Year-round landscape maintenance in athens ga
At Greenworks EcoScapes, we specialize in year-round landscape maintenance on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, covering Athens and the greater Athens area. Year-round landscape maintenance packages can be customized to your property, utilizing specific services and adding additional services at your request.
Mowing
We operate top-of-the-line and the most efficient lawn mowers on the market. We ensure the smoothest cut from our mowing equipment by checking the mowing deck to be sure it is level and we check the tire pressure daily to minimize scalping. This gives the best looking lines and ensures an impeccable cut.
–Reel mowing is the best cut available. A reel mower is used on putting greens of golf courses for the perfect cut. It is a specialty mower and can only cut grass that is maintained at heights from ¼ inch to 1 ¼ inches
–Bagging mowing is the best way to clean a property. A bagging mower vacuums up all the leaves, debris and extraneous grass clippings and keeps thatch to a minimum. These can cut from 1 inch to 4 inches in ¼ inch increments.
–Mulch mowing is great for grinding leaves and cutting grass into small pieces. After use, small pieces of grass fall to the ground and decay, allowing the nutrients to break down and be absorbed. A mulch mower can cut from 1 inch to 5 inches in ¼ inch increments.
–Open mowing is more efficient than mulching. When the turf is mowed at regular intervals, (weekly) it can be as effective as mulch mowing aesthetically and with the same nutritional benefits. An open mower can cut from 1 inch to 5 inches in ¼ inch increments.
–Push mowing has the advantages of bagging, mulching, and open mowing. Push mowing has the benefit of being a lighter mower and as a result, reduces the compaction from the wheels of other larger mowers. We have the widest push mower on the market to be the quickest and most efficient. A push mower can cut from 1 inch to 3.5 inches in ¼ inch increments.
Regular turf mowing is one of the most important practices of proper turf management. We take plant health and human safety very seriously. We operate all the equipment safely by always keeping the discharge side of the mower directed away from, people, pets, structures and vehicles.
-Proper cutting height is first on our list for plant health. Mowing grass too short, also known as scalping, is one of the most common mistakes made when mowing turf. Scalping stresses the turf and leaves it very vulnerable to disease and fungus. When turf is stressed, it takes much longer to heal. Extreme heat can cause shock, and in extreme cases, kill the grass. We focus on training our team members in the cutting height of all types of turf. A basic rule is to never cut more than 1/3 of the growing height of the turf.
Different types of grass prefer different optimum mowing heights:
- Zoysia is recommended to be kept mowed between 1 and 2 inches.
- Bermuda is recommended to be kept mowed between 1 and 2 inches.
- St. Augustine is recommended to be kept mowed between 2.5 and 3 inches.
- Centipede is recommended to be kept mowed between 1.5 and 2 inches.
- Fescue is recommended to be kept mowed between 3 and 3.5 inches.
- Winter Ryegrass is recommended to be kept mowed between 1.5 and 2.5 inches.
We use sharp blades for grass health and mowing efficiency. We start by sharpening mower blades every 8-10 hours of mowing time, this ensures the blades are sharp so they “slice” the grass, cleanly cutting it instead of “tearing” it by using dull blades. By using sharp blades and cutting the grass, it allows the grass to heal quicker than if it were cut with dull blades. As the grass is trying to heal from dull blades, the tip of the grass will turn a brownish color and cause your entire yard to have a brownish hue instead of the lush green. Sharp blades are also important because of their mowing efficiency as they save time, fuel, and reduce pollution.
We mow in alternate mowing patterns each time we mow. The next step to obtaining immaculate turf is the manner in which the mowing is done. We mow in a pattern that leaves “stripes.” Stripes occur based on grass being mowed in opposite directions, which creates the appearance of two colors. We mow in opposite directions and change the angle of the mowing each time we cut. This reduces the compaction of the mower tires in the same place. If mowed in the same pattern each time, the soil becomes compacted with tire marks and turf is less healthy. In addition, water and nutrients have a much harder time getting into the soil and stunt the grass growth and overall health. By rotating the direction we cut, we reduce the amount of compaction.
We check tire pressures daily and inspect the blades to ensure they are level. Tire pressure is usually the most likely culprit for an off-level cut. Therefore, we check the tire pressure on all mowers to ensure this simple problem does not happen. When we sharpen blades, we also take a few minutes to check the “level” of the blades. This means we check the height of the front of the blades, the back of the blades and the left and right of the deck. This completely ensures the mowing deck is level.
String trimming
String trimming is also known as line trimming or weed-eating. This process is done around a property to maintain a uniform height of the grass in places mowers cannot reach. By being diligent in making sure all areas are trimmed, string trimming provides a professional and finished look to your property. We use straight shaft trimmers because of their added power and reliability. One particular detail about our trimmers are their non-bump-heads. “Bump-head” weed-eaters disperse string when they are slammed into the ground while spinning. We do not use this type because of aesthetics and efficiency. When bump heads impact the ground to release string, they leave a very distinct circle in the diameter of the string. They require more labor and are less durable.
Edging and bed-edging
Edging fine-tunes your property with details for a crisp, finished appearance in your landscape. By edging the turf where it meets the concrete, asphalt and natural areas, it creates a separation that defines the turf area. We use “stick” type edgers because of their power efficiency in comparison to walk behind edgers. We ensure the best efficiency and edge by keeping fresh blades on the equipment.
Debris Clean Up
Blowing/ Clean Up the property clear of clippings and other landscape debris is the last thing we do before we leave a property to maintain a clean environment for our customers.