Thursday, December 20, 2012

How to Grow a Poinsettia. Costello Landscaping



Poinsettia Tips

With some patience and commitment, you can make your poinsettia bloom again next winter.

From Extra Dirt  BY: Michelle Leise

Follow our tips and enjoy your poinsettia next holiday season.

After the holidays: Place the poinsettia in a very sunny indoor spot and keep soil barely moist. Fertilize as package recommends.

March: Trim to 6 to 8 inches tall after its leaves fall. Continue to water and fertilize.

May: When poinsettia shows strong new growth, repot and bring outdoors. Give plant six to eight hours of sunlight daily. Protect from harsh afternoon sun. Fertilize weekly.

Mid-July: Trim one-fourth of growing tips to encourage branching. Leave at least 2 to 3 large leaves on each stem. Continue watering and fertilizing.

Early autumn: Bring indoors when nights fall below 60°F.

October 1 to December 15: Place your poinsettia in complete darkness from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. in temperatures around 65°F. Any light—even for a moment—will ruin your efforts. Place in a sunny location during the day.

Mid-December: After bracts start to color, a long night is not as necessary, but keep giving poinsettia six to eight hours of bright sunlight until completely colored. Then stop fertilizing and place the plant in its holiday location. Your poinsettia may not be quite as lush or bright as those in the nurseries, but it will still be beautiful.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Protecting Trees and Shrubs Against Winter Damage

Protecting Trees and Shrubs Against Winter Damage

Winter Kill

Shrub Care CT

 

Contact Costello Landscaping for more information (click here)



Bert T. Swanson and Richard Rideout

-
Copyright © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.



Minnesota's harsh climate is often responsible for severe damage to landscape plants. Winter sun, wind, and cold temperatures can bleach and desiccate evergreen foliage, damage bark, and injure or kill branches, flowerbuds, and roots. Snow and ice can break branches and topple entire trees. Salt used for deicing streets, sidewalks, and parking lots is harmful to landscape plantings. Winter food shortages force rodents and deer to feed on bark, twigs, flowerbuds, and foliage, injuring and sometimes killing trees and shrubs. All is not bleak, however, as landscape plants can be protected to minimize some of this injury.

Cold Damage

Cold temperatures can damage plants in several ways. Plants that are not hardy in Minnesota will be killed or injured during the winter unless protected in a microclimate. Plants that normally grow in hardiness zone 3 (northern Minnesota) and hardiness zone 4 (southern Minnesota) may also be injured if winter conditions are abnormally severe or if plants have been stressed by the environment. Injury is more prevalent and more severe when low temperatures occur in early fall or late spring, when there is little or no snow cover during the winter or when low temperatures are of prolonged duration. Pronounced fluctuations in temperature can be extremely detrimental to plants throughout the fall, winter, or spring.

Sun Scald

Sun scald is characterized by elongated, sunken, dried, or cracked areas of dead bark, usually on the south or southwest side of a tree. On cold winter days, the sun can heat up bark to the point where cambial activity is stimulated. When the sun is blocked by a cloud, hill, or building, bark temperature drops rapidly, killing the active tissue.
Young trees, newly planted trees, and thin-barked trees (cherry, crabapple, honey locust, linden, maple, mountain ash, plum) are most susceptible to sun scald. Trees that have been pruned to raise the lower branches, or transplanted from a shady to a sunny location are also sensitive because the lower trunk is no longer shaded. Older trees are less subject to sun scald because the thicker bark can insulate dormant tissue from the sun's heat ensuring the tissue will remain dormant and cold hardy.
Sun scald can be prevented by wrapping the trunk with a commercial tree wrap, plastic tree guards, or any other light-colored material. The wrap will reflect the sun and keep the bark at a more constant temperature. Put the wrap on in the fall and remove it in the spring after the last frost. Newly planted trees should be wrapped for at least two winters and thin-barked species up to five winters or more.
To repair sun scald damage, cut the dead bark back to live tissue with a sharp knife, following the general shape of the wound, rounding off any sharp corners to facilitate healing (Figure 1). Wrap the trunk in subsequent winters to prevent further damage. Do not use a wound dressing. Spraying the area with a fungicide may help prevent fungal infection of the wound.
sun scald damage image


Figure 1. Repairing sun scald damage.

