April is National Garden Month, and while you may think of planting flowers, your lawn is an integral part of your garden. If you have a warm-season lawn and want to breath new life into it this month – consider core aeration to spring into the growing season!

Core Aeration

The best time to aerate your lawn is spring and early summer. So now is the perfect time to schedule your lawn core aeration. But what is core aeration? A core aerator is a machine that creates ½ to ¾ inch holes in your yard. These holes help break up and control thatch buildup and allows air to reach your lawn’s roots.

After aeration your lawn’s soil will be looser, allowing for more water and nutrients to get to the roots. This will enhance root growth and help decompose thatch, improving your lawn’s health and tolerance to drought. The aeration whole will then eventually become covered up by new grass growth as new shoots are produced.

Here in Atlanta, core aeration is especially important due to the high concentration of Georgia clay in the soil and because of our long hot summers. Core aeration also helps fight moss growth which is very common in our area. Soil compaction leads to poor drainage, resulting in many Altanta lawns to become havens for moss.

To get the most of your lawn, contact our lawn care and landscaping experts. We can help will all your Atlanta residential lawn care and commercial needs (including Atlanta core aeration)! And don’t forget to check out our specials.

It is February, and that means love is in the air! So why not give your lawn a little extra love and care with these lawn maintenance tips?

1. Let it breathe! Make sure your lawn is designed in such a way so that your trees, shrubs, and other plants don’t choke out the light or restrict air flow to your lawn. If areas of your lawn are in constant shade, it might be time to prune shrubs and trees so that enough light gets to your grass. Without proper light and air flow, moisture can get trapped, leading to fungi and disease taking hold and damaging your grass.
2. No really, it needs airflow! Without regular mowing, irrigation, and fertilization, your lawn is unlikely to thrive. Excess thatch restricts water infiltration and can create shallow roots. Shallow-rooted turf is more susceptible to diseases and damage from insects. Thatch accumulation can also lead to excess nitrogen. If your lawn feels spongy or soft, you probably have more than half an inch of thatch and this means your lawn will probably require dethatching.
3. Finally, contact us! Our core aeration allows your lawn to breathe properly. We also offer fescue aeration and seeding, fire ant control services, and Hydretain to help with water infiltration. No matter if you’re looking for commercial lawn care services or residential lawn care services, Simply Green Lawn Care is here to help.

Check out our specials and then call us at 770-923-0387 today to schedule your Atlanta lawn care.

While it’s still cold and wintry here in Atlanta, now is a good time to start planning any upgrades you’d like to make to your landscaping. One of the best ways to ensure your lawn looks its best is to choose the appropriate type of grass for your yard.

Pros and Cons of Georgia Turfgrasses

• Perennial Ryegrass – Rye has a fine to medium leaf texture and a medium shoot density. It thrives in a wide range of soils but performs best in moist fertile soil. It establishes itself quickly, but has a poor to fair recuperative ability. It tolerates cold well, but does poorly in high heat.  Overall, it has a medium level of maintenance required.
• Bermuda – Bermudagrass has a fine to medium leaf texture and a high shoot density. It does well in a wide range of soil types, but it preferes fertile soil. It establishes itself quickly and has an excellent recuperative ability. It does very well in hot weather but poorly in cold temperatures. It tends towards a medium amount of maintenance required.
• Fescue – Fescue has a coarse to medium leaf texture and lower shoot density. It thrives in a wide range of soils. It is fairly fast to establish itself and has a good wear resistance. It does very well in hot weather and performs fairly in cool weather, so it’s generally an excellent grass for Atlanta weather and requires a low to medium amount of effort to stay healthy.

Of course, selecting the proper grass is only the first step. It’s equally important that your new grass is properly cared for. Overseeding, core aeration, water management, and weed control and fertilization are just as important.
Whether you’re looking to improve your lawn with a Georgia turfgrass or you’re looking for Atlanta lawn care services, contact us at 770-923-0387 for all your lawn care needs!

Unfortunately, Georgia is the home of 3 different types of fire ants: Solenopsis invicta Buren (red imported fire ant), Solenopsis richteri Forel (black imported fire ant), and a hybrid species. All 3 species can cause a major disturbance in your yard and have painful stings that can trigger serious medical issues in their victims.

Regardless of the species, Simply Green can help you will all your Atlanta fire ant control needs!

Fire Ant Treatment and Prevention

At Simply Green, we utilize TopChoice Fire Ant Control to kill fire ants fast and to prevent their spread. TopChoice is a granular insecticide only available to pest control professionals.

With TopChoice, we can fight fire ants any time of year. Fire ants tend to be most active in moist, cool weather, but TopChoice works any time of year. During the dry seasons, its granules will physically help prevent the spread of ants (due to the difficulty of moving through the insecticide). When wet, TopChoice bonds to the soil itself. Then in rainy weather, ants will be brought to the surface where they’ll come in contact with the “warehoused” insecticide.

TopChoice is also long lasting, with the ability to prevent the establishment of new colonies for up to a year. It also works on mole crickets (4 months), nuisance ants (3 months), and ticks and fleas ( 1 month).

Make sure your home and business are protected from fire ants. Contact us at 770-923-0387 for all your Atlanta lawn care service needs, including fire ant treatment!

Your lawn is a living organism, and just like all living things, it goes through cycles. Low winter temperatures ranging down below freezing require a new lawn care routine. Check out some tips for caring for your lawn during the winter:

• Don’t Mow – Don’t mow your lawn after the first frost. During freezing temperatures,  grass becomes dormant. Cutting dormant grass will traumatize and damage your lawn.
• Mulch Early – Adding a thin layer of mulch before it’s too cold is a great way to help protect your lawn. The mulch helps to trap heat during the cold winter months.
• Be gentle – Your lawn is extra delicate during periods of dormancy. Try to avoid walking on it, and be sure to have your kids, pets, and other members of the household walk on designated walkways whenever possible. Make sure your walkways are clear to help encourage traffic from not stepping on your lawn.
• Check your drainage – The danger of snow and ice isn’t just freezing. Even after ice has melted, that moisture can stay behind and create waterlogged conditions that foster disease and pests.
• Keep an eye out for invaders – Weeds are notoriously hardy. In many cases, weeds are hardier than your grass, so freezing conditions can allow opportunistic weeds to gain ground in your Atlanta lawn while your grass is unable to compete

Good luck with your winter lawn, and be sure to contact us at 770-923-0387 for all of your commercial and  residential Atlanta lawn care services needs this spring. And don’t forget to check out our our specials!