Spring Lawn Maintenance

by admin | May 12, 2023 | Lawn Maintenance Rockwall

Keep Your Home’s Lawn Beautiful without the Hassle

Your lawn, how it looks and is maintained says a lot about your property, which is why it can play a big role in its value. A healthy, well-maintained lawn not only looks good, but it can also help increase the value of your home. If maintaining the health and look of your lawn is a challenge, Millikan’s Irrigation & Lawn Maintenance can provide trustworthy landscape solutions that can help you have a beautiful lawn and yard too! .

We provide residential lawn maintenance and lawn care services, ranging from mowing to fertilization and more.

Why Are Lawn Maintenance Services Important?

It takes a lot of time and effort to keep a lawn looking good, but it’s worth it. After all, properties with well-manicured lawns enhance the neighborhood and say a lot about who resides in the home.

Here are some other reasons why proper lawn maintenance is so essential:

Boosts curb appeal.
Helps control pests and weeds.
Can help your lawn fight off diseases.
Creates a safer, better outdoor living space for you, your family, and pets.
Improves the look of the neighborhood.
It’s good for the environment (it acts as a natural air filtration system!).
Can help prevent issues in the future

However, not every homeowner can devote the energy and time it takes to maintain their lawn properly. When your lawn is neglected, your whole landscape suffers. If your yard looks out of control, the Milliken’s team specializes in maintaining your lawn. We also offer Spring clean-up service to help maintain the look of your home throughout the year.

Common Lawn Diseases

Factors such as dull mower blades and a poor irrigation system, and drainage can damage your lawn. Adding Milliken’s lawn maintenance services can help prevent lawn diseases from ruining the look of your yard. We use top-quality, safe, and reliable equipment that is maintained daily, so you’ll never have to worry about dull mower blades damaging your lawn. Our experts can also repair a poor irrigation system and fix drainage issues to ensure your lawn and the rest of your landscaping is getting just the right amount of water.

Here are some common lawn diseases we can help treat:

Brown patch
Dollar spot
Pink snow mold
Red thread

With regular lawn maintenance service, you can prevent these common lawn diseases from taking over and ruining your lawn. Want to learn more? Schedule an appointment to speak with our lawn care experts about the specific needs for your lawn. Visit our Weed Control services page.

Call Milliken’s Irrigation and Lawn Maintenance at (214) 478-6335 to request a free estimate. Our friendly professionals look forward to helping ensure the beauty of your lawn.

Fall Lawn Care Secrets

by admin | Nov 15, 2020 | Winterizing Your Lawn

Take advantage of cool fall weather to fertilize, control weeds, and improve the health and appearance of your yard. A little work now will pave the way for a lush, green carpet when temperatures warm up again in spring.

If a summer drought persists into autumn, considered watering your turf deeply a couple of times before freezing weather sets in. A couple of deep soaks, moistening the soil several inches, before the soil freezes helps the lawn transition to winter. Frequently the fall weather pattern will change and nature will provide the moisture for you. If you have to water, do so in the morning, when the winds are lighter, limiting evaporation.

If you are interested in a sprinkler system, we are a licensed lawn sprinkler company dedicated to creating the most efficient irrigation system for a healthy lawn. If you have an existing irrigation system, now is a great time for a service call to prepare for winter weather.

Fall is the best time to fertilize if you’ve overseeded your lawn with a cool season grass like ryegrass. It helps your lawn green up earlier and look better in spring.

Avoid fertilizing dormant warm-season grasses.

Creating a healthy, lush lawn is the best way to choke out those weeds. Focus on adding fertilizer to provide essential nutrients when needed. Smaller weeds usually will get shaded out when your lawn is in top shape. For larger weeds, call us for expert pre emergent lawn treatment.

Aeration improves drainage, reduces thatch, and loosens soil. Core aerators are the preferred type of aerators. They remove plugs of soil, or cores, breaking up thatch and improving soil structure. The cores are left on top of the turf and slowly break up depending on rain, mowing, and traffic on the turf. Aerate cool-season grasses in early fall and warm-season grasses in spring. First Response Lawn Care provides aeration services.

Early fall is an ideal time to reseed dead or thin patches in cool-season lawns. If you seed in autumn, you’ll have fewer weeds to deal with next year. And the seedlings will become established before stressful hot weather conditions arrive. A mulch product embedded with seed and fertilizer is a convenient way to fill the gaps. Be sure to prepare the soil bed with a rake before seeding and encourage quick germination by watering new seed regularly for a couple of weeks after application.