Winter Discoloration of Evergreens

Browning or bleaching of evergreen foliage during winter occurs for four reasons:
  1. Winter sun and wind cause excessive transpiration (foliage water loss) while the roots are in frozen soil and unable to replace lost water. This results in desiccation and browning of the plant tissue.
  2. Bright sunny days during the winter also cause warming of the tissue above ambient temperature which in turn initiates cellular activity. Then, when the sun is quickly shaded, foliage temperature drops to injurious levels and the foliage is injured or killed.
  3. During bright, cold winter days, chlorophyll in the foliage is destroyed (photo-oxidized) and is not resynthesized when temperatures are below 28° F. This results in a bleaching of the foliage.
  4. Cold temperatures early in the fall before plants have hardened off completely or late spring after new growth has occurred can result in injury or death of this nonacclimated tissue.
Foliar damage normally occurs on the south, southwest, and windward sides of the plant, but in severe cases the whole plant may be affected. Yew, arborvitae, and hemlock are most susceptible, but winter browning can affect all evergreens. New transplants or plants with succulent, late season growth are particularly sensitive.
There are several ways to minimize winter injury to evergreens. The firstis proper placement of evergreens in the landscape. Yew, hemlock, and arborvitae should not be planted on south or southwest sides of buildings or in highly exposed (windy, sunny) places. A second way to reduce damage is to prop pine boughs or Christmas tree greens against or over evergreens to protect them from wind and sun and to catch more snow for natural protection.
Winter injury can often be prevented by constructing a barrier of burlap or similar material on the south, southwest, and windward sides of evergreens (Figure 2). If a plant has exhibited injury on all sides, surround it with a barrier, but leave the top open to allow for some air and light penetration.
protecting evergreens image
Figure 2. Protecting evergreens
from winter burn with a burlap screen.
Keeping evergreens properly watered throughout the growing season and into the fall is another way to reduce winter injury. Never stress plants by under- or overwatering. Decrease watering slightly in September to encourage hardening off, then water thoroughly in October until freeze-up. Watering only in late fall does not help reduce injury.
Anti-desiccant and anti-transpirant sprays are often recommended to prevent winter burn. Most studies, however, have shown them to be ineffective.
If an evergreen has suffered winter injury, wait until mid-spring before pruning out injured foliage. Brown foliage is most likely dead and will not green up, but the buds, which are more cold hardy than foliage, will often grow and fill in areas where brown foliage was removed. If the buds have not survived, prune dead branches back to living tissue. Fertilize injured plants in early spring and water them well throughout the season. Provide appropriate protection the following winter.

Dieback

Deciduous trees and shrubs can incur shoot dieback and bud death during the winter. Flower buds are more susceptible to injury than vegetative buds. A good example of this is forsythia, where plant stems and leaf buds are hardy, but flower buds are very susceptible to cold-temperature injury.
Little can be done to protect trees and shrubs from winter dieback. Plants that are marginally hardy should be planted in sheltered locations (microclimates). Plants in a vigorous growing condition late in the fall are most likely to suffer winter dieback, so avoid late summer pruning, fertilizing, and overwatering. Fertilize in the spring on sandy soil or in the fall on heavy soil after the leaves have dropped.

Root Injury

Roots do not become dormant in the winter as quickly as stems, branches and buds, and roots are less hardy than stems. Roots of most trees and shrubs that grow in Minnesota are killed at temperatures at or below 0 to +10°F. These plants survive in Minnesota because soil temperatures normally are much higher than air temperatures and because soil cools down much more slowly than air temperature.
Many factors influence soil temperature. Moist soil holds more heat than dry soil, so frost penetration will be deeper and soil temperatures colder for sandy or dry (drought) soils. Snow cover and mulch act as insulators and keep soil temperatures higher. With newly planted trees, cracks in the planting hole backfill will allow cold air to penetrate into the root zone, reducing fall root growth or killing newly formed roots.
To encourage fall root growth and to reduce root injury, mulch new trees and shrubs with 6 to 8 inches of wood chips or straw. If the fall has been dry, water heavily before the ground freezes to reduce frost penetration. Check new plantings for cracks in the soil and fill them with soil.

