How many of you have ever dealt with the subject of compaction on your lawn?  We will bet very few since it may involve shovels and rakes and machinery and some hard work.  Many of you may not be aware that your soil may be compacting each year right under your nose. 

In early March my wife and I attended the world renowned Philadelphia Flower Show.  The show was incredible and the Pennsylvania Convention Center location was great in the heart of the city of brotherly love.  When I walked into the show I was thrilled to find it had a British theme.  My wife and I met in London so this show was near and dear to my heart. 

By the time you read this we hope spring has arrived, trees will be budding, birds chirping and the Jersey Shore has made great progress towards repairing itself from Sandy.  We all love the sound of the roaring engines when they announce the beginning of a road race, but have we ever thought of all of the preparation the racing team has done to get ready for the big race day?  Does Tiger Woods just show up at the Masters and expect to win every time, no!  Would you go out on your lawn this spring, fill the spreader and go to town without a plan, we hope not.

What have you done for your lawn?  There are estimates that in the United States lawns cover over 25 million acres, roughly the size of Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island combined!  We need a little give and take to be successful in life and your lawn is no different.  You cannot expect much enjoyment from your lawn if you do not put any effort or thought into it.  So you ask - what has my lawn done for me? 

Make this New Year a complete and responsible approach to your lawn care that provides real results.  Did you know that crabgrass does not grow in the shade?  That you can apply grass seed in early spring and still have a great lawn by summer?  You can spot treat your lawn problems and avoid blanket applications over all your lawn?  Why do the same lawn routine for the past 10+ years if you still only have a C+ lawn?  Take charge of your lawn and break away from your annual lawn care program.  At Jonathan Green we call it the New American Lawn.  What a great idea!

We want to express well wishes for everyone affected by Superstorm Sandy.  Hopefully by now many of you have begun the process of getting your lives somewhat back to normal.  Our thoughts are with the many who suffered from this tragic storm.  Believe it or not there are some steps you can take in order to prepare your lawn for a bad storm.

After the war the housing boom started and the American dream of a white picket fence and green lawn gained popularity.  Nothing beats the feel of green grass under your feet and a picnic in the yard with the kids.  Now there can be no debate about it; you need to vote for a new lawn.  There will be no tolerance for a lawn without a balanced budget (pH) or deficit of applications!  This is one thing all parties can agree on; let’s grow a new American lawn!

Reed was born in Richmond, Utah on September 20, 1928.  All of his life he carried an identity characterized by modesty, kindness and concern for his fellow man.  His early years, in the far west, served him well as preparation for his later achievements and fame.  It should come as no surprise, to any of us, that America still produces such men.

Now that the kids are back in school and football season is starting you can stop thinking about your lawn, right?  Oh no!  Your lawn is still looking for you to take care of it, feed it and give it a haircut.  There are so many things you could be doing to your lawn, let’s look at what’s on the table.

This year Mother Nature was very unforgiving.  First we started with very little snowfall or rain during traditional winter months.  This led to an actual drought in early spring.  It was hard to believe that grass was turning brown due to a lack of moisture and grass seed was not germinating very well.  Fertilizer applications also took longer than usual to green up the grass.  Then the large amount of spring rains came.  This made it difficult to get spring applications of crabgrass preventers and broadleaf weed controls applied at proper times.  The excessive spring rains also washed out some of the crabgrass preventers so we saw a lot of crabgrass this summer.  Many new white clover patches showed up due to the large amount of moisture in the ground.  When summer months arrived so did severe drought and heat stress and fungus pressures.  These combinations lead to all sorts of summer lawn problems.