Good Morning, Morgantown!

Those of you who know me know I say this with enthusiasm regularly. Why? It always makes me think of Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam. Saying this always makes me think of him, and that makes me smile. Smiling is always good.

If you take ten minutes with my newsletter, I think you will learn something. Gift me with ten minutes in your landscape in person, and I know I will learn something. Your lawn looks pretty sad right now, so I would love the chance to meet and share.

As the September newsletter indicated, the fall green-up is outside our control, and 18 days later things look better, but that green-up still is. We are safe to start weed control again, which is good. Herbicides are growth accelerators, however, and with slowed growth we also get slow control effects. Our reality is that we will lose several of you because of circumstances outside our control. The good news is this happens to the other lawncare people too; so basically, we trade clients.

But I don’t want to lose your business. This is why sometimes talking out the realities is helpful. I refuse to intentionally do something that can hurt your lawn. This isn’t the easy answer. The easy thing is to make that application. The hard thing to do is explain why we are not. Looking at your lawn together will help us come to an understanding.

Do you have a legacy tree? Over the last 41 years, we have planted hundreds of trees for parents, children, and even, on occasion, a Junior starting first grade. This is the time to plant that special dogwood or maple. Interested?

Please remember to water your shrubs and trees planted in the last three years: three to five gallons poured slowly over the root ball as last month’s newsletter explained. Watering the grass, watering your annuals, and rainfall do not count. Fall is a great time for root growth in both trees and grass, making that water essential.

We handle leaves on site by moving them around and mulching them into your lawn. The decay of leaves in your turf provides no nutrition, but it builds organic matter, which is still a net gain. Our clay soil needs all the help it can get. Just mulch those leaves every couple of weeks and don’t get too serious until after Thanksgiving when they will be wet enough to stay in place. One can spend hours now, and a puff of wind later, your lawn becomes a landing place for your neighbors’ leaves. Mow as needed and let them blow around.

We are putting together our 2020 contracts, which are scheduled to be mailed on December 1. If you have ideas about how we can serve you better, please give me a call or text. Even better, let’s walk your landscape together.

I look forward to seeing you soon in your lawn.

Jay Benson
304-376-7090