Atta Boy Lawns LLC

How To Make Your Lawn Greener With Cool Weather Maintenance

Contributor- Marcus Wright, Author- Dylan Weston, Editor- Gabriel Johnson • Aug 22, 2021

It’s no secret that when September or October rolls around, we begin to count down the days of when we do not have to mow the lawn again until the spring. After two grueling seasons, we are ready to give up yard maintenance and its high costs while we break out the flannels and hot chocolate.


Still, cool weather maintenance can make the greatest difference in your yard’s visual appeal during the hot seasons. Regardless of your desire to not have to worry about lawn health for 5-6 months, the cool season is the most crucial time to care for your lawn.

Common Lawn Problems from Summer Weather

During the summer, the hot weather and influx of life can create nasty effects on your green yard. Some issues many individuals face during the summer include:


  • Drought stress or excessive moisture
  • Compaction
  • Disease
  • Insect infestation


These common problems can have your lawn looking spotted from burn spots, moss, patchy grass, or just grass that has never been the luscious green you hoped for.

The Solution: Cool Weather Maintenance

Luckily, these common problems can be fixed with methods like aeration, overseeding, leaf removal, and pest control.

1. Aeration

Aeration is the method in which a machine is rolled across the yard and removes a small bit of earth (a core) and allows materials to be introduced deeper into the ground. By coring these holes, oxygen, water, and fertilizer are better introduced into the ground, encouraging root growth and lawn health.


Fall is the ideal time to aerate because it is an active time for root growth. As temperatures start to cool, the roots grow more rapidly and store nutrients in preparation for the winter ahead. For this reason, you should aerate during the fall to keep your lawn looking beautiful year round.


2. Overseeding

The next step that you may wish to consider is “overseeding.” While it sounds like an excess of seed, the process of overseeding is adding a moderately large quantity of seed to the area for better chances of the grass germination and growth into a healthy lawn.

The aeration and nutrition of your lawn are typically more important than overseeding, but this is one of those steps that you should consider simply because you’ve already primed the ground for it. Plus, overseeding will only help in the long run.


3. Granular Treatments and Fertilizer

Once the lawn has been aerated and the seed has been planted, it is also a very good time to apply any granular treatments or fertilizer you would use in the soil. Applying in fall is best because the soil absorbs most effectively when chances of drought from heat stress are low.


More so, applying nutrients in the fall allows the soil to be ahead of the curve for any unpleasant conditions the that can arise in the summer.


The optimal times to do this in our region is October to December. This portion of the year is just warm enough to help germinate the seed, but cool enough that the grass is forced to create strong roots.

How Can I Perform Cool Weather Maintenance?

One question remains: How do you get this project done? The answer falls into two categories: DIY it or hire professional services.

DIY

The DIY method is simple enough to grasp but is slightly less effective and time consuming. If you would like to save a little cash, simply go purchase your desired grass seed and fertilizer from the nearest home improvement store. Spread it across your yard.


You could even go as far as to purchase a coring hand aerator. They will come with 3 prongs, and you will need to walk around your yard punching holes in the ground. This step isn’t necessary for DIY cool weather lawn maintenance, but it gives your lawn the best chance of flourishing.


Hire a Professional

Hiring a professional is far less time consuming and yields better results. Lawn maintenance professionals have specialty machines that make the process quick, easy, and pain-free.


Here at Atta Boy Lawns LLC, we will quickly aerate your yard within an hour and will be consistent across your entire property. We will also use quality spreaders that will avoid inconsistent seed and fertilizer spread that you may get from hand spreading.

Other Cool Weather Lawn Maintenance Tips to Consider

The process of aeration, overseeding, and fertilization is the crucial foundation to having a green and full lawn in the summer. In addition, there are two other steps that you should consider when preparing for your lawn. These steps include leaf clean up and pest control.


Leaf Clean Up

It is a popular belief that allowing leaf decay to remain in your yard will nourish the grass and allow it to grow better in the summer. This popular belief is not completely wrong, but it is an ineffective way to handle the situation.


