​Lawns can become moist over prolonged periods of time for many reasons. Some of those reasons include problems such as one’s lawn not receiving enough sun, grading problems, and improper filtration. Sometimes a lawn’s moisture persists because the soil of someone’s lawn contains smaller particles that hold in more water than other types of soil.     
Lawn grading is important because it allows the water to flow away from one’s property and making sure your lawn is properly watered. Grading problems include low spots in your landscape and raised areas. If you have those problems than you will see a possible pooling of water in unwanted places. 
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Improper irrigation can lead to the overt moisture in your lawn by watering too much or at improper times. Making sure that your irrigation is well done can lead to a better-looking lawn. Also, proper irrigation can contribute to the overall health of one’s landscape.  

If your lawn is made up of or is primarily made up of clay it may contribute to a consistently wet lawn. Clay soil contains more water because it is made up of smaller particles.  

Even though your lawn may be constantly wet there are ways that you can fix it. One way that you can fix your lawn is adding topsoil with a layer of straw. If you add topsoil and straw to the low areas than it will help the water gather in less of a concentrated area because it will be more level.   

Furthermore, you can check to see if your landscape is properly irrigated and graded. Also making sure your lawn gets enough sunlight can help it become less bogged down with water.  

Aeration is another good way to help your lawn. The aeration process helps drain more water through soil. It also helps loosen up tight soil which promotes root growth. Another way that you can fix it is adding vegetation or more plants. Plants and vegetation will take up more water from your lawn. Making sure your yard receives proper sunlight will also promote growth and help evaporate some of the excess moisture.  
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Regarding your lawn is also an option to help lessen the amount of water it holds in. However, regrading takes heavy equipment, and it is cost more than other options.  
Once the lawn in taken care of than one can take pride in, their work and their outdoor environment. If you don’t have a soggy lawn than you won’t have to deal with inconveniences like muddy shoes. With a dry lawn you will also have the opportunity to spend more time with your family and friends in a suitable environment. A great lawn is wonderful for cook outs, picnics, or playing catch.  

The most important thing for a mowing company is that they need to show up. Outside of reasons like rain or natural disasters, they should be fairly consistent on when they mow your property. A good mowing company will work on a schedule you both agree on and have access. A great company will send you notifications at least the day before they arrive and after they have finished mowing your lawn.

Both small and start-up lawn care companies do not usually someone you can contact easily. If the owner is sick or having an off day, they will be unable to be reached. If you have an issue or need some additional work done, you will need someone who will be able to pick up the phone and talk to you.

When you hire a mowing company, you also hire on their employees to work at your home or business. They will be around the people you care about a lot. I personally would feel much better knowing the people mowing grass have at least been drug tested and had a background check performed.

Additionally, training is the difference between a mowing professional and a grass cutter. Talk with the a potential mowing company about their training program. Too often, people are sold by the knowledge of an owner or sales rep, only to find out a large gap in knowledge for the people who actually perform the work at their home or office.

If you are dealing with an established mowing company, they should be able to provide many examples of properties they mow. They should also be able to give your referrals from current and past clients. If they are unable to , you should consider an alternative mowing company.

When it comes to professional mowing, you should not go with the cheapest quote or the most expensive. Lawn mowing is a competitive industry so true mowing professionals should all have similar pricing. A company that is very cheap may not have the proper insurance or licenses, which could cost you if they have an accident at your home. Expensive mowing services are either charging more for name recognition or not running their company efficiently. You should not have to pay more for either. 

It's time to enjoy your weekends again! GreenSeasons is a professional mowing company servicing the greater Baton Rouge, greater New Orleans, Metairie, Slidell, Prairieville, Walker, Denham Springs, Gonzales, Baker, Zachary, Hammond, and Covington areas. If you want to enjoy your weekends again, just click here for a free quote  and we will give you a call. 

If you would simply like some advice on mowing, please contact us and we will be more than happy to help.  

