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Spring Newsletter – Print (PDF)

Spring 2020 Newsletter:

Flea and tick warning for 2020

We had such a lovely warm winter this year! No snow, no extended cold spells… it was great. Unfortunately, it was also a really great winter for fleas and ticks. Ticks overwinter by going dormant in leaf litter or by latching on to a host.  Fleas can be inactive for months in their pupal cocoon phase. A nice long, deep freeze will kill off a significant portion of the parasite population but we didn’t get that this year.

In fact, 2020 is going to be a banner year for fleas and ticks. Our warm winter was easy for parasites to survive. But worse than that, our warm fall meant that fleas and ticks had a much longer active season too. They had more time to find hosts and more time to breed. We can expect a population boom in this year’s warm season.  This means more bites, and more exposure to tick-borne diseases for you, your family and pets.

Lyme disease isn’t the only worry.  East coast species of ticks can carry a variety of different diseases, including: Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Ehrlichiosis. Because of our warm winters the Lonestar tick is now prevalent on the east coast. As crazy as it sounds, their bites can bring Alpha-gal Syndrome, a permanent allergy to red meat.

They say you have nothing if you don’t have your health. But hiding inside to avoid ticks is no way to live, so we recommend taking sensible precautions. 1) Continue treating your family pets with veterinary advised products. 2) While in the woods, wear high coverage clothing and deep woods bug repellent. 3) Consider having us treat the high-risk areas of your lawn and landscape with environmentally safe products.

Our Flea & Tick Program is a separate service from the Regular Turf Care Program that you currently receive.  It is a 5 application service (beginning in May and ending in September) that specifically targets fleas and ticks in your lawn and landscape.  We use a granular product with the same active ingredients as the products applied directly to pets. However, because we are controlling the parasites precisely where they live, in your lawn and landscape, we can use a lower active rate. A lower active rate is even safer for you and your pets. It’s more environmentally friendly and gentle on the beneficial insects in your landscape.

If you are interested in this extra program or have extra questions, please let us know.  We have officially started our regular turf care rounds and you can expect to see us in your neighborhood soon.

Also a reminder: There’s still time to pay your annual service cost in advance! In the Spring and Fall, extra work is performed on an as needed basis. Our service technicians evaluate the lawn during the regular service and perform the additional work immediately. Since we have all of the equipment and materials already on the job, this allows us to cut expenses and provide the work at a reduced price.  For customers who pay the annual service cost in advance, we discount on-the-job extra work by 50%.

Paying the annual service cost in advance has several major benefits. In addition to on-the-job extra work being discounted, paying in advance means you’ll never have to worry about accidentally missing an invoice. Your lawn service will stay on the ideal service schedule and you can rest easy knowing that there won’t be any service delays or late fees. Sit back and enjoy your beautiful lawn!

We presently have a few openings in our schedule for new customers.  If you know anyone who may be interested in our service, we would appreciate your recommending us.

Have a wonderful Spring!

Gabriel L. Clouser, President

Eric M. Plummer, Vice President

Late Fall Newsletter – Print (PDF)

Dear Customers,

This year we all experienced drought conditions in August all the way through October. Excessively dry air, no rain, high temperatures, all of which combined to cause continuing damage from the summer all the into the fall. The only real benefit to weather conditions like these, is that we could control the amount of water lawns received by watering, either by hand or with sprinkler systems. Areas we seeded, if watered, recovered beautifully and will continue to grow in as the temperatures drop and we get more rain.
A lot of the damage we saw was specifically caused by mature trees pulling their much needed residual moisture out of the soil. A dry, stressed lawn simply can’t compete with a thirsty Oak tree! Even with drawing in as much moisture from the surrounding area as possible, the drought conditions caused the trees to start dropping their leaves very early. Now that we are moving into the Late Fall, please try to remove the heavy leaves that fall on your lawn as quickly as possible. Leaves that are left on the turf block the sunlight so the grass cannot produce chlorophyll. Since Winter doesn’t begin until December 21st, there is still time for your lawn and landscape to recover this season.

