Mosquito Prevention Options for Your Tulsa Landscape

Summer has arrived here in Tulsa, and with that comes the universally unwelcomed mosquito. It's wise to include mosquito prevention as part of your regular Tulsa lawn care program during the summer. So how can you prevent these dreaded insects from ruining your outdoor living fun?

Mosquito misting systems. A growing way of getting rid of mosquitoes, these systems spray a mist of insecticide to eliminate mosquitoes throughout your outdoor living space. These systems can automatically disperse the mist during high-risk times or can be managed with a simple hand-held control. This is good for when you’re getting ready for a cook-out or some other special outdoor event. The automatic misting units are available with either a traditional drum-top system or tankless system, both of which can evenly dispense the insecticide throughout the outdoor living space.

Misting systems from MistAway offer enhanced features like automatic leak detection and shut-off, wind sensors, and an agitation cycle that provides consistent insecticide concentration.
Oklahoma landscape can help you keep your Tulsa outdoor living space free from pests with these  mosquito misting systems.

Other Mosquito Repellants. Mosquito traps, citronella candles, and various other personal mosquito repellants like those made picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, or DEET. Make sure you use an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellent.

Mosquito netting and air curtains can also help keep mosquitoes away from you and your visitors. Air curtains, which are often used at businesses in entrances and drive-up windows, send a continual blast of air across an entrance opening to separate the outside from the inside while the entrance is open. The constant stream of air prevents many kinds of flying insects from entering an area. These can be used in outdoor environments and homes to prevent these insects from intruding. Air curtains are also helpful in preventing warm or cold air from escaping a certain area, which can save on costs for energy.

Mosquito Prevention. It’s important to drain or dispose of items in which mosquitoes would be likely to breed such as unused jars, ceramic pots, old tires, buckets, and other items that can hold standing water. It helps to turn these items over when not in use.

The Oklahoma City County Health Department gave this checklist:

Change water and scrub the containers holding outdoor plants twice a week.
Drain sagging swimming pool covers.

Change water in birdbaths at least once a week.

Stock ornamental pools with mosquito-eating fish and aerate the water.

Empty pet’s watering pans daily.

Keep swimming pools cleaned and chlorinated.

Fill any tree holes or stumps to prevent accumulation of water.

Clean clogged gutters. Remove any standing water on flat roofs.
Repair leaking faucets and air conditioners that cause puddles for several days.

Be careful to irrigate lawns so as to prevent water from standing for several days.

Eliminate weeds and tall grass.

Mosquitoes are not only irritating but can also transmit the West Nile virus.

 Contact the Tulsa outdoor living space professionals for help in preventing and eliminating these outdoor pests.

Tips on How to Maintain a Great Lawn During a Drought

According to a statement by National Weather Service in Tulsa, even with the recent rainfall in Tulsa, drought conditions still exist. In fact, severe drought still plagues much of the Tulsa area making it hard on lawns. How can you keep your lawn healthy without overwatering and deal with the drought? How can your Tulsa irrigation company help out?

Overall Lawn Care. We might start by mentioning, a good overall lawn care program will help to keep your grass healthy and better able to absorb water efficiently so having a regular Tulsa lawn care program with proper weed control and fertilization will help it be more resilient in the drought.

Deeper Watering.  In general, your lawn needs about an inch of water each week. Often this is best accomplished in two increments during the week. A deeper watering just a couple times a week will be better for the root system than shallow waterings throughout the week, depending on your type of grass. You can measure the amount of water with a rain gauge.

Selecting the Right Time to Water. The best time to water your lawn is in the early morning.  Irrigating before the heat of the day sets in will prevent the water from evaporating too rapidly. Watering at night may cause the reverse effect…water may not be absorbed quickly enough, causing the standing water to be a fertile ground for weeds, diseases, fungus, and pests to take over.

Mowing Correctly. When mowing, try to cut no more than one third of the grass’ height. Mowing too short can put significant stress on the turf. Leaving the grass at a higher level will help the grass stay strong, protecting the roots from drying out. Also you can leave the grass clippings on the lawn to also help the turf retain moisture, conserving water.
 
Smart Sprinklers. Tulsa irrigation company Oklahoma Landscape also offers smart irrigation controllers that can automatically adjust to your lawn’s irrigation needs. These smart controllers can reduce your lawn’s water consumption by a third or more.

