Lawn Care & Landscape Blog

Your lawn needs many services to stay healthy, including regular fertilization and weed control treatments to make sure it gets the right nutrients and has the strength to fend off weed invasions.

But those nutrients don’t need to just reach the grass. They need to be able to get down into the soil as well, so that the roots can soak up all of the benefits. In order for this to happen, you need soil that doesn’t have built-up thatch blocking that access. This is done through a process known as core aeration.

If you’re a homeowner or business owner in Cheektowaga, Lancaster, West Seneca, or surrounding New York areas, read to learn more about this much-needed practice and how your lawn benefits from aeration.

What Exactly Is Core Aeration & What Does it Do?

Core aeration involves using an aerator machine to punch small holes into your lawn. This process gives light, air, water, and nutrients the chance to reach further into the soil and down to the roots of your grass. By performing aeration, you give your lawn roots the chance to grow a deeper foundation and create an overall stronger lawn.

Aeration also helps to alleviate compacted soil and thatch build-up. Compacted soil is a big problem when it comes to lawn health. When soil is compacted, it means that it’s been packed down too tightly and doesn’t allow for nutrients to break through. Thatch is when organic lawn debris builds up on top of your soil and...

When you’re faced with a lawn that needs to be revitalized, there are a couple of options to consider—laying down sod or adding grass seed. Grass seed is available in many different types and helps with adding more grass to areas that have thinned out or grow a new lawn in a few years, while sod is an option that creates an instantly green lawn.

Both options have their pros and cons. If you’re looking to repair your lawn at your residential or commercial property located in Cheektowaga, Lancaster, West Seneca, and the surrounding New York communities, here are some factors to look at when you’re considering sod vs. seeding.

Soil Preparation Is Key for Both Sod & Grass Seed

No matter which option you choose, both need healthy soil in order to grow to their best health conditions. If soil isn’t up to par, the grass growth will suffer. At Buffalo Lawn & Pest Services, we can send out our professionals who are trained to assess soil quality and conditions. They can recommend the best ways to get your soil balanced before seed or sod is put down.

Pros of Sod Include Instantly Green Lawn, Erosion Control, Quick Turnaround Time, & More

When sod is installed at your property, you end up with a lawn that instantly looks green. It establishes itself quickly and can begin to control any soil erosion issues that you may have. Sod is also already grown to be strong, so it can fight off weed growth and help prevent those from taking...

The exterior of your property is the first thing that visitors and guests see—so making a good impression on them is important, right? If your lawn is riddled with weeds and looks unsightly, then that’s probably not going to help much with that good impression.

Weeds can plague your yard and soil to the point of killing off plants and grass as they choke them out and steal valuable resources like light and air. Read for reasons why you should use weed control and the benefits of a regular weed control treatment schedule in Cheektowaga, Lancaster, West Seneca, and surrounding areas in New York.

Getting Rid of Weeds Gives Back Valuable Nutrients, Light, & Air to Your Trees, Plants, & Grass

Weeds tend to grow much more quickly than landscape plants, trees, and grass. This means your plants lose the race to needed nutrients like potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus as well as light, air, and water as the weeds grow and choke them out.

Losing these nutrients makes your plants weaker and more susceptible to diseases and insect infestations. Weeds can also leave an imbalance of nutrients in the soil which can affect the growth of your trees, plants, and grass.

Keeping Weeds Out of Your Yard Benefits Your Children & Household Pets

Removing weeds from your yard can help to create a safer outdoor environment for your...

There are many types of pests that can plague your yard and cause irreparable damage to your grass in Cheektowaga, Lancaster, West Seneca, and other nearby areas in New York.

One such pest that can cause vast amounts of damage if left untreated is the grub or white grub. Grubs are larvae from different species of beetles such as Japanese beetles and junebugs and usually hatch sometime in the summer, about two weeks after the beetles lay eggs in your yard.

The Life Cycle of a White Grub

Most white grubs, except the junebug, have a life cycle of one year. Junebugs have a three-year life cycle.

• Egg Stage: Adult beetles burrow into the soil to lay their eggs, usually between June and August. These eggs will generally hatch in about two weeks.
• Larvae Stage: After hatching, grubs start to eat the grass roots. They’ll continue to grow and as they do, they eat more and more of your grass. This is when grass damage starts to become visible and animals begin digging in your yard.
• Pupae Stage: Eventually, the larvae will turn into pupae, where they will stay for several weeks until they become an adult beetle.
• Adult Beetle: Adult beetles will then come out, spend about 2-3 weeks mating, and lay eggs to start the process all over again.

What Are the Signs of Grub Worm Infestation?

If you start to see dead patches in your grass as your grass begins to green up from the winter dormancy, it’s possible there could be a grub...

Common pests including mosquitoes, ants, fleas, ticks, wasps, and spiders can do more than make your skin crawl--they can spread disease and harm your precious landscaping.