Frost Heaving

Repeated freezing and thawing of soil in fall or spring causes soil to expand and contract, which can damage roots and heave shrubs and new plantings out of the ground. A 4- to 6-inch layer of mulch will prevent heaving by maintaining more constant soil temperatures.

Snow and Ice Damage

Heavy snow and ice storms cause damage by bending and breaking branches. Multiple leader, upright evergreens, such as arborvitae and juniper, and multiple leader or clump trees, such as birch, are most subject to snow and ice damage. Relatively small trees can be wrapped together or the leaders tied with strips of carpet, strong cloth or nylon stockings two-thirds of the way above the weak crotches (Figure 3). These wrappings must be removed in spring to prevent girdling, and to allow free movement of the stem. Proper pruning, to eliminate multiple leaders and weak branch attachments, will reduce snow and ice damage. For trees with large wide-spreading leaders or large multi-stemmed trees, the main branches should be cabled together by a professional arborist.
protecting trees image
Figure 3. Protecting trees from snow or ice damage.

Salt Damage

Salt used for deicing walks and roads in winter can cause or aggravate winter injury and dieback. Salt runoff can injure roots and be absorbed by the plant, ultimately damaging the foliage. Salt spray from passing autos can also cause severe foliar or stem injury.
To prevent salt damage, do not plant trees and shrubs in highly salted areas. Avoid areas where salty runoff collects or where salt spray is prevalent, or use salt-tolerant species in these areas. Burlap barriers (Figure 2) may provide protection to some plants from salt spray.

Animal Damage

Mice, rabbits (rodents), and deer can all cause severe damage to plants in the winter. These animals feed on the tender twigs, bark, and foliage of landscape plants during the winter. They can girdle trees and shrubs and eat shrubs to the ground line. Deer can cause significant injury and breakage by rubbing their antlers on trees during the fall.

Rodents

Trees can be protected from rodent damage by placing a cylinder of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth around the trunk. The cylinder should extend 2 to 3 inches below the ground line for mice and 18 to 24 inches above the anticipated snow line for rabbit protection (Figure 4). Hardware cloth can be left on year-round, but it must be larger than the trunk to allow for growth. For small trees, plastic tree guards are also effective. You can protect shrub beds from rabbits by fencing the beds with chicken wire; however, check such fenced areas frequently to ensure a rabbit has not gained entrance and is trapped inside.
protecting trees from rodents image
Figure 4. Protecting trees from rodents.
If you have many trees or shrubs to protect, using screens and wraps may be too expensive and time consuming. In such situations, repellents may be the best solution. Remember that a repellent is not a poison; it simply renders plants undesirable through taste or smell.
The most effective repellents for rodents are those containing thiram, a common fungicide. You can either spray or paint repellents on trees and shrubs. Repeat applications are necessary particularly after heavy precipitation.
If these methods are ineffective, commercial baits containing poisoned grain are available. However, baits may be hazardous to humans, pets, and beneficial wildlife. Injury or death can result for animals that eat the bait directly and for animals that consume bait-killed rodents. Shelter or containerize baits so they stay dry and are accessible only to targeted rodents. Beverage cans laid on their sides work well for this purpose. Trapping and shooting, where legal, will also control rodents.

Deer

Deer feed on and damage terminal and side branches of small trees and shrubs. Repellents containing thiram provide some control if feeding pressure is not extremely heavy. Plants can be sprayed or painted with the repellent; however, the most effective procedure is to hang heavy rags near the plants to be protected that have been dipped in concentrated repellant. Repeated plant applications or dipping of rags is necessary. Deer can also be successfully excluded with fencing. To be effective, fences must be high and constructed properly. If deer are starving, there is little that will prevent feeding. Providing a more palatable forage may help, but it may also attract more deer.

