HeartScapes Lawn Care

03/25/2026

Scale has been taking over hollies. If you have been noticing a black powder on your holly, it is sooty mold. Sooty mold is created by the honey dew secreted by bugs that suck the sap from plants. In this case the insects are called Scale.

Scale can be dealt with by selective pruning to introduce more sunlight to the middle of the plants, or by using an insecticide like Sevin. I prefer the dust after the plant has been moistened to ensure good contact.

05/02/2023

Dear Heartscapes customers,

Grass is in turbo mode this time of year. I am currently mulching customer's flower beds and cutting lawns in between.

Please feel free to reach out if you would like to make sure the lawns look nice for an event that you might have. Just let me know and I will make sure it gets done.

Thank you all for your patience!

09/08/2022

Don't go crazy dethatching your lawn just yet. If you have ever seen The Princess Bride, you will understand that the grass was just "mostly dead) ~Miracle Max. Our cool season grasses go dormant in hot weather. If the lawn was properly cared for beforehand, it will bounce back once cool weather and rain return. A couple more weeks and this lawn should be back to normal.

08/11/2022

This week's Drought Monitor report has been released and the drought has worsened.
Michelle Muscatello WPRI 's forecast is here: https://trib.al/7wkMgMu

08/11/2022

07/29/2022

“It’s been a dry season,” John Almeida said. “We can’t even get the corn to grow.”

06/20/2022

Important tip for this month's fertilizer application, W**d and Feed.

06/20/2022

Basic lawn fertilization schedule.

This month's lawn lovers tip is fertilization and pesticides schedule. With the exception of 2 applications of crabgrass prevention fertilizer in the spring and thatching or aeration in spring rather than fall, this is a guideline for lawn fertilizer and pesticide applications from the URI Master Gardener Program. Remember your landscaper MUST be licensed to apply fertilizer or pesticides and the license holder MUST be present when fertilizer /pesticides are being applied! Happy mowing!

05/11/2022

“Climate Change, Drought, and Demographics are Changing the way Lawn Care is Approached”

Recent hot, dry summers have resulted in watering restrictions in many towns, leaving lawns brown and stressed and prompting calls to URI from homeowners asking what they can do to counteract the effects of drought. University of Rhode Island Professor Bridget Ruemmele is an expert in turfgrass science, and shares some of what she knows in this recent ecoRI article:
https://ecori.org/climate-change-drought-demographics-are-changing-the-way-lawns-and-lawn-care-are-approached/
Photo courtesy of Chippers

02/18/2022

I understand that leaf blowers are a noisy part of leaf cleaning. I am sympathetic to neighbors who want to sleep in on a Saturday but get woken up to the sound of leaf blowers. I sincerely apologize if that has happened to you.

There is a proposed law to ban leaf blowers by 2024. I personally do not think that is a feasible date. I would absolutely love to be able to switch my machinery over to electric power, but the technology just is not there yet for commercial use. In the link posted below, the gentleman says that transitioning to electric blowers will only be a few dollar increase to the customer. I do not believe that is accurate. At a minimum, it takes a crew of 2-3 people, 1 hour to do a leaf cleanup. The landscaping company would need 4-6 fully charged batteries to complete one job. Another 4-6 batteries for the next job and that's only if there is a fast charging device for the batteries. If not, then the company would need 16-24 batteries at a minimum! In order to charge the batteries, the landscaping company will need to keep their vehicle running to charge the batteries, therefore emitting more emissions and costing more fuel.

Batteries are the most expensive part of any cordless device. With the need for so many batteries for a single day's work, costs to the homeowner are going to be outrageous. Yes, we could use a rake to clean the leaves, but that will increase the hours on the job, in turn raising the homeowner's bill.

I am all for electric powered machinery! I can't wait until the technology is ready for commercial use! We are just not there yet. 😔

https://turnto10.com/news/local/proposed-legislation-banning-gas-powered-leaf-blower-in-rhode-island-providence-state-house-lawmakers?fbclid=IwAR3RFbcbrflcBFAInDw0XmJOOPpA0zjMQp48DoqCYcyDHva1ocmfPSGmoTU

Leaf blowers -- loved for how quickly they can clear a yard, sidewalks, or driveway, but hated for their noise and air pollution -- may be on the way out in Rhode Island. Proposed legislation would ban them outright in the Ocean State. As winter will soon turn to spring, that loud sound of leaf blow...

02/11/2022

Sure does feel like Spring!!! Crocuses might start showing their heads pretty soon if this weather holds up!

07/21/2021