Category: Lawn care

English Ivy can be a sneaky little bugger. When I think about those leafy, dark-green vines, it is often with a sense of nostalgia mingled with wonder. I can just see that brick wall through the brown vines at Wrigley Field, giving way to the dark green vines day by day as spring turns into summer. Those brown walls in my mind’s eye soon become the walls and buildings of my old college campus, where the ivy that faded with autumn was just as exciting as the ivy that blossomed with the coming of spring. Ivy can be an inspirational, spiritually calming plant when it is kept within the confines of a college campus or a pro baseball field; however, when it is brought to your garden, it can become an out-and-out menace. In this article we’re going to look at some of the reasons why English Ivy can be so harmful to your yard [...]

Picture this: you’re sitting in your kitchen, looking out the window at your back yard. It’s a bright, sunny summer day and your two young kids are running and rolling around on the deep green grass with Todd, your 4 year old Golden Retriever. A wistful smile plays across your lips until you begin to wonder just what your kids and pet are rolling around on. You walk into your garage, pull out all of the various chemicals that you use to keep your lawn looking so lush. “Keep out of reach of children!” “Harmful if Swallowed!” The warning labels fill you with a sense of dread as you wonder just how ‘healthy’ that grass that your loved ones are frolicking on really is. Soon, you find yourself in front of your laptop, searching for solutions to create a natural landscape in your backyard, an organic solution that will keep both your lawn and your [...]

What is Goldenrod?

Goldenrod is any group of plants mainly of the genus Solidago of the composite family. These plants are identified by their clusters of normally yellow flower heads which bloom in late summer or early autumn. Most species of Goldenrod are native to North America and are prevalent along the eastern seaboard and in the prairies of the Midwestern plains. There are some types of goldenrod that are harmless but the most notable species of goldenrod are invasive and need to eradicated. Which is the best brush cutter to remove this pesky plant? If your yard is being invaded by goldenrod, we highly recommend using Orec’s Cyclone Flail Mower as soon as possible.

There are quite a few different species of Goldenrod, with some of the most common being Canada (S. Canadensis), Showy (S. Speciosa), Blue Stemmed (S. Caesia), Gray(S. Nemoralis) and Sweet Goldenrod (S. Odora).

It’s important to note [...]

The Basics of Mulch and Mulching

Mulch is material that is spread around or over a plant in order to enrich the surrounding soil. Thus when we mulch a given plant or area with a professional mulcher mower, we are applying that material to that plant or area. Even when we are using a brush cutter such as Orec’s Cyclone Walk Behind Flail Brush Mower that cuts grass into clippings, we are mulching the area with those grass clippings. It is often said that mulching is integral to keeping your yard and the plants therein healthy, but why exactly is this the case?

Different Types of Mulching Materials

Mulch material can be either organic or inorganic. Inorganic mulches include gravel, plastic sheets and landscape cloths. Organic mulches can be such materials as leaves, hay and straw, pine needles and grass clippings. In general, Organic mulches may give your lawn or garden a more natural look [...]

Q: What Organic Methods Can I Use to Control Crabgrass?
Crabgrass or Digitaria is a warm season annual that reproduces by seed. The two types of crabgrass that are commonly found are large crabgrass and smooth crabgrass. Large crabgrass has blue-green leaves and can grow up to 3 feet in height. In contrast, smooth crabgrass features leaves with a purplish tinge and will grow to no more than 15 inches. Although they may look quite different, both species of crabgrass can be quite aggressive and can easily take over a lawn, especially in hot, dry conditions. If you want to get rid of Crabgrass before it takes over, and you don’t want to use chemicals, a walk behind brush cutter may be the perfect option.

While pre-emergent herbicides (herbicides that kill weeds before their seeds emerge) are the most common way of killing crabgrass, many people prefer to use more organic means of [...]