Summer Lawn Treatment

by admin | Aug 17, 2020 | lawn care heath texas

Wondering how to care for your lawn in the summer? We have all the lawn services to keep your lawn lush in the hot summer months.

To keep your lawn healthy all year round, hiring a professional lawn care company like First Response Lawn Care, is a sure bet. We are an industry leader and offer annual plans customized to different homeowners’ needs. To get a free quote, call us at (214) 701-7622.

We offer fertilization, mowing, sprinkler repair, aeration, lawn treatment, pest control and weed control.

If you act fast in the summer, you can kill established weeds before they can bloom and spread seeds. We use a targeted post-emergent herbicide designed to eliminate broadleaf weeds but leave your grass unharmed.

In late summer, you should let us provide top-notch mowing practices, keep your yard watered. and if you want to get a jumpstart on fall, we provide aeration and overseeding.

If you’re worried about keeping track of what to do for your lawn during the summer months, hiring a professional lawn care company like First Response Lawn Care will put your mind at ease!

Happy Lawn Happy Homeowner

by admin | Jul 14, 2020 | Lawn Aeration Rockwall, Lawn Care 101, Lawn Care Royse City, Lawn Diseases

When I think of lawns, I think of bare feet, slip-n-slides and four leaf clovers. I think of lawn chairs, cold lemonade, small children and puppies. I think about hammocks gently rocking in the wind and the click-click of a sprinkler. The scent of freshly cut grass is intoxicating and is the essence of summer.

This year’s erratic weather combining the rainstorms and heat waves with tropical-like humidity, has been brutal on lawns [as well as shrubs and trees]. The weather this season is causing many lawns to look like a teenager with acne–breaking out with random brown patches [which are actually a fungal growth]. Some lawns appear zombie-like, suffering from slime mold. Slime mold can also be found in landscape beds [where it looks like a yellow blob of dog vomit]. Dollar spot sounds like a good deal until you realize it is actually a fungal disease that makes your lawn look like a green shirt covered in bleach stains. Red thread sounds pretty until your lawn looks like a Christmas ornament.

However, all is not lost. There is time to repair the damage – and still enjoy your lawn. In fact, August is a great time to address the problems that are now evident in lawns, trees and shrubs.

Many times, lawn repair is all that is necessary to remedy any of the lawn issues. When disease has run rampant, however, re-seeding a lawn is likely the best remedy. The best time for re-seeding is generally August through October.

Another secret weapon to achieving a healthy lawn is aerification. Aeration is a method of loosening up compacted soil by removing plugs of soil, allowing water penetration and the exchange of air in the soil with fresh air and water. It also helps break up thatch and improves the uptake and utilization of fertilizer applications.

Keep your lawn happy and enjoy the memories you make this summer. If you need lawn care help, call us at 214-701-7622.

Firewood in Rockwall TX And Surrounding Areas

by admin | Nov 21, 2019 | Firewood Rockwall TX

Are you ready to enjoy the perfect fire?

We are now actively taking orders for firewood deliveries throughout Rockwall and North Dallas. First Response Lawn Care offers the best choice in reasonably priced premium oak firewood.

It’s that time of year when we’re stoking up the fire places and wood stoves to enjoy with family. First Response Lawn Care is proud to continue warming hearts and heating homes in Rockwall and its surrounding areas.

We have been delivering firewood for over 10 years and only deliver the best quality split seasoned oak firewood Rockwall and surrounding areas has to offer. We deliver firewood to Rockwall, Caddo Mills, Royse City, Fate, Rowlett, Forney, Heath, Sachse, Wylie, Lavon, Garland, and other areas in North Dallas.

Our logs are cut to 16-18 inches to ensure they will fit any fireplace or wood burning stove. Select from full, half or quarter cord.

Full Cord 4×16 ft.
Half Cord 4×8 ft.
Quarter Cord 4×4 ft.

Our prices include firewood being delivered and stacked! Call today (214) 478-6335 for current pricing and to schedule your firewood delivery!

Fall Lawn Care Caddo Mills

by admin | Oct 25, 2019 | Lawn Care Caddo Mills

Caddo Mills, Texas and the surrounding areas slip into fall almost unnoticed, until we realize the hot, humid days of summer are over. We rummage around for those puffy down jackets, even though we usually never need them in the fall.