Conclusion

Although plant cold hardiness and winter injury are common concerns associated with Minnesota winters, appropriate plant selection, selecting the proper site, proper cultural practices, and preventive maintenance will significantly reduce or prevent severe injury or loss of landscape plants.
Even though plants respond differently to winter stress and each winter provides a different set of stressful conditions, plants possess a remarkable ability to withstand extremely severe winter conditions. Minnesota winters should not discourage planting of traditional or new plant species.
Learn to take advantage of microclimates to enable interesting or different plants to be grown. Minnesota's list of landscape plant species needs to be expanded, not reduced.

Contact Costello Landscaping for more information (click here)

Bert T. Swanson, Professor
Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota
Richard Rideout, City Forester
City of Milwaukee, WI
Reviewed by: Jeffrey H. Gillman, Nursery Management Specialist
Department of Horticultural Science

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Moths in lawn? Lawn moths? Insect damage?



 Most likely, moths are the adult stage of sod webworm. The sod webworm larva themselves can be very destructive to your lawn. While the moths are annoying, as they stir up and fly close to your lawn, they spread the eggs for the larva. There could be up to 4 generations of sod webworms on your lawn in one season. One female can lay up to 200 eggs at once.

Damage caused by sod webworms may appear in early spring as small dead patches of your lawn. As summer progresses, sod webworm infestations may cause more turf thinning or irregular dead patches in the early fall. Webworm moths and larva prefer warm sunny areas. Heavy shaded areas are usually not targeted by larva.

The most severe damage usually shows up in mid to late summer when temperatures are hot and the lawn isn't growing vigorously. If you keep your lawn well-irrigated, fertilized and thatched you may not sustain much damage. Sod webworms damage is often mistaken for heat and drought stress.

If you are reading this because your lawn is starting to look like this. Or you have white/tan moths on your lawn you have sod webworm and you should get treatment  immediately. You should also get on our fertilization schedule to bring your lawn back to health.  Dead areas may also need to be reseeded. Do you have chinch bug, grub damage, excessive thatch, or fungus activity? Contact us today 860-747-1771 or CLICK HERE for a FREE evaluation.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

How to seed a lawn CT

 
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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A rose by any other name...or many other names


The best shrub roses for your growing conditions.


Right Rose, Right Place
BY: NHGC



If you think that growing healthy roses takes a storehouse of chemical sprays and a ton of time, think again. Low-maintenance shrub roses are some of the easiest, and most rewarding, flowering plants you can grow. Shrub roses remain popular because they offer gardeners an easy choice over fussier plants, such as Hybrid Tea roses. Shrub roses give you:

Versatility
Use them as specimens, mixed-border plants, hedges, container plants, and companions with other garden favorites.

Toughness
Many are hardy in much of the continent, and offer excellent resistance to black spot and other fungal diseases.

Low maintenance
Plant the right shrub rose in the right place, and it will need no special feeding, spraying, or pruning.

Beauty and scent
Most shrubs are repeat bloomers that provide lots of color. Many are quite fragrant, too.

Wildlife appeal
Most Rugosa roses, Species roses, and many others, including ‘Ballerina', ‘Carefree Beauty', and ‘Frau Dagmar Hartopp', produce colorful rose hips that birds love.

Top Choices for Various Conditions
To successfully grow shrub roses, match the rose's habits with your garden's conditions. "Many varieties do exceptionally well in a given climate, only to perform pathetically in another," says Steve Hutton, president of Conard-Pyle, a major breeder and supplier of roses and other perennials.


As tough as shrub roses are, I've learned that one rose may thrive in a hot, arid spot, but will struggle with black spot in more humid areas. Or, another one that does well in colder climates will fry in southern heat. So, in addition to my choices for warm and humid conditions below, I've gathered the top choices of six other shrub rose growers who garden under differing degrees of heat, humidity, soil quality, and other conditions. Where cold-hardiness is a factor, USDA Hardiness Zone ratings are included.

