Grass Cutting

Never remove more that 1/3 of the leaf surface or plant height. Set the mower no lower than 2” and mow the grass when it reaches 3” tall. Moist and mild spring weather may require mowing every four to five days and once a week during the summer to stay within the 1/3 mowing height rule. For most of the growing season the mower height should be between 2.5” and 3.5” depending on the site.

Bagging is unnecessary if staying true to the 1/3 rule. The 1” clippings will easily filter into the grass canopy and out of sight. Grass clippings quickly decompose and add valuable organic material to the soil.

Prevent scalping by making sure that the mowing deck is properly adjusted to maintain an even cut at the proper height. Scalping thins the lawn canopy, encourages weeds, and robs the plant of energy needed to make new grass during the summer.  If the grass gets too tall then raise your mowing height to stay within the 1/3 rule. Every few days lower the height by 1/2” until you reach the desired height.

Cutting shorter for the first cutting in the spring is beneficial for removing winter burned and dried out leaves and will stimulate new growth, your first step to a thicker spring lawn. The last cutting of the season is the other time that shorter cutting is accepted. While pulling up any laid over and wispy grass, the dropping leaves will be less likely to become caught in the shorter turf preventing dieback from suffocation.

Adjust mowers higher for hotter and dryer seasons. Taller mowing means deeper roots and a more competitive lawn canopy that shades the soil and keeps out weeds.  Without watering, taller mowing is often required during summer to prevent dormancy.



Fertilization and Weed Control

Our programs are designed with one simple rule in mind; the best weed control is achieved by thick and healthy turf. It’s a simple rule that most others fail to observe.

Being a responsible land steward begins by paying attention to how things work in nature. When working with nature, results can be achieved with less dependency on chemical pesticides. Our belief is that fertilizer applications are much less evasive than repeated applications of herbicide alone. Although very effective, others have discounted this method because it requires customer retention and more attention to each individual property.

Customer education is also necessary to uphold these ideals. When a new customer calls us to come and spray the weeds in their lawn, they are given information on how to prevent the weeds from returning. Explaining that without improving the stand of turf the weeds will return.

Our basic programs consist of four applications of fertilizer with weed control and core aeration. All fertilizer is a slow release granular and herbicides are used at low volumes using a spot spray technique. New lawns are plagued by poor soil with low fertility containing little or no organic material. We understand the importance of organic fertilizers and they are used regularly in standard programs and as soil amendments.

Core aeration is used to promote a healthy root system and to control thatch and is a valued part of our basic program. Due to the amount of labor to aerate, others choose to inflate the cost. Because aeration is so beneficial we price this service so it’s obtainable by everyone.

Early spring comparison of our account vs. a large corporate service next door.



Aeration

As lawns age or sustain heavy use from play, sports activities, pets, vehicle traffic and parking, soil compaction can result. Soil compaction is most severe in poorly drained or wet sites. Compaction greatly reduces the pore space within the soil that would normally hold air. Roots require oxygen to grow and absorb nutrients and water. Compaction reduces total pore space and the amount of air within the soil. It has a negative impact on nutrient uptake and water infiltration, in addition to being a physical barrier to root growth. This results in poor top growth and lawn deterioration.

Core aeration can benefit your lawn by

• Controlling thatch by increasing the activity of soil microorganisms that decompose thatch.
• Increasing water, nutrient and oxygen movement into the soil.
• Improving rooting.
• Enhancing infiltration of rainfall or irrigation and helps prevent fertilizer and pesticide run-off from overly compacted areas.
• Soil cores are best left on the lawn surface; they typically work back into the grass in 2-4 weeks.
• Lawns should be aerated once a year, especially under heavy use conditions.
  • Lawns may be fertilized and seeded immediately following aeration with or without further soil top dressing.
  • If your soil is heavily compacted, you can apply stable, mature compost 1/4 inch deep. Rake the compost over the lawn, filling the aeration holes.

Pest Control

Mosquito, Flea and Tick Control

If your family is driven indoors every evening due to a relentless swarm of hungry mosquitoes, this simple step will greatly improve the ability to enjoy your time outside. This same application will also help to protect your children and pets from disease carrying ticks and fleas before they catch a ride indoors on the family pet. One treatment once per month for a more enjoyable out of doors experience with family, friends and pets. 

Please call us to request more information or to schedule service

Perimeter Pest Control

Perimiter Pest Control begins outdoors, stop insects before they invade your space.

Perimeter Pest Control creates a barrier around the exterior of your home that will prevent insects from entering.  Without this barrier, pests may enter your home through cracks in the foundation, voids along framing and doorways where they will live and breed.

Advantages

• Keeps pesticide from the indoor living space
• The application is a colorless and odorless liquid and has a very low toxicity
• Sprays are at a very low volume and are directed to a pass around the exterior
• Pests controlled include ants, spiders, box elder bugs, beetles, sow bugs, crickets, centipedes and millipedes
• The application takes place out doors so no appointment is needed
• Applications last around 30 days
• Treatments can be made for as little as $45*

               *Depending on building size and surrounding environment.

Mulch

In addition to using mulch to protect and beautify the landscapes we manage, we also provide mulch for sale delivered or customer pick-up. We stock premium hardwood bark mulch that’s colorized (dyed) dark brown. It’s a virgin product and NOT derived from recycled material such as pallets, plywood and millwork byproducts. Mulches made from recycled wood lack the organic material found in virgin mulches. Recycled mulch has a different texture and is messy. Like cypress mulch it tends to be lighter weight and will be blown around the landscape in windy conditions.

2 days after installation in Coralville by Marriott

Our mulch 2 days after installation

Pruning

Pruning is periodically required on most all of the landscape’s trees and shrubs. Pruning establishes a growth habit and branching that is not only appealing but will improve the strength and health of the plant. Removing dead or dying material from plants will limit the spread of disease, fungus and rot (remember to sterilize equipment).

The season for pruning will be different depending on the plant in question. Most trees and shrubs are best pruned when dormant. Flowering shrubs should be pruned each season after the flowers disappear as blooms often appear on last season’s growth.



Snow and Ice Removal

As the weather deteriorates, count on Tompkins Lawn Care to be there for you. With a fleet of late model equipment including five plow trucks, a Caterpillar wheel loader and salt/sand spreaders to free the gridlock after those ice storms.

What’s more important than reliable equipment? Accountability. If you hire Tompkins Lawn Care as your snow removal contractor, an employee of Tompkins Lawn Care will provide your service using equipment owned by Tompkins Lawn Care. Unlike some others, we won’t sub-contract your work to an uninsured, unreliable guy with plow truck who has no connection to you nor feels any responsibility to do his job well.



Other Services Offered

• Spring and Fall Clean-Ups
• Planting
• Grading
• Seeding
• Sod
• Retaining Walls
• Perimeter Pest Control