Oklahoma Landscape can also prevent overwatering and help conserve water by conducting a thorough audit of your Tulsa sprinkler system to correct any issues such as nozzle problems, poor head spacing, and upgrade controllers. This can help you to save water and have a healthier lawn overall during drought conditions.

Getting Rid of Lawn Pests, Tips from the Tulsa Lawn Experts

Whether its moles, grubs, ants, or other insects, no one likes these unwelcome guest invading their beautiful lawn. These outdoor pests can be very frustrating and wreak havoc on your garden and lawn. So naturally you want to know, What you can do to take back your lawn?

Here are a few things to keep an eye out for and some things you can do about them.

When you start to see tunnels and holes throughout your lawn (it's not bugs bunny), you may have a mole, vole, or shrew problem. Moles can dig 100 feet of tunnels in a day, the National Mole Hunters Association noted, so these little guys can pretty much destroy a lawn.

Moles dig profusely in search of food like grubs and other insects so controlling these as part of your residential lawn care program can greatly help to control moles, easy logic their. Traps are also an effective mole control method. It's easier for moles to dig through your lawn when your lawn is soft and damp, so giving your lawn a deeper watering only once a week may help to stop these pests without causing harm to your lawn.

Grubs are small, white immature beetles that are often found in a “C” shape. These outdoor pests feed on your turf’s roots and will create patches of dead, brown grass that are easily uplifted.

A good residential Tulsa lawn care program can do much to help prevent these pests from taking over. For instance, overseeding your lawn with grass varieties that will thrive in your area will help to keep the lawn strong and hearty to withstand a grub attack. Giving your lawn a deep watering once a week can allow the turf to get enough water while at the same time allowing the soil to dry out enough to deter grubs. Aeration, overseeding, and a good lawn fertilization program can help to lessen problems for your turf.

If underneath a brown patch of turf, you find around eight or more grubs, then a pest control treatment might be best. Depending on the type of grub and pest control treatment, this may be good to do near the start of summer. Talk with the lawn care professionals at Oklahoma Landscape for tips in treating your lawn for grubs and other pests.

Ants are one of the most often noted type of lawn pests. Fire ants are especially bothersome as their bite can leave a painful blister or bump and for some can cause serious injury even death. These aggressive ants build mounds and underground tunnels connecting to one large colony.


There are fire ant baits that can kill the colony queen and ultimately destroying the mounds. There are also pest control treatments that can be used.

Check with your local pest control management or landscaping company on the best pest control treatment to use with these ants, and use caution and good judgment when using any treatment against these aggressive insects.

It’s also been found that ants tend to be found more often on lawns that are not well maintained with areas of high grass, debris, and unkempt shrubbery. So having a consistent lawn care maintenance program for your landscape that keeps your lawn neat and clean can help to control these lawn pests.

For more information on how to prevent or control these outdoor pests, contact the Tulsa lawn care specialists at Oklahoma Landscape.

Lawn Care Tulsa - Top 5 Lawn Pests and Diseases

You’ve seen them take over your Tulsa lawn, or you’ve seen what they have left of your lawn and garden. These are the little lawn pests; the culprits that leave your lawn looking tired and battered. What are some of the more common lawn pests and diseases?

Top 5 Lawn Pests in Tulsa:

1. Moles: Of course, these guys will burrow through your lawn’s soil, wreaking havoc on roots and grass, as well as leaving tunnels and holes. The soil they pile up on top of the lawn is not only unsightly, but also makes it very difficult to mow.  They feed on the next culprit, so where there’s one, there might be another.
2. Grubs: These little, white immature beetles, shaped like a “C,” will eat away at your grass roots, creating large sections of brown, dead grass that is easily pulled up.
3. Chinch Bugs: These bugs will cause injury to your grass making patches of yellow or copper-colored turf that may look like the injury was the result of drought or heat.
4. Snow Mold: This fungal disease causes patches of yellow or brown grass that may clump together and have a white, cobweb-like layer.
5. Red Thread: We may begin to see this lawn disease creep up in Tulsa after the wet summer we’ve had. This disease causes patches of reddish-brown grass strings and is often related to a nitrogen deficiency.
   

Keeping your lawn healthy throughout the year will lessen the chances of an attack by these pests and diseases. Regular mowing helps the grass stay strong, as does aerating the soil, overseeding the lawn, and fertilizing it to help give the lawn the nutrients it needs.