No it's not a bar-b-que grill in the back of our trucks--we're running on Propane!

LawnAmerica has completed our conversion to propane-powered equipment recently.  Our trucks our out in the Tulsa neighborhoods servicing our customers, having started our Step 1 Early Spring Weed-Control Treatment today.  And while our spray engines are running, we are putting out significantly less CO2 and other emissions into the air compared to our competitors.  And, the environmental benefits of a healthy, weed-free lawn far outweigh any negative aspects of providing our services.

With our pre-emergent weed-control applied, it’s more important than ever to water this treatment into the soil so that it will work properly.  We continue to be in a drought in Oklahoma.  Rain is in the forecast for Wednesday, so hopefully that will help.

Crepe Myrtles are a fairly common, and wonderful shrub in Oklahoma.  Although they are more adapted to southern climates in the south, they do quite well in Tulsa.   They were put to the test last winter, and even though some were slow to come out in spring, most seemed to survive just fine.  I see many people who prune back Crepe Myrtles every winter, oftentimes down to the trunk, at the

Pruning or whacking off Crepe Myrtles at the same place every year causes this.

same place every year.  We call this “crepe murder”, since it really takes what could naturally be a tall, beautiful tree and makes it into a short and whispy bush.  I think in alot of cases, it’s landscape companies wanting to get their crews out early looking for stuff to do and generate some income.  In most cases, it’s just not needed.  Yes, if a Crepe Myrtle was planted next to a window, under a power line, in a small space, etc., it may need to be pruned back.  But in most cases, it can be just left alone and allowed to grow more like a tree.

In my front landscape, we inherited a large Creme Myrtle from the previous homeowner which was about 25′ tall.   In states like Texas, Georgia, and areas in the south, they obtain heights even taller than that, since most people just let them grow.  But for some reason, us Okies tend to whack them down during the winter.  I was concerned after the extreme cold last winter about our plant not budding out and blooming, but it did just fine.  A few hundred miles to the north, with colder climates, Crepe Myrtles will not be found, as we are on the northern fringe of their preferred area.

So my recommendation would be not to prune, and just let it go natural.  Crepe Myrtles put out beautiful blooms from mid-summer on into fall, so the larger the tree, the more color your landscape will have.  They are subject to an insect pest in summer, the Aphid, which sucks the sap from leaves.  The Aphids secrete a sticky substance called honeydew, which then can cause another problem with black sooty mold forming on the leaves.  If you can control the Aphids though, these plants are great additions to the landscapes in Oklahoma.

So don’t start wacking away on your shrubs just to get out in the lawn.  While winter is a great time to prune trees and shrubs, the Crepe Myrtle is one that would just as soon you leave it alone!   At LawnAmerica, our Tree & Shrub Program will do a great job of preventing Aphid damage, along with helping your landscape more beautiful.

Our plows are ready to go, but there's no snow!

ready to go in our warehouse for a month, with a truckload of ice melt on the shelves also.  When the snow comes, we’re ready to go with snow and ice control in Tulsa!   But if not, we’ll be ready for lawncare also.

The snow has been absent, but so has the rain for the past month or so.  2011 overall was a tough one with the summer drought, so many lawns and landscapes in the Tulsa area entered this winter under stress.  If we do have a harsh second half of the winter, that could put even more stress on some plants.

Soil moisture is still important during the winter on lawns.  So if the dry weather continues, I’d recommend irrigating your lawns and landscape soon.  I’ve kicked my sprinkler system on twice over the past few weeks, because we’ve not had significant rainfall.  The root system of turf and plants is still somewhat active during the winter, so don’t let the soil dry out completely.   Also, a moist soil holds heat better than one without any soil moisture.  So winterkill of bermudagrass can be lessened when the soil is moist when the temperatures drop to an extreme.

This is Oklahoma, so we all know that the weather can change quickly here, with extremes on every end.  We’ve seen that more often it seems over the last few years especially.  So I would not be surprised if our 2012 winter suddenly turns into a monster.

SAVE 5% with Pre-payment for 2012 Lawncare, plus take another $10 Off now!

2012 Pre-Pay Statements have been sent out this week, so look for your’s in the mail if you’ve not pre-paid for your 2012 lawncare service from LawnAmerica–the best lawncare in Tulsa.  You can save 5% by pre-paying by Feb. 15th.  IF you choose to pay on-line, in the “contact us” section on our website, send us a message with “$10 Off” after paying on-line, taking off an additional $10 from your already discounted price.

Most of our installs are now LED lights.  We’ve actually ran out of supply due to demand, so we are now using some regular bulbs and lights though.  The advantage of LED lights are:

• 90% less energy use and savings on electric bills.
• Safer and easier to use, with more lights able to run off each circuit.
• Much more sturdy and longer lasting.
• Less problems with lights burning out during the season leading to a poor display.

With incandescent lights, it’s important to follow these general guidelines in powering up your display:

• Run no more than 200 C9 bulbs or 3,000 mini-lights on on 15 amp circuit.
• Run no more than 75 C9 bulbs in one continuous strand.
• Connect no more than 3 X 100 mini-light strands together.
• Split your power using a 3-way plug with lights going out in three different runs to be efficient with power.

