When choosing a landscaping company to maintain your home’s lawn, there are several things to consider. You want to choose a company that’s reputable, highly trained, local to your area, and that will work with you to fit your landscape vision and your budget. Sound challenging? With Krob Landscape, it’s not!

Krob Landscape is a full-scale landscape company serving clients on the Alabama Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle. Our residential lawn maintenance services offer homeowners in the area stress-free lawn care that boosts your curb appeal, protects your home investment, and keeps your landscape in prime health and beauty year-round.

How we do it? We’re glad you asked! Read on to learn how Krob Landscape can maintain your lawn.

Mowing Service

Tired of spending nice afternoons tending to your overgrown grass? Take back your weekend with our professional mowing service! Our expert maintenance team uses a variety of professional-grade mowing equipment and the best industry practices to guarantee a clean and even trim every time.

Weed Trimming

We never cut corners when it comes to lawn maintenance. After a quality mow, our weed trimming services handle hard-to-reach areas around trees, fences, structural walls, and more to tackle any weeds that may mar your landscape.

Edging

Nothing ruins a perfectly trimmed lawn like sloppy, overgrown hedges. Krob Landscape can give your lawn a clean and polished look with our quality edging service! We use quality equipment to create sharp, precise edges around any walkways, driveways, patios or planting beds. After the initial trim, we'll keep your edges maintained year-round for lasting (and stress-free) beauty.

Hedging

A nicely-shaped hedge adds a big boost of curb appeal to any landscape - but takes hours of work per year to maintain. Let the professional team at Krob Landscape handle the leg work for you! We use professional-grade trimming equipment to give your hedges a sharp and even shape while maintaining the health and integrity of your shrubs.

Lawn Blowing

After mowing and trimming, our maintenance team provides quality lawn blowing to remove any grass clippings, leaves, or other debris from unsightly areas like driveways or sidewalks. This allows the organic material to give beneficial nutrients to your lawn while giving your landscape a neat and tidy look.

Seasonal Tree and Major Shrub Pruning

Proper pruning doesn’t just improve your landscape’s look - it also keeps your trees and shrubs healthy by removing excess weight, increasing fruit production, and helping with structural stability. Krob’s Landscape provides seasonal maintenance trims to your trees and major shrubs to keep them (and your landscape) in perfect shape and form.

Fertilizing and Pre/Post Emergents

Sometimes, your lawn needs a little extra help to stay lush, green, and weed-free. We can help maintain the health and beauty of your lawn by applying seasonal fertilizer and pre/post emergents. Our expert lawn professionals are trained to choose the right fertilizer for your lawn’s needs and apply it safely and efficiently at the proper times. We also offer pre and post-emergent herbicides to stay on top of weed control before and after they take root in your lawn.

Mulching

Mulching offers a variety of benefits to your landscape. A quality mulch improves your soil quality, retains moisture, reduces weeds, and adds rich color and a manicured look to your outdoor space. Our expert team will help you choose the right color and composition of mulch and apply it to your landscape beds, around trees and shrubs, along your home’s foundation, and other areas as needed to keep your landscape in optimal health and beauty.

Irrigation

Krob Landscape can handle every aspect of your landscape’s irrigation system, from installation to upgrades to fall winterization and beyond. Our expert irrigation specialists are trained to install new systems, make upgrades to existing setups, and ensure your irrigation works properly through regular testing and maintenance.

Customized Maintenance Programs

No two landscapes - or homeowners - are the same. That’s why our residential lawn maintenance services are completely customizable to meet your needs. We’ll help you build a customized maintenance program to handle as much - or as little - of your lawn care and maintenance as you need. Whether you choose just one service or a full-scale maintenance plan, we guarantee quality work that fits in your budget and keeps your lawn and landscape in peak condition year-round.

Ready to let the professionals at Krob Landscaping handle your residential lawn maintenance? Contact us today!

With autumn officially here, many homeowners are looking forward to entering the off-season of lawn care. While lawns are certainly less maintenance during the fall and winter seasons than in their warmer counterparts, there’s still work to be done! A few last-minute lawn care practices in early fall will guarantee a bright and healthy lawn come spring and prevent winter from wreaking havoc on your carefully nurtured landscape. Here are 5 easy ways to prepare your lawn for the fall:

Kill Weeds

To prepare for the colder months, tackle those pesky weeds before the first cold snap of the fall season. During early autumn your perennial weeds begin storing energy in their roots, making them substantially easier to kill. Additionally, once weeds go dormant weed-killing chemicals will no longer work and they’ll have to be removed by hand.

