If your lawn needs improvement, early September is the time to aerate and overseed. Aeration removes small plugs of soil and allows water and nutrients to penetrate the soil.  Adding composted organic material (like Leaf-Gro) before planting grass seed reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. Newly planted grass seed will need to be watered every day until the seed germinates and fills in. Relms is scheduling now for fall aeration and overseeding as well as lawn renovation for more extensive projects.

Chances are your landscape beds have suffered too, whether with weeds, which seem to thrive in hot dry weather, or from insects or plant diseases that attack when plants are stressed. At Relms we are happy to help with a free assessment of your lawn and plantings. We can help you determine the best course of action to get your landscape back in shape.

It’s not too early to think about scheduling your fall clean-up and leafing services. Fall clean-ups will help your plants overwinter better and reduce garden pests and diseases. Removal of leaves from your lawn area keeps your lawn healthy and growing.  Many common insect pests and fungal diseases of the garden actually overwinter in plant debris left in the garden, so it does pay to clean up your lawn and landscape beds at the end of the season and again in the spring. For example, many nuisance insects and insect relatives overwinter in sheltered areas and debris, such as in leaf litter or a pile of firewood. These include boxelder bugs, centipedes, earwigs, stink bugs and millipedes. Stink bugs are becoming an increasing pest problem here in the Mid-Atlantic. There are traps available that attract the adult and juvenile stink bugs by using a scent lure. The more bugs we trap, the fewer we will have trying to get in the house this fall.
New mulch on your planting beds will protect tender plants and help prevent ‘frost heave’, where the action of the freeze-thaw cycle actually lifts the plants roots out of the ground. Relms fall clean-up services include horticulturally appropriate shrub pruning, weeding and cleaning landscape beds and application of mulch.

With over 30 years in business, Relms staff of designers and landscape professionals have the experience and expertise to help you assess your needs, create a plan and make your budget work for you.