RI Landscaper 855RILAWNS

Landscaper Serving Southern Rhode Island Since 2001

October is For Organizing!

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Fall is here and I don’t know about you but I’d like a few things organized before it gets too cold (and I get too lazy). I know so many of us are working from home these days so a bit of decluttering might make the day go by a bit easier.

  • Get rid of clothes you no longer wear or need.  This seems like an obvious one but how many of us have a closet full of things we haven’t worn in years? If an item is damaged or stained, use it as a cleaning rag. If there’s still life in it, donate! Someone else will love it just as much as you once did.
  • Once you’ve whittled down your wardrobe, it’s time to organize that closet. Put like clothes together by season with your fall/winter clothes front and center. If you don’t have a shoe rack, move your sandals and lightweight shoes to the back and put your boots and the like where you can easily reach them (or get a little shoe rack near the front door). 
  • Working from home? Don’t forget to organize your work space. Have everything you need handy so you don’t have to search high and low for paper and a pen. Is your chair comfortable? Is your laptop at a comfortable level? Invest now on something both stylish and functional to make your days go smoother. 
  • Check out your wood stove or fireplace. Empty any leftover ash and clean the exteriors with a commercial grade cleaner meant specifically for your stove. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, call a chimney sweep to perform maintenance (yes, there are still chimney sweeps!). Order firewood now!
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  • Your car should be checked out now. Make sure you have your vehicle winterized by a professional. How’s the battery? Do you need snow tires? When was the last time you had the system flushed? Make an appointment with your mechanic now. Have you neglected the interior over the summer? Time to get rid of any garbage, vacuum and clean it (or better yet, take it to be professionally detailed!). Support your small businesses now.
  • Get your rakes and blowers ready! The leaves will be falling soon so you’ll want to have everything ready to go if you’re going to do your own fall cleanup. Rather not deal with it yourself? Let our professional crews take care of it for you! This service is a great way to prepare your lawn and property for the winter season.
Fall Cleanups RI

Do you have some favorite organizing tips? Share them!

WHAT’S ‘SUP, SEPTEMBER?

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Back with another blog post! Hoping you and yours are doing well during these very strange days. We’re going to take this time to fill you in on our summer and what the fabulous crews at 855-RILAWNS have been up to for the last couple months.

The mow crews continue to crush it each and every day, despite the many heat waves we have had here in Southern New England. We know we are lucky to have such dependable men working for us and would like to give a shout out to them all!

The gardening crews have been plugging away each and every day, weeding, planting and trimming at so many of your beautiful properties. The gardening promo that we ran was such a hit we extended it into August and so many new gardening customers were amazed by what the crews could do in just a few hours! 

BEFORE
AFTER

Did you know we do deck repairs? Along with power-washing, 855-RILAWNS can repair or replace existing decking and paint it to look new. Would you like to plant some bushes or perennials around your deck? We have gardeners with great ideas to make your property look the best it can be (you’d be surprised what a little mulch and a few plants can do!)

NEW BOARDS, NEW LIGHTS AND NEW PAINT JOB!

The cooler nights mean it’s time to seed and aerate your lawn. We often forget about doing anything to the grass until spring but this really is the absolute best time to seed. If you want to have the healthiest lawn, 855-RILAWNS is the company to call. All the details of our fertilizing program may be found here.

How are your veggie gardens holding up? It certainly has been a tough year with the heat and a water ban in much of the area. When it’s time to clean up the garden, we have some previous blog posts that might help you. Would you rather have someone come in and clear it out for you? Our gardeners can make fast work of it. If you’re looking for ideas for new raised beds for next year, reach out! We would be happy to set them up for you.

Fall is only a few weeks away. Enjoy the last days of summer!

A LONG WINTER’S NAP

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As we prepare for our shutdown for the season, we have a few last minute tips for you and your lawn.

Make sure you remove the leaves from your grass! We can’t stress this point enough. Leaves that are left on the property not only invite diseases like snow mold and brown patch, but critters tend to make their homes in them. If you need help with your cleanup, call us!


ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL CLEANUP BY THE 855-RILAWNS CREWS

Shut down your sprinklers. Have your irrigation system drained by a professional so you’ll be ready for spring. If you have hoses, make sure to drain and coil them for storage.

Check your gutters and downspouts. Make sure all are clear to prevent overflow and roof damage. Don’t feel comfortable on that ladder? We have the tools to make the job quick and easy.

Don’t forget the birds! Fill your feeders and take care of our feathered friends. Drain your birdbath to prevent damage or consider a heated model so they have water all winter long.

