Spring is here, and for Storey Slone that means it's time to mix compost tea.

Slone works in organic lawn care for Dave Leonard Tree Specialists. Compost tea is a lawn application that contains plant growth compounds and beneficial microorganisms that condition soil without the use of man-made chemicals.

Leonard, a well-known Lexington arborist, said he was drawn to lawn care after seeing a cluster of red oaks with leaves curled up "just like a fist."

The culprit was the toxic turf chemicals being used in the area, he said.

"I asked, 'Which would you rather have, dandelions or red oaks?'" Leonard said.

Organic lawn care can be a little more expensive than the standard fertilizer with a sock of chemical weed and pest control, but it also has a different focus, Leonard said. A base price for the Leonard program is about $65 per thousand square feet per treatment, plus $55 for soil amendments (first year cost only). The number of visits varies according to the program selected.

While some Lexington-area lawn care companies offer an organic program as an option with or without add-in chemical weed control, at the Leonard company which offers two all-organic lawn care plans organic lawn care is the preferred route.

Organic lawns can take several years to fully establish, but the goal is to feed the soil for the long term, with probiotics that help aerate the lawn and reduce compacted soil. Nourishing the soil helps the lawn squeeze out pesky intruders such as nutsedge, the wide-bladed weed that seems to tower over grass immediately after mowing. Also, it helps give grass deeper roots so that it can withstand weather stresses, Leonard said.

Nutsedge thrives in poorly drained, compacted soils, Slone said.

"A lot of these yards are just sterile," Leonard said. "We know for longevity you want an organic lawn. ... If you improve the soil you get a better lawn. Spraying it with a quick-release fertilizer does not improve the soil."

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Compost tea can quench your lawn's thirst this spring

LIHUE At first sight, the group gathered under a monkeypod tree on the lawn of the Historic County Building on Wednesday appeared to be preparing for an appearance before the Kauai County Council.

Instead, the group centered around Frederick and Blanche Acoba, volunteers with the Mana Ohana Sober Support Services, who were processing paperwork for free bus passes.

We have been volunteering with Mana Ohana for about a couple of months, now, Frederick said. During that time, weve given out more than 300 free bus passes to people.

Kem French said Mana Ohana Sober Support Services has a contract with the state of Hawaii under the Federal Access to Recovery grant.

If an individual has experienced substance abuse, or alcoholism, the government has assistance to aid in recovery, said French, an assessor with Mana Ohana.

Mana Ohana is designed to provide clients with substance abuse clinical treatment and recovery support service providers, and increase the capacity of the recovery-oriented system of care.

The monthly bus passes are within the scope of the program it currently provides, French said.

Frederick Acoba said they picked the site of the lawn of the Historic County Building because he saw how many people had gathered there during the Bill 2491 hearing.

Weve also gone to bus stops, the beaches and other places where we see people who might need our help, Frederick said.

Junior Pardua of Lihue was one of the recipients, returning Wednesday before his current pass expires at the end of the month.

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Crowd gathers for free rides

Published:Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Updated:Wednesday, March 19, 2014 01:03

The lawn next to Cooper Hall may be an odd place for a farmhouse. But since Monday, students have taken a tour of one there.

Once inside, students are presented with pictures of abused animals and toy mockups of de-feathered chickens crammed into a small cage. A documentary narrated by former Beatle and PETA-Pal Paul McCartney depicting animal mistreatment is projected on the back wall.

The large tent resembling a red barn was set up by PETA2, the youth division of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), to inform college students about the bloodstained meat industry.

Sacha Sweet, a tour administrator for the organization, said the exhibit is called The Glass Walls Exhibit.

Were trying to lift the curtain on the plight of animals in heavily industrialized animal agriculture in the United States, Sweet said. Were trying to bring light to how there are 10 billion land-based animals slaughtered every year for human consumption in the United States.

Americans are often given a fairy tale image of how most animals on a farm live, he said.

People imagine chickens roaming fields and family farmers milking cows, while in actuality it is often stuffed cages and cold machines.

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PETA displays reality of meat industry

There might be a new solution to keep your landscape alive during this difficult dry spell. The new product, Hydretain, was used on a residential lawn for the first time in Wichita Falls on Thursday morning.

Hydretain is being sold at the Smith Gardentown in Wichita Falls. We spoke with the co-owner of the store and he explained how the product works.

"It actually pulls moisture and humidity out of the air and transfers it into the soil so it becomes more available to the roots of your trees, shrubs, and grass," Steve Smith, Co-owner of Smith Gardentown said.

With stage four water restrictions in place and stage five looming over us, watering our lawns is not an option. Research of the product showed that it can reduce the amount of water moisture needed for your lawn by 50-percent.

Smith said, "Well, obviously since we are not able to water now, we need to give out landscape plants all the help we can possibly can and this product will help and has been proven by several universities."

Smith explained Purdue and the University of Florida have tested the product and it showed that it pulls the moisture out of the air and transfers it into the soil so your plants can utilize it.

There are different options you can choose from if you are interested in treating your lawn. Smith Gardentown can come out to your property and do the treatment, the cost will depend on the size of the yard. The water they use to treat your landscape is from reclaimed water that goes to their pond at the nursery.