Leaf Removal

The easiest and safest way of removing leaves from your lawn is to remove them with a lawn mower bag while cutting. For heavier amounts of leaves, raking is not a problem on established turf. Please note on newly-seeded, shady or shallow-rooted areas, heavy raking may be damaging to the lawn. A suggestion might be to either rake these areas lightly or (if you have one) to use a leaf blower that would remove the leaves off the weak areas onto established turf, driveway, street or sidewalk where they can be raked into bags. It is important that you continue to remove the leaves from your lawn as long as they continue to fall, especially where they can create a problem. This means raking and clearing right into December and January. Leaves left on the lawn cause dead areas and other problems.
If you need any assistance in leaf removal, please contact us early and we will make arrangements for a cleanup.

Watering Requirements

After your lawn service is completed, give your lawn a good soaking to water the products into the soil. If it is too cold to water your lawn after your service, it is advisable to delay cutting your lawn or raking the leaves for a few days to allow the products to work into the soil. In the Autumn, the lawns become drier than most people realize due to windy days, trees absorbing moisture before winter dormancy and cooler temperatures. Therefore, your lawn should be watered as needed. If there is no measurable rainfall for a week, make sure that you provide a good soaking, especially if extensive seeding was done in the Fall service. Continue watering until the weather prohibits.
For those customers who have a sprinkler system, you will need to water three times a week because of the amount of time needed to be sure each zone is properly watered – especially if extensive seeding was done in the Fall. Due to the cooler temperatures this time of year, you need to set your sprinkler to start later in the morning, for example at 10 a.m. rather than 5 a.m. You may also reduce the amount of time each zone is on. Please do not set the system to come on the day your lawn is scheduled to be mowed. Unless directed otherwise by our company, you can schedule your sprinkler system’s winterization after November 15th.

Your Landscape

Evaluate your shrubs and trees at this time to see how they survived this years drought conditions. If you need to replace dead or dying plants, the Fall is the best time. For Deciduous trees that lose their leaves and go dormant, Winter is the best time to have the dead wood cut out and to have the trees thinned to prevent future damage. Since it is easier to trim trees when there are no leaves on them and in order to keep their crews busy, arborists usually will give you a discount if you do this work during the Late Fall and Winter.

We will be starting our Late Fall Service shortly. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us on 302-792-2201 or at Finolawn@gmail.com.

Please note that the company’s new mailing address is:
Finocchiaro Lawn & Landscape, Inc.
P. O. Box 9524
Wilmington DE 19809

For those who pay for our service through their bank’s online pay site, please be sure to go in and correct our name and mailing address to this new one.

Finally, we presently have a few openings in our schedule for new customers. If you know anyone who may be interested in our service, we would appreciate your recommending us.

Have a wonderful Late Fall!

Gabriel L. Clouser, President
Eric M. Plummer, Vice President

Fall Newsletter – Print (PDF)

As we start the Fall Season, we hope that everyone enjoyed their Summer!

This Summer the weather was very rough on the lawns and landscapes. June had excessive rainfall and high humidity which promoted an abundance of turf disease and excessive weed and weed grass growth. This was followed by excessive heat, with temperatures in the high 90’s and very little rain in July and August. These conditions created an unhealthy environment for your lawn and landscape, causing damage to many of our lawns. We have seen some recovery with the cooler temperatures at the end of August.

With the Fall Service we will be correcting the damage caused by the Summer weather. Here are some suggestions for corrective measures you should consider for this Fall:

Caring for Your Lawn

Certain areas of your lawn may thin out each year because of annual grasses, summer stress, insects and diseases. It will be necessary to have these areas reseeded; this work will be performed with your Fall Treatment.

Prior to your Fall Service, we would like you to be aware of the following:

• This is an excellent time to give your lawn a good raking. As in the Spring, get your leaf rake or thatch rake and in any damaged or thin areas, rake out those dead grasses. When your reseeding is done, the seed will be able to make the soil contact needed to germinate.

• After raking you should fill in any thin, low areas, or holes in the turf by adding small amounts of topsoil. This can be done by lightly topdressing; spreading ½ to 1 inch of soil into the ground with a garden rake. This soil can be purchased in 40 lb. bags.