Trim Trees

Those blankets of colorful fall leaves may be pretty to look at (and play in), but they’re terrible for your lawn. To minimize the amount of time you’ll spend raking as the leaves change, trim your trees in the first few weeks of autumn. This will cut down on the shed and save you hours of time raking, bagging, and composting.

Keep Mowing

Although grass growth has slowed as autumn approaches, your lawn doesn’t officially stop growing until the first freeze. In South Alabama, that can be as late as November! Continue cutting your grass at normal height until it stops growing completely to best prepare your lawn for the fall and winter months.

Reseed Bare Spots

Late summer to early fall is the best time to reseed those dead eyesores that sprung up over the hot season. Seeds rarely take in the peak of summer, and once the ground freezes you’ll have to wait for next year.

Aerate The Soil

In the simplest terms, aerating means driving holes into the ground and removing plugs of compacted soil. This can be done by hand, but it’s easiest to rent a professional aeration machine from your local home and garden store.

Ideally, you should aerate your lawn 2-3 times per year, but it’s especially important in the early fall months. Many lawns suffer from soil compaction and heat stress during the summer, so aerating as the temperatures cool helps return much-needed nutrients and moisture to the soil. It also gives your lawn plenty of time to rejuvenate before taking on the cold winter months.

If the thought of prepping your lawn for autumn doesn’t make you FALL in love, the experts at Krob Landscaping can help! Our lawn services include maintenance and prepping services to keep your lawn in optimal health and beauty at any time of year. Contact us today to learn more!

Nothing ruins your home’s hard-earned curb appeal like a patch (or more) of brown, lifeless grass. Whether it’s due to disease, drought, or just plain ol’ heat, a dead lawn can be the bane of homeowners (and HOAs) everywhere.

The good news is, dead grass doesn’t have to be permanent! With a little effort and some handy tips, you can revive your dead grass and return it to its lush springtime glory. Read on to discover 7 easy ways to bring your dead grass back to life!

Note: Before you set out to revive your lawn, be sure it’s actually dying. Some grasses go dormant during the hot summer months to conserve resources, especially cool-season varieties. To determine if your grass is dead or dormant, inspect the crowns at the base of the blades. If the crowns are alive, the grass is probably dormant. You can also try the tug test - tug gently on a patch of brown grass. If the grass resists your pull, it’s dormant; if it comes out easily with no resistance, it’s dead.

Water It

Like all living things, grass depends on water to survive. Many lackluster lawns will perk back up after a consistent drink from the hose or sprinkler, especially in areas that are prone to drought or have intense summer temperatures.

Be sure not to overdo it - drowning your lawn can be just as bad as dehydrating it!

Weed It

Weeds aren’t just an eyesore. They compete with your grass for nutrients and water, literally sucking the life right out of your lawn. Pull weeds by hand or use an herbicide to rid your grass of troublesome weeds and restore it to its former glory.

Aerate It

Grass needs plenty of air and nutrients to thrive. If your soil becomes compacted, your grass can struggle to push both to its roots, resulting in a slow (but obvious) death. Aerating involves driving holes into your lawn so air, nutrients, and water can reach the roots. This can be done manually or with a powered aerator from your local home and garden store.

Dethatch It

Dethatching your lawn removes the thick buildup of organic material that can accumulate on lawns that are highly fertilized. These thick blankets of thatch can prevent water from reaching the soil and roots underneath, killing your grass.

Dethatching can be done with a powered dethatching machine or a simple garden rake. Be sure to dethatch vigorously - you only want to see soil and grass blades when you’re finished.

Fertilize It

Adding nutrient-rich fertilizer to your lawn is an easy way to give your grass a needed boost. Before choosing a fertilizer, test the soil to determine its levels of phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium; a healthy lawn needs optimal levels of all three to grow properly.

Depending on the composition of your lawn, you may need a fertilizer that contains one or all three of these crucial ingredients. Compost, grass clippings, and chemical fertilizers are the most common (and most effective) choices to revive a dead or dying lawn.

