...water, water, water.

 Just like location, location, location for real estate, water is the key to success for your lawn.

I don't mean to over-simplify the process.  A LOT goes into establishing and maintaining a strong healthy lawn. But 9 times out of 10, improper watering practices cause lawns to fail. Most frequently that means not enough water at seed germination and then again in the height of summer.  However, over-watering can also be a problem. This time of year, during lawn seeding and repair, you do not want to flood your new seed and grass, but rather you should just keep it damp. During days with no rain 20 minutes per day for each area should be adequate.  After 3 weeks you can cut back to 20-30 minutes every other day.

You can see below how our new 1 year old german sheppard rescue is enthusiastic about lawn watering...

No question that our lawns are loving this time of year. From our early end to winter, then our rainy spring, the Annapolis growing conditions have let our lawns absolutely thrive!

Any time of year a little mulch goes a long way to making your property look great.

​Schedule your Mulch Bed Service today!

If you were looking across your fence at this Jon's Lawns lawn next door you might get lawn envy.  That envy might then cause you to call Jon's Lawns of Annapolis to get some of what is going on next door - perhaps a Lawn Health program and Mowing Service combination.  Or perhaps you don't want to worry about anything on your property including mulch, shrub trimming and leaf removal.  Then you might call Jon about drafting up a LawnStrong program for you.

That is what happened in this situation.  No need for Lawn Envy when there is LawnStrong.  
#LawnStrong

Here in Annapolis the warm weather has fast-tracked the spring season by two to three weeks. That is keeping Jon's Lawns of Annapolis on its toes as we are anticipating a much earlier start to the mowing season as well as an accelerated weed germination calendar.  These extra few weeks when in years past we still were buried under snow have given us time to get our lawns cleaned up and beds mulched before the grass starts growing. While time is running out Jon's Lawns of Annapolis is ready!

While the idea of a white Christmas is romantic and conjures up nostalgia of Christmases past huddled by the fireplace, when you get dealt a 70 degree Christmas week, make the best of it!

This time of year landscapes can begin to look a bit ragged with leaf debris, old growth in planting beds and worn out mulch.

If we are not going to have a nice blanket of snow to cover it all up, this is a good time to get a clean-up and mulch install to get your property looking good for the Holiday Season.  Besides aesthetics, this mulch will also help insulate your plants roots if or when the weather actually becomes wintery. 

There is a common misconception that grass stops growing after the summer months, with the cooling weather. On the contrary, the vast majority of grass in Annapolis is in fact "cool season grass", mainly tall fescue, and will accelerate growth from September through November. With the recent warm weather and rainfall I have seen more growth in the last couple weeks that almost any other time this year. In addition to maintaining a healthy grass height, mowing in November is an easy way to keep your lawn clear of heavy wet leaves that can suffocate and in time kill your grass.  

Jon's Lawns will work with you to set up a mowing schedule to suit your needs and budget, but we always encourage our customers to choose to keep their grass at the ideal height depending on the season and to keep their yards clear of leaves and debris. Mow on!

Much of the work that Jon's Lawns of Annapolis does would fall into the "lawn maintenance" category, meaning taking care of what is already there. Maintenance can include proper mowing schedule and mowing heights, fertilizer and weed control applications, aeration and more.  Most of our established and healthy lawns that are on Lawn Health and Mowing Service programs only need these regular inputs over the course of the year to remain healthy and look great.

Occasionally we come across a lawn where a maintenance program is not enough. Often these are new customers that are fed up with their yard full of weeds, or a particularly harsh summer has taken its toll. Sometimes a new neighbor has just moved into their new home and is overwhelmed by the poor shape that their new yard is in. Regardless of how the lawn got to the state it is in, there comes a time when a lawn must be completely rebuilt from the roots up. 

The first step in rebuilding the lawn is "clearing the canvas". This is often a combination of chemicals to kill the deep rooted weeds and often mismatched grasses. Then mechanical means can be used to remove all of the excess, dead debris.

Next we will aerate the soil to loosen it and create a surface that is ideal for grass growth. The soil is then fertilized so that the seedling will be fed and the seed is then added.

Many lawns benefit from a layer of compost over the new seed. This will both help keep the seed damp so that it can germinate, as well as work its way into the soil adding an important organic element to the soil structure. Below piles are distributed before being spread uniformly across the surface.

