Property Maintenance Services

Spring Clean Up
Spring is the season of growth, renewal, and repair. Winter’s cold, snow, and ice disappear, leaving chaos behind. A spring clean up will help your turf and landscape recover from winter and look beautiful again.

This service includes:

• Removing fallen branches, twigs, and winter debris from all established lawn and landscaped areas
• Power raking lawn areas to eliminate residual winter problems and over seed as required
• Edge all established beds
• Inspect shrubs for damage from snow and/or plowing and prune as needed
• Sweep and remove gravel and sand from edge of lawn, driveways, and walkways 

Mulching
Neatly mulched beds improve the appearance of any landscape. But beyond its appearance, a layer of mulch provides many other benefits. Mulch protects the plants' root systems, slows the erosion of topsoil, and helps to prevent weeds and retain moisture. At the same time a granular pre-emergent weed control in all the beds to aid in reduction of cool season weeds growth.

Bark Blowing
MFL uses a bark blowing machine. Very few of our competitors offer this service. The advantages of having mulch blown is that there is a lot less clean-up and we are on your property for at least half the amount of time as hand spreading. It is more efficient, allows mulch to be spread more evenly, and has a more consistent finished look. The machine gives us the capability to spread up to 100 yards of mulch per day. 

Tree and Shrub  Fertilization
Deep-root feed all the ornamental trees shrubs and perennials with a slow release organic fertilizer, which is spread around the root drip zone and allowed to release slowly into the soil to encourage root and shoot growth. The fertilizer also consists of super phosphate which is the element needed to create strong flower buds and aid in the prolific flowering of trees, shrubs and perennials. This is also done at the time of spring cleanup to allow longer lasting results and time for absorption into the soil and therefore the plants. 

Dethatching
Dethatching is essential to maintain a lush, healthy lawn. Thatch is the layer of built-up plant material between the green top growth and the roots of grass plants. A thin layer of thatch, ½”,is normal, even healthy. A layer of ½” or more, prevents air, light, and water from reaching the turf’s root zone. We use professional power rakes to comb out the right amount of dead materials which is then raked up and removed. This is not a ‘pretty’ process but is necessary for improved fertilizer absorption, a better root system, and a green, healthy lawn. 

Lawn Mowing Service
Mowing on an as needed basis to maintain a 2 ½” – 3” height, not to exceed 7 days between mowing to maintain a neat, clean appearance, weather permitting. Weed whacking around all buildings, planting beds, utilities, trees, etc. Blowing off all walkways, drives and patios to remove clippings, leaves, and debris.

 Lawn Fertilization
Lawns need regular fertilization to keep the grass growing and weeds out. When done properly, it has a major positive impact on lawn appearance. We use a five step semi-organic fertilizer application and a one time lime application. This promotes root growth, aids in the recovery from foot and equipment traffic and pest damage, reduces and controls weeds, and replaces nutrients lost to leaching.

Garden Services
This is a customized garden program to care for the lawn and landscaped areas of your property.
It includes:

• Keeping beds edged and weeded
• Perennial and annual care
• Prune dead branches or unruly growth on shrubs in landscaped areas
• Inspection of landscaped areas for insects and disease and advise clients
• Monitor the irrigation system to make sure coverage and quantities are adequate
• Raking and maintaining beaches
• Meets your ongoing landscaping needs and offers services that other landscapers just can't match

This service generally runs from May – October.

Ornamental Tree and Shrub Pruning
A more intensive pruning than the one that falls under the garden services described above.
Correct pruning is an essential maintenance practice for trees and shrubs in the home landscape. Light, periodic pruning is a better long-term approach to maintain plant size and form. Proper pruning can restore a youthful, natural
growth habit in certain overgrown shrubs.

Pruning is practiced to:
1. Maintain or reduce plant size.
2. Remove undesirable growth.
3. Remove dead, diseased, or broken branches.
4. Stimulate flowering and fruiting.
5. Rejuvenate and restore old plants to vigorous growth.
6. Prevent damage to life and property.
7. Shape plants in an artificial form.

Aeration
To maintain a healthy lawn through periods of stress, the soil needs water, air and nutrients. Lawn aeration is the process of mechanically removing soil plugs and small portions of thatch from the lawn. Lawn aeration relieves soil compaction and improves the ability of roots to grow deeper into the soil and expand. The mechanical removal of soil plugs is generally recognized as the best way to improve air and gas exchange, along with water and fertilizer intake. Lawns that receive this care will be healthier, more vigorous, easier to maintain and have fewer pest problems than lawns that are neglected. Fall aeration is preferable as new root development is more prevalent at this time of year and continues through most of the winter.

Deer Spraying
Our deer spray is a custom blend of a deer repellent and an anti-desiccant which helps trees and shrubs maintain their moisture during winter’s drying winds. Our deer spray is semi-organic and therefore, non-toxic. In some areas this service is necessary in the summer as new plant growth constantly appears, and just as crucial in the winter when a deer’s natural foods are scarce. The spray changes their feeding pattern and when they realize there is no food to be had they will steer clear.

Fall Cleanup
A typical fall clean up consists of the following:

• Removal of bulk leaves and debris from lawn and other maintained areas around the property

• Leaves and debris are either relocated to another part of the property or hauled away for disposal

• A final mowing is performed to reduce the height of the grass to a "winter" length

We are ready to help you with any project, any season. If you have need of a service that we don’t offer, we have well-established partnerships with some of the most knowledgeable, experienced, and dependable subcontractors in the area. We can manage these services for you, too.