An organized, professional approach is the most effective method to make sure your family members are the only long term residents on your property. Working to keep common pests out of your yard helps to prevent health issues and damage to your property.

Diseases & Illnesses Spread by Mosquitoes Can Cause Fever, Muscle Pain, & Other Complications

It may be humorous to see a person flinch and swat a mosquito, but the illnesses these bloodsuckers can carry are no laughing matter. Mosquitoes make direct contact with the blood of humans and animals, making them the perfect carrier of diseases. The diseases they carry include West Nile Virus, Zika, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis which cause symptoms like fever, muscle pain, vomiting, and other complications. 

Flea Infestations Can Lead to Serious Health Concerns, Especially in Pets

Fleas are another insect that affects both humans and animals. Once a flea infestation has gotten out of control, it’s extremely challenging to clear. It’s important to take a methodical approach to rid your lawn of any trouble before it festers. Regularly scheduled flea...

Imagine stepping outside to enjoy a nice evening out on your patio in Cheektowaga, Lancaster, West Seneca, or the surrounding areas in New York. By installing hardscaping elements in your yard, you can!

Hardscaping is defined as the manmade features in a yard, like patios, walls, fire pits, outdoor kitchens, and more. When you combine that with softscaping—the plants, flowers, shrubs, and other organic plant matter—in your yard, you get landscaping.

Hardscapes can not only improve your curb appeal, but they can also increase your property value. There are many reasons you should add hardscaping to your property.

Retaining & Seating Walls Help Prevent Erosion and Add Usable Space to Your Property

When retaining walls are installed, they can raise planting beds and help to prevent soil from eroding away in a rainstorm. They can also help level out hills on your property to create usable space where grass and other plants can begin to grow. By adding matching seating walls, you can create seating in your outdoor living space for friends and family to enjoy the outdoors at any time.

Decorative Driveways Boost Curb Appeal

Many driveways look generic because they’re made from plain concrete or pavement. With a decorative driveway that is made from concrete pavers or brick, your property can stand out among the others in your neighborhood. At Buffalo Lawn & Pest Services, we can install a decorative driveway that matches the...

There is a lot that goes into getting your lawn ready for the high-traffic months of spring and summer in Cheektowaga, Lancaster, West Seneca, NY and the surrounding areas. To withstand all the activity between mowing, kids running around, and entertaining guests, your grass needs to be fortified with various things like fertilizer, weed control, and insect control.

Getting your lawn ready for the year is a big task that involves many aspects but one of the most important things you can do in the spring is to fertilize your lawn.

The Essential Nutrients Included in Fertilizer

Your lawn needs three essential nutrients to thrive: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Each nutrient fosters different things within your grass. Nitrogen is used all year long because it helps produce chlorophyll, which is needed for maximum photosynthesis. Phosphorus helps roots grow strong, so it’s used for new grass mostly. Potassium helps plants retain water as well as other nutrients.

All three play a different role and lawn care experts like Buffalo Lawn & Pest Services can help determine the best kinds of fertilizer to use based on the health of your grass and soil.

Applying Fertilizer in the Spring

Overall, your yard should receive six treatments a year. Two of those should happen in the...

It’s almost spring--and that means it’s time to start thinking about all that time you’ll be spending out on your lawn this year! From recreation to relaxation, your grass will be hosting many activities throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

But if your lawn isn’t looking its greatest, you may feel unsure about spending so much time on it. If you want to get your lawn looking its best, working with a trusted lawn care professional like Buffalo Lawn & Pest Services is a great way to do it. We have our own lawn maintenance plan created with lawns just like yours in mind.

Here’s how we keep your lawn looking great all through the year.

Implement a Regular Fertilization, Weed Control, & Insect Control Schedule

One of the most important things you can do for your grass health is to regularly give it the nutrients it craves. With our We Mean Green program, your lawn receives six treatments during the year. These treatments include:

• Fertilizer
• Pre-emergent and Post-emergent Weed Control
• Insect Control

Spring is the perfect time to start lawn care maintenance, as our first treatment is applied in early spring with fertilizer and pre-emergent weed control. In late spring, the grass gets another treatment with slow-release fertilizer to encourage strong growth, as well as more weed control if necessary.

In early and late summer, more treatments are applied to fortify the grass. Our early fall treatment prepares the turf for winter...

We would like to announce our new website has been launched! We are very excited about new and existing customers being able to find us online, learn about our services and get in contact with us.

Come back often for great lawn care and landscaping information!

Part of our new website is a blog that we'll be utilizing to provide you with lawn care tips, reminders and other great lawn and landscaping information. We encourage you to join in and comment on our posts with your questions, opinions and requests.

The new site will continue to grow!

Since we just launched the website, there are many things we'll be adding into the future. When you see or talk to us, let us know what you think! Your feedback is important as we strive to offer the best lawn service possible.