Seed It

Replace patchy spots by spreading grass seeds over the area with a thin layer of soil. Before spreading your seeds, remove any dead or matted turf and loosen the top 2-3 inches of soil. This will prep the area and help the seeds take root quickly and properly.

Call the Pros

If all else fails, it may be time to call a professional. The experts at Krob Landscaping can diagnose and treat your dead grass to return your lawn to a lush, green oasis. If you need help with a dead or dying lawn, contact us today!

For many, the intense heat of an Alabama summer doesn’t invite you to roll up your sleeves and hit the yard work. But you still want to enjoy a bold, beautiful landscape that puts you in a summer frame of mind! How do you get both? With the perfect summer plants, of course!

The perfect summer landscape combines dramatic color with plenty of texture and doesn’t require hours of draining upkeep. You’ll want to choose plants that are hardy and drought-resistant or be ready to spend long afternoons watering and shading them.

We’ve compiled a list of the seven best plants to add to your landscape for summer that will give you a festive look without needing hours of maintenance. Read on to learn more!

Hibiscus

The large, colorful flowers of the hibiscus plants may look delicate, but they’re astoundingly resilient. During the late summer to early fall, saucer-sized blooms erupt in gorgeous pinks, whites, and reds, adding a festive splash of color to your landscape. Some can even grow to over 8 feet tall!  They need full sun and moist soil to shine their best, so be sure to plant them in full view and water them often.

Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)

This native gem provides tall, bright red blooms through the summer that are a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds. They also have an intensely sweet fragrance, making them popular with gardeners but not with scavengers like deer or rabbits. They grow best in full sun and moist soil.

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are well-known as one of the best landscaping plants for summer. Their puffy balls of bright, colorful blooms come in a variety of colors that add a dramatic pop to your summer landscape. They also grow back bigger and better every year, making them the summer gift that keeps on giving! They prefer afternoon shade and need plenty of space to spread out, so plant accordingly.

Lavender

Those iconic purple blooms aren’t just a great addition for curb appeal - they also repel mosquitoes and flies, making them pretty and functional in your summer landscape. They’re also drought-resistant and flourish in full sun. Plant them near your windows for a fragrant breeze that will fill your home (and your dreams) with their sweet, rejuvenating scent!

Begonias

These bright, textured plants are technically tender perennials, but they often die at the first frost and need to be re-planted when winter passes. Their waxy leaves and vibrant, long-stemmed flowers make them a beautiful accent for any summer garden. They grow equally well in sun or shade and are resistant to drought and curious critters, making them a great low-maintenance plant for your landscape. They also look great in hanging baskets or containers for porch appeal!

Elephant’s Ear

This well-known plant will bring a tropical flair to your landscape with its large, bright green leaves that look just like their namesake. A single leaf can grow up to 4 feet, making a bold statement with relatively little work involved. They’re perfect for our warm southern summers, as they don’t withstand the cold well and need to be re-planted in climates with cooler winters.

Coleus

The perfect summer landscape isn’t just about the flowers - you need lots of lush foliage, too. That’s where coleus comes in. This vibrant, leafy plant provides texture to your beds in dazzling hues of green, purple, and burgundy that spill around and over your other blooms. It’s hardy, drought-resistant, and flourishes in the sun, making it an ideal summer accent.

For help planting and maintaining your perfect summer landscape, call Krob Landscape! Our expert landscapers can design a bold summer look and maintain it for you, so you can enjoy it all summer long (but still have time to play). Contact us today!

If you want to plant a new garden bed this summer, you’ll need to remove the sod first. There are a few different ways to remove sod, and which one you choose will depend on the effort you want to put in, your budget, and your timeline.

Now, we’ll explore a few ways to remove sections of sod for planting the right way so you can make the most of your home landscape. Read on to learn about 4 ways to properly remove sod.

Remove sod by hand. Removing sod by hand is a good choice because it only requires a few common tools and a little sweat, and you can immediately plant your garden in the area. It also saves the sod and organic matter, allowing you to use the grass elsewhere rather than throwing perfectly good turf away.

But removing sod by hand can be tough work, especially on a hot summer day. Be sure you have the tools you’ll need and plenty of water on hand if you choose this method.