Liriope is often used as a border plant in landscape beds or to fill a bare area. Liriope stays green and flowers so it is a good choice for a lot of landscapes. One issue that can develop with liriope in landscape beds are the development of weeds. We are discussing liriope, not mondo grass. The products mentioned below may not be the correct choice for mondo grass. Let's get to it. How to control weeds in liriope grass.

Grassy weeds are difficult to control in liriope if you are trying to pull them out by hand. The best product we have found is Fusilade II by Syngenta. Fusilade II can be applied over the top of liriope and takes care of a long list of grasses and grassy weeds, including both crabgrass and bermudagrass. 

Broadleaf weeds pop up in liriope beds like anywhere else. You may have some success by pulling broadleaf weeds, especially if they have a tap root system. A lot of broadleaf weed control options have temperature restrictions. We've used Image. It shouldn't be used when temperatures are above 85 degrees F. 

Sedges are connected underground by tubers and rhizomes. This makes it so you can never remove a sedge completely by pulling it. We use Certainty as an over the top selective control for sedge weeds in liriope. It provides excellent control of yellow nutsedge, purple nutsedge, and green kyllinga.

The products suggested here are the ones we have used and found to work. Labels can change over time, so be sure to always check the product label first. If you are looking for a good landscape contractor or need help with weed control, please get in touch with us.

Green kyllinga is a perennial sedge weed. It will return next year unless you do something about it. Green kyllinga invades by both seed and underground stems known as rhizomes. The weed generally has three long leaves that form on the end of a hard triangular stem. Green kyllinga also makes a spiky green seed head. The seed head will fade to brown if left untreated.

Cultural control is the best long term solution for weed control. Creating an environment where your grass thrives and out competes weeds makes for an easier life. Green kyllinga thrives in poorly drained soil. Proper drainage will greatly improve your lawn. Additionally, proper mowing heights will keep your grass in the best position to edge out weeds. 

We deal with a few grass types around Baton Rouge and New Orleans: St. Augustine, Centipedegrass, Zoysia, and Bermudagrass. Luckily, there are a lot of good options for chemical control in these grass types. Look for products containing any one of the following active ingredients: sulfosulfuron, imazaquin, sulfentrazone, halosulfuron, bentazon). Read and follow the label for application instructions. Some herbicides take multiple applications. 

Ensuring proper drainage and following up with a control product will take care of your weed problem in no time.

Carpetgrass is a desirable grass type in parts of the country. Not so in both Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Carpetgrass will blend in with centipede grass throughout the year. Then summer comes and the seed heads pop out. Carpetgrass seed heads  make a mess of your well manicured lawn.

Carpetgrass looks sort of like centipede grass. They have grow in a similar manner. The easiest way to identify carpetgrass is to wait until late June and throughout the end of summer. Carpetgrass seed heads shoot out and form a distinctive shape. It is usually described as a Y with one extra offshoot. Checkout the picture above to see it.

Herbicide control products include either Celsius or Finale. Both require licensing in Louisiana. These products work, but may take two applications. Contact us for help.

Carpetgrass does not do well with salt. If you have a salt tolerant grass like certain varieties of St. Augustinegrass, then you may have another option. While we have not attempted this remedy, numerous other sources have found success with it. Attempt at your own risk. The mix is 7 to 10 gallons of water and two cups of table salt. Let it sit in a large bucket for a couple of days to dissolve. Pick a day when there is no expected rain for 3 days out. Using a watering can, lightly water the areas with carpetgrass weeds. You should see the effect in three days.

Lespedeza is an open branched annual weed which is present between late spring and the end of summer in Louisiana. There are other varieties of lespedeza, but common lespedeza is what most people have a problem with in their yards. The stems harden and become woody the longer this weeds stays in your lawn. It grows outward into prostrate mats mixed in with your grass.

Good cultural practices help. The best deterrent to lespedeza is a healthy lawn. Deep and infrequent watering helps to develop strong grass roots. Mowing your lawn at the correct height allows it to photosynthesize enough food. Taller grass provides more shade which denies new weeds sunlight. Cutting your grass too low weakens your lawn while allowing more sunlight to fresh weeds.