Moist and cool
This type of climate, prevalent in the Pacific Northwest and many coastal regions, often includes variable rain and sunshine, drying winds, occasional late spring frosts, and likelihood of fungal diseases. For these conditions, Kym Pokorny, staff garden writer for The Oregonian in Portland, Oregon, recommends ‘Frau Dagmar Hartopp' (often called "Fru Dagmar Hastrup"). "Its delicate, shimmering-pink flowers contrast with its Hybrid Rugosa toughness," Pokorny says. "It has nice big rose hips in fall that birds like, and the rose hips are an ornamental feature." Some of her other favorites are ‘Erfurt', ‘Jude the Obscure' ‘Lyda Rose', ‘Mutabilis', ‘Sally Holmes', and ‘Westerland'.



Very dry
Typical of high-altitude locations, high deserts, or foothills of the West, arid-climate roses may fight drought, alkaline soils, variable sun and heat, and cold winters.

"Rosa glauca (also called R. rubrifolia or red-leafed rose) should be more widely used as a landscape shrub," says Heather Campbell of High Country Roses in Jensen, Utah. "With its starry single pink flowers, it's a wonderful shrub for the back of a border or along a fence," she says. Hardy to Zone 2, this rose has year-round interest in the garden, with red canes and orange hips lasting through the winter. It is shade tolerant and drought resistant. "My other top performers include ‘Adelaide Hoodless', ‘Baronne Prévost', ‘Golden Wings', ‘Sea Foam', Thérèse Bugnet', and "Victorian Memory," a ‘found' variety of great worth," Campbell says.


Warm and humid
The Heartland and many other interior areas endure warm-to-hot summers, high humidity, cold winters, high winds, variable rainfall, fungal diseases, and (often) heavy soils.

When I grew hundreds of roses in Kansas City, Missouri, ‘Mme. Hardy' (Zone 4) became my favorite rose. This "Green-eyed Enchantress" has double white petals that frame a deep-green button eye. Plus, it has an old-fashioned, grandma's-perfume type of fragrance, and is adaptable to many climates. My other top performers include ‘Belle de Crécy', ‘Betty Prior', ‘Bonica', ‘Flower Carpet Pink', ‘Hansa', ‘Mme. Isaac Pereire', ‘Peace', ‘Scarlet Meidiland', ‘The Fairy', and ‘Thérèse Bugnet' (the first to bloom in spring). All of my choices are hardy to at least Zone 6.


Harsh winters
Through most of Canada and the northern U.S., roses face extreme climates with long, cold winters, drying winds, short (but intense) growing seasons, summer droughts, and variable soils-from rocky to pure sand to pure clay.

"All of my choices thrive in our nursery near Ottawa," says Rob Lunan of Simon's Field Nursery in Kemptville, Ontario (USDA Zone 4). "In particular, 'Hansa' is a nice old rose. It was a favorite early in the last century and is still seen growing around old farmhouses. ‘Hansa' is as tough as nails and is certain to give a vibrant and fragrant show every summer," Lunan says. "My other top performers include ‘A. MacKenzie' (often called "Alexander MacKenzie"), ‘Blanc Double de Coubert', ‘Hansa', ‘Henry Hudson', ‘Morden Blush', ‘Morden Ruby', ‘Pink Grootendorst', ‘Rotes Meer' (often called "Purple Pavement"), ‘Thérèse Bugnet', and ‘William Baffin', which can also be trained as a climber."


Hot and humid
Much of the lower midcontinent and the South battle heat, humidity, intense sunlight, variable soils, fungal diseases, and occasional late spring frosts during their long growing season.

Barbara Pleasant, garden writer and rosarian in Huntsville, Alabama, says, "The exuberant nature of ‘The Fairy' is ideal for a fence or boundary, but in more disciplined sites I love the gentle elegance of ‘Heritage'. In late spring, when the biggest flush of ‘Heritage' blossoms begins to shatter and fall to the ground, all those pink petals create an enchanting scene that I find irresistible." Her other favorites include ‘Betty Prior', ‘Carefree Wonder', ‘Dortmund' ("so vigorous it's often used as a climber"), ‘Sally Holmes', and ‘Tamora'.


