Customer Home - Springfield
Cool Season Lawns:
- 70-80 degrees:
1" every 5 to 7 days - 80-90 degrees:
1" every 3 to 5 days - 90-100 degrees:
1" every 2 to 3 days
- September 1 to May 1: 1" every 2 weeks
- May 2 to August 31:
1" 1-3 times per week
Bluegrass: 2-2.5"
Fescue: 2.5-3"
Zoysia: 1-2"
Bermuda: 1-2"
July - We are finishing our Summer Fertilizer and Grub Control treatments. We are also applying brown patch fungicide as needed.
July - We are currently applying our Eerly summer insect application. We are also doing elm injections to prevent Dutch elm disease, soil injections and iron injections to treat iron chlorosis.
Welcome to the Springfield Area Customer Home Page.
Conditions at a Glance
Yellowed lawn? Poor root system may be to blame.Learn More.
Keep your eyes open for lawn diseases. Our plant protection products can prevent disease from occuring. Learn More.
Weeds, weeds, weeds! Weeds are growing like crazy. Learn More.
Storm Update
The spring rains have been great for the plants, but have hampered our work. Climbing trees is difficult when they are wet.
Your patience and loyalty to our company is greatly appreciated. We will work hard for you to get your landscape back into shape. If you have questions about work to be completed, call Corinn at 865-1600.
Please consider the following before pruning storm damaged trees.
- Loss of limbs from the tops of your trees will mean loss of leaves that your trees use as a food source. Forty percent leaf loss will put your trees in shock and the individual limbs will try to produce new leaves in the form of sucker growth.
- We will leave as much length on each broken limb as possible. This is the foundation for the new sucker growth to emerge. Cutting off only the ripped end will help the tree recover quickly.
- Pruning for shape or pruning limbs that didn't break in the storm will not be the best thing for the tree at this time. In doing so, you'll be removing more leaves that the tree will have to replace.
- We suggest only removing broken, hanging limbs and clean cutting any wounds at this time. Call us to prune the tree again in three years after it has had time to produce ample new growth. (We can also do some deadwood removal and thinning at this time.)
- Trees that have already lost over seventy-five percent of the canopy or leaves are an exception. We can shorten the few remaining limbs; leaving some leaves (if possible) is always better than none. Remember no two trees are exactly alike. RYAN arborists will treat each tree individually and recommend removal where appropriate.
Shrub Pruning
We've started our shrub pruning season. Unfortunately, we are a little late because of the storm damage. If you are a current shrub pruning customer, please know we are working to get to you as quickly as possible. If you aren't signed up for shrub pruning and would like a FREE estimate to get those ornamental trees and shrubs looking their best, please give our office a call today!
Watering is Important
Adequate watering is especially important this season because root systems are limited because of the wet spring we experienced. Prevent added stress to your lawn by watering when rainfall is lacking.
During dry spells, get out your hose and sprinkler to provide needed moisture. Running your sprinkler for an hour per location should be sufficient. (Water when the lawn starts to look “dull”). Avoid watering between 4pm and 4am this time of year.
For specific watering guidelines, see the watering chart at right. It is especially important to water after RYAN lawn services.We also suggest using a rain gauge to keep better track of rainfall.
Mowing
Summer is here and lawns are growing. You should be mowing at least weekly now.
Bermudagrass and zoysia lawns should be mowed at 1". To achieve this, you need to mow frequently throughout the season. Remember to bag the clippings. (It is not necessary to bag the clippings from fescue and bluegrass lawns.) For specific mowing heights, see the guidelines above.
Remember to keep a sharp blade on your mower. Experts recommend sharpening your blade twice a month or for every eight hours of use. Keeping a sharp blade not only keeps your lawn looking healthy and green, but reduces the chances of disease in your lawn. When the grass blade is cut with a sharp blade, you get a smooth edge helping the grass to heal more quickly. With an unsharpened mower blade, the grass end can become jagged and rough, taking the grass blade longer to heal and making it more susceptible to disease.
Yellow Lawns
We are receiving many calls about yellow areas or chlorotic lawns. In many cases, this is the result of the wet spring conditions that we experienced.
Spring is the time of year when turfgrass produces the majority of new roots. This year we had a lot of rain during that window of time, which hampered needed new root growth.
Right now, turfgrass plants are producing a lot of top growth, but the root system is limited because of the reduced number of new roots. This limitation prevents plants from picking up enough needed nutrients (especially micronutrients like iron) in the soil; lawns are looking chlorotic as a result.
Good news is conditions should improve on their own with time. Once top growth slows down and soils are less saturated, lawns should return to a normal color.
Preventing Lawn Disease
Now that temperatures are remaining warm during the overnight hours, it is important to adjust your watering schedule. During this time of year, avoid watering after 4pm to minimize disease occurance.
If you notice brown patches or other off-colored areas of grass, check the soil's moisture. If soil moisture is okay, contact your RYAN Pro. We have the best plant protection product to protect lawns from disease.
Pests and Disease
With all the wet weather we've had this spring, it's no surprise that fungal diseases are the worst we've seen in five years. Scab is evident on crabapples. Anthracnose is visible on sycamores and maples. We are also seeing powdery mildew on grass and shrubs. (To learn more about powdery mildew in your lawn, click here.)
Bagworms have hatched. Although any plant is at risk, they are especially destructive to ornamental evergreens. Be sure to monitor these plants closely.
If you need assistance controlling any of these pests, contact us for a free estimate.
WeedsThe spring rains have weeds growing like crazy. Remember, the pre-emergent that we applied earlier in the season controls annual grassy weeds. Broadleaf weeds must be controlled as they appear. We treat for broadleaf weeds when we visit your property. If you have weed problems between applications, call your RYAN Pro.
Around the Landscape
Many of us have already planted our spring and summer annuals. Perennials are in full swing. Remember to keep mulch pulled away from the base of your plants to reduce too much moisture forming at the base and creating rot.
If you protected your young trees with tree wrap last fall, remember to remove it now.
Mulching around trees and shrubs will not only conserve moisture for the root system, but will also protect from mower and weed-eater damage.
Other Thoughts
Flea and tick season is here! If you've had a problem with these pests, consider an application of our flea and tick control. Four to 12 weeks of control are possible from one application. Your pets and other loved ones will thank you! Our products are safe for your pets and children. We are asked this question so frequently, we've posted an answer on our customer message board. If you would like to read our response, click here.
Fertilizer is very important right now so your grass can establish good health before the summer stress hits. We also strongly suggest aerating cool season turfgrasses this spring to help reduce compaction, manage thatch and promote good root development for the rest of the season.