Tools you’ll need

• A water hose or sprinkler
• A sharp spade or edger
• A ruler or measuring tape

Water the grass. A few days before you plan to remove the sod, give the area a healthy shower. You want the soil to be moist so it clumps together easily, but it shouldn’t be so soggy it falls apart.

Cut the sod. Using a sharp spade or edging tool, cut the sod into parallel cross-strips. The strips should ideally be 1 inch wide by 2-3 feet long. If you plan to use the sod elsewhere in your landscape, an edger gives more precise cuts for replacement.

Remove sod sections. When you’ve cut your sod into strips, slide a spade or pitchfork underneath each section to lift it from the ground. Cut through any taproots underneath to minimize resistance and keep your sod safe for replanting. Be sure to remove any soil clumped underneath the sod, especially if you plan to roll or stack the sections.

Remove sod by tilling. A tiller requires less manual work than removing sod by hand, as most of the effort comes from the tiller’s engine. Tilling is beneficial because it allows you to use the organic matter in your sod to fertilize your future garden. You can also plant your new garden immediately, though tilling can bring weeds to the surface of your lawn that creates problems for your plants in the future.

Tools you’ll need

• A tiller
• Safety equipment (gloves, goggles, long pants, and shoes)
• Stakes and string

Mark off the area you want to remove. It’s extremely easy to till well past your intended area thanks to the tiller’s powerful motor. Use stakes and string to set boundary lines around the sod area you wish to remove.

Till the sod. Using slow, careful lines, pass your tiller over your sod section. The blades will spin and turn over your sod, preparing it for planting. Depending on the thickness of your grass and soil, you may need to make more than one pass. It’s best to start the blades on a shallow setting and return again if needed.

Remove grass clumps. Your tiller may leave clumps of grass and soil behind. Remove these clumps and shake the nutrient-dense soil back into your freshly tilled area.

Remove sod by smothering. Smothering your sod, or denying it access to light and nutrients, causes it to decay quickly, making it easier to remove. Though smothering sod takes less effort than the other options, it also takes more time - sometimes an entire season.

Tools You’ll Need

• An opaque material (plastic, tarp, or cardboard)
• Rocks or bricks

Lay your material. Cover the desired area completely with a light-blocking material. Because of our humid climate, paper products like cardboard may disintegrate before your sod can die. We recommend plastic or paint tarps as the best choice.

Secure the corners. Place heavy rocks or bricks on each corner, securely anchoring your material to protect it from wind and animals. As the heat under the cover rises, the grass will decay (though this can take several months.)

Remove the sod. Depending on how long you wait, your sod may decay completely and require little removal. If needed, use a shovel or garden spade to remove any remaining clumps and roots.

Remove sod with herbicides. Specially designed herbicides that target grass are an effective (though not environmentally friendly) way to kill and remove sod.

Tools You’ll Need

• Herbicide
• Safety equipment (goggles, long pants, and gloves)

Choose the right herbicide. Choose a herbicide that’s designed to target the type of grass you want to remove. Some grasses are resistant to certain chemicals, and broad herbicides will kill beneficial plants and nutrients as well as grass. For help choosing, ask your home and garden store or contact the professionals at Krob Landscape!

Apply the herbicide. Some herbicides can be applied directly while others should be dissolved in water first. Always follow the directions provided by the herbicide manufacturer and keep chemicals away from children and pets.

Avoid applying herbicides if there’s rain in the forecast, as they can run-off into water supplies and nearby ecosystems. You may need to apply your herbicide more than once or even annually depending on your grass type.

Of course, you can always let the experts at Krob Landscape handle the work for you! From sod removal to seasonal beds and beyond, we’ll take the guesswork out of gardening to give you the home landscape you’ve dreamed of. Contact us today!

As a homeowner, you want your home and yard to look great from all angles. Nothing screams curb appeal like a healthy lawn full of thick, green grass. While maintaining the perfect lawn may seem like a job for the pros, a few simple tricks can help you get - and keep - a lush lawn year-round. Here are 5 simple tips to maintain your lawn.

 

Feed Your Lawn

 

Like any organism, lawns need proper nutrients to thrive. For a healthy, green lawn that makes you the talk of the neighborhood, apply a quality fertilizer at least 4-5 times per year. It takes six to eight weeks for nutrients to take hold, so be sure to apply your fertilizer at regular intervals.

