Month: March 2011

Get Down to the Grass Facts – Altoona PA

Posted on March 31, 2011 in free lawn care help, Lawn Care Tips, Organic Lawn Care

Get Down To Grass Facts

Know Your Grass

If you are a new homeowner, you may know the brand of refrigerator in your kitchen or the square footage of your guest room, but chances are you don’t know the type of grass in your lawn. Depending on where you live, there are different types of turf available.

Generally speaking, northern states lawns are planted with cool-season grasses such as kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, or tall fescue. In southern states, you may have a yard of St. Augestine, Bermuda, centipede, or Zoysiagrass. Knowing the type of grass you have will help you to better care for it.

Grass Mowing Heights


St. Augestine: 2-4 Inches
Fine Fescue: 1-2 Inches
Tall Fescue: 2-3 Inches
Kentucky Bluegrass: 2-3 Inches
Rye: 1-2 Inches
Zoysiagrass: 1-2 Inches
Centipede: 1-2 Inches

If you have questions, leave a comment or give us a call at (814) 515-3115 or email us at Questions@Legoservices.com for FREE help with how high you should be cutting!

Tags: , , , , ,

Lawn Care Guide – Free Lawn Care Help!

Posted on March 31, 2011 in free lawn care help, Lawn Care Tips, Organic Lawn Care

Dethatch

Thatch is a lawn condition caused by root and steam buildup. A Layer of thatch is a barrier to everything your lawn needs to be healthy: air, water, and nutrients. Several things can cause thatch–too much nitrogen, mowing to short, and shallow watering. Use a garden or thatch rake or power dethatcher to remove thatch if your lawn has a problem.

Aerate

Punching holes in your lawn loosens soil, helps drainage, and promotes root growth. It also helps reduce thatch. Plan to aerate every few years in spring or fall.

Seed and Feed

Use a balanced fertilizer three times each year — early spring, late spring, and again in the fall. Lawn food contains nitrogen, which greens up lawns quickly. A slow-release product nourishes your lawn over time. Caution: Be sure to use a special starter fertilizer if applying over newly seeded areas.

Water

Lawns become increasingly tolerant of drought and develop deeper root systems when they are watered deeply and less often. Aim for about 1 inch per week.

Mow
Whether you use a reel or a power mower, be sure to sharpen your blades once or twice a year to avoid shredding your grass. When you mow, cut a third of the grass height; as temperatures rise, raise the mower height.

Call Lego Services today at (814) 515-3115 to help get your lawn back on track! Free lawn care help is available!

Tags: , ,

Latex-Ite vs. Black Jack Black Top Sealants

Posted on March 11, 2011 in Driveway Services

So what is better, Late-Ite, or Black Jack?

Lego Services also provides driveway repair and sealing services. We have a good bit of experience involved with the service, and have tried many products for sealing. Our two favorites are Black Jack and Latex-Ite. So which one takes the belt?

We think it’s Black Jack

While both products are great and serve the purpose they were designed for, and both come with generous warranties. We feel that Black Jack takes the title as the ‘best’ between these two brands. Why?

Late-Ite begins to show cracks..
Latex-Ite seems to show cracking after winter weather and extreme heats. We have tried to slim it down, and beef it up, but in the end – the cracks emerge. They are easily fixed with another application of the sealant, but who wants to spend money on more sealant shortly after the product was applied? We don’t want our customers to be caught in this..

Black Jack just hands down looks better
The finish that you get from Black Jack just simply has a deeper, rich black look to it. When compared to Latex-Ite side by side, Black Jack holds the beautiful finish that our customers are looking for.

Consider Black Jack
Black Jack is cheaper than Latex-Ite, and as we have said, we believe that it is the superior product. So if you are trying to decide between the two, we recommend Black Jack hands down.

Where can I purchase Black Jack in Blair County?
Black Jack is available at Lowes

Where can I purchase Latex-Ite in Blair County?
Latex-Ite is available at the Home Depot

Are you thinking about having your driveway sealed or repaired? Give us a call, we can offer recommendations and give you a risk free, guaranteed competitive consultation on your project.

www.blaircountylawnservice.com/services/driveway-sealing today

Tags: , , ,

Building a new Deck that LASTS.

Posted on March 11, 2011 in Reviews

While deck construction is not a service we offer, and really has nothing to do with lawn care, we were recently emailed about a blog article posted at www.lawncareservice.net with details on how to build a deck that lasts. After reading the article, we have decided to share it with our viewers so it may benefit you as well.

10 ways to build a deck that LASTS
Have you ever seen a home that has a dilapidated deck on it? It can ruin the whole appearance of a house. If a deck is constructed properly to begin with, and then properly maintained, there is no reason for this to happen. Following are ten important ingredients to building a deck that will last.

  1. Post foundations
  2. Support posts
  3. Attachment to house
  4. Fasteners
  5. Deck joists
  6. Decking lumber
  7. Weather protection
  8. Vinyl decks
  9. Compost decks

We are not going to share all the details and descriptions of the ingredients here, as the post is not originally ours. However you can view the entire article here http://www.lawncareservice.net/blog/2011/10-ways-to-build-a-deck-that-lasts/

Tags:

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Altoona PA.

Posted on March 8, 2011 in Insects, Lawn Disease

I have been asked a few times if the ‘Stink Bugs’ that seem to be dominating Pennsylvania will harm flower beds, gardens, trees, and lawns.

The stink bugs actual name is Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. And well, as you know, they stink.. Especially if they are smashed. These littles insects come from China. The first stink bug was collected from the United States in 1998. Rumor has it that they where brought to the states with shipments from China by Walmart. From what I understand, they originated in the states in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Will stink bugs harm my bushes and/or trees?
Not that I am aware of. I have never read that they destroy trees. It might become noticed in the future, but currently I have not heard of such a case. So far the answer is no.

Will stink bugs destroy my lawn in any way?
Again, not that I am aware of. Again, so far the answer is no.

Do stink bugs harm crops?
Yes, they do. They cause damage to fruit and vegetable crops and are a extremely high agricultural pest. The bug begins to feed in May / June. They feed from apples, cherries, green beens, soy beans, respberries, and pears, and peaches. I am sure the list contains, but these are the highest damaged fruit crops that the bug feeds from.

Stink bugs have invaded my home!
These bugs are not dumb. They will squeeze themselves into any where they can possibly fit in order to find shelter, to of course, survive the winter months. And your home is no exception. They normally hibernate, however, due to our indoor heating, they become after and fly clumsily around banging into things. Very annoying.

The climate in the United States has allowed them to produce twice as fast as in Asia.

Best way to get rid of a stink bug?
Flush it in the toilet, or, spray them with dish soap mixed with water. It eats the exoskeleton and kills them. Squashing these bugs with a fly swatter or other means causes them to emit there horrible odor. Try not to ‘upset’ the bug as well, this causes them to release there odor. Think of them as a really, really, really small skunk..

Have you started to notice damage from what you thought was caused by a stink bug, but have learned it wasn’t? Still not sure? Leave a comment on this post with the symptoms. Provide as much detail as possible and we will try to give you an answer as to what may have caused the damage. We may even be available (depending on your area) to come and give you a free diagnostics of the damage, and work with you to correct it.

Tags: , , ,