It's July and very much at this time a repeat of the weather of 2020. Instead of writing what has already been written, let's look back to our past Benson Letters. I also want to do two fun things in this month’s newsletter. I'll introduce you to a businessman I recently met and an unexpected Mountaineer cheerleader with wings.
It's June 21th 2022 and time for my most significant newsletter. It's my fondest wish you too could have the love and support that my wife, Diane, and I had. We were so blessed to find each other.
Another month has passed and our flora in 2022 just keeps getting better and better. This month we will cover the cascade of blooms from the dogwoods to the peonies. While it is difficult to pick the best of 2022, there have been no losers. We will witness moss popping from its tight ground location just like popcorn so the grass can shine. But most importantly this month, our newsletter is dwarfed by our pet of the month shared by Odus Brown and Rosanna Sikora, Mr. Wicks. Mr. Wicks will forever have a big corner of our hearts. He is Superfly in and out of his raincoat.
Up until now, April 2022 in Morgantown has been cool and very wet. My questions this month have been normal spring calls so let's take this opportunity to answer them. By the way, it really helps me to get questions and it makes the newsletters so much more fun. Diane picked Bella, shared with us by our excellent client Rob Yoder for her pet pick.
First, I apologize to all who have spring allergies; my joy is your pain. By now, you would have smelled that first cut of spring grass. Of all the aromas I have been gifted to sample, there is nothing like the first couple times in spring I smell freshly cut grass. Please stop with me and enjoy the moment. Diane's pet is a little girl by the name of Maggy hosted by a favorite client, David Watkins. She's just too cute!
Hasn’t this been a pleasant winter so far? Today, on the 12th, as I write this letter, the door is open, the sun’s shining and the air is brisk but wonderful. The beauty of my world is that lawn care is seasonal and now is when we think about how to do our job better and we are going to talk about how you can do better.
It's really good for my ego to think that making treatments of magic pestilence is the only thing that’s keeping your lawn beautiful. That’s not true. Mowing is at least equal to treatments. I’m going to make a case that treatments are going to be no more than a Band-Aid if you don’t mow properly in Morgantown. Diane picked one of her favorite client pets of the month, Patty Cake. Patty Cake and his mom Mary Ann Griffith, make a great team sharing their special love and kindness to Suncrest residents. Now let's get started:
Happy New Year to all! And welcome to our December 2021-January 2022 start-of-winter newsletter.
This is the perfect week for a fireside chat, as we are truly "Walking in a Winter Wonderland." What a beautiful snow Mother Nature gave us Sunday night and through the day Monday. Some of us love the snow. Some of us hate it. Either way, there's not a thing we can do to bend Mother’s will to ours, so let's all appreciate the blanket of white while it’s here.
As 2021 wears down we have much to be thankful for. Sometimes that can lapse us into inactivity, so please review my Wisdom on Preparing for a Real Winter. In December we have the time to protect our flora.
This has been a year to remember and for this month's newsletter, I'm doing a best of newsletter. Here are some of the highlights and low-lights of 2021. Let's go down memory lane together.
Well, September 2021 is a month to be forgotten when it comes to lawncare. In short, the Ohio Extension service says the fall armyworm managed to gain the jet stream in Texas and Oklahoma, and then made the trip all the way here in the storm that flooded us back in July.
I learned how to kill them, and killing them I am still today, again and again, lawn by lawn, day by day, worm by worm. Yes, Worms II: The Sequel started about the 23rd of this month, and yes, I expect October to bring more of this melee.
My intention is to do our normal lawn care with weeds and such later in the fall, but today, and tomorrow, I will simply enjoy living the script of one of my favorite movies, The Wizard of Oz. You don’t need to read further to find out, my role was Toto.
With the hours spent on fall armyworms, there is nothing more fun than playing with my clients’ dogs. I am hoping the Worms II rendition crashes when the frost hits and we can regain a more normal schedule. For now, though, let’s welcome Zoey into Tom and Karen Bochma’s home.
If you’re interested to learn more, please read on. If not, see you in next month’s newsletter.
August is almost over and so is 2021. There’s no question life moves faster when you’re having fun, and that’s true for us this year.
We want to thank three clients for questions this month covering hydrangeas (winter-cut to the knee to avoid summer wilting), ugly August lawns (normal, but call if you suspect a problem), and what to do if Mr. Skunk decides to visit (ask for my newest referral).
We also have an alert on a new pest in the area: army worms. Please keep your eyes open, and text me if you see a sudden change in your lawn.
Finally, Diane picked a pet, and it’s Holly Maroon’s new French Bulldog puppy, Hazel. What a beauty.
Interested? Please read on. If not, see you next month!
Happy July to all. Our lawns are green and although a little weedy, generally looking good due to the large amount of rainfall we have received. This month’s newsletter focuses on three things: Bagworms, Japanese Stilt Grass and protecting our pets while mowing.
Goodbye June!!!