 

A good tip is to avoid fertilizing dormant grass. Wait until after a period of heavy rainfall when your grass has had a chance to revive before applying fertilizer. The best results (and least effort) come from a slow-release fertilizer that keeps your lawn fed for weeks at a time.

 

Overseed Your Lawn

 

Applying new seeds to an existing lawn, a process known as overseeding keeps it thick, healthy and free of those troubling bare spots. While many homeowners only reseed when the lawn looks spotty, yearly overseeding keeps your lawn from thinning and helps it stay green and healthy during the winter.

 

The key to overseeding is timing. To combat thinning, seeding is best done during the spring and early summer when they enter active growth. To improve your lawn’s appearance during the winter, overseed during the early fall.

 

Before overseeding, you’ll need to prepare your lawn. Cut the grass at a low setting and rake the soil to remove compaction or thatch and prepare it for seeding. Be sure to choose a quality grass that’s appropriate for our southern climate, and use a professional seed spreader from your local home improvement store to ensure an even layer.

 

Mow Properly

 

The average homeowners mow their lawn over 30 times per year. But the way you mow your lawn is just as important as how often!

 

The key is to never scalp your lawn. While it’s tempting to cut the grass as short as possible to reduce how often you mow, cutting your lawn too short contributes to thatch and shocks the delicate blades and systems underneath. Only mow the top ⅓ of your lawn and aim to mow when the grass reaches a length of 3 inches. One simple way to do this is to simply cut with your mower blade on the highest possible setting.

 

Another mowing tip is to alternate your mowing lines at 45-90 degree angles each time you mow. This will help prevent compaction and thatch issues that come from repeated cuttings.

 

Finally, be sure to keep your lawnmower blades sharp. Dull blades chop at grass rather than cutting it cleanly, making it more susceptible to disease and decay.

 

Aerate Your Lawn

 

That beautifully maintained lawn provides a great space for kids and pets to play, but all of that walking across your grass can lead to compaction. Aerating your lawn removes compacted pockets of soil, giving healthy grass more room to breathe and grow. It also allows fertilizers and weed killers to penetrate deeper into the soil, improving their efficiency.

 

Aerators can be rented from most local home improvement stores and are easy to use. They essentially poke holes about 3 inches deep, removing hardened and compacted areas of soil. For smaller lawns, there are also handheld aerators that are less expensive (but more time consuming). The best time to aerate your lawn is during the fall when soil temperatures have cooled.

 

Water Deeply and Less Often

 

Many homeowners turn on their sprinklers for a few minutes every day, assuming their grass needs as much water as possible. While a healthy lawn does need an appropriate amount of water to thrive, a few sessions of watering deeply is much more beneficial than daily sprinkles.

 

Ideally, your grass needs 1 to 2 inches of water once per week. Giving your grass a healthy dose of water less frequently will encourage deeper root growth and keep it moist and green during periods of drought. If you aren’t sure what your sprinkler output is, place a few shallow pans across your lawn and time how long it takes to fill all of them to 1 inch. This will also show if your sprinklers are watering evenly.

 

The best time to water your lawn is in the morning. The cooler temperatures during the morning hours cut down on evaporation and let your grass soak in as much water as possible. It also gives your lawn ample time to dry during the day, and lawns that stay wet overnight are more prone to fungus.

 

Need help staying on top of your lawn maintenance? Giving you a healthy, vibrant lawn is our specialty! From nutrient control to regular mowing and more, we can give you a well-maintained lawn without the work. Call us today!

You’ve just finished mowing your lawn and your mower bag is full. What will you do with the clippings and leaves inside? If you’re like many homeowners, you’ll empty them into trash bags and haul them to the curb for pick-up. But by doing so, you’re essentially throwing away hundreds of dollars every year!

                                 

Organic materials like grass clippings and leaves make an excellent mulch for your flower beds, lawn, and other naturalized areas. They decompose quickly, contain nutrients that feed your soil and plants, and they look more attractive than most store-bought mulches. Best of all, they’re completely free!

 

So, before you empty that bag into the trash, read on to find out how to save yourself tons of time and money by using your grass clippings and leaves as an organic mulch.

 

The Benefits of Organic Mulch

 

Organic mulch made of leaves and/or grass clippings includes the same benefits as more expensive store-bought mulches. It retains your soil moisture, blocks light to prevent weed growth, and improves your plant life. But using organic materials to mulch your yard also has benefits you can’t buy from a store! They include:

 

Save Money. Store-bought mulches can be expensive, but the grass clippings and leaves in your yard are free! You’ll also save the cost of having those bags picked up from the curb.