With LED lights, you can basically ignore these rules, since they pull so much less electricity.  And you don’t have to worry nearly as much about breakage with LED lights.   

The lights at T.U. are on of our LawnAmerica creations.

Most of our competitors still use the incandescents, since they charge such a cheap price.  Yes, you get what you pay for with Christmas lights as with everything else!  I know our guys are so glad to be using LED’s, since the hassles of broken bulbs, lights going out, service calls, power problems, and other issues are long gone. 

There is still time to enjoy a professional installation, so contact us soon if you need more information.

And if you are doing your own lights, pay attention to ladder safety.  Don’t be so concerned about being the Clark Griswald of your neighborhood at the expense of an accident. 

Check out our lights at the TU campus!

Most of our LawnAmerica staff has converted into Christmas elves, and are busy installing and servicing Christmas lights in Tulsa.  We’ve been providing Christmas light installation for over 15 years now, and do it better than anyone in town.  We are the leaders in using energy-saving LED lights.  However due to the increased demand, our supply of LED lights is getting low.  So if you are interested in a quote on Christmas Decor, contact us promptly, especially if you want your lights up by the first week of December.

As for me, I’m very busy wrapping up another great year in 2011, and preparing for a successful 2012.  LawnAmerica recently was recognized as being one of the top 40 fastest growing private companies in Tulsa (#25) with the Fast 40 Award, and for that I am very grateful.  We’ve never really tried to be the biggest–just the best lawncare company in Oklahoma.  We’ve been blessed enough to get there, in large part due to our great team members here.  For that I am very grateful.  And I’m very grateful for our customers, because without them, we’d have no business. 

One of the many things I learned, or was re-inforced to me while I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail last year, was gratitude.  On the trail, it was all about the basic necessities in life–food, water, shelter, and health.  As long as I had those, I was a happy camper!  The simple things we often take for granted, like a hot shower, a soft bed, or a McDonald’s hamburger (or two or three) were luxuries on the trail and almost priceless.  Let’s face it–most of us in America have life pretty easy.  We’re spoiled.  And we too often don’t show the gratitude we should for the blessings which most of us have in life, and the friends and families we have.  We live in a great county also.  A little messed up at times, but still great.  For that I am grateful. 

So I encourage you to take some time this Thanksgiving holiday to stop and think about all the things we should be grateful for.   Express that gratitude- to people, and to your God.  And for those people who are struggling, or in need of a little compassion, give it to them gladly. 

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at LawnAmerica!

It's time to get the rake out!

Leaves left on bermudagrass or zoysia lawns are not that big of a deal.  With your final mowing of the season, just mow and mulch them back into the turf.  Since the grass is going into dormancy and not growing, the turf does not need sunlight, so leaves shading the turf is not a big deal. 

Most heavy leaf situations are in areas with lots of shade trees, and therefore fescue turf.  Fall is an important time for fescue, since it is growing and recovering from the stress of summer.  So heavy leaf accumulation can block sunlight and prevent the turf from growing strong.  Many fescue areas are also overseeded in the fall, and fescue seedlings are very tender.  So heavy leaf accumulation will damage or kill seedlings if not consistently removed from the turf. 

In some situations, it’s OK to just mow and mulch the leaves back into the turf.  In others, the leaves should be totally removed.  The turf certainly looks much cleaner and better with leaves off the turf.  And, if you’ve not had your final lawn treatment of the season, the leaves should be removed before that occurs.   We recommend to find a way to put the leaves into a compost bin or pile if possible. 

I’ve provided a link from our neighbors in Arkansas with more information on the question of raking leaves versus mulching here.   My recommendation is to remove the leaves if they are heavy, and dispose into a compost pile or bin.  However, it’s just fine to mow and mulch some down into the turf if they are not too heavy. 

 LawnAmerica receives Tulsa’s Fast 40 Award

Last week we were recognized for being one of the fastest growing small private businesses in Tulsa from the Journal Record.  I just thought I would apply for it to see what would happen, and lo and behold we came in at #25.  We’ve never really strived to be the biggest–just the best.  We’ve been blessed with alot of customers, and a great staff to serve those customers, so we are very thankful for that.   We’ll keep striving to improve our staff, service, and do even more to make our Tulsa and Northeast Oklahoma community an even better place to live and work. 

Our LawnAmerica staff has gone pink in support of helping to Turn Tulsa Pink this October. Our staff is looking great in our new pink shirts while helping to make Tulsa lawns more beautiful.

Everyone has a friend or family member affected by breast cancer and other forms of cancer. This October, we encourage everyone to do what they can to help fight this awful disease. You can do a better job of taking care of yourself, and encouraging the ones you love to do the same. You could go for screening, or go see your doctor. You may want to make a donation to on of the many cancer fighting and treating non-profits.

Go to TurnTulsaPink.org for more information on fighting cancer or to make a donation.

Our LawnAmerica Staff looking great in our new Turning Tulsa Pink shirts!