• Note: For those who want topdressing, but cannot do it yourselves, our company offers this service at an extra charge. The topdressing will be done at the time of your Fall Service.

The above-mentioned work should be completed before your Fall lawn service. Our joint efforts allow us to provide the best possible service.

Entire Lawn Core Aeration

Over time, the lawn becomes compacted by repeated foot traffic and weekly mowing. Soil compaction can lead to an increase in numerous issues, including thatch buildup, poor drainage and even increased insect and disease activity. With the use of larger and heavier mowers, compaction has become a greater problem on our lawns. Core aeration is the best non-chemical process that can be used to improve the health of the lawn and helps relieve the compaction.

Core Aeration offers the following benefits to the lawn.
• Reduced Soil Compaction
• Improved Fertilizer uptake and use
• Reduced Water run-off
• Enhanced soil water uptake
• Improved Root development
• Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance
• Enhanced resistance to diseases and insects
• Improved resiliency and cushioning
• Enhanced thatch breakdown
• Improved air exchange between soil and atmosphere

During the Fall Service, we spot core aerate when we repair the damaged areas as part of the reseeding extra work. However, if you are interested in having the entire lawn core aerated this Fall, please contact us and we will email you the cost for your property.

We will be starting our Fall Service shortly. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us on 302-792-2201 or at Finolawn@gmail.com.

Please note that the company’s new mailing address is:
Finocchiaro Lawn & Landscape, Inc.
P. O. Box 9524
Wilmington DE 19809

For those who pay for our service through their bank’s online pay site, please be sure to go in and correct our name and mailing address to this new one.

Finally, we presently have a few openings in our schedule for new customers. If you know anyone who may be interested in our service, we would appreciate your recommending us.

Have a wonderful Fall Season!

Gabriel L. Clouser, President
Eric M. Plummer, Vice President

Our Summer Newsletter – Print (PDF)

Dear Customer:

It is hard to believe that Summer is already here and so is the first round of hot weather. July and August are the worst time for your lawn and landscape. The above-average temperatures, high humidity, below-average rainfall and occasional drought, make for tough growing conditions. We will be sending emails to update you with our recommendations for the changing weather conditions, and what mowing and water practices you should be performing. We invite you to visit our website to read about proper mowing and watering instructions in detail.

Turf Disease

During the summer months, Turf Disease becomes active due to the high temperatures and high humidity. In June we saw 8″ of rainfall, well above normal, and with most of the storms taking place in the evening hours. This created the perfect environment for turf diseases to spread. All turf disease is soil-born, spreading from fungal spores in the soil up, the grass leaf, to infect the plant. Two of the most common diseases we see are Red Thread and Dollar Spot.

Red Thread creates reddish-pink patches throughout the lawn. In the early morning you can actually see the pink fibers of the fungus spreading between the grass blades, but they quickly dry out in the sun. Red Thread is a cosmetic disease which discolors the turf and makes it appear dead but does not actually damage the grass. High overnight temperatures and humidity, combined with low available nitrogen, can lead to the emergence of Red Thread. This commonly occurs during the periods of rapid continued growth caused by excessive rains like we had in June. Our company spot treats for Red Thread where the disease is actively growing, and uses a custom blended product to provide the extra nitrogen that the lawn needs to recover.

Dollar Spot appears as small circular straw colored spots in the lawn. With closer examination, you can see the brown lesion blight on the grass leaf. This disease damages the grass leaf but does not affect the roots or the crown of the plant. Dollar Spot thrives under high temperatures and humidity when the lawn does not have a chance to dry out. Another common cause is mowing the lawn too short. Short turf is more easily infected than turf cut at the correct height. Our company spot treats the areas around the disease with a curative fungicide to reduce the
spread of the disease.

Through use of Proper Watering and Mowing techniques the home owner can reduce the disease pressure during the summer months which will also reduce the amount of disease control our company needs to apply to the lawn.
Lawn Mowing

Proper mowing is one of the “Best Cultural Practices” for the lawn. By mowing at 4″, the turf is better able to resist Turf Disease and other summer stresses. Only mow the lawn when it is needed during the summer, which may be once every 10 to 14 days depending on how fast the turf is growing. Please follow our mowing instructions on the Summer Bulletin which the men leave at your home at the time of your service and is posted on our website.
Please note that most lawns are still mowed at less than 4 inches which is unhealthy for the grass.

