Landscape Continuing Maintenance Maintenance Checklist

1 2344 Glenridge Road Cleveland OH 44117 (216) 371-1935 2006 Lawn Lad, Continuing MaintenanceMaintenance ChecklistLandscape Maintenance is arduous enough without having to drag it out all year. However, you can ease your ongoingmaintenance burden and improve your Landscape significantly by planning ahead and breaking up the work so that you donot become overburdened. Use this guide as a Checklist to help with your planning. Some of the tasks on this Checklist may not apply to your property,and for the sake of brevity we have not included many details about each item. Keeping a journal or record of the work you have done from year to year will help with planning for the following year. If you observe and record problem areas such as plants in the shade, or plants not getting enough water, these will be goodnotes to refer to in the fall when determining what needs to be done before the next year. Even if you ve only hired Lawn Lad to install your new Landscape and you intend to do the majority of the Maintenance yourself, you may call on Lawn Lad to assist you in your Maintenance work.

2 We can provide you with consultation on how to manage certain aspects of your Landscape as well provide the labor, material, equipment and knowledge to complete a particular task. Lawn Lad can work with you on an ongoing, continuousbasis or on as-needed, on-call basis. The Ohio State University Extension Service also provides excellent information that can help to answer your more detailedquestions about your Landscape . The Web site is an in-depth resource, providing answers to many of your questions. You can find the Web site at :LC: Lawn care includes fertilizing, lime and pest control , aerating and de-thatching (verti-cutting) the grass. PB: Planted Beds require weeding, spade edging, mulching, pruning for Landscape plants, perennial and annualplant Maintenance , water, fertilizingTS: Trees and shrubs require watering,fertilizing, pest control applications and pruningHS: Hard-scapes include service to irrigation systems, water features, Landscape lighting, deck, fence and arbor structures.

3 It also includes patiomaintenance ( power washing, sweeping new sand into joints, sealing) as well tuck pointing or mortar repair. O: Other Maintenance items might include cleaning out catch basins,window wells, and maintaining gardentools and equipment. 2344 Glenridge Road Cleveland OH 44117 (216) 371-1935 2006 Lawn Lad, up any debris from winter stormsFEBRUARYD ormant pruning to rejuvenate plants and trees as needed to raise undercarriageApply lime to the lawn if needed, based on soil testApply dormant oil to shrubs to reduce potential insect damage during spring and summer monthsCut down ornamental grasses when they becomemessy and unkempt lookingFinalize plans for spring landscaping projectsMARCHIf weather breaks - begin spring clean up choresAPRILD ethatch/verti-cut lawn if turf is dryComplete spring clean up - remove all leaves, sticksand debris from the landscapeClean catch basins, window wells and other drainagein the landscapeApply 1st round turf fertilizer with crabgrass pre-emergent before forsythia finishes bloomingSpot seed thin or bare lawn areas.

4 Do not use crab-grass pre-emergent if there is a lot of seeding to bedone. Or you can top-dress lawn areas to be seededif pre-emergent has been applied. Water seed to supplement rain mowing lawn as conditions require, removingno more than 1/3 of the grass plant at a timeFertilize tulips while blooming and after all other spring bulbs late in bloom beds for season by reestablishing bed edgesand light cultivation in open bed areas and top dressif desiredApply pre-emergent to bedsPerennials can be planted, divided and transplantedwhen the soil is not overly wetPlant spring pansies for colorFertilize ornamental planting beds with slow releasefertilizerFertilize ground cover bedsBegin monitoring Landscape for pests - watch theGrowing Degree Days Phenological chart for tips onwhat pests to look for and whenReset automatic timers on outdoor lighting whenDaylight Savings Time begins on the first Sunday of AprilTurn on irrigation systems after April 15th, check tomake sure all zones/head are operating properlyCheck outdoor lighting and replace bulbs as necessary.

