When To Mow Lawn in the Spring

Do you know how to properly care for your lawn in the spring? After the long winter months, there are several things you need to do to help bring your lawn back to life.

One important aspect of lawn health is mowing it at the proper time. You do not want to mow your lawn too early in the spring before your grass has time to fully root into the soil. Leaving your grass long until the early spring will encourage deeper root growth.

Fertilizing and watering your lawn at the right time in the spring is also important. Treating your lawn at the wrong time can result in wasted efforts and underdeveloped root systems. Additionally, watering your lawn before the weather is warm enough can damage your grass and sprinkler system.

Finally, it’s important to properly aerate your lawn in the spring. Aerating allows your compacted soil to breathe and take in … Read Full Post »

My Christmas Lights Aren’t Working But the Fuses Are Good

August 18, 2022. Posted by J Zambo in Holiday Lighting • Austin

Ah, ‘tis the season! Pretty packages, mistletoe and the aroma of cider. And, of course, the annual untangling and testing of last year’s snarl of Christmas lights.

As usual, you’re probably going to find a few burnt-out bulbs, half-lighting strands and possibly even a string or two that don’t light up at all.

What to do?

Run to the store and brave the crazed holiday crowds to buy even more lights? Learn to live with the dead spots in your otherwise perfectly decorated tree or home? Risk electrocution by trying to fix them yourself?

Every year, millions of holiday homeowners ask themselves these questions while trying to complete their Christmas decorating to-do list.

Before you decide, let’s take a look at some of the common reasons why single or multiple Christmas lights might not be working even if the fuses are good.

Why Aren’t My Christmas Lights Working?

The first step to answering the question, “Why aren’t … Read Full Post »

Types of Christmas Lights

July 19, 2022. Posted by J Zambo in Holiday Lighting • Bryan-College Station

Christmas is a time for cheer and togetherness. A time for friends and families to spend time together and enjoy the warmth of the season. A big part of that warmth is the beautiful glow of Christmas lights. If you are looking to have your own display this holiday season, you should know what’s out there.

Mini String Lights

This type of bulb is the type you probably think of when you think of Christmas lights. They offer a couple of benefits over other types. The bulbs are generally the least expensive of all choices, easier to find and offer a brighter glow. On the downside, the mini string lights use more electricity, have a shorter lifespan and pose a larger threat of starting a fire. This type of bulb can also burst when temperatures drop below freezing.

LED Lights

Gaining traction on the mini lights are strings that feature LED lights. You can … Read Full Post »

Tree Trimming Tips

July 5, 2022. Posted by J Zambo in Tree Care & Trimming • Austin

Trimming trees adds to the beauty and esthetic value of any property. When it’s done incorrectly though, it can reduce both the appeal and value of the surrounding landscaping and property. In fact, the general rule of thumb is that no trimming is better than bad trimming.

Trimming or pruning, is the process of removing parts of a tree or plant, typically with the goal of improving the plant’s health, beauty or value. Tree trimming is not particularly complicated, but common sense and a handful of basic rules will go a long way. Here are a few things to keep in mind to trim these large trees:

“Training” the plant to grow in a specific shape or direction
Improving plant health by focusing nutrition on preferred areas
Encourage higher-quality growth of fruits or foliage
Restricting growth to maintain a preferred height or circumference

Basics of Tree Trimming

Trimming, or pruning, achieves its best results when cuts are … Read Full Post »

Half of My Christmas Lights Aren’t Working

June 23, 2022. Posted by J Zambo in Holiday Lighting • San Antonio

Decking the halls for the Christmas season fills many people with excitement for the coming celebrations. A huge part of the decorating ritual every year includes festive lights on the exterior of your home. Sometimes when you flip the switch, the twinkle looks a little unbalanced. Or when you pull last year’s spools of shining glory out of storage, half of the lights aren’t ready to shine.

What’s next? The first step is to always plug in your lights and check for issues before you hang them for decorating. You don’t want to hang your lights only to find they need to come right off! If you do have issues, your choices are to try to fix the lights yourself or contact a professional who can bring new LED lights for you and hang them up. Let’s troubleshoot some potential causes for the outage.

Troubleshooting Your Christmas Lights

First off, one of the … Read Full Post »

What Do the Numbers on Fertilizer Mean?

