The American Lawn Monthly Newsletter - June 2007 In This Issue Core Aeration Want Beautiful Blooms from Annuals? Questions & Answers Mow Half as Often with Primo Maxx _______________________________ While punching your lawn full of holes may sound a bit barbaric, it is really one of the most beneficial things you can do for your turf. That is because all lawns can use our help to breathe a little easier. Over time, the soil beneath your lawn can grow hard and compacted due to prolonged foot traffic, making it more difficult for air, water and fertilizer to reach the root system of your turf. In addition, thatch can build up above the soil. This layer of living and dead plant parts is present in all lawns, and a small amount is desirable since it can help to retain soil moisture and keep soil temperatures more even. But when the thatch layer grows to more than Over time, compacted soil and excessive thatch can cause root systems to grow too shallow to survive the hot, dry weather and other stresses associated with the summer season. Core Aeration: A Breakthrough in Lawn Care Core aeration is a life saver for any lawn suffering from compacted soil and/or excessive thatch. By mechanically removing plugs of soil and thatch from your lawn, pathways are opened up through which life-giving air, water and nutrients can more easily break through to the root system. And as the plugs dissolve from rainfall or sprinkling, they help to reduce the thatch layer even more. Deeper Roots for A More Resilient Lawn When performed at least once per year, core aeration can help the roots of your turf to grow much stronger and deeper, resulting in a lawn that is greener, healthier, and less susceptible to damage from insects and disease. And since moisture will be able to reach the roots more easily, you will not have to water as much -a big plus in case drought conditions lead to watering restrictions in your area. At LawnAmerica, we aerate warm-season turf such as bermudagrass from June through August. Cool-season turf such as fescue is best aerated in Fall in conjunction with overseeding. ________________________________ Want Beautiful Blooms from Annuals? Remember the Basics and Have Great Results Millions and millions of annual flowers are grown in greenhouses and then planted in the gardens of America every year. Wherever you uplan them, annuals give you the freedom to change flowers with each season, and provide continuous color from the end of spring through fall. Just remember the following guidelines, and you should have a beautiful display: Good soil means good flowers. Work your soil and add loads of organic matter. Plant sun-lovers in the shade. It is simple, but a lot of folks overlook this. Food and water (and plenty of both) will keep your annuals going strong. Pinching back dead blooms and long stems makes for a lot more blooms and bushier plants. Flowers are a lot more fun when they grow well all season. So remember the basics and enjoy! _______________________________ Questions & Answers Q: When is the best time to mow, before or after my application? A: The ideal time in most cases is 2-3 days before or after our application. By mowing several days before we come out, any weeds present will have a chance to grow back and expose more weed surface before our herbicide application. Many weeds such as nutsedge are difficult for the technician to see. There also is little weed surface exposed to catch and absorb liquid herbicide. If weeds were sprayed, wait at least 2 days before mowing to allow the herbidcide time to move down into the root system for complete kill of the weed. If you mow too soon after a weed-control treatment, you will be removing some of the herbicide from the top of the weed before it has a chance to move down into the roots. Q: How will I know when you are coming out for my next application? A: On each invoice your next application dates are shown. We will give you a 4-5 day time span. Unless adverse weather slows us up, we will be out during those dates. So plan your mowing around our scheduled application date. _________________________________ Mow Half as Often with Primo Maxx Primo MAXX is designed for use on all forms of turf to reduce the frequency of mowing and the amount of grass clippings through reducing the topgrowth of turfgrasses. Using unique chemistry, it makes turf stronger by increasing both root and lateral shoot growth. The result is a shorter distance between the shoot nodes, leading to more compact root growth. While the vertical growth is slowed, both root and lateral growth are boosted, creating stronger, healthier turf. Extensive research has proven that implementing a program which includes an application of Primo Maxx plant growth regulator prior to the onset of stresses like heat, drought, disease and traffic can strengthen the turf, and therefore allow it to withstand ongoing stresses throughout the season. Primo Maxx reaches the growing point through the foliage and it is not washed off by rainfall or irrigation 1 hour after application. Watering-in is not required. For best results, Primo Maxx should be applied to high quality turfgrass which receives adequate fertilization which makes it an ideal addition to your LawnAmerica service, and can easily be incorporated with our Showcase Care Program. How Does Primo Maxx Work? The active ingredient in PRIMO MAXX, trinexapac-ethyl, causes a temporary halt to the production of gibberellic acid, a plant growth hormone which is responsible for the top growth of the plant. Trinexapac-ethyl is taken up by the foliage of the grass plant and is translocated systemically to the growing point of the plant. After application the turf grass grows more slowly than in untreated areas, with shorter leaf blades.__Basically, it promotes root growth, and not top growth, which not only saves you time, but it good for the health of your turf!_Sign Up Online and Save $10!__Sign up to receive this service online by visiting http://www.lawnamerica.com/serviceRequest.html and we will contact you with pricing to schedule your application(s) of Primo Maxx Growth Regulator. _________________________________ $10 Off - Core Aeration Service Core aeration is one of the most important cultural practices available for your lawn, helping to loose compacted soil, control thatch, and helps to reduce water runoff. Your Name ________________________________________ Your Address ______________________________________ Phone __________________ City ______________________ ZIP ______________ Customer # _____________________ Present this coupon for $15 off (not valid with any other offers). _________________________________ Go Out To Dinner On Us! We appreciate your help in growing our business. Our main focus in growing our business has always, and will always be, to try to please our customers so much that the will tell others about us. When dealing with lawns and the havoc Mother Nature throws our way sometimes, that can be a real challenge! As our way of saying thanks for sending us a new customer, we have created a new Customer Referral Program. For every new customer you refer to LawnAmerica that begins service with us, we will send you a $25 Gift Card to participating restaurants such as Macaroni Grill, On the Border, Chilis, and Maggianos. You can go to our website at www.lawnamerica.com/referral and go to the homepage of your local operator and enter in the contact information for your referral. We will take it from there and provide them with a free estimate and information on LawnAmerica. You know us well enough that we are not going to slam them and use high-pressure sales techniques. We will treat them right, and make you look good for referring LawnAmerica. If they begin service with us, we will send you a $25 Gift Card in the mail for you to enjoy. _________________________________ Refer A Friend! For every new customer you refer to LawnAmerica that begins service with us, we will send you a $25 Gift Card in the mail for you to enjoy! www.lawnamerica.com/referral Your Information Your Name _____________________________________ Your Address ___________________________________ Phone __________________ City ___________________ ZIP ___________________ Referral Information Their Name _________________________________________ Their Address _______________________________________ Phone __________________ City ___________________ ZIP ___________________