The excess leaves can contain pests, fungus, or retain too much moisture, which can suffocate or drowned landscape, bed plants, and grass. These issues that arise from leaving leaves on the ground greatly outnumber the benefits. Therefore, we recommend removing the leaves all together. Perhaps start a compost area with the leaves and save those nutrients for later. 


Pest Control

Pest care is also an issue during the winter. Atta Boy Lawns LLC does not offer these services and we do not want to offer advice, as we do not have the licensing to do the service. We do, however, recommend connecting with a local pest control agency to explore your options.


Final Thoughts

Whether you are a DIYer or wish to hire a professional company to take care of your lawn needs, we strongly encourage considering some cool season maintenance. The overall process should contain aeration, overseeding, fertilization, leaf cleanup, and pest control.


If you need help with cool weather lawn maintenance, or any other type of lawn maintenance for that matter, contact Atta Boy Lawns LLC today!

12 Apr, 2024
As the days grow longer and the weather warms, it’s time to give outdoor spaces a fresh start. Spring clean-up services play a crucial role in transforming tired landscapes into lush, vibrant areas that invite enjoyment and relaxation. Spring clean-up is essential to get your landscape in prime condition. At Atta Boy Lawns, we specialize in providing comprehensive spring clean-up services tailored to your unique outdoor space. Let’s explore what’s involved in a successful spring clean-up and how it can enhance your property’s beauty and functionality. Why Spring Clean-Up Matters Debris Removal: Over the winter, leaves, branches, and other debris can accumulate, leaving outdoor spaces looking untidy. Removing these materials is the first step in rejuvenating your landscape and letting your soil breathe. Pruning: Proper pruning of trees and shrubs encourages new growth and enhances the overall aesthetics of your property. Mulching: A fresh layer of mulch not only adds a neat, polished look to garden beds but also helps retain moisture and suppress weeds. Weed Control: Early-season weed control keeps your landscape looking pristine and prevents weeds from overtaking your garden beds. Pest and Disease Management: Identifying and addressing pest or disease issues early on can prevent further damage and maintain the health of your plants. Planting and Design: Spring is the perfect time to introduce new plants and flowers for a vibrant and colorful display. Our Comprehensive Spring Clean-Up Services Here at Atta Boy Lawns, we take pride in offering a wide range of services to meet all your spring clean-up needs: Debris Clearing: Our team efficiently removes all leaves, branches, and winter debris from your property. Tree and Shrub Pruning: We expertly prune trees and shrubs to promote healthy growth and maintain an attractive shape. Mulch Application: A fresh layer of mulch adds a finishing touch to your garden beds while providing essential benefits to your plants. Weed Removal: We meticulously remove weeds from lawns and garden beds to keep your landscape pristine. Pest and Disease Identification: Our experts can help identify many pest or disease issues to keep your landscape thriving. Planting and Design: We help you choose and plant new flowers and shrubs to enhance your landscape beauty. Why Choose Atta Boy Lawns? We show up! We show up to your estimate, and we show up to do the work! It’s sad, but that can’t be said for most of the companies. Employees who care! Great communication! We answer the phone or call you back Quality and Efficiency: We use the best tools and methods to ensure your spring clean-up is thorough and efficient. Customer Satisfaction: Your happiness is our top priority. We work closely with you to achieve your desired results. Easy Scheduling! Book Your Spring Clean-Up Today! Ready to transform your landscape for the spring season? Contact us today to schedule your spring clean-up service. Our team is here to help you create a beautiful, inviting outdoor space that you can enjoy all season long. Let’s make your landscape the envy of the neighborhood!
02 May, 2023