Our warm-season grasses can be green into late fall but will go dormant once the temperatures stay below 60 degrees. The last snowstorm in Caddo Mills was on Dec. 25, 2012, but we can’t scoff at the possibility of “real” winter weather. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, winter will be milder and drier than normal, with below-normal snowfall in places that normally receive snow. The coldest periods will be in mid- to late November and early January and from late January into early February. The best chances for snow are in early December, early to mid-January, and mid-February. If we don’t want to be surprised by a brown lawn in the spring, we need to help the lawn have a good winter.

1. Water

Since snow is rare, we need to water the lawn all winter—one to two inches of water a week. Water slowly so that the moisture soaks into the soil and you don’t waste water with runoff. Also, watering in the morning allows your grass to dry before nighttime, lessening the chance of disease creeping in.

2. Remove leaves

Leaves covering the lawn keeps the much-needed sunlight from your grass. For a healthy lawn, gather the leaves and put them into your compost bin. You can also chop them up with a mulching mower so that they fertilize your grass naturally. Either way, you are saving money on plastic bags, but even more important, you are helping to save the environment by taking the manufacture and transportation of plastic bags out of the equation and by not adding to the problems caused by landfills.

3. Aerate

Aerating is one of the best ways to revitalize your lawn after it was trampled on all summer. A high volume of traffic compacts the soil, which, in turn, puts up a barrier between the grassroots and the water, oxygen, and nutrients that it needs to get through the winter. You can aerate with a pitchfork, a garden fork with tines or a gas-powered, walk-behind aerator to open up the soil, allow it to breathe and allow the grassroots to access the resources that they need.

4. Overseed

The fall, while the air is cool but the soil still warm, is the best time to overseed: sow additional grass seed over parts of the lawn where the grass is thin or where there are bare patches. Overseeding thickens the turf so that it can withstand the onslaught of diseases and weeds that attack during the fall and winter. Overseed after aerating and you’ll be shoring up your lawn’s foundation before winter comes.

5. Protect

The healthier your lawn, the less trouble you’ll have with disease. Brown patch often appears in the fall. You’ll recognize it by the patches of damaged turf that can be inches in width to several feet. The grass blades turn yellow at the edges of the patches and brown within the patches. For an eco-friendly solution, treat the patches with a baking soda spray. To prevent brown patches from developing, refrain from overwatering, make sure drainage is adequate, and be sparing with the application of nitrogen.

Lawn care needs a full-circle plan. If you take care of your lawn each season, it will green up in the spring healthy and lush without your having to break your back or your budget.

First Response Lawn Care offers full service lawn maintenance from mowing, fertilization, aeration and more. Have questions about lawn care? Call First Respone Lawn Care at 214-701-7622 for more information!

Fall Lawn Care

by admin | Oct 7, 2019 | Lawn Care 101, Lawn Care Caddo Mills, Lawn Care Royse City

Autumn means football games, visits to the local pumpkin patch and pending holidays. It also means it’s time to get your yard ready for winter. The right preparation now will save you time and energy when spring rolls around, and will keep you and your family safe in the yard year-round. Make sure you get the most out of your yard next year by following our checklist of fall cleanup musts.

1. Clean out debris.

Fallen leaves and weeds are the perfect place for pests to settle in for the winter. Clear out flower beds to keep the critters at bay. Pay special attention to rose beds, as their foliage can foster disease over the winter.

2. Till the vegetable garden.

After the final harvest, pull out old vegetable plants, remove debris, and completely till the whole plot. If you compost, now is the time to add a layer of compost to help nurture your soil for planting next spring.

3. Trim rogue branches.

Trim up any large or out-of-place tree branches that may cause trouble during the winter. You don’t want any branches breaking and falling during the winter months to come.

4. Clean out the gutters.

Not all fall cleanup is in the yard. This is the perfect time to clear leaves and other debris from gutters. Check for proper drainage, clear out any blockages with a small garden trowel, and rinse with a hose.

5. Dry everything out.

Drain all water from hoses, fountains, and drip irrigation systems, and store them in a dry place. Water left standing over the winter may damage your equipment.

6. Aerate.

Break up soil to keep water from pooling and guarantee that nutrients will reach the roots over the winter. A garden fork will do the job for small yards, but larger yards require a walk-behind aerator.

7. Feed the lawn.

Send your yard into winter with the nutrients it needs to survive the long, cold sleep. Add a fall lawn fertilizer with high phosphorous content to encourage root growth and enjoy a lush, green lawn come spring.

8. Rake and mulch.

Don’t let fallen leaves get the best of you; if left unattended they can suffocate the grass. Rake them up, shred them, and use them as mulch for young trees, shrubs, and flower beds.