Torrid
Deep South and subtropical areas encounter intense heat and sunlight, summer drought, rainy winters, and fungal diseases. Most roses need midday shade.

"First, it's crucial that Florida rose growers choose plants that have been grafted onto ‘Fortuniana' rootstock. Otherwise, they just won't grow here," says Helen Bevier, horticulture manager at Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, Florida. "A top performer here is ‘Carefree Wonder', a compact, disease-resistant shrub with bold-pink and creamy-white blooms." Bevier's other choices include ‘Brilliant Pink Iceberg', ‘Carefree Wonder', ‘Fairy Queen' (a new sport of ‘The Fairy'), ‘First Light', ‘Lemon Zest', and ‘Palmengarten Frankfurt,' a terrific pink rose.

Monday, July 2, 2012

How to water a lawn, heat stress, drought stress CT


In general, turf grasses need about – 1 inch of water per week to maintain green color and active growth. During times of heat stress 1 ½  - 2 inches. Use a straight edged cup or can (coffee can, soup can) or at your local garden center they have Rain Gauges to see just how much water your applying.  You may be surprised that you maybe under watering. However, during certain times during the summer when high temperatures are the norm, you should allow lawns to naturally slow down in growth during those extreme conditions. You may let the lawn go almost completely dormant in hot weather. Many factors such as the soil and weather all have a role in the lawn's water needs. Here are a few guidelines to follow:
  • Decide before hand.
    Decide before summer heat and drought conditions arrive, to either water lawns consistently as needed throughout the season, or let lawns go dormant as conditions turn hot and dry. Do not rotate back and forth. In other words, don't let the grass turn totally brown, then apply enough water to green it up, then let the grass go dormant again. Breaking the lawns dormancy actually drains large amounts of food reserves from the plant.
  • When is it time to water?
    The first few warm days of summer does not automatically mean to water lawns. In fact, allowing lawns to start to go under mild drought stress actually increases rooting.
    Watch for foot printing, or footprints remaining on the lawn after walking across it (instead of leaf blades bouncing back up). Grasses also tend to turn darker in color as they go under drought stress. Sampling the root zone soil could be another option.
  • Water as infrequently as possible.
    Thoroughly water when you do water so moisture soaks down to the roots. Exceptions to this general rule would be for newly seeded lawns where the surface needs to stay moist, newly sodded lawns that have not yet rooted into the soil, or when summer patch disease is a problem (look up lawn disease)  Otherwise, avoid frequent watering that promote shallower root systems and weeds (e.g., crabgrass) excessive thatch and disease activity.
  • Water early in the day if possible.
    Given a choice, water early in the day when lawns are normally wet from dew. Avoid midday watering due to excessive evaporation, and at night due to potential increased chances of some diseases gaining a foothold. The exception to this guide is when you are in extremely hot weather and nighttime temperatures don't go below 68 degrees. Then it is better to water in the late afternoon or early evening, providing you don't have watering-time restrictions. Early or late in the day reduces the amount of evaporation that takes place during the very hot day, allowing more water to reach the root zone.
  • Spread the water uniformly across the lawn.
    Sprinklers vary in distribution patterns, and require spray overlap for uniform coverage. Placing coffee cans or similar straight-sided containers on the lawn can help measure water application rates. Avoid flooding areas, or missing other spots. On heavy clay soils and slopes, watch for excessive runoff; it may be necessary to apply the water in several applications to allow for adequate penetration.
  • In short, watering once or twice a week heavy is better than watering lightly every day.
  • MOWING…Mow  high.  Use a ruler check mowing height.  Mow at 3” and higher if possible in heavy sunny areas.   
Visit us at
 
These work pretty well for larger areas.  It’s a “Water Train” which travels across the lawn while watering.  Available at larger hardware/garden centers.

