Welcome to the first issue of Greenleaf Landscaping & Gardens Newsletter. We thank you for signing up; we're very excited about all the information this newsletter will offer. Our goal is for you, our valued customer, to use the newsletter as a tool to answer many of your gardening questions. As we at Greenleaf Landscaping & Gardens celebrate another year, we look to you and say thanks for welcoming us into your home and garden.

The first step in preparing your lawn for the spring is to power rake (thatch). Power raking will rake the dead grass and thatch from your lawn to promote new growth for the upcoming year. Also, power raking opens up the lawn to receive fertilizer. Once the power raking is done, apply fertilizer. We recommend Spring Valley 12-1-12 with slow release and iron. The slow release constantly fertilizes your lawn for eight weeks, and the iron establishes a dark rich green color in lawns. Next check your lawn for bare spots. Now is a good time to scratch those areas and apply new seed or apply a thin layer of topsoil and seed. Lawn damage usually occurs on edges of the driveway from snowplowing, traffic and pet damage. Don't mow over these re-seeded areas because the mower will lift and blow off the seed. Wait until the seedlings have emerged before mowing these areas. If you take care of your lawn in the spring, you can reap the benefits all year.

All lawns require care. How much care depends on the amount of time you can spend on it. A lawn that is properly watered and fertilized will have fewer problems with weeds and disease. On the other hand it will also have to be mowed more frequently. Regular mowing is a good and safe method of weed control.

The key is to balance your lawn care program. If you mow less, water and fertilize less. If you enjoy being outdoors mowing and watering, balance this with extra fertilizing.

When watering the lawn, deep waterings are more beneficial than shallow for a couple of reasons. It will encourage the root system to venture deeper and require fewer waterings, whereas shallow waterings wet the top few inches of soil and the roots won't go any deeper than their water supply. This will force you to water more frequently.

Most people who enjoy healthy, lush lawns don't realize the importance of proper mowing. Mowing when necessary and at the right height resists invasion of weeds, insects and disease. A general rule of thumb is to mow when the grass grows to one-fourth to one-third of the height of the grass blade. If you let the grass grow too high and then cut away half or more, you expose stems that have been shaded and are not adapted to intense sunlight. This will lead to deterioration of green leaf tissue at the lower levels and severe root shock. Roots of grasses that have been properly mowed at correct heights will grow deeper.

A few mowing tips: Don’t mow when grass is wet; alternate mowing patterns, so as not to compact the soil and cause wear patterns; avoid sharp turns which can cause uneven cutting.

Greenleaf Landscaping & Gardens now offers soil testing. Get the full potential out of your lawn and shrub beds by soil testing your landscape. You will learn factors such as Ph and salt levels, organic matter levels, healthy nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium levels and plant stresses. By learning the factors in your soil we can recommend solutions to bring your soil into a natural balance. We can also assist you in choosing the right plants for your dream ‘Garden of Eden’!

Crabgrass preventer is a "preventer," not a killer, so it must be applied in the spring before the crabgrass is germinating. The preventer acts as a barrier on the surface of the soil. Any seed germinating in the treated area is killed as it attempts to penetrate the barrier. Because crabgrass is an annual grass which grows from seed dropped from a mother plant the previous season, a pre-emergent crabgrass preventer is the best control.

Crabgrass preventer must be applied in early spring. A good indicator for timing of the application is the forsythia bush, the first shrub to flower in the spring. (Bright yellow flowers open even before the bush has leaves.) Ideally, crabgrass preventer should be applied before the forsythia has completely dropped its flowers. If the lilacs are fully in flower, then it is too late.

Because crabgrass preventer prevents any seeds from germinating, lawn seeding projects should be postponed, as the preventer will also prevent blue grass, ryegrass, fescue or any other seed from germinating.

An area treated with crabgrass preventer should not be raked or disturbed for 4-6 weeds so that the barrier is not disturbed.