Lawn, Tree, & Shrub Health
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Customer 2024

Newsletter Winter 2025

 Dear Customer:

Thank you for your continued patronage in 2025.  Since 1995 we have always appreciated the opportunity to continue to service your property care needs. 

We are a lawn fertilization company that also offers these additional services for our lawn care customers:

  • Core aeration - To control thatch, reduce compaction, and rejuvenate a thin lawn. We can also incorporate seeding with this service in August-October as needed/desired.

  • Seeding and renovation - for new lawns, repairing thin areas, and seeding entire areas where core aeration and seeding won’t be enough.

  • Tree & shrub care - feeding and treatment for insects and diseases.

  • Ornamental tree & shrub pruning - This includes pruning in the dormant season (winter) and hedge trimming/pruning of spring flowering plants in the summer.

  • Weed control in planting beds - to keep your planting beds weed-free.

  • Vegetation control - to control weeds in driveways, parking lots, walkways, patios, and other right of ways.  This includes the control of invasive species, which have become a serious problem in the past few years.

  • Tick and mosquito control - using minimum risk products.

  • Winter protection from deer feeding and foliar burn.

For more information on any of these services please go to www.greenwaynh.com.  Our website allows you to manage your account, add services, make payments, see your service history, and ask questions.

2024 brought more record heat and drought, which continued right through the fall. The first shock was the first heat wave of June 18-20. There were many lawns that browned out quickly after that. Drought stress was an issue for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, the drought continued right up through late November. We, at Green Way, adapted to the situation as we saw fit for the long term health of our lawns. We skipped many summer services because the lawns were too dry. Sometimes, doing nothing to a lawn is the best thing to do. Unfortunately, many of those same lawns required seeding to bring them back. We performed a record number of core aerations and overseedings in August through early October.

For this coming season: 

We want to clarify the need for one of our very popular services: Core aeration and seeding. Core aeration, by itself, is rarely a bad idea. It’s a great way to help a lawn recover from summer stress and prepare for seeding. Is core aeration always necessary, or even recommended, and is seeding always a good idea when we aerate? The answer, to both questions, is NO.

When is core aeration recommended?:

  • When the lawn is very thick and “springy” when you walk on it. This means that the thatch level is pretty thick. Core aeration can help control this. Seeding is not always necessary.

  • If the lawn has been damaged by drought, disease, insects, etc., and there are many burnt patches. This is a case where seeding is recommended. If the lawn is completely burnt out, then aeration and seeding might not be the best option. Slice seeding may be necessary.

  • If a lawn is thin and isn’t brand new. Aeration and seeding works well to thicken lawns that have some consistent grass coverage but could use more.

When is core aeration NOT recommended?:

  • If the lawn is consistent and there’s no thatch problem. If the lawn is recovering well from the summer, is thick and consistent, and without any apparent issues, core aeration really isn’t necessary. Your lawn will be just fine.

  • The lawn is brand new. A new lawn with immature grass is still pretty delicate. If a lawn is young, but coming in pretty consistently, it’s best not to risk the damage that the aerator can cause. Core aerators are heavy, powerful machines that can, effectively, rototill your new lawn. It’s best to wait a year before trying to aerate and seed unless you can tolerate damage to what you already have.

When is seeding not necessary when core aerating?:

  • When the lawn is already thick and consistent. If there are no bare patches, or burnt areas, larger than about 6” in diameter, then overseeding the entire lawn is a waste. Seed that doesn’t come in contact with mineral soil won’t germinate. That’s what happens when you seed over a thick, consistent lawn. It’s a waste of money.

  • Bare spots are few and less than 6” in diameter. Most lawns will refill those areas without any additional help. Core aerating already spurs new growth into bare spots without seeding. Seeding only a few spots, as needed, is a better option.

Recent experience is causing us to hesitate to offer the seeding option, with aeration, before we know what type of seed should be used and how much will be necessary. Overseeding a thick lawn with scattered patches will have far less seed requirement than a lawn that has been severely drought damaged. Bear in mind that when we overseed damaged areas, we also aerate those areas twice, which adds to the cost. Please reach out to us to see if seeding is desirable, or necessary, when we core aerate and how much and what type of seed will be needed. Only then can we give an accurate price.

We will start tree and shrub servicing in late March.  Lawn services will start no sooner than the first of April.   Our tick sprays, as well as our mosquito and tick control program, will start in mid-May.

We pride ourselves in offering QUALITY property care and a HIGH LEVEL of customer service.  As always, please contact us with any questions or concerns.

                                                                                                            - Thank You!