 

Save Time. Raking and bagging leaves and clippings can take hours, if not days. With a bagged mulching mower, you’ll cut your time in half and save yourself some back pain.

 

Natural Fertilizer. Grass clippings contain an excessive amount of potassium and nitrogen, making it a natural fertilizer for your lawn and plants.

 

Long-Lasting. Leaves and grass oxidize and decay slowly. That means your plants will have a long-lasting fuel source to get them through the upcoming season.

 

Eco-friendly. Recycling organic matter into mulch keeps it out of the landfills and creates a healthier environment for all.

 

Tips to Use Grass Clippings and Leaves as Mulch

 

Leaves and grass clippings can be used easily and effectively to mulch your lawn and your flower beds. There are a few other tips you can follow when using organic mulch from your yard in order to get the best effect:

 

• We strongly suggest using a mulching mower to mulch grass clippings and leaves. These types of mowers use a specialized blade to cut the clippings and leaves several times, chopping them more finely than a regular mower.

 

• Be sure to lower your blade setting when running over dense areas of leaves or overgrown grass to chop them into the smallest pieces possible. Ideally, clippings should be no more than an inch in length.

 

• To mulch your lawn, simply remove your mower bag and leave your grass clippings and chopped leaves where they land.

 

• To mulch your beds and other natural areas, spread your mulched leaves and grass clippings from your mower bag into your flower beds and other natural areas in thin, even layers.

 

• When using fresh grass clippings as mulch, keep your layers under ¼ inch. This will allow the clippings to decompose before they rot, turn slimy, or smell. Leaves or dried grass clippings can be spread more thickly.

 

Using leaves and grass clippings as an organic mulch is a great way to care for your lawn efficiently and affordably. If you need help caring for your lawn or finding the right mulch for your landscape, we can help! Our expert landscapers can handle everything from lawn maintenance to nutrient control and more. Contact us today!

Bugs are a part of life - especially in the warm heat of South Alabama. We work to keep them out of our homes, but keeping them out of our lawns is harder. After all - that’s where they live, right?

 

There are a few pests in Alabama that dig in and destroy your lush, green grass - and they’re more common than you think. If your lawn is drooping, dry, or even dying, you could have a serious infestation that needs treatment. Read on to learn about 5 common pests that may be destroying your lawn - and what to do about it. 

 

Spittle Bugs

 

When you look at your grass, do you see thin red lines down the middle of the blades? Are there large patches of foam at the base? If so, you may have a spittlebug problem.

 

Spittlebugs are common pests in lawns that have Bermuda or centipede grass. These small insects resemble leafhoppers -- they’re about ⅓ inch long, with tented wings in a V-shape. Those big foamy patches on your grass protect the babies from pesticides and predators until they reach adulthood. That’s when they use their piercing mouths to feed on a range of plants, from grass to ornamental perennials. 

 

Heavy infestations are rare, but they do happen - and they can cause yellow, curling, or dead patches of grass in your lawn. Keep a regular mowing and de-thatching schedule to encourage a healthy lawn. Spittlebugs thrive in wet, humid conditions, so avoid over-watering your grass. If seen, remove spittlebugs by hand or spray them with a powerful stream of water - that foamy coat protects young spittlebugs from pesticides.

 

Mole Crickets

 

Those crickets chirping outside of your window aren’t just keeping you awake - they may be destroying your lawn, too.

 

Mole crickets live underground for most of the year, but they come out in droves during the spring and fall to mate and wreak havoc on Alabama lawns. These noisy pests dig tunnels underneath your grass, destroying the shallow roots. They also eat turf, including the shoots and roots.

 

There are a few ways to tell if you have mole crickets before they damage your yard. Small tunnels on the lawn, patches of dry or dead grass, or a host of predators digging for grubs all indicate a mole cricket infestation. If you still aren’t sure, try pouring soapy dishwater on a 4’ square foot of your lawn. If you have crickets, they should float to the top for air.

 

The problem is that by the time most of their damage can be seen - typically in mid to late summer - mole crickets have retreated underground until the fall, so proactive treatment is essential. A targeted pesticide during late winter - early spring is the best way to treat a mole cricket problem.

