With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about transforming your garden into a spooky and enchanting space with these Spooktacular decor Ideas from Mendham Garden Center. Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party or simply want to create a festive atmosphere, here are some creative and easy-to-implement decor ideas for your garden. Halloween Décor Ideas: The Fall Classics Firstly, you can never go wrong with pumpkins. These versatile gourds can be used in a multitude of ways to add a touch of Halloween to your garden. Carve intricate designs into pumpkins and place LE ..read more

Late Summer into early Fall is an excellent time to fertilize, apply weed treatments, and seed to ensure a healthy and lush lawn in the following spring. Here are some essential tips to help you prepare your lawn for the cooler months ahead. 1. Rake and Remove Debris: Start by raking up fallen leaves, twigs, and other debris from your lawn. A thick layer of leaves can suffocate your grass and promote disease and pests. Consider composting the leaves or using them for mulch in your garden beds. 2. Aerate the Soil: Fall is the perfect time to aerate your lawn. Aerating helps loosen compacted soi ..read more

By, the Old Guy with the Pony Tail Soil Aeration: Soil aeration equipment comes in many shapes and sizes.  This equipment can range from very large units to smaller tow behind and walk behind units. Regardless of size, the primary objective of this equipment is to relieve compaction and open up the soil allowing detrimental gases to escape and allow air, water and nutrients to enter the soil and become available to the turf root system. Core aeration is typically considered the most beneficial of the aeration techniques. Cigar size plugs are pulled from the soil and deposited on the surfa ..read more

By, the Old Guy with the Pony Tail Effective lawn care requires accurate granular product application. Broadcast spreader calibration is necessary for an effective application. The following procedures are one example of effective spreader calibration: Set your spreader to about 1/3 open. Example, if your spreader has a number system from 1 – 10, set it on about 3 ½. The reason for this is to minimize the risk of over application during the calibration process. Determine the spreading width of your spreader.  Put a small amount of the product in the spreader and spread at a comfortable w ..read more

By, the Old Guy with the Pony Tail Thatching your lawn is a very effective way to rejuvenate an older lawn or help to establish a new lawn. However, an understanding of the benefits and potential problems created by thatching are important to insure a positive result. In this article, we’ll breakdown our best tips. First, what is thatch and how does it impact an effective lawn care program? There is a misconception that thatch is merely a buildup of dead grass from the mowing process. In reality, the major cause of thatch build up is typically dead and decaying root created by the normal growt ..read more

By, the Old Guy with the Pony Tail Weeds come in many shapes and sizes but more importantly, they have different growth habits. These growth habits determine the timing and best means of control. Some, such as crabgrass, are summer annuals which germinate, grow, and die within the same year. Others are winter annuals, such as annual bluegrass, that germinate in the late summer, live through the winter, reseed themselves, and die out the following summer. Weed Control Products These annual grassy weeds are best controlled with preemergent products applied prior to seed germination. Most product ..read more

By, the Old Guy with the Pony Tail If you wait until the grass is growing to plan your lawn care program in the spring, you waited too long. Look at your lawn. Are you seeing the results of drought or insect damage? The two are often confused. Are you seeing the brown remnants of annual crabgrass? Are you seeing perennial broadleaf weeds that will inevitably be back again next year? Was Japanese Stilt Grass an issue? Does your lawn appear to be hungry or unhealthy?  These are all issues that should be considered and prioritized when developing a plan of action for your lawn care prog ..read more

If you’re looking to add a touch of fall to your home’s exterior, there are plenty of ways to do it! Here are a few ideas to get you started: Add some Fall-themed planters to your porch or patio You have endless possibilities when adding fall-themed planters to your home to give your space a festive feel. You can go with traditional fall colors like orange and yellow or a more whimsical look with pumpkins and gourds. Find fall-themed planters at most home and garden stores and fill them with either natural or artificial mums and pumpkins. Decorate Using ..read more

By, the Old Guy with the Ponytail We all know that not mowing in a timely manner severely impacts visual turf quality but what else is going on with the overall health and durability of your turf when you don’t mow properly? There are proper mowing techniques that have a direct impact on turf quality. Sharp blades are important. A dull mower blade not only causes poor visual lawn quality but also increases transpiration (moisture consumption and loss). It also increases the potential for leaf fungus. Proper timing is critical. Mowing should be scheduled so that no more than 1/3 the green leaf ..read more

Fallen leaves are a nuisance, especially during fall and winter, when they clog gutters and storm drains. But they are nature’s way of recycling itself. They decompose into soil and nutrients that plants can absorb.  If left alone, they also add color and texture to your yard. However, fallen leaves can pose a problem for homeowners because they blow around or pile up, creating an unsightly mess. Here’s how to dispose of fallen leaves from your yard or garden.  1. Rake Them Up  The first way to dispose of fallen leaves is to rake them up and throw them away. This method is effec ..read more