9. Prune trees and shrubs.

Trim any dead branches and cut back overgrown trees and bushes. If you have blooming perennials like clematis or roses, now is the time to prune them and train the branches.

10. Give it one last mow.

Set your mower to a low setting and give the lawn a close buzz before winter sets in. This helps the soil dry out more quickly in the spring, which leads to a lusher lawn.

11. Divide and cut back perennials.

If your perennials really took off this year, go ahead and spread the love. Divide plants and add them to other beds where they will also do well. This saves money and time in the spring. Fall-blooming perennials like chrysanthemums shouldn’t be divided now — wait and divide them in the spring.

12. Protect cold-sensitive plants.

Keep sensitive perennials, shrubs, and roses in top shape through the cold days of winter. Add mulch to the base and wrap plants in cloth barriers to prevent damage from freezing. Depending on the hardiness of the plant and your climate, you can use a single sheet or blanket or wrap them in a combination of cloth and plastic.

13. Plant bulbs, shrubs, and fall annuals.

Some plants do best when planted in the fall. If you want to add new shrubs or spring bulbs like hyacinth, now is the time to get them in the ground. Fall annuals like pansies are also a great addition to keep some color in your yard as other plants go to sleep.

14. Protect the deck.

Prevent the growth of mold and mildew by giving the deck a good power wash. If you don’t have a pressure washer, you can rent one from a garden store. Once the deck is clean and dry, add a weatherproofing stain to protect the wood from moisture damage over the winter.

15. Clean tools and store them.

Don’t throw your gardening tools in the shed and forget about them until spring. Take time to give them a good cleaning and add a light coat of oil to prevent rust during the cold season.

If you follow this checklist you’re bound to have a wonderfully winterized yard that will be ready to wow you with lush, green bounty once the warm weather returns.

If you’d prefer to leave the fall clean up to the professionals, call First Response Lawn Care at 214-701-7622. We can tackle all of these lawn chores for you!

Fall Fertilizing

by admin | Sep 24, 2019 | Fertilize Treatments Rockwall, Herbicides

Autumn is the right time of year to nourish your yard!

Fall is here and it’s time to fertilize. Why now? Taking the time to fertilize in the fall will strengthen your plants’ and lawn’s roots, giving them a strong base on which to thrive next spring.

The first thing to understand about fertilizer is the formula, which is represented by three numbers, such as the common 5-10-5. The first number represents nitrogen, which promotes lawn blade and foliage growth; the second number stands for phosphorus, which helps root growth; and the third for potassium, which promotes cell function and absorption of trace elements. But what do you fertilize? When? And with what? Let’s start with your lawn.

During fall, September is the best time to fertilize your lawn. Grass is recovering from a long hot summer and may be coming out of a drought-induced dormancy, so you’ll want to give your lawn a shot of nitrogen to push blade growth. A fertilizer with a formula of 20-8-8 will get it growing again. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommended rate of application. Some people treat weeds and insects at this time, but I think that unless there are signs of trouble or a history of problems, don’t apply anything but fertilizer. While this fall lawn fertilizer dose is important, an application at the end of October or early November is essential. At that time, apply a fertilizer with a formula of 13-25-12. The push of phosphorus will stimulate root growth through November and even into early December. By helping roots grow before winter sets in, you are insuring that the lawn will green-up quicker in the spring and become more resistant to disease and draught.

With the lawn taken care of, it’s time to consider plants. By now, perennials are starting to fade but they will benefit from 0-20-0 super phosphate fertilizer scattered around the plants at recommended doses and lightly cultivated into the soil. Next spring you’ll have stronger plants with more flowers.

Fall is also a great time to fertilize shrubs and trees. Sll trees and shrubs benefit from fertilizer, because most of them are located in mulch beds that use up nitrogen as they decompose. In addition, every fall we rake leaves off these beds, depriving plants of the nutrients that decomposing leaves would traditionally release. To compensate, I recommend applying one to three pounds of slow-release nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of bed and cultivating lightly. (To figure out the exact amount of fertilizer you’ll need, calculate the square footage of your beds and consult with your local garden center.) Fertilizing trees in late September and early October promotes root growth. These nutrients will still be in the soil come spring when plants start to grow. If you have a tree or shrub that does not flower well, a dose of super phosphate will help promote flower growth. However, if the plant is not located in the right spot, all the super hosphate in the world won’t make it flower.

Fall is also the time to plant bulbs. Use super phosphate to promote root growth, insuring strong flowering in the spring. Some people recommend using bone meal when planting bulbs but beware, this attracts rodents who eat both the bone meal and the bulbs.