 

Fire Ants

 

If you live in South Alabama, you’ve surely felt that intense stinging that comes from a fire ant bite. Though the name comes from their distinctive red color, it’s a pretty fair description of their fiery bite, too.

 

Fire ants aren’t just a nuisance to your family - they can also cause real damage to your yard. Ants don’t eat your grass like other pests, but they amass large colonies on your lawn that can damage the root system and smother healthy grass. If you have several large fire ant beds on your lawn, you can bet they’re disrupting the delicate balance beneath.

 

The best way to combat fire ants is with a targeted pesticide spray over your entire lawn.

 

Chinch Bugs

 

Chinch bugs love to feed on the warm summer grasses in Baldwin County, especially varieties of St. Augustine grass. These tiny lawn-dwellers are only ⅙’ long - smaller than your pinky nail - but they can inflict damage on your lawn.

 

Chinch bugs are multi-taskers. They use their pointed mouths to suck nutrients from your grass while injecting it with poison at the same time. Both the adults and the larvae feed on turf and they’re most active during the mid-summer months. They often cluster together in sunny areas to feed on grass and lay eggs.

 

Chinch bugs wipe out a lawn quickly. If you have a chinch bug infestation, your lawn may turn yellow, then brown, then begin to die in large patches during the summer. Pesticides are the best form of attack against chinch bugs, so be sure to call your exterminator if you think you have an infestation. Regular mowing and dethatching - especially if you have St. Augustine grass - is a good way to protect your lawn from chinch bugs.

 

Grubs

 

If you’ve ever seen a lawn grub, your first response was probably something like “oh, yuck!”.

 

Grubs are the larval form of a variety of scarab beetles like Japanese beetles, June “bugs”, or European chafers. These tiny pests are white, often oozy, and curl into c-shaped balls in the open air. Buried in the soil, they feast on grassroots and organic matter, causing large sections of your lawn to die.

 

A long, cyclical life cycle makes lawn grubs a problem year-round. Around August, beetles emerge from the soil to feed on your plant life and lay eggs. Once the eggs hatch in October, grubs begin feeding on your lawn. They hunker down during the winter but awaken in the spring to feed on your grass and turn into beetles, starting the cycle again.

 

To determine if you have a grub problem, keep an eye on your lawn in the spring. If sections of it don’t turn green, you may have grubs underneath. Lift a section of your turf - if it rolls up like a carpet or the grass doesn’t have roots, you probably have a grub infestation. You may also notice birds, raccoons and armadillos digging in your yard.

 

Grubs are most vulnerable when they’re young, so pesticides work best in late summer or early fall. A professional lawn service company like Krob Landscape can treat your grub problem and use prevention products to keep your lawn grub-free throughout the year.

 

No matter what type of pest is destroying your lawn, the best way to handle it is by contacting a professional. At Krob Landscape, our professional lawn specialists are trained in diagnosing and treating insect damage with the industry’s best pest control products. If you have an Alabama pest wreaking havoc on your lawn, contact us today!

So much goes into maintaining your yard. From mowing your grass to trimming your trees to planting new flower beds, keeping your outdoor spaces healthy and beautiful can be a full-time job. Many property owners turn to professionals for help. But with so many companies available, it can be hard to know which to choose!

 

It’s not always enough to know what you need. Some lawn companies call themselves lawn care specialists. Others market as lawn maintenance companies, while still others provide services in landscaping. To muddy the waters even further, many of them provide the same services! You know you need help with your lawn, so what’s the difference? We’re here to make it clear. Read on to learn about the differences between lawn care, lawn maintenance, and landscaping.

 

Lawn Care

 

As the name suggests, lawn care involves taking steps to improve and maintain a property’s lawn. Lawn care companies specialize in creating lush, green grass that is attractive, healthy and resistant to drought or disease. In this way, you can think of lawn care as caring for a property’s lawn without dramatically changing its structure or design. In fact, one of the defining features of lawn care is that you are caring for a lawn or turf that is already there.

 

Common lawn care services include seeding, fertilizing, performing pest control, aeration, and others. For this reason, lawn care specialists need to be highly experienced and, depending on your state, licensed to apply chemicals. Krob Landscape provides expert service in lawn care including weed and pest control as well as nutrient/water management.

