bensons lawn systems

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304 599-6611

3360 Collins Ferry Road
Morgantown, WV 26505

wisdom unencumbered


An Introduction

My stand on flora initially developed as a hobby, followed by at least 42 years of growing Morgantown. That’s right, just Morgantown, not even Fairmont, so this website works best for Morgantown, West Virginia. Our soil, weather, and conditions — like humidity and temperature — are unique to us. If a lawn or garden technique works somewhere else, super, but I don’t think you will have the same success here.

I have been blessed by the person I think is the world’s most beautiful and supportive wife. If you’re interested in asking, she will tell you I am very opinionated. Diane will also be happy to tell you I love to teach, and she’s the happiest when I teach someone other than her!

So, with these pages, I’m going to give you the answers you need to have a successful garden in our hometown. They come from my many years in your lawns and gardens and working with some of the best mentors Morgantown had to offer.


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Ticks and How to Fight Them

I want to use the rest of this newsletter to address another 2020 blessing: ticks.

I asked Mike Spiroff, owner of Tri State Exterminating, about ticks because one of my special clients, Jamie Guttman, was having major problems with them on her new puppy. She also had the misfortune of getting bitten. Following is part of my interview with Mike.

Mike, I have clients with real tick problems this year, and my knowledge dates back to the 90s when we had our hardware store. Other than treating the dog, is there an answer?

Absolutely. We have had excellent results treating properties for ticks so they are controlled before they get on your dog, and then on you. Of course, as in maintaining any pest problem, it's not 100%. A deer can walk through your lawn within an hour, scratch on your favorite shrub, and shake off a couple.

Your client is finding 4 to 6 on her puppy every day. Reasonable success would be reducing that number so her puppy picks up just one every day or so. Seasonally treating her property will also generally lesson the population of fleas.

For most of our pest treatments we can start any time a crisis comes up, no matter the time of year. In this case, though, the snow covering on the ground makes this a not-great time to address ticks. Let’s look forward to spring instead and get serious about addressing the problem as early as we can.  

Generally, we treat the whole property with an initial application, and then do so again at the end of the year. We can keep costs in line by doing only the perimeters monthly in between. You have to keep in mind, as with most pest treatments control, this is a marathon, not a sprint.

In December and January what is important is that your clients contact us at our office at Tri State. That way we can be ready to make that first application when winter is over.

I want to thank Mike for giving me his time to help us with this problem. I also talked to him about moles. That interview will appear during the winter when there isn’t much lawn news to talk about. 

Taming the Urban Jungle