As a landscaping business, Atta Boy Lawns wants to make it as easy as possible for our clients to pay for our services. We understand that convenience is a top priority for our customers, and we strive to provide flexible payment options to meet their needs. To that end, we are pleased to announce that we can accept all major debit and credit cards. This means that as long as the card has a Visa, Mastercard, Amex, or Discover logo on it, we can process the payment. We use secure payment processing technology to ensure that our clients' information is protected. We only accept card payments for mowing services, but we accept the other payment methods (Apple Pay, and Google Pay can be used in the client portal) for our landscaping, hardscaping, and tree services. In addition to these payment methods, we also offer fast financing options to help our clients pay for larger projects. Our financing options have competitive rates and flexible repayment terms, making it easier for clients tO complete big and projects without worrying about the upfront cost. However, we DO NOT accept CASH or CHECK payments for our services. This policy is in place to protect our clients and our business from potential security risks associated with these transactions. It makes keeping up with payments much faster and seamless for everyone involved. At Atta Boy Lawns, we are committed to providing exceptional landscaping services to our clients. We believe that offering a variety of payment options, including financing, is an important part of that commitment. If you have any questions or concerns about our payment policies, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help.
29 Nov, 2021
Let's be honest, your lawn plays a crucial role in the curb appeal of your home, so proper service is important to avoid patches, browning and pests or diseases. Hiring a professional may be the best option for your home’s value in the long run. A mowing service typically includes mowing designated areas,
By Dylan Weston and Contributor is Gabe Weston 19 Oct, 2021
Common identifiers of troubled trees If you are wondering if your tree needs attention, here are the common identifiers you can use to determine if you should call a professional. Dead branches Defoliating canopy Saw dust Woodpeckers Rotten base Leaning trees Codominant trees Identifying these problems early can help avoid property damage or damage to other trees. These common problems can are easily identifiable once you know what you're looking for. 1 Dead Branches A very clear way to tell if a tree is dead is when there is an abundance of dead branches in a tree. You may notice some discoloration or loose bark on these limbs. This is usually because the tree is either deceased, infested with bugs, or a lack of nutrients. 2 Defoliating canopy Typically, a tree's canopy does not completely die within the year. It usually starts at the tips and continues to die back. Sometimes all the leaves will drop sooner than the other trees in the fall. Many things can cause defoliation, typically this is because the cambium layer of the tree bark is being damaged. 3 Saw Dust If you see sawdust/wood ships around the base of a tree this means that there is some type of wood eating insect inside. These insects can include termites, carpenter ants, many types of beetles, etc 4 Woodpeckers Woodpeckers greatly enjoy dead and dry wood that is easy to get through. If you see these guys hanging around your trees, or if you see grid-like patterns in your tree, don't blame the woodpeckers. They only keep coming back because there is an infestation of bugs in the tree. 5 Rotten Base If you see dark wet spots around the base, or a big hole with something like soil inside of it, this is a very bad sign. This means that there was a damaged spot that began to spread, typically due to moisture. This will severely weaken the damaged area, which will make the tree a risk of falling on anything nearby. 6 Leaning Tree Most trees are best growing tall and straight. When these trees begin to lean too much it causes the leverage to damage the root and trunk structures. This damage to the base makes it likely to succumb to storm damage. 7 Codominant Trees What is a codominant tree? It's a tree that starts at the base as one trunk and then forms into two or more trunks as it goes further up. Whenever a tree does this it is only a matter of time before one of the trunks splits off. The union where these trunks meet is weaker because this creates a branch inclusion, which is a long area in the trunk where the two trunks are not supporting each other. These can be extremely hazardous and usually need to be addressed as soon as it is recognized. Final Thoughts Trees are one of the most overlooked aspects of an individual's landscape. We focus more on the pretty flower beds and manicured grass, but we certainly notice the trees once they fall. Ignoring these issues ultimately cost you more in the long run whether or not they fall. Should you notice any trees that may need to be removed or trimmed, contact Atta Boy Lawns LLC today!
28 Sep, 2021