"We come out and we put the granular down around the trees and then we come back with the liquid version and water it in," Smith said.

However, you can also do it yourself, as long as you have your own water source available. It comes in the ready to use sprayer that has an attachment on the bottle. A granular solution is also available at the store.

If you are not able to do that, then you can get the granular and out it down and wait for the rain to water it," Smith explained.

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Wet Without Water

(PRWEB) March 13, 2014

The snow is finally melting in Philadelphia and homeowners are seeing lawns for the first time in months. Unfortunately, many are finding significant damage including strange runways chiseled through lawns, ugly pink tinged spots and tree and shrub roots that appear to be gnawed. Giroud Tree and Lawn explains the problems and the lawn and tree service actions homeowners can take to repair the damage and get ready for Spring.

Heavy snow created the perfect environment for lawn damage from voles and fungus, explains Mike Taraborrelli, Lawn Service Manager at Giroud Tree and Lawn. While voles were able feed and dig undisturbed for months, snow mold fungus also erupted on many lawns.

Strange, meandering cracks or runways in the lawn are the first sign of vole activity and damage. Voles dig runways under the snow to venture out from burrows located in well hidden spots like mulch, tall grass, wood piles and rocks. Searching for food is the primary mission of this foray. Besides chewing blades of grass down to ground level, voles may also do considerable tree and shrub damage.

Most lawns will recover from vole damage without help. Lawns with extensive damage may require homeowner or lawn service intervention. Actions can include raking away the debris and excrement in the runways, additional topsoil, a light application of fertilizer and overseeding areas that do not recover with a compatible mix of grasses. Overseeding should be done before pre-emergent crabgrass controls are applied.

Vole damage to trees and shrubs can be life threatening. Single stemmed trees like dogwood and crabapple will likely die if voles have girdled the tree by eating the bark completely around the trunk. Multi-stemmed shrubs like Juniper, Rhododendron, Viburnum, Euonymous (Burning Bush) and Azalea can survive. Professional pruning and/or fertilization may help with recovery.

A second common problem caused by the heavy snow cover is snow mold. Characterized by circular patches of matted grass with a pinkish tinge, snow mold is a fungus that erupts in cold, wet conditions. For extensive damage, fungicide treatment, lawn aeration to open up the matted areas and slit seeding are recommended.

To ensure the lawn, trees and shrubs are ready for spring, homeowners should contact a lawn service professional to inspect lawn condition and health. Trees and shrubs damaged by voles, winter storms or other problems should be evaluated by an ISA Certified Arborist for safety and health to determine if removal is required or if the plants can be saved.

About Giroud Tree and Lawn Giroud Tree and Lawn specializes in tree service, tree removal and lawn care programs that make customers love doing business with the company since 1974. Serving Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, the company offers professional tree and lawn evaluation, tree pruning, tree removal, insect and disease control, fertilizing, stump removal and traditional and 100% organic lawn programs to keep lawns healthy and green . Giroud Arborists are certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and have the knowledge and experience required to properly diagnose, treat and maintain trees and lawn health. The company has been awarded the Angie's List Super Service Award every year since 2005. The Giroud Treework for Charity program donates free tree care services to parks, historical sites and other non-profit organizations located in the Companys service area. For more information, visit the company website at http://www.giroudtree.com or call 215-682-7704.

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Lawn and Tree Problems are Visible as the Snow Melts in Philadelphia and Giroud Tree and Lawn Explains Tree and Lawn ...

The clean-cut good looks and welcoming smiles of the NZ Army Physical Training Instructors (PTIs) gave no hint of what the next two days on the Burnham Military Camp would be like for the visiting Lincoln University Sports Scholarship students.

The 18 students were there as part of the Universitys Sports Scholarship programme which every year sends its second-year students to the camp to test their physical and mental stamina.

According to Lincoln Universitys Recreation Centre and Sport Scholarship Manager, Peter Magson, the aim is to expose these young athletes to an unfamiliar and extended training environment that draws out of them individual resourcefulness, and an inclination towards teamwork relative to the strengths and weaknesses of each member.

A Sports Scholarship at Lincoln is more than just free tuition and skills, strength and conditioning training relative to ones code. We want to develop athletes with substance and character that they can apply to any aspect of their lives. Sending our second-year scholarship students to Burnham for two days is a core part of this development, says Peter.

The group were divided into two teams and the gloriously hot day started well enough with a relatively low-key team building exercise on the lawn. However, although still sporting an affable disposition, the lead PTIs opening address left no one in any doubt as to who would be calling the shots for the next two days.

The exercise complete and with no time for reflection, a quick warm-up march around the camp saw the group commence with the Armys standard Required Fitness Level (RFL) exercises: something which entails a sub-12 minute 2.4km run, and as many curl-up ab crunches and push ups as one can stand. Some rules learnt along the way included keeping your shirt on This is no time to show off your tattoo! barked the PTI to one student and no hands on hips, ever.

