Month: March 2016

Do you Have a Mole Problem?

We’ve been getting a lot of the calls in the past few weeks about mole activity at both homes and businesses. It’s common to have mole infestations throughout yards in the Pittsburgh area, but you can treat this problem yourself fairly inexpensively.

Why Are So There Many Moles in My Yard?

Signs that you have moles include surface tunneling activity or mounds of dirt on your lawn that look like little volcanoes. (You don’t need to see both tunnels and dirt mounds – if you see just one, you have moles.)

Moles are like every other animal – they’re looking for food, and they’re finding that food in your yard. They eat earthworms, which can comprise up to 90% of their diet. Earthworms are abundant in most soils, so that’s the perfect food source for these pests. (Many people are under the misconception that moles are looking for grubs, but that’s rarely true.)

What Kind of Damage Does Mole Activity Cause?

When moles are tunneling underground to look for earthworms, they destroy your plants’ root system, which takes away the plants’ food. Just one mole in your yard can cause quite a bit of damage.

I Have Moles in My Yard! What Should I Do?

If you have a mole issue, Superior Lawn Care recommends the following:

First, stamp down existing mounds and tunnels to make the area as flat as you possibly can. Then, other pests like voles will use the tunnels that the moles created, which is a great way for them to get around as they eat the roots and bulbs in your yard. (Moles can travel up to 18 feet in one hour!) When you find new, active tunnels, you should try to trap the moles. Most garden centers will carry three different kinds of traps:

1. Spear Mole Trap
2. Out O’ Sight Mole Trap
3. NoMol Mole Trap

Talk to the folks who work at your local garden center to see which trap is best suited to your lawn. To be effective, traps should be placed in the largest and straightest existing tunnel. Setting more than one trap will increase the ability to catch the moles quickly.

Call Superior Lawn Care today to get a free estimate for one of our many residential or commercial treatment programs.

 
Right now, it’s cold and there may be a layer of snow on top of your grass. But not to worry, because your green grass will be back in the spring, right? Unfortunately, winter can be very tough on plants, especially in southwestern PA. The frigid temperatures, snow, and ice could be causing some problems that prevent you from enjoying a beautiful lawn in the spring and summer.

Common Winter Problems for Your Lawn

Here’s what you may see now that the snow has melted:

• Snow mold. Snow mold is a disease that looks like brown or tan circular patches on your lawn, with a grayish or pinkish tint. Usually, snow mold only affects the grasses’ leaf tissues, and it will improve in the spring, but very cold winters can permanently damage your lawn. Proper fertilization and reseeding is important for your grass to recover.
• Desiccation. Temperatures in our area are below freezing and blustery days are prevalent in the winter. When plants are subjected to these conditions for a long period of time, browning (or desiccation) can occur as moisture is removed from a plant, generally from the leaves. Once a plant is damaged by desiccation, there is no going back. Leaves and other plant tissues that are damaged will need to be pruned out to help “rejuvenate” the plant. There are particular plants that are prone to desiccation, including hollies, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Plants should have root zones mulched and watered throughout the year during any dry periods to avoid further complications from additional moisture loss.

• Salt damage. During the winter, salt that’s scattered on roads, parking lots, walkways, and driveways can easily be thrown into the grass, plants, shrubs and trees. If the salt is sprayed as part of a chloride mixture, it can negatively affect chlorophyll production and the ability for the plant to complete the process of photosynthesis. Severe damage, especially to curbside grass and plants, will require raking, seeding, and fertilizer each year after winter. Minor damage requires mostly fertilizer, but you should keep an eye on your plantings especially after snowy winters.

Superior Lawn Care Can Resolve Your Lawn and Landscapes’s Winter Damage

After spring rejuvenation pruning is done, plants would benefit greatly from a maintenance program designed to help them recover. Superior Lawn Care can help these plants recover and also improve the overall health and beauty of your entire lawn and landscape with proper care through our lawn care maintenance programs.

Superior can make your lawn come back to life after winter dormancy. With our annual lawn care maintenance program, we’ll keep your yard and property looking great from March through December so that every spring, your lawn springs back and looks green and lush.

Call Superior Lawn Care today. Our service range encompasses all Pittsburgh areas, including Greensburg, Cranberry Township, and Peters Township.  We can help keep your landscape healthy and beautiful.