Beyond cultural changes, pre-emergent herbicides can prevent lespedeza weeds from appearing in your lawn. The main caveat here is you have to do it before the weed is growing each year. Plan to do before next spring. A few pre-emergent herbicides work well against lespedeza. Products with the active ingredient atrazine, simazine, or dithiopyr work very well at prevention. Read the label to make sure you are applying it correctly.

Once you have a lespedeza weed problem, your go to solution is selective post-emergent herbicides. Luckily, there are a number of post-emergent herbicides available that take care of lespedeza. Products with the active ingredient atrazine, dicambia, metsulfuron, or simazine to name a few. There are plenty more herbicide choices. Read the label before purchasing and be certain it is labeled for your grass type, else you may end up damaging the plants you want to keep.

Why are my crepe myrtles turning black? What are these white specs on my crepe myrtles? If you are asking yourself these questions, you likely have crepe myrtle bark scale on your trees. It was introduced to the United States in the mid-2000s in Texas. Crepe myrtle bark scale made its way over to Louisiana shortly afterwards.

Crepe myrtle bark scale affects crepe myrtles more that are unhealthy. Crepe myrtles that are subjected to poor pruning habits (looking at you crepe myrtle toppers) are more likely to get bad bark problems. Maintain proper pruning methods to keep your trees healthy.

The best time to treat is in during spring, between April and May. A soil drench or deep root treatment using a product containing imidacloprid. You can find this in any hardware store. Follow the mixing instructions and treat the area all around the drip line of the crepe myrtle. Be certain to rake back any mulch before treatment. You can rake the mulch back into place once the treatment has dried. Treat it again the following year to ensure you do not have a resurgence.

During the winter, you can use a dormant oil spray when all the leaves have fallen off the crepe myrtle. This should only be used during the winter and it should be a dormant oil containing paraffin, not some of the lighter oil varieties since they will not kill off the scale.

There have been some success with contact insecticides. Insecticides containing bifenthirin have had limited success. This solution works better on younger scale.

Insect growth regulators as a crawler spray are useful in stopping the crepe myrtle bark scale's life cycle. The solutions will have to be used by a professional since they are restricted use products. Products containing pyriproxyfen or buprofezin have had good success in scale crawler control. Apply when crawlers are active and spray to coat the affected area, this is usually spring.

You've killed off the scale, but the black sooty mold remains. The most affordable, and quickest option is to clean it off. Put a couple of tablespoons of dish soap and warm water in a five gallon bucket. Lightly scrub the affected areas with a soft bristle brush that has been dipped in the soapy solution.

Contact us today to have us get rid of your crepe myrtle bark scale problem.

Can a Green Wall Have a Unique Design?
Yes. These are formed using different plants and maintaining gaps between plants. The simplest way is to get the spacing between plants and dimensions of the wall and to use it to make a color-coded dot diagram. 

How Hard Are Green Walls to Care for?
They are actually quite time consuming. Green walls take a while to acclimate to growing vertically. The plants compete for space and try to grow over one another if not pruned often. An interruption in water could be disastrous for the entire wall. Regular fertilization is required. Unintentional changes in light are often a source of grief. If possible, hiring a professional to maintain your green wall is going to make things much easier.

Interested in Buying a Living Green Wall
If you live in either the Greater Baton Rouge or Greater New Orleans areas and are interested in buying a living green wall, please contact us or give us a call at 225-752-2333.

Proven Benefits of Indoor Plants and Therapeutic Gardens
Countless studies have concluded that indoor plantings bring about positive changes in people.
​Below are a few examples:

• Plants promote a positive mood.
• Simply being around plants reduces stress in people.
• Lowered blood pressure is a proven effect in people around plants.
• Having a plant in view of your work stations increases productivity.
• Indoor plants regulate temperature and humidity.