The Byer Family Resource - Lawn Care Page

Professional Lawn Care
Family Owned & Operated From 1986 to 1998

E-Mail - algay@ica.net or janmeg@ivillage.com

Brampton, Ontario

This page has not been put together as a selling site but rather as site dedicated to all of our past customers and all those people who surf the web looking for help on questions they may have about their lawns. Over the years, we have been able to provide our customers with tips and advise for keeping their lawns as green as possible and now, with the internet, we can help you with your lawn care problems. Browse through the following common problems and tips and if you can't find an answer here, then try giving us a call and maybe we can help you that way.

Below is the original description for Hired Hands. In the winter of 1998, the owner of Hired Hands, Al Gay (my dad) decided to retire and therefore the company is now owned by another family who has been in the business for many years themselves. To all our former customers, we wanted to thank you for your patronage over the years and we are confident that your service from the new company will be just as good as the service we provided for you.

We wanted to keep the description of the company on this page as it helps to see what is offered by a company and what makes them the choice of so many homeowners.

HIRED HANDS is a small family owned and operated Lawn Care company which prides itself in customer service. We are small enough that we can still give personalized service, but have been in business long enough to be able to give knowledgeable and expert advice and service.

HIRED HANDS has been in business since 1986 and we still have many of the original customers we started with. Because of our service and fair prices, we have been able to keep our customers year after year.

We originally started in the Brampton area and have been expanding to cover Mississauga, Woodbridge, Bolton, Palgrave and Caledon, with more areas to follow in the future.

All our programs include eight basic steps, five fertilizers and three weed controls. Crabgrass control and/or Insect control are included in two of our programs and Aerating can be added to any of our programs. We also provide single applications, if desired, and we have a service for cutting and trimming of residential lawns.

Benefits & Tips for a Healthy, Greener Lawn

Benefits

Tips

Natural Insect Repellents

Links to Lawn & Garden Sites

Sample Lawn Care Programs

Common Turf Diseases

Common Turf Damaging Insects

BENEFITS & TIPS FOR A HEALTHY, GREENER LAWN

Benefits of a Healthy Lawn

As homeowners, we are all interested in keeping our lawns looking their best, free of
unsightly weeds and destructive lawn pests. But maintaining a healthy lawn is also important
to the environment.

- A 50-ft by 50-ft healthy lawn provides enough daily oxygen to meet the needs

of a family of four.

- Grass cools naturally. Eight average-size lawns have the cooling effect of 70 tons of air

conditioning (the average home central air conditioner produces about 3 tons).

- A well-managed lawn and landscape can boost the value of a home by as much

as 15 per cent.

- Grasses reduce undesirable noise levels by 20 to 30 per cent.

- Healthy lawns absorb rainfall four to six times more effectively than farm fields.

They return the moisture to the water table, where is can be used by everyone.

- Weed-free lawns remove pollutants from the air, prevent water and wind erosion and

the loss of precious topsoil, reduce allergens and the likelihood of insect bites and stings,

absorb and reduce glare and act as a cushioned surface for

outdoor activities and sports.

A healthly lawn is more than a just a thing of beauty, it is a vital living part of our environment that,
with proper care, can improve the quality of life we enjoy and the cleanliness of our world.

Tips for a Greener Lawn
The following are some tips that may help you to have the kind of lawn you see in award-winning garden magazines.

Feeding - Fertilizers provide nutrients necessary for plant health and growth, such as

nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen is needed for healthy green growth and

regulation of other nutrients. Phosphorus helps proper roots and seeds develop and resist

disease. Potassium is also important in root development and disease resistance.

For the healthiest lawn, it is recommended that fertilizing be done up to four or

five times a year, a healthy lawn will deter weeds. Use a quick release fertilizer if an

immediate result, but not a long lasting effect, is desired. Using the quick release fertilizer will

require more applications. For a long lasting result, use a slow release fertilizer.

Weed Control - Weeds can be controlled with either a liquid weed killer or a granular

weed & feed (liquids have a better result if applied properly).

For best results, apply weed control when weeds are growing actively,

which is usually in late spring or early fall.

Mowing - The best height to mow a lawn is determined by the height when mowing,

but should be kept at a level of 2 to 2 1/2 inches. One-third of the height should be

taken off during each cutting. When the grass is longer, bagging may be necessary

to avoid an accumulation of clippings, but during the summer months, mulching is

preferred as it allows the grass clippings to be recycled, providing extra nutrients for

the lawn. Avoid cutting grass with dull mower blades. When the blades are dull, they shred

the grass rather than cutting it. The shredded ends will then dry out giving the

lawn a brownish tinge.

Watering - Watering is recommended as soon as the first signs of drought appear.

It is best to water early in the day, before the sun is too intense to avoid evaporation.

Avoid watering in the evening, leaving the grass wet over night and providing

a perfect breeding ground for fungi. Encourage roots to grow deeper by doing a

thorough watering (3-4 hours), once a week, rather than short waterings more often.