All months are interesting. Personally, I award this one for most disappointing, as the Burroughs Run MUB project that ended our flooding problems proved that nature, of course, has the upper hand. Thanks to all who supported us the week we were wearing the snorkel, particularly those in BNI Excellence.
Lawns are basically fine for this time of year, but last month’s discussion on red thread is still relevant. This month I will spend my time on the continuing invasion of Japanese stiltgrass. The short answer is that I can minimize its impact, but it’s not going anywhere permanently.
Diane picks the pet, and while she had a couple cute photos to choose from, she chose hers, Frodo.
This covers the high points of the newsletter, so see you next month, or read on if you want to learn more.
May is over. Can you believe how fast the year is going? Here we are at the end of spring, heading into the beautiful months of summer.
It has been a great year so far—for growing grass, that is. Some of our late-budding trees took a hit with two frosts this month, and they are showing damage. Temperatures, rain, humidity, and then lack of rain set the stage for red thread too, our favorite turf fungus. But yes, the lawn will survive.
Mowing height remains critical. Please cut at 3.5 inches measured with a ruler. Read more here.
Diane and I are asking for your pet photos, particularly in our grass. Please email any 4-legged favorite photos to my email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Diane, the real boss of the business, has the idea of stealing a little of the good feelings being manufactured by Colombo’s ads. We will end our newsletters with a special client photo this way, so we too will promote those special feelings.
More on all of this follows. If you want more than notes, please read on. If not, see you next month!
Hello! It's April, and spring has provided its magnificent surge of color and scents as anticipated.
This month we want to address how to repair the bending-and-breaking damage the snows caused to our taller shrubs. In short, we need to string together and prune shorter, letting them grow a new top.
Interested? Read on. If not, see you next month.
Today is March 30th, 2021, and what a beautiful spring day!! How nice is it? Even scooping Magic, Izzie, and Oz's winter deposits creates wonderful joy.
The sun, green grass, spring aroma, birds, spring sounds, and blue sky create this joyous moment. Truly, there can be no better place to be right now than here in Morgantown, West Virginia.
My calls this month have been questions on "What are those creepy mushrooms growing out of my mulch?" and everyone's perennial favorite, "How soon after you spray can I seed my lawn?"
The quick answers are that those creepy mushrooms are naturally occurring slime molds that aren't hurting anyone. If they bother you, lightly pick the surface with a leaf rake and they will stop, until another shows up a couple feet away.
The other quick answer is, if you must seed, it is better to do so after a couple of rains, and always agitate the soil with a garden weasel first. Also, realize that this area will have crab grass as well as what you plant as a result. Please see the writing in my Wisdom rants on "Seeding on Bare Soil."
Is that enough? If so, I'll see you next month. If you're seeking more, please read on.
Hello,
February is coming to an end, and the weather is turning warmer. I received a wonderful call from a neighbor yesterday who is having a very normal, warm-weather problem with her lawn. After the snow melted last week and the temperature reached 72 degrees, her dogs tore up her lawn, leaving a mud bowl.
Most of you already know my secretary, Magic, a 100-pound German Shephard. Magic has two other companions—Izzie and Oz, my wife Diane's Schnauzers.
With three pups in our house, we face the same thing in our fenced back lawn at the end of every winter. As the ground thaws and the snow melts, there is nowhere for the water to go, so it lies on top of the ground and becomes mud. This creates muddy feet, which create muddy floors, which create grumpy wives. I get it.
This month's feature will focus on how this problem can be fixed, or at least controlled. If you don't have dogs or kids who tear up your lawn this time of year, this may not be of interest. In that case, I will see you next month when we talk about spring!
Hello,
This has been a very fast winter. It won’t be long until we are back out doing our treatments.
As we head into February, though, let’s talk about tree and shrub fertilization and why it’s a valuable service early in the season before things wake up. Let’s also discuss a couple types of pruning that need to be done over the winter: cutting back your ornamental grasses and up-limbing your deciduous trees.
December 2020 has been full of surprises providing great opportunities for reflection.
Early this month our contracts came out showing how our company will be changing as we move into next year. Then, the weather went from a late, nice green fall to heavy, wet snow. Yes, our shrubs and trees paid a price.
Now, if we are going to have winters again, there is maintenance we need to do to get ready, which we always did, until we got complacent. In the middle of these wonderful gifts from Mother Nature, most of us finished 2020 with another blessing: ticks. Yes, there is a treatment, but not by us. Read on to find out what it is and where to find it.
2020 looks like it will finish with all the flair for which it has become famous. Covid here, Covid there, Covid news everywhere but in your lawn.
Nature continues to be a refuge from our reality, so we want to acknowledge in this newsletter that we are thankful you invite us into your sacred garden space. This is a special privilege! Thank you!
This month we want to talk about moss in your lawn. Yes, it is normal in November. Let’s answer the question about why there is value in lawn applications in November and December—basically root building and weed control for those pesky annuals that don’t germinate till late fall. Then, we will close with news about your coming contract for 2021.