How to water a lawn, heat stress, drought stress CT.  Looks funny but these really help.  I have personally noticed a great deal of improvement in our customer’s lawns after they get one.   Watering, in my eyes, is all about convenience and these make watering much easier.  


www.costellolandscaping.net  for Essex, Madison, Lyme, Killingworth, Gilford, Old Lyme, Durham, Branford, East Lyme, Chester and surrounding towns in New Haven County, Middlesex County and New London County. 

or www.costellolandscaping.com for Avon, CT Farmington, CT Burlington, CT Canton, Berlin, CT CT Cheshire, CT Southington, CT Plainville, CT Bristol, CT Simsbury, CT West Hartford, CT Meriden, CT, Middletown, CT Hartford County and Litchfield County

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Core Aeration and Seeding – Essex Connecticut

Core Aeration, Plugging, Aeration, Spiking… Call it what you may…but you really can’t argue its benefits.  This morning we were on a “webinar” with a new company offering their products.  To me it seemed like these people had mixed some materials together and slapped the key word “Organic” on it and were ready to sell.  Heck one of products had “60 Strains” of beneficial soil microorganisms in it…”60”.  I thought to myself what’s going to happen when his competitor comes up with “65 Strains”?  Wouldn’t that just pollinate this petunias J  Don’t get me wrong, there are great improvements being made in the organic field every day.  But where does the consumer reap the benefit?  What in the extra price or just the knowledge of knowing there are 60 Strains of beneficial microorganisms on their grass?

I dare say that my 24 plus years of experience of lawns and what to do, when and why, my old fashion balanced organic fertilizer and a core aeration and cast seeding in the fall and my lawns will look just as good if not better.   Who knows maybe I’ll give the “60 Strains” of beneficial soil microorganisms a whirl…until, that’s right, his competitor comes up with “65”.   J
Russ


Monday, June 11, 2012

Poison Ivy Control, Poison Sumac Control, Poison Oak Control in CT

Poison Ivy Control, Poison Sumac Control, Poison Oak Control in CT. While on a lawn in Southington CT I noticed this Poison Ivy mixed in with the shrubs. The thing is I was just out there last week and didn’t see it…so poison ivy is really on the move.   Look closely and the mature poison ivy vine on top of my foot…make sure to never burn Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac, Poison Oak or other poisonous plants! The smoke will contain the oil or urushiol” which can get in the eyes or lungs and become a very serious medical condition.  

Give us a call to identify and control these plants…860 747 1771 or http://www.costellolandscaping.com/forms/index/contact



Organic Lawn Care in CT, Essex

Organic Lawn Care in CT - Essex.  Core Aeration - Cast Seeding is a great way to loosen compacted lawns and add turf density.  Really the only way to decrease the need of weed controls and crabgrass controls, is to increase the existing turf density.  Lawn Care and Landscape Services for Durham, Haddam, EastHaddam, Guilford, Madison, Killingworth, Clinton, Chester, Deep River, Essexand Old Saybrook and surrounding towns in CT

Seeding in Chester CT

Seeding in Chester CTNice to be seeding near the waters in Chester CT.  Here we used a Sports Sunny Mix and aggressive Shade Seed.  Then covered with straw.  Lawn Care Services for Durham, Haddam, East Haddam, Guilford, Madison, Killingworth, Clinton, Chester, Deep River, Essex and Old Saybrook and surrounding towns in CT

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Ticks and Lyme Disease Control in CT

Tick Control, Flea Control and Lyme Disease in CT.   Click on this Link for a Must Read Article on Ticks in CT  

Towns We Service: Central CT, Plainville, CT Bristol, CT Farmington, CT Southington, CT, Plantsville, CT Berlin, CT Kensington, CT and Cheshire, CT Avon, CT New Britain, CT Meriden, CT Canton, CT Burlington, CT Cromwell, CT Middletown CT and surrounding towns.

Changes to Lawns and Landscape in CT

A NEW LANDSCAPE:  Due to all the storm/tree damage over this past winter your landscape may have changed from shady to sunny.  On some properties many large trees had to be removed.  So what does that mean for the remaining landscape?   Well, the remaining trees, shrubs and grass in some cases have gone from dense shade to full sunlight.  This could cause some problems over the summer months with sun scorch, drought and heat stress.   