June 20, 2022. Posted by J Zambo in Fertilization, Lawn • Bryan-College Station

Figuring out fertilization on your own without the support of a lawn care specialist can be challenging for homeowners. Fertilizers at a home and garden store include a list of numbers that homeowners may be unfamiliar with.

If all this feels a bit too overwhelming, consider reaching out to a lawn care expert. A specialist knows how to fertilize your lawn best and can put in place a lawn care schedule.

What is the N-P-K Ratio, and What Do The Numbers on Fertilizer Mean?

Many homes in the United States do not have soil that is healthy enough to sustain the perfect lawn or garden. For this reason, homeowners usually need to add nutrients to their yards.

Using natural or synthetic (chemical) fertilizer increases the nutrient count of your yard. Fertilizer works with bacteria and fungi in the soil to create an ideal environment for your plants to grow. Natural fertilizers are more effective … Read Full Post »

How To Make Compost

June 9, 2022. Posted by J Zambo in Fertilization, Lawn • San Antonio

Are you a homeowner interested in making your own compost? Composting is an easy process to start and maintain, regardless of your size requirements.

It’s also one of the easiest and best first steps for garden fertilization, and healthy lawncare.

Despite what you may have heard, home composting is not complicated, it’s not messy and it doesn’t smell bad when you do it right.

In fact, learning how to compost the right way is super simple. Once you get started, it’s a great, environmentally-friendly way to repurpose food scraps and a variety of other organic materials into a superfood for your plants and gardens.

Types of Composting

First things first, let’s take a look at the various types of composting. The three most popular and widely used methods are cold composting, hot composting and vermicomposting.

Cold Composting

Composting in its most basic form is “cold” composting. This involves collecting plant waste from your lawns or gardens and … Read Full Post »

What Is Compost Used For?

June 3, 2022. Posted by J Zambo in Fertilization, Lawn • Austin

Today, knowledge about the at-home composting process is spreading, thanks to the internet and how-to articles and videos. Composting has never been more accessible for homeowners all across the United States.

Composting can help you reduce your household waste while fertilizing the soil in your lawn. As long as you have a yard, you can compost, regardless of whether you live out in the country or in a suburb.

Keep reading to discover what compost is used for, the differences between compost and loam and the best compost for a vegetable garden.

Composting Basics for Your Yard

At-home compost is a valuable resource for your lawn maintenance. Compost is used to nourish your lawn or garden with crucial nutrients.

Composting is often more popular in rural areas where people grow their own food. Farmers have always understood the importance of using compost. But you don’t have to have a large garden to benefit from composting.

What … Read Full Post »

Can You Use Compost As Mulch?

May 25, 2022. Posted by J Zambo in Lawn • San Antonio

People spend a good deal of time and, often, money creating a landscape that adds beauty and value to their home. From preparing the soil to planting to aftercare, it can be a lot of work. The last thing you want is for all the effort to end up with plants and shrubs that aren’t thriving in their environment. A big way to ensure that your landscaping is living its best life is by adding mulch.

Why mulch? It gives your flower beds and other landscaping a finished look. It also has a number of benefits for the plants themselves. Mulch keeps moisture in the soil and even helps break up any clay. This allows the moisture to dig deep and keep the soil cool in the heat. It also helps resist frost issues in the winter, gives the soil nutrients as the mulch decomposes and blocks weeds from popping up.

You … Read Full Post »

When to Trim Crape Myrtles

May 11, 2022. Posted by J Zambo in Landscaping, Lawn, Tree Care & Trimming • San Antonio

Crape myrtles are popular trees because of their beautiful flowers that bloom in spring and hang on through warm summers. Their leaves are stunning in the fall, and even their vase-like shape and bark have their appeal in the winter. The question on many homeowners’ and landscapers’ minds is “When is the best time to prune them?”

Depending on the climate of your area, pruning should take place in late winter or early spring. It should definitely happen before the first blooms start to grow. It is important not to go overboard when cutting back the tree’s pretty branches. Many people cut their crape myrtles down to a nub, which is an eyesore in more than one way.

Not only does it look like a horrible accident, but such a severe trim stops the interesting, mottled bark from forming. Why buy and plant such pleasant trees only to remove all that beauty? … Read Full Post »