There are many factors involved in pricing a tree, so we decided to give you our average cost for 2021. This way, you know what the average price is in the Johnson City Tennessee area. Before we get into numbers, I want to give you a list of reasons your tree may be less or more expensive than our average. Proximity to structures and power lines: If the tree in question is near your home, business, outbuilding(s), fences, deck(s), or power lines it is a more difficult tree to remove and will take MUCH more time. Proximity to landscape, walkways, driveways, parking areas, and buried structures: Similar to structures and power lines, sometimes trees have branches hanging over landscape etc. that would be destroyed if removed pieces were dropped. This also creates a challenge and can take more time to complete. Overall Size: This may be an obvious factor but I want to cover all the bases. The taller, wider, and more branches a tree has the longer it will take to remove thus raising the price. The taller and thinner a tree is can also raise the price due to needing more equipment to complete the removal. Some trees that aren’t extremely tall, like bradford pears, have tons and tons of branches and may be more expensive. Health: Oftentimes we have to remove healthy trees that were unfortunately planted with no regards to the mature size of the tree. A healthy tree will be less expensive than a dying or dead tree due to the hazardous nature of the job. We must take more time to safely remove the tree and time is money. Access to the tree: If your tree is in the backyard on a hill with a tiny gate and the whole tree has to be removed by hand, as you can imagine it will be an extremely labor intensive job. Take that same tree and put it in a flat wide open front yard, removal will be less expensive since we can use large equipment to pick up and remove thousand(s) pound tree pieces from the property. Fun Fact: Tree Pruning is not always cheaper than full removal. IF it is cheaper initially than removal, remember that you will need to have the tree pruned again in the future. There is not a “one size fits all” when pricing a tree for removal and the list above only contains the major factors when pricing a tree. Now, on to the numbers. The average cost to remove a tree in the Tri-Cities area through 2021 was only $1,142.00! To be completely honest, even I thought it would be more than that. So, I have answered the most asked question about tree removal but let's be honest here. How much a tree costs is not actually the most important question. Shocking right? There are a few questions you should be asking ANY arborist you are considering to hire for tree services (even us, at Atta Boy). Are you / your company licensed and insured? This may seem like a question that every company would answer yes to, but you would be surprised how many companies are not licensed and insured. Finding out if the company is licensed and insured is the MOST important question you can ask to keep your property, home, and ultimately yourself safe. Do you carry workers compensation? If you choose a person / company that does not carry workers compensation you are putting yourself in a position where YOU could possibly be sued if someone gets hurt on your property. Crazy, right?  Even on your contractors? Even if a company does carry workers compensation on their employees, they may not carry it on their contractors. Many companies do not keep work “in house” and will contract to other individuals or companies during peak season or hire (what we call in the industry) contract climbers. If you choose a company that does not keep work in house make sure that their contractors are covered under the company workers compensation or under private workers compensation in addition to general liability. None of this should be taken as legal advice but we want what is best for you, your family, and your property and want you to know about these things so you can protect yourselves. Here at Atta Boy we are licensed, insured, carry workers compensation and (currently) do not contract any work. All services are provided by our in-house crews. If you decide to work with us we will even provide you with proof of insurance directly from our insurance company upon request. If you are already working with us and would like a copy just email estimates@attaboyoutdoor.com with the subject as “Proof of Insurance” and you will receive it from the Yates Agency in Johnson City within 2 business days. There you have it the most common and the most important questions answered about tree removal and services. If you have any questions at all about services in the Johnson City, Jonesborough, Gray, or Elizabethton TN area give us a call or shoot us an email! If you’re interested in looking into how much mowing costs, check out our blog  Have Questions About Professional Mowing ?
By DYLAN WESTON 22 Aug, 2021
Mowing and other landscaping maintenance is a wonderful way to enjoy your property with low effort to yourself. Some individuals may enjoy the DIY aspect of taking care of their property, but oftentimes we all dread the idea of taking valuable time out of our schedule to mow the lawn. The use of a professional company to take care of your home ultimately saves time, money, and retains better quality.
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