So what can be done now?  Carefully fertilize, mulch and water shrubs.  Re-Plant or add verities of shrubs which are more sun tolerant.   As for the lawn pretty much the same thing.  Adjust pH(if needed), proper fertilizers (after soil testing), watering properly and introduce new grass types which except more sunlight.  Some areas may adapt to the extra sunlight but these extra precautions will help.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Crabgrass Control with Lawn Care Co’s in CT

Crab Grass control may come early if this unusually warm weather continues.  Looks like if you follow the dates on a calendar as to when to apply crabgrass preventer you may be missing something….CONTROL of Crabgrass! 
2010 Crabgrass started growing by the first week of April.  In 2011 Crabgrass started growing the first week of May.  This year so far no crabgrass but after this week of very warm weather we may see some of the hot spots, like curb edges, produce crabgrass.   The products we use in the spring not only block crabgrass from germinating but will also melt out any baby crabgrass which may have already sprouted.
All in all this year is starting out to be “One For the Records”.
Russ

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Landscape Construction Plainville CT

3-7-2012 *We are having construction done on our office and getting new phone and internet service set up.  There may be an interruption in reaching us.  If so go to our web site and click on  “Contact Us” and fill out form to reach us.   Thanks and enjoy this beautiful weather….. :))www.costellolandscaping.com

Monday, March 5, 2012

Lawn Care in Farmington CT… means More Training

NO SNOW…means More Training
This past week we were pretty busy attending two Training Seminars one with the University of Connecticut, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and over the weekend at Manchester Community College for CT-NOFA (Connecticut Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association).  Both very good seminars.   A lot of it was a refresher course but there are some new safe products which are available.   On a side note at the NOFA Seminar it was a “Pot Luck Lunch” there must have been over 70 dishes of extremely healthy and natural meals…all were very good…I feel younger already
http://www.costellolandscaping.com/page/lawn-care   &  http://www.cgka.org/

http://www.costellolandscaping.com/page/lawn-seeding



http://www.costellolandscaping.com/page/landscape-maintenance

http://www.costellolandscaping.com/page/about   &    http://www.ctnofa.org/

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Dumpster Rentals in CT

Dumpster Rental in CT  <<Click on Link) Which town do you live in...Plainville CT, Bristol, Farmington CT, Southington CT, Plantsville CT, Berlin CT, Kensington CT, Cheshire CT, Avon CT, New Britain CT, Meriden CT, Canton CT, Burlington CT . Hartford County and Litchfield County. Cromwell CT, Middletown CT, Barkhamsted CT, Bethlehem CT, Bridgewater CT, Canaan CT, Colebrook CT, Cornwall CT, Goshen CT, Harwinton CT, Northwest Harwinton CT, Kent CT, South Kent CT, Litchfield CT, Bantam CT, Morris CT, New Hartford CT, New Milford CT, Gaylordsville CT, Norfolk CT, North Canaan CT, Plymouth CT, Terryville CT, Roxbury CT, Salisbury CT, Sharon CT, Thomaston CT, Torrington CT, Warren CT, Washington CT, New Preston CT, Watertown CT, Oakville CT, Winchester CT, Winsted CT, Woodbury CTand surrounding towns in Connecticut  Dumpster Rentals in CT

http://www.costellolandscaping.com/page/installation

Avon, Farmington, Bristol, Berlin, Cheshire, Southington or whichever town you live in Connecticut.  Costello Landscaping would love to help you with your landscape needs. Some Landscape Ideas....yes we are Thinking Spring....even with the new snow fall.
http://landscaping.about.com/od/helpforbeginners/tp/Front-Yard-Landscaping.htm

Monday, February 27, 2012

Costello Landscaping in Plainville CT


This is always a frustrating time of year.  Do we start to put away our winter equipment and get our equipment for spring clean-up prepared?  Only Mother Nature has the answer to that and she’s not telling….
This week we will be attending a couple of seminars to find out about the latest and greatest and safest products available.