​Remember it is extremely important to keep your lawn free of leaves. Leaf accumulation can be detrimental to both warm and cool season lawns. 

While warm season lawns need leaf removal, it is even more important on cool season lawns. For Cool Season lawns, fall is a time of repair and growth from the summer stress. Keeping the lawn leaf free, helps the grass receive much needed sunlight. It is even more important for newly seeded lawns as an accumulation of leaves can lead to the death of newly germinated grass seeds.  

Local area lawns (warm season) are beginning to lose their color and full dormancy is just around the corner. This is a very important time for treatment on soon to be dormant lawns. This treatment will help protect the plant system from the winter “chill” by toughening the cell walls. This will also allow the turf to come out of dormancy quicker in the spring. 
 
Cool season fescue lawns that are being seeded in the fall should be seeing new growth very soon from the seedlings that were planted. Weeds might also emerge with these new seedlings.  
 
Pre-emergent herbicides cannot be used on cool season lawns due to the fact that they will prohibit new fescue seed germination. Post-emergent sprays have to be used very lightly as well because the new grass must mature enough to be able to withstand the strength of the herbicide.  Damage or death can be caused by herbicides used on newly planted, immature tall fescue.  After the fourth mowing of newly planted Fescue (about 6 weeks after planting) post-emergent weed control can be applied to rid of weeds.  

Keep an eye out for moles this fall. Moles can be very troublesome as they dig tunnels through the lawn that are not only unsightly but that can also damage the turf and create an uneven lawn. Moles are carnivores that feed on earthworms, grubs, ants, beetles, and other subterranean insects (as well as millipedes, slugs, snails).  

If North Georgia happens to receive an ice or snow storm this winter, be careful with salt products that are applied to melt ice.  If these salt products spread into the grass it can cause major damage. Use only enough salt to get the job done, as high quantities will damage a lawn very quickly.

​It’s the beginning of a new year! And after the hectic holiday season most of us are questioning how to keep up with those very bold new year’s resolutions we’ve made, or when will I finally be getting all of these decorations down and put away? But after all of the friends, family, and of course food, constantly coming in and out of the door the big question is, what else has made it inside of my home? Believe it or not, January can be a big problem time in the year for unwanted pests! Between the commotion of everyone coming and going, and the freezing cold temperatures outside, it makes a perfect scenario for unwanted critters to invite themselves in. Many pests are looking to shelter in our homes to keep out of the danger that comes along with these frigid temperatures. Here are a few things to look out for during the month of January:

Firewood Bugs
If you have a wood burning fireplace in your home, this could be of big concern! Boxelder bugs, termites, and stink bugs all love hanging out inside firewood. By bringing that wood inside you are incidentally bringing all of them into your home to shelter and reproduce. Which if left untreated, without the correct pest control program, can wreak havoc on your home.

 Spiders
In these winter months, same as most pests, spiders (especially the Brown Recluse) are looking to escape the cold and find shelter inside your home. The size of an entry point in which spiders need to enter the home is very miniscule. So to ensure that you won’t be having an issue with them all winter, it is vital to have the proper pest control program taking preventative measures to protect your home. Spraying any points of entry (windows, doors, etc.) and creating a pesticide barrier between outside and inside is essential. 

German Cockroaches
The German Cockroach is the most common infesting roach found in the world. They like to hangout and harbor in small, warm, moist areas, and are almost always brought into the home by means of an outside source. (Groceries, small appliances, boxes, other people unknowingly, etc.) They are most commonly found in the kitchen, behind the fridge, dishwasher, coffee makers, anything with a warm motor where they can lay their eggs and reproduce. It only takes 28 days for German Cockroaches to reproduce from the laying of their eggs, to hatching, making it so easy for them to infest in such large numbers. Having a monthly or quarterly indoor/ outdoor pest control service to treat around these problem areas is very important to ensure preventative measures are being taken to protect your home from the infestation and spread of bacteria and human pathogens of these pests.