Soil Conditioner

Aerations are underway at many customer lawns. If you are considering aerating your lawn, make sure you also overseed at the same time. An additional step that can vastly improve your lawn is the addition of soil conditioner. A soil conditioner can be many different types, and is used to improve drainage while improving water retention. We use the Turface brand soil conditioner, specifically Emerald Field and Fairway to permanently improve soil conditions at customer sites.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Rainy Days and Rainwater Harvesting

On rainy days like today, my thoughts go to rainwater harvesting. A roof will collect around a gallon of water per square foot of area during a one inch rainstorm. The metro Boston area receives 40 to 55 inches of rain annually, with around 30 to 40 inches occurring during the catchment time of year (spring to fall). For a 1.97 inch rainfall event on a 900 square foot (30x30 residential home) roof, catchment could be calculated as follows. 900 x 0.5 gallons/in. rain/sq. ft. = 886 gallons/4 downspouts= around 221 gallons available to store per downspout. Over a season, each gutter might produce up to 4400 gallons to store. Pictured to the right is a traditional rain box set up in a 3 box combination with offset diverter and gravel bed with steel edging. Each rain box can hold 75 gallons, or 225 gallons per 3 box set up.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Spiders

In late summer spider populations can become noticeable and may aggravate some people with their presence in and around structures. Integrated pest management is critical to spider control. After identifying the type of spider causing the problem through an inspection, steps should be taken to prevent spiders from entering. That includes sealing entry holes, caulking around windows and doors and screening windows. In addition, switching the lighting to "bug" lights (yellow bulbs) or on commercial buildings using sodium vapor instead of mercury vapor lamps. Reducing and eliminating clutter, such as stored items, books, boxes, lumber, will reduce spiders. Outside, keep turf and lawn areas mowed, and keep vegetation off the structure. Inside, utilize a dehumidifier in humid areas, such as basements. Most important, remove spider webs and egg sacs with either a vacuum or a brush.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Green News

Recently Sean was interviewed by the Lowell Sun as part of the Green Column written by Hiroko Sato. You can link directly to the column in the Lowell Sun here. It discusses integrated pest management, the employment of cultural, mechanical, physical as well as chemical strategies to manage pest populations.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Aerate for Healthy Soil

We are approaching the time of year for core aeration and overseeding. Core aeration is a process using a machine to remove core plugs from a lawn area. Removing the plugs of soil relieves compaction and allows air to circulate into the root system. Usually the lawn is overseeded at the same time. Seeds will achieve soil contact in the holes opened up by the aerator. The plugs are left on the lawn and break down quickly. In very compact areas a double pass with the aerator at perpendicular angles will provide additional compaction relief. Core aeration on a residential lawn is critical to a healthy lawn care program (especially organic lawn care) and should be done each year or every other year, usually in the fall.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.