As you can tell, the basic goal of fall fertilizing is to promote root growth. When you have strong roots, you have healthy plants with numerous flowers. So push those roots!

If all of this sounds complicated and you’d rather leave it to the professionals, call First Response Lawn Care at (214) 701-7622.

We offer a 7 step program to feed and control your lawn weeds.

Fall Is Best Time To Install Your Sprinkler System

by admin | Sep 12, 2019 | Irrigation Rockwall, Sprinkler Systems Rockwall

A sprinkler system ensures your lawn has the hydration it needs to maintain optimum health and look its very best. If you’re in the market for a sprinkler system, now is the perfect time of year.

With summer coming to an end in 11 days, First Response Lawn Care advises that now is the best time for sprinkler system installation. Keep reading if you’d like to learn why autumn is such a great time to set up a system that keeps your grass green and nourished:

3 Reasons Autumn Is The Best Time For Sprinkler Installation

Moderate Temperatures

North Texas summers can be uncomfortably hot, and the winters can be downright frigid. The temperatures in autumn are relatively moderate, and this makes it a lot more comfortable to be outdoors for long stretches.

Little Precipitation

Precipitation slows sprinkler installation and there is little or no precipitation in fall. Digging is necessary to put the sprinkler system in place, and if it’s raining, the weather will actively delay installation. Spring and summer often bring rain, and winters may bring some precipitation. Setting up your sprinkler in the fall allows us to get the job done without being hindered by uncooperative weather.

Faster Service & Better Deals

Autumn is a quieter time of year for most sprinkler installation companies, and this means you’re likely to benefit from faster installation and possibly cost-saving deals.

Choose First Response Lawn Care for all your irrigation and sprinkler system needs in Rockwall, Texas and the surrounding areas. Call (214) 701-7622 to speak with a representative today!

Prepare Your Lawn For Fall

by admin | Sep 6, 2019 | Lawn Care 101, Lawn Maintenance Rockwall

The last day of summer is September 23, 2019.

After the hot Texas summers, the cool brisk weather is more than welcome as fall approaches later this month. Now is the transitional period to take care of your lawn in preparation for fall. There are a few things to do to make sure that you and your lawn are ready for cooler temperatures.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare your lawn for a seasonal transition in northeast Texas.

1. Continue To Mow

Regardless of the season, a rule of thumb when it comes to mowing is to never cut more than one-third of the height. Cutting your lawn too short can make it susceptible to diseases. Continue mowing even after summer to keep the lawn healthy. When the majority of the growth has stopped you won’t have to mow as often as you would in the summer months.

2. Fertilize

Mulch the grass as you mow the lawn. The grass clippings act as an organic fertilizer by applying the required nutrients to your grass while they decompose. In the fall, fertilizing your lawn will help protect it and keep it healthy when the cool weather rolls in. Before fertilizing your grass on your own, make sure you know what type of grass you have in order to choose the correct fertilizer. This should be a granulated fertilizer that is applied to the lawn using a manual spreader. First Response Lawn Care has an excellent 7-step program. All fertilizer and herbicides are commercial grade. We are licensed with the Texas Department of Agriculture Lic #450863. Our fertilizing program uses a 7 step program to ensure your yard is healthy and the best in the neighborhood.

3. Discard Weeds

Weeds are a constant problem and hassle to keep them away from your garden and lawn. Fall is one of the best times to treat for weeds allowing you enough time to completely discard of all the weeds before growth begins in the spring. When pulling weeds, it is important to grab the root in its entirety. Snipping the roots at ground level won’t remove it and it will be able to grow back. Our weed control program alleviates the problem of pulling weeds alltogether.

4. Aerate

During the summertime, it’s safe to say that your lawn gets a lot of traffic. With heavy traffic comes compact. When the soil is compacted, it can’t retrieve the vital nutrients needed to sustain healthy grass. Aerating your lawn breaks up the soil and allows it to “breathe.” First Response Lawn Care provides aeration services to Rockwall, Texas, Royse City, Caddo Mills, Fate, and surrounding communities. The results are a healthier and stronger turf and root zone that are able to better withstand turf related diseases, pests, and weeds.

Fall lawn care may not seem like it’s that important, but in order to maintain a lush lawn in northeast Texas, it’s crucial to practice proper lawn care maintenance year round.

Need help with preparing your lawn for Fall? Whether it is mowing, fertilizer and weed control, aeration of any other lawn maintenance, contact First Response Lawn Care today at 214-701-7622. We can help!

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