Your Guide to Spring Clean-Up

Fall is a special time in the Tri-Cities! As the air turns cool, the trees in the mountains around Johnson City, Jonesborough, Gray, and Elizabethton put on a colorful show. The leaves change from green to bright reds, oranges, and yellows. It's like the hills are painting themselves!

If you're looking to achieve a thick, green lawn in Johnson City, Jonesborough, Gray, or Elizabethton, overseeding and aeration are your go-to solutions. Not only do these techniques promote better grass growth, but they also provide a natural way to control weeds—no herbicides or pesticides required. When to Aerate Your Lawn : Aeration is a critical step for maintaining lawn health, especially in the hard-packed clay soils common to the Tri-Cities area. The process involves creating small holes (plugs) in the soil (2 to 3 inches deep) to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate deeper, which in turn encourages the grass to grow stronger and develop deeper roots. Spring Aeration: February and March are the best times to aerate your lawn in the spring. However, if you miss those months, April isn't too late. Fall Aeration: In the fall, aim for aeration between September and mid-December. Fall aeration gives new seed the best chance of growing and establishing strong roots before winter, although you may not see the new shoots of grass until spring. Fall is My Favorite: This period offers optimal conditions to prepare your lawn for the coming year, and it’s my personal favorite because there is less lawn mower and foot traffic on your lawn. Why Aeration Is So Important Aeration benefits your lawn in several ways: Deeper Roots: By loosening the soil, aeration helps grass roots grow deeper. This makes your lawn more resilient to drought and disease. Thicker Grass: The increased oxygen and nutrient flow allow grass to grow thicker, which naturally chokes out weeds. Improved Soil Health: Aeration helps improve the overall health of your soil, allowing it to absorb water and nutrients more effectively. In new builds, where most of the topsoil has been stripped away, aeration is especially important. Without this vital layer of soil, lawns are often compacted and nutrient-deficient. Aerating at least twice a year in the spring and fall is our recommended practice, though regular annual aeration is a great long-term approach for maintaining a healthy lawn.

Decorating your home with Christmas lights is a fantastic way to spread holiday cheer, but for many homeowners in Johnson City and the surrounding areas, hanging lights can be a challenging task. That’s where professional Christmas light installation comes in! But how much does it cost? What’s the Average Cost? In Johnson City, the average cost for professional Christmas light installation is around $1,600. However, prices can start as low as $400, depending on how much of your home you want to light up. Why is the First Year More Expensive? The first year of installation is typically more expensive because you’re purchasing the lights. After that, the cost decreases significantly as you’ll only be paying for labor. Plus, we’ll store the lights for you, so they’re ready to go next year without any hassle. What Makes Our Service Stand Out? High-Quality LED Lights: We only use professional-grade LED lights that are built to last for many years, ensuring your home looks stunning year after year. Guaranteed Installation: Our work is guaranteed, giving you peace of mind knowing that your home will be beautifully lit for the holidays. Convenient Storage: Once the season is over, we’ll take down the lights and store them for you, so you don’t have to worry about a thing. Whether you’re in Johnson City or a nearby community, we’re here to make your holiday season bright with professional installation that’s worth every penny.

Maintaining a healthy lawn is an essential part of homeownership, especially in the picturesque area of Johnson City, TN. One of the key aspects of lawn care is knowing the optimal height at which to cut your grass. At Atta Boy Lawns LLC, we believe in providing our community with the best lawn care advice to ensure your yard looks its best year-round. Here’s a guide on the ideal grass height for your Johnson City lawn and why it matters. Optimal Grass Height for Different Grass Types In this area, we mostly have different varieties of Tall fescue, so we will focus on this.  Tall Fescue: 3 to 4 inches Now, if you are lucky enough to already have weed-free, nice, and thick sod or established grass, it is likely that your minimum mowing height will be closer to 4 inches. Why Grass Height Matters Promotes Deep Root Growth: Taller grass encourages the development of deeper root systems. Deep roots are better at accessing water and nutrients from the soil, making your lawn more drought-resistant and robust. Improves Photosynthesis: Grass blades are like solar panels for your lawn. Taller blades provide a larger surface area for photosynthesis, which is crucial for producing the energy needed for healthy growth. Reduces Weed Growth: A thicker, taller lawn can outcompete weeds for sunlight and nutrients. By maintaining the recommended grass height, you create a natural barrier against weed infestation, reducing the need for chemical herbicides. Enhances Soil Health: Taller grass helps shade the soil, keeping it cooler and reducing evaporation. This helps retain moisture, benefiting both the grass and the microorganisms that contribute to soil fertility. Prevents Stress: Cutting your grass too short, a practice known as scalping, can stress the lawn. This makes it more susceptible to disease, pests, and environmental stressors. Adhering to the optimal height reduces this risk and promotes a lush, green lawn. Seasonal Considerations Johnson City experiences a range of temperatures throughout the year, and your mowing practices should adapt accordingly: Spring and Fall: These are the growing seasons for cool-season grasses like Tall Fescue. Aim to keep your grass on the higher end of the recommended height to encourage robust growth. Summer: During the hot summer months, slightly increase the mowing height to help your lawn retain moisture and stay cool. Winter: Grass growth slows down significantly. While mowing isn’t typically necessary, if you do mow, keep it on the higher side to protect the grass crowns from cold damage. Best Practices for Mowing Weekly Mowing: Aim to mow your lawn regularly, removing no more than one-third of the grass blade length at a time. This prevents stress and promotes healthier growth. Sharp Blades: Ensure your mower blades are sharp. Dull blades tear the grass, creating jagged edges that can lead to disease. Proper Watering: Complement your mowing practices with appropriate watering. Deep, infrequent watering is better than frequent, shallow watering. At Atta Boy Lawns LLC, we’re dedicated to helping Johnson City and the surrounding areas achieve beautiful, healthy lawns. By following these guidelines on grass height, you’ll be well on your way to a thriving yard that enhances your home’s curb appeal and provides a lush space for outdoor activities.

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.

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,

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!

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 ?

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.