As to taking care of your lawn, we received a great much-needed rainfall this past weekend, so that helps. We are still in a long-term drought here in Tulsa. The trees, lawns, and landscaping has been under stress with the heat and drought. I’ve been out working with some of our guys in treating lawns with our late fall weed-control treatment, and have noticed allot of winter annual weeds. I’ve seen many lawns that are just thin, weak, and have not fully recovered from the summer drought. And with weak turf, there will be more weeds come in.

So I encourage homeowners to not neglect irrigation and watering your lawns and landscapes this fall, and even into the winter. The root system for even warm-season turf such as bermudagrass and zoysia is still active during the winter, and it needs good soil moisture in order to do it’s job. And a dry, stressed-out bermudagrass is more subject to winterkill. So if you want a nice green lawn next spring, rather than a brown lawn (or a pale shade of pink), you should care for your lawn this fall and winter with good irrigation and proper mowing.

My love for the outdoors is one thing which drove me into this business. While there are some people who may think that what we do in caring for the urban environment is harmful to the environment is bad, reality is quite the opposite. What we do improves the typical home lawn, park, sports field, commercial area, whatever. And we do that in an environmentally responsible way. We love the outdoors, and that’s one reason we are in the process of converting our gasoline powered spray engines and equipment to run on propane. I believe we are the first lawncare company of our type in the state  to make this conversion on our spray rigs, and one of the first nationwide. We are also going to convert our truck fleet eventually to run on clean-burning propane.

Green Friendly Lawncare in Tulsa

No it's not a bar-b-que grill in the back of our trucks--we're running on Propane!

Propane has been around for a long time. It’s a product made from both crude oil and natural gas, with about 90% of it manufactured right here in the United States. So, by using propane, we are decreasing our dependence upon foreign oil, which is good for our country. While propane is a non-renewable energy source, with natural gas being a raw material in making it, we have at least several hundred years of capacity using  propane as an energy source. Propane has a significant reduction in toxic emissions, and has been approved as a clean alternative fuel under the Clean Air Act of 1990.  It’s a much cleaner burning fuel, which is good for our air quality with less greenhouse gas emissions. While it may be a small deal in the larger scope of things, converting 25 trucks to run cleaner, we feel good about it. It’s the right thing to do. If every business really did what they could to improve the environment and become  more sustainable and green (I don’t like those terms), then our world would be a cleaner, better place to live. Will the investment pay back with cost savings versus the investment we made?  I don’t know…we’ll see in a few years. But it is the right thing to do.

Most people don’t realize how much well cared for lawns especially contibute to improving air quality. Turfgrass is very efficient at basically reomoving harmful carbon dioxide from the air and replenishing the air with oxygen. So when you add other environmental benefits, such as erosion control, noise and heat abatement, and water filtering, turfgrass has a net positive impact on our urban environment. And that’s what we do at LawnAmerica—help grow healthy turf!

1/3rd of Joplin was destroyed by the 2011 tornado.

Our neighbors up the road in Joplin were devastated by the tornado which plowed through their city last spring. We’ve seen images of the destruction and read stories about the families who have lost loved ones. Some of us have even voluntered our time to help with relief, or given money to help. The needs still remain.

The Tulsa Habitat for Humanity saw the need, and decided to help our neighbors up the road in a big way. Raising $800,000 and building 10 homes during a 3-week period is out of their norm for Habitat. It’s a bold undertaking. That’s why we at LawnAmerica are supporting it. We like bold. We like to help those in need. So we are on board in doing our little part to help make this happen.

Go to www.tenforjoplin.org for more information on the Tulsa Habitat for Humanity efforts to help rebuild Joplin this fall. On this site, you can donate your money, time, and learn more about this. We’ve set up a LawnAmerica team, and will raise $5,000 towards this effort, so join our team by donating now, and we’ll match your donation dollar for dollar. Our staff members are also going to spend at least one day there this fall donating their time in building a Habitat home. Three years ago, LawnAmerica sponsored and built an entire home in north Tulsa for the Bell family. We believe in what Habitat does in improving the lives of families and building strong communities. And that’s part of what we do at LawnAmerica—help to make our neighborhoods more beautiful, and build stronger communities. Join us and join Habitat this fall in helping our neighbors up the road in Joplin.

Tulsa Fescue Seeding in High Gear

NOW is the time to overseed or renovate your fesue turf to help recover from the heat and drought of this past summer. And what a summer it was! We’re sure glad it’s over, as the lawns are also! We provide complete seeding at LawnAmerica, so contact us now for a quote, or to schedule your service.

A great-looking fescue lawn begins now with overseeding or renovation.

Using a quality, weed-free seed is vital. If you are going to seed on your own, don’t buy the seed from the big box stores. It’s junk! Go to one of our good local landscape centers, or go to Ewing on 61st to purchase our special LawnAmerica blend of three top-rated fescues. You should aerate also to prepare the soil, along with a special starter fertilizer. And, you’ll need to overseed any thin areas after about three weeks with more seed, so save some for that.

The key to successful seeding is good irrigation. Keep the seedbed moist for several weeks. You can’t hardly overwater it for the first week. After that, cut back some, but don’t let the soil become dry. Be patient, as the small seedlings will not develop into larger mature plants that will fill out your turf until next spring.