Author: andy anuj

Lawn Care Instructions

ALERT!!! The first two weeks are the most critical to the establishment of your lawn. If you don’t pay attention, problems can be set in motion that can take months to be resolved.

Watering:

Rule of Thumb:

  • First Week: keep the lawn surface moist at all times
    • Water each area of lawn for 5 minutes at a time, but do each area several times a day
    • You must balance keeping the surface moist and not watering so much that the water pools and begins to run off, otherwise the seed could get washed away
  • Second Week: water twice a day for 10-15 minutes each time
  • Third Week: water once a day. In the morning is best.
  • Fourth Week: water once every other day.
  • After This: water as needed (when lawn turns a gray, dull color)

NOTE: The best time to water is early morning and late afternoon (7A.M./4- 5P.M.) Moisture on plants at night promotes fungus growth.

Fertilization:

With your lawn, we put a starter fertilization that should last four weeks, which is long enough for the lawn to become firm enough to stand on in order to mow and fertilize further.

  • On your new lawn, we recommend two years of aggressive fertilization
    • 6-application program includes 1-2 weed control applications and 4-5 fertilizer applications.
    • We follow Purdue Doctrines: heavy fertilization in the fall to build up root development and energy and less fertilization in the spring, with enough Nitrogen to keep it green but not enough to encourage fungal problems.

NOTE: According to the latest research, the September and November fertilizations are the most important, because the energy stored through the winter helps the plant handle the stress of the following summer. Heavy fertilization in the spring causes excessive growth but does little to build up plant reserves. In fact, it can lead to severe fungus problems. Research also indicates that an October weed control is the most effective.

Mowing:

  • Begin mowing when 4-6” tall. Make sure lawn is dry first. The best height to mow to is 3 inches.

NOTE: 3” is longer than most lawns but is optimal for good health and deep roots. Weeds cannot succeed as well when grass is 3”.

  • Each mowing should be scheduled so that it doesn’t take off more than 1/3 of the blade (example: If cutting to 3”, mow when grass is 41⁄2” tall.
  • In the middle of the summer and end of the year, when the lawn is not growing as aggressively, we will break the rule of 3” and trim to 21⁄2” so the lawn looks neater.

Enjoy Your Lawn!!!

And remember, starting your lawn is like setting a ship on its course:

If it gets off course in the beginning, it takes a lot of time and effort to bring it back. However, if you set it going in the right direction from the beginning, it will glide effortlessly along its path.

If you have questions about your landscape, please call us at 260-627-8342 .

Plant Care Instructions

ALERT!!! Watering in the first four weeks after planting is more critical than any other plant care the rest of the year.

Watering:

  • Rule of Thumb: Water plants once every 2 days, for the first two weeks, once every three days for the next two weeks, and once a week after that.
  • The ideal time to water is when plants begin to wilt and turn a gray, dull color. These signs can replace the Rule of Thumb above. You will notice that some plants in your landscape are more “thirsty” than others (ex. Hydrangeas, Ligularias, Blackeyed Susans); use the thirst of these plants as your watering standard.
  • Water plants on the root zone rather than on the foliage; in other words, hold watering wand below the leaves
  • Use low water pressure. Allow a trickle 1⁄2” in diameter, approximately as big as your pinky finger
    • Perennials: 10-15 seconds
    • shrubs: 1-3 minutes
    • trees: 5-15 minutes
      • with all plants, do not water so much that it begins to pool and run off.

NOTE: The best time to water is in the morning. Avoid getting moisture on leaves to prevent fungi growth during the night or scorched leaves during the day.

  • Transplanted plants are like cut flowers; they should be watered everyday for the first week, and then follow normal care instructions after that.

NOTE: Occasionally, after planting or transplanting, a tree will defoliate (lose its leaves). Do not give up on it. Call us and keep watering it as if it were still alive. Most likely, it’s just going through transplant shock and will recover and develop new leaves.

Fertilization:

With each of your plants, Paragon has already placed a slow-release fertilizer that will help your plants for the next 18 months. However,

  • Perennials will benefit from a once-a-year fertilization, which we typically do when we re-mulch.
  • Fort Wayne soil is not acidic enough for Rhododendrons, Boxwoods, Hollys, and Azaleas, so soil needs to be acidified regularly throughout the season. We accomplish this with a fertilizer called Hollytone. (Another popular brand is Miracid, a Miracle-Gro product, which can be bought from your local garden center).
    • If any of these four plants get chlorosis (a yellowing of the leaves), they need to be fertilized with chelated iron

NOTE: If a problem persists in a plant, call us.

Pruning:

Your plants won’t need to be pruned for a while, but don’t let this lull you into inaction; pruning is most essential for maintaining your landscape in the long run.

In ALL Perennials, Trees, and Shrubs:

  • Prune all dead or diseased branches

For Trees and Shrubs specifically:

  • Remove branches that are crossing each other or growing into each other
  • Select structure branches that you want to keep. This maintains the form you desire.
  • Clean up with tip pruning, but do NOT prune all tips to the same length
  • Lift the canopy by choosing the branch height you want. Pay attention to balance.

Fall Maintenance:

  • Allow the foliage to ripen, then renewal-prune (prune to the ground) all perennials, with the exception of the Super Seven:
    • Euonymus
    • Waldsteinia (Barren Strawberry)
    • Dianthus
    • English Ivy
    • Myrtle
    • Creeping Phlox
    • Ajuga
  • Some people will leave the stalks of Hydrangeas, Black-Eyed Susans, Ornamental grasses and Sedum, because these plants have some ornamental value throughout the winter. They can then be cut back during Spring Clean-up in preparation for mulch.

Weed Control:

After mulching, we put down a pre-emergent weed control. With the combination of mulch and pre-emergent, there should be very few weed problems. However, weeds are tough little guys, and some will find a way to grow.

  • If weeds are smaller than 6”, we recommend spot-treating (spraying each weed individually) with Round-Up
  • If weeds are bigger than 6”, hand-pulling is most effective
  • Adding a thin layer of fresh mulch yearly as well as a preemergent in the spring keeps weeds to a minimum.

CAUTION: It is very important to get rid of weeds before they produce seeds, otherwise the weed problems grow exponentially. One hour now saves ten hours next year!

If you have questions about your landscape, please call us at 260-627-8342.

Enjoy Your Landscape!!!