Mark your lawn to avoid plow damage. When we have a heavy snow (and we always have one!) we can’t always tell where the lawn ends and the driveway begins. If you have the area plowed or even use a snowblower, consider adding stakes to avoid tearing up the grass. If the ground is frozen, use a hammer to drive a screwdriver into the area to create a pilot hole.

Consider buying a generator. We were very lucky this hurricane season but winter storms can bring power outages as well. If you have electric heat it is vital to have a backup plan. If you have a generator, test it!

Be especially careful with fire. Do you have a fireplace or wood stove? Make sure you empty the ash in a proper ash can and move outside, far from your home. To be safe, assume there are smoldering embers in that ash can and place in a clear area of your yard. Keep away from dried leaves and firewood.

Thank you from all of us. We are so grateful for all our customers and look forward to working with you in 2020!

Sustainable Leaf Composting

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Ever wondered what happens to all those leaves we haul away? We at 855-RI-LAWNS are incredibly proud and happy to partner with Earth Care Farm to ensure that this organic material is used sustainably to produce compost. Earth Care Farm reroutes tons of leaves, wood chips, food scraps, and coffee grinds which would normally end up sitting in a landfill somewhere and turn it all into nutrient rich compost. It is this very compost that we use whenever we do soil amendments or lawn renovations! They are Rhode Island’s oldest operating farm composter and are a vital member in our community. The service they provide not only redirects items typically sent to a landfill but it also gives homeowners a better option than the pollution laden method of burning leaves. 

 

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We know it can be tempting to rake all those leaves into a heaping pile and burn them, but, while it might be fun for kids especially, it is not a sustainable solution to yard waste. Rather than returning the beneficial organic matter back to the earth in the form of nutrient rich compost, you release harmful toxins and pollution into the air. According to ecologist, Luke Curtis,

Burning a ton of leaves will produce about 117 pounds of carbon monoxide, 41 pounds of particulates (most of them smaller than 10 microns and easily absorbed in the lungs), and at least seven highly carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

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The Washington State Department of Ecology notes that smoke from burning yard waste can be just as harmful as cigarette smoke. Yikes. Burning leaves was a fun pastime, but so was riding in the car without a seatbelt or a carseat. We know better now, so we owe it to our kids to do better.

Unfortunately, it’s also not as simple as letting all those leaves decompose on their own in your flower beds. We talked about this in a blog post a couple years back. Fallen leaves will hold up to five times their weight in water, rivaling even peat moss in water retention levels. Since they retain so much water, these leaves will increase acidity levels and can smother and promote fungal diseases in the lawn underneath. You could pile it all up in the backyard somewhere and wait for the magic to happen, but the resulting dirt will not be the black gold that Earth Care Farm produces.

 

They have been turning organic waste into compost since 1977! The process has been fine tuned over all those years and the resulting compost speaks for itself. The care they take in their process is evident and described here:

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All ingredients are mixed and turned in an aerobically-managed compost process on our farm. We compost the blended ingredients for approximately 1 year to ensure a well cured and finished product. The final production step is the screening of our finished compost to a particle size of 1/2″ or less.  The screened compost then cures an additional 6 months, resulting in a final product that is approximately 18 months old. 

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With such a meticulous and lengthy process, it’s easy to understand how leaves, food scraps, coffee grinds, animal manure, wood shavings, etc could become the fine, rich soil that it does. We know first hand the benefits that this compost provides when used on lawns and gardens. That’s why we use it in our lawn renovations, organic fertilization program, and whenever we amend soil. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful farm in our community and we are happy support them as a business, vital community members, and environmental stewards.

Equipment Winterization

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There are many benefits to winterizing your equipment this season.

Cold weather woes can mean hard starts for equipment that must keep operating. And winter’s woes can continue producing unseen damage to equipment you’re storing until spring’s arrival.

Before you put all of your equipment away for winter storage or use, take the time to prepare all systems to withstand the cold winter months.

How to Winterize Lawn and Garden Power Equipment

Power equipment, such as lawn mowers, tillers, and chippers require additional winter preparations. Always refer to the owner’s manual for specific information. However, in general, the following steps can be taken to winterize lawnmowers.

Wipe the equipment to remove collected grease, dirt, and plant material. Theoretically, this should be done after each use. Tighten loose screws and nuts.

Sharpen cutting edges and wipe with an oily rag if this wasn’t done earlier. If your equipment has a four-cycle engine, change the oil by following instructions listed in your owner’s manual.

Remove all gasoline from the tank by running the engine until it stops or remove most of the gasoline with a meat baster and run it until it stops. Remove the spark plug and squirt a little oil into the cylinder head. Give the engine a turn or two to coat the cylinder walls with oil, and then replace the plug.