Summer Watering
Proper Watering Techniques will help protect the lawn from Turf Disease and from drought and summer stress. Watering once a week in the morning after the sun is up allows the lawn to dry during the day. This helps prevent the spread of Turf Disease and also reduces the amount of evaporation, allowing more water to soak into the soil. Please follow our detailed watering instructions on the Summer Bulletin.

It is worth noting that watering regularly at this time of year may eliminate the need to reseed a lawn or replace a plant in the Fall, which would require extra water and is an additional expense.

Fall Extra Work
The Fall is the best time to upgrade and repair your lawn and landscape. If you have a project in mind, please contact us now in July or August so that you don’t miss this prime planting window. Our company can handle your lawn concerns. For your landscape needs, we work side by side with the best companies in this area and would be happy to recommend the right contractor for any size project.

Please note that the company’s new mailing address is:
Finocchiaro Lawn & Landscape, Inc.
P. O. Box 9524
Wilmington DE 19809

For those who pay for our service through their bank’s online pay site, please be sure to go in and correct our name and mailing address to this new one.
We hope that you have a fun-filled Summer. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us on 302-792-2201 or at Finolawn@gmail.com.

Gabriel L. Clouser, President
Eric M. Plummer, Vice President

Our Late Spring Newsletter – Print (PDF)

Dear Customer:

While Spring was slow to start, everything is now in full bloom and beautiful. The constant rains in early March made for difficult working conditions but once we were clear of the wintery weather, everything moved along smoothly. We finished the Spring Service on time and will be starting our Late Spring Service in the next week to apply the grub and insect control to continue to protect your lawns. We want to take this opportunity to talk to you about a few of the invasive insects and pests that are appearing in our area.

Fleas & Ticks:

As the climate changes and our summers become longer and warmer, fleas and ticks are becoming more prevalent than ever throughout the state of Delaware. While these insects do not cause damage to the turf or landscape they can be harmful to our pets and families. Finocchiaro Lawn & Landscape, Inc. offers a program that greatly reduces and helps to control fleas and ticks, including the ones that can spread lime disease. Our Program uses a granular to control the fleas and ticks in the ground without harming the beneficial insects such as bees, butterflies and ladybugs in the landscape. If you are interested in our Flea & Tick Program please contact us for more details at finolawn@gmail.com or at 302-792-2201.

Spotted Lantern Fly:
The spotted lantern fly is an invasive plant-hopper insect native to China, India and Vietnam. The insect has a large number of host plants in the landscape and in agriculture where it can cause significant damage. Pennsylvania has issued a quarantine for the insect in all of the counties where it has been found and is asking for the help of both residents and businesses to help control the spread of the insect. Please visit www.agriculture.pa.gov to learn more about the Spotted Lantern Fly and about how you can help.

Emerald Ash Borer:
The Emerald Ash Borer is another invasive insect from Asia that is causing severe damage throughout the landscape. The beetle lays its eggs in the bark of the Ash Tree and the larva feed beneath the bark, killing the tree. The beetle has caused the death of hundreds of millions of trees across 35 states and parts of Canada. Ash Trees can be treated to help protect the tree from an infestation, however many communities have decided to remove and replace the trees to limit the upkeep cost and possible future damage. Please visit www.emeraldashborer.info for more information about the Emerald Ash Borer or contact your local arborist.
Finally, please be advised that we will be using the Late Spring Service to get your lawn back on schedule; so, you may see us a little sooner than normal because of the late start we had this Spring.

Please note that the company’s new mailing address is:

Finocchiaro Lawn & Landscape, Inc. P. O. Box 9524 Wilmington DE 19809

For those who pay through their bank’s online pay site, please be sure to go in and correct our name and mailing address.

We hope that you enjoy the remainder of this lovely Spring and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us on 302-792-2201 or at Finolawn@gmail.com.

