

As the days get warmer and especially, if there is wind, move up the watering to about every 5-7 days.

If there is no precipitation, it's OK to water.

Use a screwdriver to test soil moisture. If it pushes into the soil easily, the soil has good moisture and you don't need to water. As the soil dries out, it will be harder to push the screwdriver into the soil which indicates it may be time to water.

The exception to these long watering intervals will be very dry, stressed areas of the lawn such as south facing slopes that often suffer winter stress. Spot water only these areas to give them the moisture they need.

When you water
Use the cycle and soak method. If you usually water an area of lawn about 15 minutes, then break up the time into 3 intervals of watering that are each 5 minutes long. Cycle the water, take a break to let it soak in and then run the water again. This method prevents run-off and allows the water to soak well into the soil.

What's next?
When the heat of July arrives, you won't need to water the lawn excessively because the roots have grown deep. You will have trained your grass well and the hardy lawn gnomes will thank you for being a good parent!


Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide.

Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC.
LCC.

Time to Plant!

Time to plant!
As soon as you can work the soil, you can plant. And that could be as early as this weekend if your soil is ready. If not, have your planting plan and compost ready so that you can get started at the first opportunity.

Plant some color

Nothing says spring like pansies. As long as they are hardened off (accustomed to being outside) and covered up when temps are below freezing, they can be planted in pots or in the ground. Overnight, place pots where they are protected and in temps below 32 degrees, cover pansies with fabric (not plastic).

Veggies--maximize production by sequencing
For most veggie yield, set aside one area of the garden that will have three successive crops you will be harvesting from late April into September. This area of the garden won't have tomatoes or cucumbers or pumpkins that require dedicated space for a long growing season.

Your "sequencing" garden will have series of three different crops that are planted and harvested three successive times. Plant an early season crop followed by a warmer season crop and a final repeat of the cool season crop.

The key to this rotation is in the variety of plants selected. Look for varieties of each vegetable that require the fewest days from planting to maturity. For example, iceberg lettuce generally takes 60 days from planting til harvest. But bibb lettuce can be picked in 46 days and thinned to pick as "baby bibb" at about 28 days. To get three successive plantings, bibb is the better choice because as soon as this crop has been harvested, you can start the next crop.

What to plant when

Crop #1 - Cool season veggies - plant mid-March
By selecting early-maturing varieties and depending on the weather, these veggies will have completed their cycle by around early May. A cooler spring may extend the standard days to maturity.

· Early lettuce, like bibb
· Radishes
· Spinach
· Carrotts
· Sugar snap peas or other peas that mature early


Crop #2 - Warm season veggies - plant early May
For the second crop, you may want to start from small plants rather than seeds. When they have matured and been harvested, there will still be time for one more crop.

· Broccoli
· Cauliflower
· Small cabbage
· Peas

Crop #3 - Cool season veggies - plant mid-July
Repeat your favorites from Crop #1 and also add green onions and early maturing snap beans. Even though you plant in July when it's hot, cooler days and especially, cooler nights are just around the corner in August. This last crop should thrive in these conditions and give one last harvest before the fall frost.


Photos courtesy Burpee Seed.

Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide.
Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC.