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A lovely-looking lawn is what every homeowner wants, but that means spending time and money on it. The lawn maintenance costs are varied, including grass mowing expenses, fertilizer, weed control products, and not forgetting the cost of tree trimming and hedging, and the list is long. But you do not have to spend all your savings to have a lovely-looking yard. Here are four smarts ways to save on your lawn maintenance costs.

Mow Your Grass to the Right Length

When mowing your grass, you should not trim it below 3 or 2 inches above the ground. Exposing the roots makes them dry faster, meaning you have to keep watering them to keep them healthy. But you can minimize the use of too much water by leaving a reasonable height for the grass to shield its roots and prevent them from drying.

Invest More in Perennial Plants other Than Annuals

Investing in annual plants means you have to keep replanting every year, which is time-consuming, and costly if you buy the plants. Investing in plants that will last for three or more years will lower your cost of buying seedlings and intensive watering at the early stages to ensure they survive. Also, for many perennials, you can plant cuttings from them other than buying new seedlings.

Use Organic compost Waste

Vegetable scraps, grass clippings, and other organic waste can become your free compost to boost your lawn soil other than using fertilizers. That will lower your cost of fertilizers and be kind to the environment, which is a very important thing to do.

Get Professional Advice

Many people imagine that DIY yard care projects will help them keep their yards looking attractive without spending a lot of money. But the truth is that if you want a less expensive classic-looking turf, you need professional advice. Professionals have the knowledge and experience in dealing with lawns, and they can suggest smart ways of keeping a good lawn without spending much.

For a free quote and professional advice, contact Metro Lawn Care at for professional advice. Our experts will be willing to work with you to minimize your costs and beautify your outdoor space.

 

When it comes to caring for your commercial landscaping, you want to make sure that your irrigation system is working as it should. If it is having issues, then you likely need to call a professional to come in and repair these issues for you. Here are three signs that you need commercial irrigation repairs.

Low Water Pressure

One sign that you are in need of commercial irrigation repair is if the water pressure in your system is low. This will often happen when there is either a hole somewhere in the irrigation line, or if there is something blocking the pipe. In either case, it is very important that this issue is taken care of, in order to ensure that your water pressure is restored, and you have the water that you need to water your landscaping.

Uneven Watering 

If you notice that some areas of your landscape are dying, some look healthy, and others are too wet, then this is likely indicating that your landscape is not being watered evenly. Uneven watering can likely be fixed by adjusting your sprinkler heads, so that they are watering the right areas, at the right time, and with the correct amount of water. Broken sprinkler heads may also be adding to this issue because either no water comes out of them, or they are spraying water everywhere.

Dirty Water

If the water coming out of your sprinklers is dirty, this is cause for concern. This may indicate that dirt is getting into the sprinkler line and then turning into mud as it comes out. This can easily clog your sprinkler system and cause a great deal of damage, if left unchecked. Clearing the dirt out, and fixing the pipes, is the best thing to do in this situation.

To learn more about the signs that you need commercial irrigation repair, or to hire a professional today, visit us at Metro Lawn Care.

The key to successful curb appeal for your business is to keep the trees on your property looking healthy and beautiful, but how do you know if you’re doing it correctly? Many people are unaware that the wrong way to trim a tree can actually cause more harm than good by spreading disease and damaging the tree’s health. Before you begin your gardening, it’s important to know what you’re doing.  There are plenty of dos and don’ts of tree pruning to follow to make your garden beautiful.

Dos

Prune trees regularly

Generally, trees need pruning every 3-5 years at least. Pruning encourages new growth and keeps the branches from growing out of proportion to the rest of the tree. However, some fruit trees need pruning once a year to encourage flowering and fruiting. Different varieties have different pruning needs.

Prune dead branches

Regularly inspect trees for dead or damaged branches. Dead branches should be removed from trees before they rot and cause disease. Dead branches that are left littering the tree will become nests for insects and disease. Dead branches should also be removed before they fall and cause damage to your property.

Plant shrubs in neat rows

It’s a good idea to plant shrubs in a straight row. But, don’t plant shrubs too close together. You want plenty of air circulation.

Water your plants

Water your plants regularly. However, they don’t need small amounts of water every single day. Water them once a week. After all, you don’t want the roots to dry out.

Don’ts

Prune healthy branches

Healthy branches on the tree should be left alone. Healthy branches will grow out naturally on a tree, but pruning them will prevent them from growing out as well.

Don’t remove more than one-third of the leaf surface

Removing too much of the tree’s foliage can cause the tree to die. If a tree is pruned or thinned too much, it will not be able to photosynthesize.

Try to prune your tree by yourself

Last, but not least, never try to prune a tree on your own. Trees have sensitive areas that need to be pruned by a professional, otherwise you may damage the tree. Thinning out branches, also known as “back pruning,” should only be done by a certified commercial landscape company.

Conclusion

So, now that you know the dos and don’ts of tree pruning, you’re ready to improve the attractiveness and curb appeal of your business. If you need your trees pruned, contact our experts at Metro Lawn Care in Dallas, TX for a free estimate. We have over 34 years of experience in servicing the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and we can help you with any questions about tree trimming, tree care, tree removal, and more.

If you are looking into the best way to care for your lawn, you should definitely consider hiring a professional service to fertilize and provide your lawn with the appropriate chemicals that it needs to grow and thrive. There are some great programs that you can purchase, that allow you to get this type of care on a regular basis. Here are four things a professional fertilization/chemical program will do for your lawn.

Weed Control

One important part of the chemical program is weed control. This involves having a professional spray the weeds in your yard, as well as prevent future weeds, by spraying them with weed killer. This is effective because it will kill the unwanted weeds, without killing your actual grass.

Insect Control 

Another essential service that is provided by a professional program is insect control. It is no secret that insects can cause a great deal of damage to your lawn, which can cause it to die. Hiring a professional to spray pesticides that will kill these insects will allow you to get rid of them.

Soil Testing

Soil testing is another great part of the program because it allows your soil to be tested for multiple things. These include PH levels, foliage, and pathogens that cause diseases in your lawn. These tests will allow a professional to see if anything is wrong with your lawn, and if they do find issues, they will have the information needed to fix them and get your lawn back to full health again.

Aeration

Lastly, aeration is provided by a professional fertilization service. Aerating your lawn can help to get all the nutrients in the soil and air to reach the roots of the grass, which in turn helps it to become as healthy as possible.

To learn about more great things that a professional fertilization/chemical program will do for your lawn, or to hire a professional today, visit us at Metro Lawn Care.

Paying for the water needed to water your lawn can definitely get pricey very quickly. This is especially true if you have a large lawn. One way that you can really reduce the amount of water that you waste when watering your lawn is to hire a water management program to come in and help you out. They are very effective at reducing your water use, while still maintaining a healthy lawn. Here are three ways a water management program can help you to reduce wasted water.

Adjust and Repair Your Sprinkler Heads

One great way a water management program can help to reduce the amount of water that you waste is to adjust and repair your sprinkler heads. Some of your heads may have shifted over time, or they may have been accidentally bumped out of place. In this situation, a slight adjustment will help them to better water your lawn and reduce waste. If one of the sprinkler heads is not putting out water properly, then repairing it will help to stop this water from being wasted each time your sprinklers turn on.

Choose The Best Times To Water 

Another great way that a water management program can reduce water waste is to set your irrigation system to water at the best possible times. This often includes late nights and/or early mornings. These are times when the sun won’t waste the water and there is minimal wind.

Improve Soil And Lawn Quality 

Lastly, a water management program will reduce water waste by taking excellent care of your lawn. Improving the overall quality of your soil and your lawn will make it so that no water is wasted, but that the soil is absorbing and using it in the most effective way possible.

To learn more ways a water management program can help you to reduce wasted water, or to hire a professional to help you implement a water management program today, visit us at Metro Lawn Care.

Making sure your trees are well taken care of requires all the usual things like water, sunlight, and good soil, but it also requires that it is pruned properly. Hiring a professional to properly prune your trees will ensure that the pruning is done properly and on a regular basis. Here are three reasons why pruning a tree is so important.

It Controls How It Grows 

Pruning a tree also helps to control how it grows. Pruning back certain branches and letting other ones grow will help to control the direction of growth for your tree. This helps you to shape your tree how you’d like and also makes it possible for you to have a very aesthetically appealing tree. This is important, especially if this tree is in a public location and is meant to add beauty to the landscape.

It Helps The Tree Remain Healthy 

Having your tree pruned is also a great way to ensure that it stays as healthy as possible. This is because it cuts off all the branches that are either dead or dying. This stops the tree from wasting precious energy and nutrients on trying to save these branches. This allows the other branches to get more nutrients and allows the tree to be healthier overall.

It Makes The Tree Safer

Taking the time to have your trees professionally pruned also helps to make them as safe as possible. Pruning a tree removes any branches that are likely to fall off and harm someone. Since large branches can be quite heavy and dangerous, removing them is necessary to ensure the safety of anyone who goes near the tree.

To learn more reasons why tree pruning is so important, or to hire a professional to prune your trees today, visit us at Metro Lawn Care.

Skipping lawn maintenance during winter doesn’t help. It only increases your lawn care workload for spring. Moreover, it may even cost you more to restore your lawn to its glory days. Even though the grass on your lawn is under snow cover, you still need to take care of it. So, what can you do to keep it strong and healthy throughout winter? Follow these Winter lawn care tips.

Mow the Grass During Winter

If you want to keep your lawn safe, mow the grass during winter. Long grass attracts pests, mice, rodents, and other burrowing animals. These creatures are charming, but they wreak havoc on your grass.

Some of their destructive habits include digging holes all over your lawn. And while at it, they badly ruin your healthy grass. The result is undesirable patches of dead grass. Fortunately, burrowing animals do not like short grasses. Mowing your lawn during winter discourages them from inhabiting your lawn.