5 Check fixtures for damageCheck hardscapes for damage from winter weather,schedule/make repairs as necessaryJanuary April ChecklistNOTES/INSTRUCTIONS2344 Glenridge Road Cleveland OH 44117 (216) 371-1935 2006 Lawn Lad, mowing the lawn - mowing as frequently asnecessary, perhaps more than once per weekSpray selective herbicide in the lawn for weed controlwhile temperatures are cooler and weeds are activelygrowingAerate the lawn and over-seed as necessaryFertilize perennials when plants are no larger than 2- 3 in height (and again in 8 weeks)Apply second fertilizer application around Memorial DayPrepare annual flower beds and install summer annuals after the third week of May, before June 15thBegin weeding the beds as neededShear privet, boxwood and other hedging plants as neededApply a preventative season long grub control appli-cation to the lawn ( Merit) around Memorial DayBegin watering the Landscape before temperaturesrise. It takes 1/4 as much water to keep a lawn greenthan to turn it green again after it goes dormant.

6 Prepare and plant vegetable gardensFill water features after May 1st as necessaryJUNEC ontinue mowing the lawn, raise the mower height toat least going into the drier part of the seasonDiscontinue the use of selective herbicides on thelawn after temperatures are in the mid 80 sFertilize summer annuals with Miracle Grow orPeter's Plant FoodMulch flower and ornamental beds when the soilbecomes drierBegin staking, pinching back and dead heading perennials as neededBegin Maintenance pruning ornamental plants as needed to retain size, shape and structureBegin planning fall Landscape projectsJULYC ontinue mowing the lawn, skipping scheduled mowings if the lawn is not growing or is excessively dryApply third fertilizer application to lawn around July 4th holidayFertilize perennials for second and final time during the season as needed/desiredWater perennial and ornamental beds periodicallywith long, slow deep waterings to soak the water deep into the soilPrune (and/or deadhead) azaleas and rhododendronsafter blooming, prior to July 4thAUGUSTC ontinue mowing the lawn as needed.

7 Do not mowthe lawn if there is a droughtShear/prune plants as neededContinue watering perennial and ornamental beds as needed Dethatch/verti-cut lawn if there is excessive thatch (over 1/2 ) when temperatures are below 80 degrees FInstall new grass seed after the third week of AugustBegin thinking about and planning for next year s Landscape projectsMay August ChecklistNOTES/INSTRUCTIONS2344 Glenridge Road Cleveland OH 44117 (216) 371-1935 Lawn Lad, fourth fertilizer application to lawn after LaborDay holidayApply selective herbicides to the turf again to removeunwanted weedsInstall fall annual color by mid September (removesummer annual flowers if replacing with fall color)Aerate the lawn (second time of season) and over-seed lawn as neededShear/prune plants for last time of the season by September 15th at the latestOCTOBERCTOBERC ontinue with regular lawn mowings through themonth. As the temperature drops lawn mowingheight can be lowered to about Fall clean up - remove all leaf, plant debris, particularly diseased plant parts from the garden and dispose of them off siteInstall mulch around tender perennials and plantsthat need extra insulation during the winterWater Landscape plants well until the Landscape is frozenDig and store tender perennials, tubers and summer bulbsDivide perennials, reduce unwanted plants in bedsTop dress perennial beds with composted soilPrune back roses and cover root flares/trunks with mulchTouch up bed edges for clean look through the winterBlow out irrigation systems, drain pipesInstall spring flowering bulbs by end of the monthSpray anti-desiccant on plants, particularly broad-leaved evergreens, that are exposed to winter windsFertilize trees and shrubs using balanced fertilizerTurf off water to exterior sources by October 15thDrain and winterize water features (as necessary)

8 By October 15thInspect outdoor lighting, replace bulbs if necessaryReset automatic timers on outdoor lighting whenDaylight Savings Time ends on the last Sunday of OctoberClean out ponds removing leaves and fish, fall is the least stressful time of year to clean out your to cut the grass until it stops growing (afterair temperatures are consistently below 50 degrees F)Install winter snow fences and/or winter burlapscreening to protect plants from drying winds andsalt damage from streetsApply the fifth and last fertilizer application aroundthe middle of the month or before Thanksgiving; afterair temperatures are below 50 degrees FCut down perennial beds after several killing frosts,leave plants with winter interestClean up any remaining leaves in the landscapeClean catch basins, window wells and other drainagein the landscapeGet a soil sample for problem areas of the yard andsend to a soil lab for analysis to check soil pH andnutrient levelsDrain and put away hoses and other gardening equip-ment for the winter.

9 Oil hand tools to keep lubricatedand prevent rustDECEMBERERR emove fall annual flowers after declineClean up remaining leaves in the landscapeSeptember December ChecklistNOTES/INSTRUCTIONS