Gabriel L. Clouser, President
Erik M. Plummer, Vice President

February 2019 – Print (PDF)

Dear Customer:

Eric and I wanted to wish you a belated Happy New Year, and we hope that you are successfully navigating this winter weather so far this year.

In reviewing the weather from last year, I am sure you remember how unpredictable it could be. We started the year with late March snows and moved quickly into the heat and drought of the summer. Then the season turned from hot and dry to one of the wettest Fall Seasons we have seen. As it turns out we received over 20 inches above normal rainfall in the last few months of the year. This excessive amount of rain and the overcast skies caused unhealthy growing conditions for parts of your lawn and landscape, which we will be correcting this year.

Unless we hear from you otherwise before March 1st, your lawn is on our schedule for lawn care service this 2019 season. If you need to hire a new grass cutter, landscaper or sprinkler system company, please feel free to contact us. We work with a variety of quality companies that we would be happy to recommend. If you no longer want us to continue our lawn care service at your property, please let us know on or before March 1st for scheduling reasons. We would ask that if you have any changes in your information, whether changes in your property or your personal information, please let us know so that we may update your account. In addition, if you have any questions or concerns about your lawn, please contact us as soon as possible on 302-792-2201 or at Finolawn@gmail.com.

As we enter into the 2019 Season please remember that, weather permitting, Spring Services will be performed for half of our customers in late February and March and the other half in April. If you have any questions concerning the timing of your lawn service, please call. Listed below are some suggestions to follow before your receive your Spring lawn service this year.
1. Check over your lawn mower completely. Make sure that all wheels on the mower are set at the same height. Be sure to get the mower blade sharpened. If your mower needs to be serviced, do so in January or February before the Spring rush. If you need to purchase a new lawn mower, act now and take advantage of the pre-season sales. If you want any advice on a mower, please feel free to give us a call. We have a special bulletin available on our website entitled, “Servicing Your Lawn Mower or Purchasing a New Mower.”

2. Check over your outside faucets and hoses. Do they leak and need to be replaced? Do you need to replace your old or broken lawn sprinklers? Please go to our website under “Manual Watering Procedures” and check out our recommended sprinklers that will water large and small areas more efficiently, and water timers that will conserve water by not allowing overwatering.

3. For our customers who have an underground sprinkler system, we ask that you have your sprinkler company come out to do a Spring startup for which they would check over your entire system. If you have not converted your old controller to the new Smart controller, we would recommend that you have this done at the time of the Spring startup. If you do not have a Smart controller, have your sprinkler system technician show you how to program your water budget or seasonal controls to reflect the changing weather conditions throughout the entire growing season. To help with this task, we have a more extensive “How To Prepare Your Sprinkler System” bulletin available on from our website. We would recommend that you have your system ready to water by the middle of May if not sooner.

4. Give your lawn a good raking, where needed, using a leaf rake and making sure to remove any embedded leaves, twigs, etc. Be careful in wet areas so that you do not pull up good turf. If you need any assistance in this task, please call our office soon so that we can make arrangements to have your yard cleaned.

5. Cut your lawn at 3 inches, picking up the grasses and other debris with a grass catcher for the first few lawn mowings after which you may begin to mulch your clippings. The proper height at this time of the year is 4 inches for regular lawns and 4-1/2 inches for larger lawns. Please perform this necessary Spring cleanup as soon as the weather permits. As we both know, the weather in the Spring is usually very unpredictable and we do not want to delay your Spring service.

We would like to thank you for your continued cooperation and patronage as well as for recommending our company to your friends and neighbors, especially since we do not advertise. We do have some openings for new customers this year. We would like to assure you that our first priority is and has always been to you, our present customers. Therefore, we never take on more jobs than those the company can properly handle.

If you have changed your email address or if you have not yet provided an email address for our records, we would like to ask that you contact us as soon as possible with that information so we may update your account. It is a great way for us to send out weather alerts or notifications.

Sincerely,

Finocchiaro Lawn & Landscape, Inc.
Gabriel L. Clouser, President
Eric. M. Plummer, Vice President