Fertilize & Aerate

A well-maintained, lush green lawn on your business premises creates a good impression. This is the image you want to sustain. One of the best ways to achieve this is through fertilizing and aerating the lawn right before the first snowfall.

The objective is to provide the much-needed oxygen and nutrients to keep your grass healthy. When you fertilize the yard, the grass collects and stores enough nutrients to last through winter.

Remove the Weeds

Several weed species thrive during winters, such as Broad-leafed and Bindi-Burr weeds. If you leave any gaps on your lawn, these weeds fill them. Invest in a good herbicide to control the situation. Its chemical composition should not be too strong for the grass.

Maintain Your Lawn With Us 

To keep the grass on your lawn looking great all year round or for more Winter lawn care tips, call us today. We are a commercial landscaping company with a wealth of experience under our belt. Our services include tractor mowing, landscape maintenance, irrigation installations, landscape construction, and much more.

The irrigation system that you have installed for your commercial landscaping is incredibly important. This irrigation system allows all aspects of your landscaping to get the water that it needs to grow and thrive. Since commercial landscaping is a huge investment and because it is one of the first things that your customers see, you want to make sure that your irrigation system is always functioning properly. If you notice that your irrigation system is having issues, it is important to call a professional to come and look at it right away. Here are two reasons why you should hire a professional for your commercial irrigation repairs.

They Have Knowledge And Expertise

One great reason why you should hire a professional for your commercial irrigation repairs is because they have the knowledge and expertise needed to ensure that your irrigation system is diagnosed and then fixed properly. They will come in and do a thorough inspection of the irrigation system to find out what is wrong. At this point, they will then let you know what the problem is and give you an estimate on the cost for the repair. Once you have this information you can then move forward with the repair, knowing that they have the expertise to fix it properly.

They Guarantee Their Work

Another great reason to hire a professional for your commercial irrigation repairs is because they guarantee their work. If for whatever reason the problem persists once they have tried to fix it for you, they will return and see what else may be wrong, free of charge. This helps you to know that your investment in a professional is worthwhile and will ensure a permanent repair for you.

To learn more reasons why you should hire a professional for your commercial irrigation repairs, or to hire a professional today, visit us at Metro Lawn Care.

While caring for your lawn during the spring and summer months is very important, it is also just as important that you take the time to care for your lawn during the winter months as well. This ensures that your lawn will remain healthy while it is dormant and will return to normal in the spring. Here are three important tips for winter lawn care.

Aerate And Fertilize Before Winter Sets In

Before the first winter frost, it is a good idea to take the time both aerate and fertilize your lawn. This helps to get your lawn as healthy as possible before it goes dormant for the winter. Aeration helps to give your lawn oxygen and also helps with compaction and fertilizer gives your lawn the nutrients that it needs to survive throughout the winter.

Remove Leaves From Your Lawn

As fall sets in, you will notice that more and more leaves are beginning to fall onto your lawn. As this happens, it is very important that you take the time to remove these leaves from your grass. Leaving them on your grass can smother your grass, which can cause it to die. The leaves also allow diseases to grow and can even create the perfect environment for insects to thrive.

Minimize Foot Traffic

While your lawn is dormant, it is a good idea to avoid walking on your lawn if at all possible. Walking on your dormant grass, especially if there is snow on top of it, can cause it to become damaged and can make it difficult to recover in the spring. This also compacts the snow on the grass, which can cause issues with mold and disease.

To learn more important winter lawn care tips, or to hire a professional to come and help you care for your lawn, visit us today at Metro Lawn Care.

If you have trees that need to be pruned, then this is an excellent job for a professional. Professionals are skilled when it comes to pruning your trees, and they bring all the necessary equipment to get the job done right. There are so many reasons why tree pruning is best done by a professional and three of these reasons will be discussed here.

They Will Prune Your Trees Properly

One very good reason to hire a professional for your tree pruning is because a professional will prune them properly. Proper tree pruning requires skill and experience to ensure that the tree isn’t pruned too much or too little. This is important because a tree that isn’t cared for properly will not be healthy and will not grow as it should.

They Keep Your Trees Safer

Trees that are not pruned properly can have limbs that grow out of control and limbs that are dying and at risk of falling off. This can make your tree a hazard for anyone who goes near it. Thankfully, a professional can help to keep your trees safer by pruning the limbs of your tree and removing limbs that are dead or dying.

They Stop The Spread Of Infectious Diseases

One great reason why tree pruning should be done by a professional is because it stops the spread of infectious disease from one tree to another. A professional is likely to notice an infectious disease very quickly and will be able to prune the areas of the tree where the infection has spread to. This stops the infection from spreading to your other trees, which will stop them from potentially dying. This is very important, especially if you have a large amount of trees.

To learn more reasons why pruning is best done by a professional, or to hire a professional to prune your trees today, visit us at Metro Lawn Care.