One month later, we have a very nicely re-built tall fescue lawn that will look great for years to come. You may notice the sprinklers on either side of the yard. This customer did a great job keeping the surface wet which is the most critical step. We look forward to simply "maintaining" this new grass in 2016!

Jon's Lawns of Annapolis is fully licensed as a fertilizer and weed control applicator through the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Fertilizer and weed control are important pieces lawn care to achieve the healthiest and strongest lawn possible. These licenses are regulated with good reason. Fertilizer and weed control products must be applied at the right time, during the correct conditions, with the proper calibrated equipment, and in the appropriate amount. Being careless in any of those variables could cause damage to lawns or the environment.

Here at Jon's Lawns of Annapolis it is important to run a tight ship and we take pride in doing things the right way. This past winter we passed our pesticide (weed control) inspection with flying colors and just this past week scored 100% on our fertilizer evaluation. 

This Jon's Lawns customer is a part of our LawnStrong program and chose to have this unused garden at the back of their property reclaimed and returned to be part of their lawn. We started this project by killing and clearing the weeds and excess plant material.
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Then we leveled the ground, aerated, seeded, and fertilized. Our customer picked out a sapling to be placed at the center of the area.
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Three weeks later the new grass gets its first mow along with the entire lawn! The sapling is thriving and the yard is looking great.
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"Don't Give Up the Ship" is a well-known mantra of our US Navy. We were reminded of it today while passing this hydrangea. While most blooms were well past their prime for the season, one beautiful bloom simply will not give up. 

Pulling out onto Forest Drive this morning we were greeted by and driving towards a spectacular rainbow. Jon's Lawns is always interested in finding the lawn at the end of the rainbow. From the looks of it, we are heading to Eastport, Annapolis.

It was a tough summer for Annapolis grass this year.  From extreme moisture in June to extreme dryness in July and August, lawns were really put through the wringer. That makes us even more thankful for the fall season when cooler temperatures and adequate rain allow lawns to heal and grow stronger. At Jon's Lawns we value this time of year and take the time to get everyone's lawns looking their best.

One of the great perks of being in the lawn care business here in Annapolis is the phenomenal animals you see outdoors, both wild and domestic. 

Jon's Lawns works hard to make Annapolis lawns and properties look their best.  We encourage you to enjoy the outdoors and go outside of your property lines to take in all that Annapolis has to offer.  On this Sunday in July we took the opportunity to row out through our local waterway to the Bay and were amazed by the wildlife we saw. Osprey were flying high, crabs were beginning to run the sand bars (caught and released), deer were foraging and heron were stalking their next meal. A sight to see.

In 2014 Jon's Lawn took a half day to watch the Blue Angels in action.  It was AWEsome in the definition of the word. This year we had too much work to take time off. But when these guys fly over our yards while we work we pause to snap a pic. GO NAVY!

Jon's Lawns is happy to be servicing the Keyes Farm community starting this year.  The mulch install is complete and mowing starts this week.  Keyes Farms is in good hands with Jon's Lawns in 2015.

The growing season is underway in Annapolis so it is time to get outside and enjoy your yard!

The lawn pictured belongs to our newest and most excited customer. After admiring her neighbor’s lawn serviced by Jon’s Lawns last year she decided to do something about her own and spoke with Jon about getting on the 2015 service calendar. With its first fertilizer treatment, weed control application, and mow, this lawn is ready for some admirers of its own!

With spring finally upon us many Annapolitans are thinking about putting their houses up for sale.  This is bittersweet for Jon's Lawns as many have been great customers; while we will be sad to see them leave, we are happy to make their homes as attractive as possible prior to sale.  We believe the enhanced appearance is very important and can give your home that boost necessary to convince buyers to submit that offer.

After the coldest February in 81 years, Annapolis is thrilled with the thaw that mid-March has brought. There is always a mess hiding beneath the winter's snow and now is the time to get that cleaned up, refresh your mulch and apply your initial fertilizer application including a crabgrass pre-emergent control.

Now the leaf removal will have the lawn looking great for Thanksgiving.

This is the time to schedule a leaf removal to keep YOUR Annapolis lawn looking great through the Holidays.

This is the time of year to repair your lawn. Temperatures are ideal, there is adequate rain and the majority of weeds are on their way out.  A typical case is seen above.  Jon's Lawns transformed a lawn that was overridden with crabgrass into lush, tall-fescue lawn and the owners are very happy.  Some keys to the rejuvenation were using the highest quality seed, applying the best starter fertilizer, adding compost and employing a proper watering schedule.