Two-cycle engines, or engines that run with a gas and oil mixture, also should have the oil-gas mixture removed for the winter. Run the engine with the choke open to remove fuel from the lines. Check the spark plug and replace if it is worn. Replace other worn or damaged parts as well.

Avoid storing gasoline over the winter. Old gasoline does not ignite easily, making the machines using it work harder.


6 STEPS TO WINTERIZE EQUIPMENT

Winterizing equipment can save you time when you need it most during busy seasons and can reduce the expense of repairs, says Mark Hanna, Iowa State University Extension. “It’s a lot easier to take care of things when you have extra time during the off season,” he adds.

1. Run winter fuel
If you’re running diesel equipment, it’s time to switch from #2 diesel to #1. Your dealer has already changed the blend with the weather, so the only time this becomes a real issue is if you’ve had a tractor sitting around since August or September. “You may have problems with fuel gelling if you still have #2 diesel left in there,” says Hanna: #1 diesel fuel has a lower cloud point, so it gels at a lower temperature than #2 diesel. However, #2 diesel has more energy content per gallon, which is why you run it most of the year.

If you have smaller gasoline engines on the farm, you also want to make sure you have a winter blend in this equipment.

2. Check fluids
Make sure the engine coolant will work for your expected winter temperatures. On smaller outdoor equipment, you may need to go to a lighter weight oil. Check your operator’s manual to see the recommendation.

You should also top off fuel and hydraulic oil tanks. Condensation in the spring can cause water to enter tanks if they aren’t full.

3. Charge or disconnect batteries
For batteries, you have two options. Either keep the batteries as fully charged as possible – a good idea if you may need to use that piece of equipment this winter. Or disconnect the battery. “If the battery is fully charged and you maintain that charge, you are probably OK that way,” advises Hanna. “If the battery is on a piece of equipment you aren’t going to use much this winter, then disconnect the battery so you don’t have a leak.”

4. Store DEF in original container
If you have diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) in a fuel trailer or delivery tote and the equipment could be exposed to freezing temperatures, you need to winterize the system. DEF freezes at 12°F. and expands by 7%, which can damage the pump, plumbing, and tank unless you remove all of the fluid. Thunder Creek Equipment recommends a four-step approach to protect your equipment.

First of all, empty the DEF tank. The easiest way to do this is to top off equipment. Let the nozzle run dry for 30 seconds to make sure all of the fluid is out. Second, set the valve to fill, turn the pump on, and squeeze nozzle for 30 seconds. Next, remove any DEF remaining in the coupler. Last, test the nozzle. Pull the nozzle up and pull the connector. Only a few drops should come out. If you have more than that, you should repeat all four steps.

At this point, any fluid in the pumping system will be in the bottom of the tank. This is all right for transport totes, but trailers will need to be drained. To do this, simply remove the drain plug on the tank, let fluid out, and then replace plug. If you need to use DEF during the winter, heating systems are available.

The good news is that SCR systems and DEF tanks on diesel-powered equipment don’t require any steps to winterize. When the machine is turned off, the system purges the fluid paths, injectors, and pumps so DEF is only in the on-board tank. If the fluid does freeze, these tanks are built to withstand expansion. The systems also have heaters so when the engine starts, any frozen DEF is thawed before the SCR system engages.

5. Clean equipment
It’s probably too late for a good power washing, unless you have a heated place to wash, but you need to make sure that plant debris and dirt are cleaned off equipment. “Plant debris tends to draw and hold moisture,” says Hanna. “If it’s in close proximity to steel, you are just helping things rust a little faster.”

Keeping equipment clean will also help keep pests away, particularly from wiring. Hanna recommends taking the time now to vacuum and clean out combine cabs and make sure planters are clean. “A good thorough cleaning now can save you potential repair costs later on,” adds Hanna.

6. Take time to repair
“When harvest season was done, you were probably glad to get the last load in and get the combine put in the shed,” says Hanna. “You had 15 other tasks in front of you at the time. Now may be a good time to go back and spend an hour or two looking the combine over and seeing what may need some attention before harvest season next year.”

Inspect your combine, tillage equipment, planters, and sprayers. Look at the frame and structure to see if there are broken welds or anything that needs to be fixed. Are the planter closing wheels out of alignment? Do you have any wear points on your tillage equipment? Do you have any loose bolts? Does the equipment need lubrication? “The reason you’re looking over the equipment is that it’s a good time to make some notes on what needs attention during the next three to four months before spring fieldwork season begins,” says Hanna. In other words, take advantage of the extra time you have now, and get your equipment ready to go.