The RFL complete, the students were given 30 seconds to swiftly locate themselves into the Army gymnasium in preparation for the bane of any sportspersons performance assessment: the beep test. Encroaching on earlier facial expressions suggesting being merely somewhat puffed came grimaces, and a retreat from the front of the eyes that alluded to the arrival of a new kind of sensation pain.

The students performed admirably. Sadly, however, not admirably enough as far as the PTIs were concerned; and so, after being made to muster as many chin-ups as possible, and partaking in a prolonged sprint exercise known as the Lincoln Test (no relation), the students were made to repeat the beep test all over again. Pain was now married to a kind of shock. One could almost hear the students thoughts expressing a kind of disbelief at what was currently transpiring and a dread at what might still be to come.

Any reward and encouragement from the PTIs upon completion of the punishment beep test extended about as far as granting a two minute break and a remark that We wont have to do that again if you maintain a sense of urgency.

Two minutes up. Time for rope drills and chin-ups; and, then, a miracle a fifteen minute break! Considering the last two hours, it feels like a holiday, remarked Jack Stratton, one of the Sports Scholarship students.

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Scholarship students get military treatment

March 7, 2014 Weather halts tractor repairs Business about to pick up for lawn tractor repair shops

By Zach Osowski The Herald Bulletin The Herald Bulletin Fri Mar 07, 2014, 09:12 PM EST

ANDERSON, Ind. Lawn machine and tractor repair shops could see a major influx of tractors as farmers get ready for spring in the coming weeks.

Todd Sink, a worker at Bendle Lawn Equipment Service & Sales, said that usually by this time, the shop has already seen a lot of tractors for repairs and tuneups. This year has been a different story, as freezing temperatures and large amounts of snow have kept some of the tractors stuck.

"We've had a backup of tractor repairs," Sink said. "With this weather, people haven't been able to get their tractors out of the barn."

That doesn't mean Sink and his fellow mechanics haven't been busy. Sink said they have had a good amount of snow equipment in need of repairs to keep them working. With the weather looking like it might warm up soon, Sink said he anticipates seeing a large amount of tractors for the next couple of weeks.

What tractors need varies from just minor tuneups to full-blown repairs. Sometimes repairs aren't known until the owner takes it out and tries to run it. That could be happening in the next few weeks as central Indiana thaws.

That is, as long as the weather decides to stay warm. Another round of snow could push the delay on getting spring tractors ready further back.

Either way, Sink said, he and the other workers at Bendle will be ready to go, whether they have a few more weeks of snow blower repairs or they start bringing out the tractor tools.

Follow Zach Osowski on Twitter @Osowski_THB, or call 640-4847.

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Weather halts tractor repairs

Julie #39;s Lawn Treatment Expert

By: OBXLandscaping

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Julie's Lawn Treatment Expert - Video

AMY NEWMAN/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Potholes riddle the parking lot of Westfield Garden State Plaza close to Route 4 in Paramus.

Drive a mile or so east on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Paterson, and you're treated to a surprisingly smooth winter ride.

Despite curbside piles of snow and incessant traffic lights, this old, two-lane city thoroughfare also called Broadway contains relatively few potholes. This silky condition continues as the road becomes Route 4, a state highway through Elmwood Park and Fair Lawn, until silk turns to gravel with a series of disappointing bumps and thuds near the Paramus malls.

Craters have even cropped up at some of the entrances to the malls and their parking lots. Fear of these black holes, on the roads or in parking lots, was enough to make Teaneck's Paula Rogovin skip a concert in Fair Lawn last week even though her favorite group was performing. Some, like Mary Beaven, now treat all of Route 4 like a winter pariah.

"I avoid it as much as possible," the Teaneck motorist said.

And Jeffrey Alecci wants the state to pay for the broken tire he blames on a big Route 4 crater.

"When will they fix it?" the Wyckoff motorist asked.

But no one is more disappointed than Richard Barbieri.

"I realize conditions aren't great right now," the Paramus mayor said, "but you would think red flags would have started appearing on somebody's radar by now when one of the state's most-traveled retail highways wasn't getting the treatment it deserves."

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Road Warrior: Route 4 rates low on the pothole fix list

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (March 4, 2014) While the impact of this prolonged winter on homes and other buildings may be more obvious, experts tell FOX59 the effect on your yard could be problematic as well.

Even though grass goes into a dormant state to survive Mother Natures wintry blasts, Larry Davis of Davis Superior Lawn Care and Snow Removal said problems could exist on the periphery. Specifically, all the road salt on your street and ice melt in your driveway and walkway could kill off the edges of your lawn.

Salt is detrimental to vegetation, Davis said. But its not a little salt, its a lot. So since we have had this extended winter, weve had more snow, more salt [and] so we may have a little runoff.

Another potential impact of the seemingly longer winter wont be felt until summer, he said. Davis explained what really kills grass is drought and weeds. A shorter spring season leading into the summer drought season means less time for weed control and potentially more problems come August.

Once spring truly begins, Davis recommends getting started on treatment right away, focusing less on fertilizer and more on the weeds.

So you want to go low nitrogen and high in weed control, he said.

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Prolonged winter impacting your lawn