 

Lawn Maintenance

 

The difference between lawn maintenance and lawn care is subtle, yet important. Lawn maintenance also involves improving and caring for an existing yard, but it includes services to maintain the entire landscape year-round (rather than just the turf). These often include things like mowing, trimming, edging and weed eating.

 

Somewhat confusingly, many lawn maintenance companies include lawn care services. It makes sense - a well-maintained exterior includes an attractive and healthy lawn, so maintenance companies often take care of both. For example, Krob Landscape provides total lawn packages that include turf management as well as full-scale lawn maintenance.

 

Landscaping

 

Unlike lawn care or lawn maintenance, landscaping involves the creation of new outdoor spaces through construction, planting, and design. Landscapers focus on creating outdoor designs that complement, improve, and functionalize your home’s exterior. There are two main categories of landscaping: softscaping and hardscaping.

 

Softscaping involves the live elements of your landscape - plants, shrubs, trees, grass, and other vegetation. Landscapers use these components to create vibrant outdoor areas full of color and life. Seasonal planting, flower bed designs, and the addition of trees or shrubs are common examples of softscaping.

 

In contrast, hardscaping uses man-made materials to improve the look and function of your home’s yard. Walkways, patios, retaining walls, driveways, and boulders are commonly used in hardscaping a property. Hardscaping can be done to up your curb appeal, create outdoor spaces for entertaining or relaxation, or improve the use and function of an area.

 

Although softscaping and hardscaping are different, both are necessary to create a well-rounded landscape, and most landscaping companies offer both. Krob Landscape offers a full range of landscaping services to design and create a pleasing outdoor space you can enjoy for years to come.

 

Ultimately, which lawn company you choose is up to you. Whether you need lawn care, lawn maintenance, or full landscaping services, knowing what is provided by each will help you make a decision to fit your needs.

 

No matter what your lawn needs, Krob Landscape can help! Our expert staff can assist you with turf care, lawn maintenance, landscaping, and more. Visit our services page for more info and contact us today!

Do you find yourself with a soggy yard after a hard rain? Even worse, do those first drops make you run for the shop vac to dry out a flooded basement or garage? If so, you have a drainage problem, and a french drain may be the solution. But before you start picturing croissants and funny mustaches, read on to find out everything you need to know about french drains.

 

What Is A French Drain?

 

A french drain isn't French at all. It was invented by an American named Henry French in 1859 when he noticed that farmland was destroyed by too much standing water. It's primarily used to redirect surface water and groundwater away from an area. This prevents flooding, runoff, and pooling water from damaging your yard or home. It can also distribute water (like for a septic system) or relieve ground pressure behind a retaining wall.

 

The concept is relatively simple. It's done by digging a trench and inserting a perforated pipe along the bottom. Gravel is spread over the top to filter water down, and the pipe then guides it to a better outlet. There are two main types of french drains. Shallow Drains are dug approximately two feet from the surface and are best for fixing excessive surface water in your yard. Deep Drains are dug much deeper and placed around the perimeter of your home to help keep your basement or cellar dry during heavy rain. You can also install a french drain in the interior of your home.

 

Do I need a french drain?

 

If you need a french drain, there are virtually no other solutions that will fix the problem. Only you can decide if you need a drainage solution. But a french drain may be needed if:

 

• Your yard is sticky and spongy after rain or has a permanent damp spot
• Your basement or garage is wet after a heavy rain
• Your driveway is constantly washed-out
• You have a mold or mildew problem in the lower levels of your home

 

Can I Install My Own French Drain?

 

Hardware stores and intense DIYers will tell you that you can install a french drain yourself. But letting a professional do the work is always the best option for drainage solutions. A professional will have the tools and knowledge to find the right angle and depth, place the drain in the right place, and do the dirty work. And when properly installed, french drains can last for decades without needing maintenance.

 

Krob Landscaping can give you a perfect french drain to solve your flooding problems - while saving you the back pain that comes from hours of trench digging.

 

Rain cleans the air, fills rivers and streams, allows plants to grow - it's a beautiful resource that we can't live without. But it can be hard to see the beauty in it if all that water is turning your home and yard into a swamp. If you think you may need a french drain, contact us for an evaluation! We can provide a variety of draining solutions to help keep your home and yard dry even in the strongest storms.