Aerating - Aerating,which should be done when the soil is moist, helps to alleviate hard,

compact soils (usually clay soils). It also helps water, air and fertilizer to

get to the roots and helps to break up some excess thatch.

Dethatching - Up to 1/2" of thatch is desireable to reduce soil drying, but any more than

that can provide a perfect environment for insects and fungi to infest.

Natural Insect Repellents
When trying to control the amount of insects in your lawn & garden, consider using plants that naturally repel insects. The following plants have their own chemical defense systems and, when planted among flowers an vegtables, they help to keep unwanted pests away. (This information from the US Dept. of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service)

PEST

Ant
Aphids
Bean Leaf Beetle
Codling Moth
Colorado Potato Bug
Cucumber Beetle
Flea Beetle
Imported Cabbage Worm
Japanese Beetle
Leaf Hopper
Mexican Bean Beetle
Mice
Root Knot Nematodes
Slugs
Spider Mites
Squash Bug
Stink Bug
Thrips
Tomato Hornworm
Whitefly

PLANT REPELLENT

mint, tansy, pennyroyal
mint, garlic, chives, corianfer, anise
potato, onion, turnip
common oleander
green beans,coriander, nasturtium
radish, tansy
garlic, onion, mint
mint, sage, rosemary, hyssop
garlic, larkspur, tansy, rue, geranium
geranium, petunia
potato, onion, garlic, radush, petunia, marigolds
onion
Frecnh marigolds
prostrate rosemary, wormwood
onion, garlic, cloves, chives
radish, marigolds, tansy, nasturtium
radish
marigolds
marigolds, sage, borage
marigolds, nasturtium

LINKS TO OTHER LAWN & GARDEN SITES

I CAN GARDEN
The Canadian Internet gardening resource. Excellent site for all your gardening questions.

TIME LIFE VIRTUAL GARDEN TOOLSHED
An excellent site if you want information on plants and flowers,
where to plant them, how they will look, etc.

GARDENERS OF THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE
A place for those who garden in the rim of land which defines the
southern excursion of Lake Ontario.

GROW ONTARIO
An on-line horticulture directory of the province of Ontario which has great retail listings.

BUDS GARDEN SITE
Located in Toronto, this is the best source of perennials in the city -
also a creative and informative web site.

GARDEN GUIDE
An on-line horticulture directory of the province of Ontario which has great retail listings.

101 GARDENING SITES
This is a neat site with 101 gardening web site referrals that are constantly changing.

SAMPLE LAWN CARE PROGRAMS

The following is a sample of the programs that we, at Hired Hands, used to offer. In this area (Metro Toronto, etc), most Lawn Care companies will offer similar programs.

THE NEW CONTINUOUS TURF PROGRAMS
STANDARD (8-STEP) Spring Fertilizer Spring Weed Control & Fertilizer Summer Fertilizer & Weed Control Fall Weed Control & Fertilizer Winterizer Fertilizer	MID-LINE (9-STEP) Spring Fertilizer Spring Weed Control & Fertilizer Summer Fertilizer & Weed Control Insect Control OR Crabgrass Control Fall Weed Control & Fertilizer Winterizer Fertilizer	TOP OF THE LINE (10-STEP) Spring Fertilizer Spring Weed Control & Fertilizer Crabgrass Control Summer Fertilizer & Weed Control Insect Control Fall Weed Control & Fertilizer Winterizer Fertilizer
Aeration can be added to any of these program.
Cut/Trim & Single steps are also available.

Sign My Guestbook View My Guestbook

Any questions or comments?

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page

BENEFITS & TIPS FOR A HEALTHY, GREENER LAWN

LINKS TO OTHER LAWN & GARDEN SITES

SAMPLE LAWN CARE PROGRAMS

THE NEW CONTINUOUS TURF PROGRAMS

STANDARD

Spring FertilizerSpring Weed Control& FertilizerSummer Fertilizer& Weed ControlFall Weed Control& FertilizerWinterizer Fertilizer

MID-LINE

Spring FertilizerSpring Weed Control& FertilizerSummer Fertilizer & Weed ControlInsect ControlOR Crabgrass ControlFall Weed Control & FertilizerWinterizer Fertilizer

TOP OF THE LINE

Spring FertilizerSpring Weed Control& FertilizerCrabgrass ControlSummer Fertilizer& Weed ControlInsect ControlFall Weed Control& FertilizerWinterizer Fertilizer

Spring Fertilizer
Spring Weed Control
& Fertilizer
Summer Fertilizer
& Weed Control
Fall Weed Control
& Fertilizer
Winterizer Fertilizer

Spring Fertilizer
Spring Weed Control
& Fertilizer
Summer Fertilizer
& Weed Control
Insect Control
OR Crabgrass Control
Fall Weed Control
& Fertilizer
Winterizer Fertilizer

Spring Fertilizer
Spring Weed Control
& Fertilizer
Crabgrass Control
Summer Fertilizer
& Weed Control
Insect Control
Fall Weed Control
& Fertilizer
Winterizer Fertilizer