SHEPHERD LAWN CARE
LATEST NEWS & SERVICE SCHEDULE UPDATES 2022
LATEST NEWS & SERVICE SCHEDULE UPDATES 2022
Before reading the updates below, we want to thank everyone for their continued support and loyalty. As of April 10th we only have 6 spots available to fill for this year before we can't take on any more lawns. This means that by the end of the day April 11th or `12th we will be FULL (update, as of April 12th we are officially full). Because we are a small company (John on the lawns and Susan in the office) we can only take on so many lawns each year and still ensure we get the services completed on time. So once again THANK-YOU from the bottom of our hearts, we truly appreciate your support.
UPDATE FOR May 16th - June 11th We are now done seeding for the Spring and will be moving on to the next full service for all customers that have weed control in their program. We will be starting in Georgetown, then Acton, Milton, Oakville and finally Mississauga and Etobicoke. It will take us at least 4 weeks to get through everyone. There is no real advantage to being done earlier or later. In fact we had some of the best weed control results during 2020 when couldn't even get on the lawns until May and didn't even start weed controls until well into June because of the pandemic. We try not to do weed controls when rain is imminent so our timing will depend a lot on the weather over the next few weeks. Check back next week and I will update our progress so far. Make sure you are keeping up on the watering as a lot of lawns are VERY dry right now. In Georgetown we have had no rain in 2 weeks. A lawn needs at least 1 inch (25MM) of rain each week to stay lush and green and I have already seen some lawns turning brown last week. A thin, dried out lawn will fill quickly with weeds this time of year and make it very susceptible to crabgrass popping up in the coming weeks.
UPDATE FOR MAY 2 - MAY 14th We have completed everyone's Spring Fertilizing and will be doing seeding and lawn repairs for the next 2 weeks. Once we are done the seeding we will be starting the weed spraying for customers that have that in their programs. Even though we started a week later this year and had a few snow and rain delays this puts us right on schedule for what a normal year would be. REMEMBER when it comes time to mow the lawn make sure it's NEVER being cut less than 3 inches (measure with a ruler after it's cut). This will ensure you are getting the best results from the weed control application and this will really help thicken up the lawn, require less watering, and even reduce the frequency that it needs to be cut.
UPDATE FOR MARCH 28-APRIL 29th -Looking at the long range forecast it looks like we will be starting on the lawns April 4th. Because it looks like it will still be freezing temperatures overnight and we won't be able to get an early start I will be sticking close to home and starting in Georgetown this year, then Acton and Milton. This will take at least 2 to 3 weeks. We will then head to Mississauga for a week and finishing up any other areas the week after. This Service should be done in 4-5 weeks as long as we don't get delayed with snow or too many rain days. After the Spring Fertilizing is done we come back and do seeding for anyone that ordered that. I will be posting another update in a couple weeks to let everyone know how we are coming along. APRIL 10th UPDATE - We had a good start to the Spring service with a large part of Georgetown complete. This week we will be working on the areas left in the Delrex section, Georgetown South, and a few other outer areas in Georgetown. We will then be working on Acton, Milton, and Mississauga the following week. Once all the fertilizing is done we will be back to do everyone's seeding for those that ordered that. This usually takes 2 weeks. APRIL 14th UPDATE - Except for a few that signed up late we are done Georgetown as of the end of the day on the 14th. We will be in Acton on Monday April 18th and Milton and Mississauga the rest of the week. APRIL 24th UPDATE - We are officially done everyone in Georgetown, Acton, Milton, and Oakville with the Spring fertilizing. We are partway through Mississauga and should be done everyone by the end of the week (April 30th). Starting May 2 we will be doing seeding for a couple weeks before moving on to the second service for all the programs with Weed Control. We started this year a week later than the year before but this puts us right on schedule for what a normal year would be. Check back here next week for another update.
UPDATE FOR MARCH 9th - Welcome back and Thank-you to everyone that has renewed already. With the 5% savings deadline fast approaching please make sure you renew before March 16th to take advantage of the savings. We have started on the lawns as early as March 15th and as late as April 26th. The way the long term forecast looks right now I can confidently say we won't be on the lawns March 15th for sure but it looks like it will be closer to the end of March / beginning of April before Spring is really here. Even if you miss the savings deadline, please make sure you renew as soon as possible if you want lawn service this year. Last year we filled up to capacity by April 15th and it looks like it will be the same this year. We will update our start date closer to when we actually start so check back here to find out.
We are expecting to see lots of snow mold this year. Any time the lawn is covered with snow for more than 6 weeks, snow mold has a chance to develop especially where you pile the snow from driveways and walkways. We also had lots of ice off and on so there will likely be some salt damage to those areas as well. The best thing you can do is get out there with a leaf rake and VERY LIGHTLY loosen up the matted grass in those areas as soon as the snow is gone. Most of the time the snow mold and salt damaged areas will come right back after a couple weeks of warm weather and a few good Spring rains but if they don't, a bit of seed raked in to those areas will help them fill right back in. Another thing we are expecting to see this Spring (if my own property is any indication) is damage from mice and voles that tunnel through the lawn under the snow. This always looks really bad when the snow disappears but 90% of the time it fills right back in on its own and doesn't require any repair. This is because the mice and voles only tunnel through the grass and thatch layer and general don't damage the crown of the grass plants, allowing it to grow right back as soon as the weather warms up. If any areas look like they need repair we will leave a quote with the Spring service.
UPDATE FOR MARCH 9th - Welcome back and Thank-you to everyone that has renewed already. With the 5% savings deadline fast approaching please make sure you renew before March 16th to take advantage of the savings. We have started on the lawns as early as March 15th and as late as April 26th. The way the long term forecast looks right now I can confidently say we won't be on the lawns March 15th for sure but it looks like it will be closer to the end of March / beginning of April before Spring is really here. Even if you miss the savings deadline, please make sure you renew as soon as possible if you want lawn service this year. Last year we filled up to capacity by April 15th and it looks like it will be the same this year. We will update our start date closer to when we actually start so check back here to find out.
We are expecting to see lots of snow mold this year. Any time the lawn is covered with snow for more than 6 weeks, snow mold has a chance to develop especially where you pile the snow from driveways and walkways. We also had lots of ice off and on so there will likely be some salt damage to those areas as well. The best thing you can do is get out there with a leaf rake and VERY LIGHTLY loosen up the matted grass in those areas as soon as the snow is gone. Most of the time the snow mold and salt damaged areas will come right back after a couple weeks of warm weather and a few good Spring rains but if they don't, a bit of seed raked in to those areas will help them fill right back in. Another thing we are expecting to see this Spring (if my own property is any indication) is damage from mice and voles that tunnel through the lawn under the snow. This always looks really bad when the snow disappears but 90% of the time it fills right back in on its own and doesn't require any repair. This is because the mice and voles only tunnel through the grass and thatch layer and general don't damage the crown of the grass plants, allowing it to grow right back as soon as the weather warms up. If any areas look like they need repair we will leave a quote with the Spring service.
