We Repair Lawn Sprinklers!
Monday - Saturday: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sprinkler Master Repair

Blog

01 Oct 2017
0 Comments By Sprinkler Master Lawn, Sprinkler

Fall Lawn Preparations

CLICK HERE to find a location for Sprinkler Winterization. Fall is the best time to prepare your lawn for steadily declining temperatures. Sprinkler Master Repair can help you do that and more. This article will outline many of the most important steps that need to be taken in order to protect your sprinkler investment, as well as the services available from our highly qualified sprinkler technicians. Grass, like many other living organisms that hibernate through winter, spends the autumn months gathering nutrients and energy in order to survive the time it will spend beneath snow and ice. Nourishing your lawn during this time becomes more important than ever. There are many ways to do this, such as:

Aerating Your Soil Oxygenating the soil will give your grass access to many more nutrients. Sprinkler Master Repair’s sprinkler technicians offer lawn aeration services. Using specialized equipment, such as a lawn aerator, they will oxygenate the soil beneath your lawn and make certain that it will be ready for a healthy, green spring.

Controlling the Weeds Weeds are like parasites, stealing food and energy away from your lawn. Getting rid of the weeds will give your grass priority when it comes to receiving the best moisture and nutrients the environment has to offer.

Fertilizing the Grass Fertilizer is jam-packed with everything your lawn could ever want. By fertilizing your grass prior to winter, you’ll be giving your grass enough stored energy to make it through winter with nutrients to spare.

Fixing Dry/Bald Spots Why wait until spring to find out that a bald spot has been hiding beneath the snow all winter? Fixing bald spots in the fall means that your spring lawn will be lush and fill, rather than spotty and ragged. Click here to learn more about identifying and fixing dry spots in your yard!

Mowing your Lawn Towards the end of the autumn season, set the blade on your mower to its lowest setting in order to cut the grass very short. This will allow more sunlight to be absorbed by the grass, as well as lessening the amount of dead, brown grass in your lawn in the spring.

Raking the Leaves Fallen leaves for a barrier between your lawn and the water, sunlight, and nutrients that it needs to thrive through the winter weather. Raking the leaves and keeping your lawn clear is the best form of prevention. Finally, don’t forget to call Sprinkler Master Repair for your lawn sprinkler winterization needs! We perform various winterization and blowout services for your sprinkler system, so give us a call today to schedule an appointment with our expert sprinkler technicians. CLICK HERE to find a location near you!

LAWN SPRINKLER REPAIR and sprinkler Winterization/blowouts.

  • Replace nozzles
  • Replace sprinkler heads
  • Add lawn sprinkler heads
  • Replace solenoid valves
  • Replace a control timer
  • Repair a broken line
  • Reset sprinkler heads
  • Raise sprinkler heads in flower beds or behind shrubs
  • Install a rain sensor or moisture sensor
  • Install sprinkler valve box
  • Fix lawn dry spots
  • Lawn sprinkler winterization

 

16 Sep 2017
0 Comments By Sprinkler Master Lawn

10 Ways a Great Lawn Will Make Life Better!

Top Advantages of a Beautiful Lawn

A beautiful, lush, dense lawn has many great advantages. A home with an inviting lawn will welcome you and all of your guests. Here are a few advantages of a well maintained lawn.
Grass Cools Down Your Property

When the heat is on in the summer, grass keeps you cool. Front lawns of just 8 average houses have the same cooling effect as about 70 tons of air conditioning, while the average home-size central air unit has only a 3 – 4 ton capacity. On top of that grass acts as a noise reducer as it effectively absorbs and deflects sound. When combining a beautiful lush lawn with trees, shrubs and other landscaping a lawn can significantly reduce hard unwanted noise.

Enhances the Whole Neighborhood

Lawns can contribute to your sense of well-being. Most people say that the best place to relax is in their own backyard. A green, attractive landscape design goes much further than just relaxation and recreation. For example when the city installs landscaping and grass parks to enhance the area, people start taking pride in their surroundings and raise the bar of their own property maintenance. As well as, when I have a neighbor with a well-kept lawn, it encourages the rest of the neighbors to do a better job and in return the whole neighborhood benefits.

Easier to Sell Your Home

An attractive landscape can make or break a home sale. Landscaping can add tens of thousands of dollars to the value of your property. In fact, it is one of the few home improvements you can make that not only adds value immediately, but also increases in value as the years go by; while interior decor and design concepts regularly go out of style and mechanical systems wear out, plants grow fuller and more robust as the years go by. The home’s value is added at an advantage ranged from 5.5 percent to 12.7 percent. That translates into an extra $16,500 to $38,100 in value on a $300,000 home. A beautiful landscape design and healthy lawn is a good indication that they’ve taken care of the inside of the house as well and that the home is worth a premium price.

Grass Is A Pollution Fighter!

In one year the blades and roots of grass in an acre of healthy grass absorbs hundreds of pounds of pollutants from the air and rainfall. Among them are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrogen, fluoride, nitrates and other gases blamed for acid rain and the greenhouse effect.

Grass Produces Oxygen

Grass plants remove co2 from the air and produce o2 in return. Just 625 square feet of grass supplies all the oxygen a person needs for one day. A 5000 square foot lawn produces enough oxygen for 8 people each day. In comparison, it takes two 100-foot trees to provide the same amount of oxygen for 8 people.

Grass Saves Soil!

A green lush lawn stabilizes the soil against water and wind. Lawns prevent runoff and erosion of our valuable topsoil, keeping additional phosphorus from entering our streams and rivers. A healthy lawn also traps much of the estimated 12 million tons of dust and dirt released into the US atmosphere annually.

Grass Has Better Rain Absorption

Healthy, dense lawns absorb rainfall 6 times more effectively than a wheat field, four times better than a hay field, and prevent runoff and erosion of our precious topsoil, keeping additional phosphorus from entering our streams and rivers. A healthy lawn also traps much of the estimated 12 million tons of dust and dirt released into the US atmosphere annually.

Grass is Mother Nature’s Carpet

Nature surrounds us, make yours stunning! Grass is used for recreation from family picnics to soccer to football to any other sport played on grass, grass is essential. It acts as a pad to reduce injuries that might have happened. A dense lawn is a far safer playground and playing field than nearly any other surface.

Hospitalized Patients Have A Faster Recovery

When the patient’s room viewed a beautiful landscaped area compared to patients with non-landscaped views a faster recovery has been observed in hospitals.

Grass Helps Fight Wildfires

With the weather heating up, wildfires are more prone to spreading. Help protect yourself with a lush green lawn. Grass is known to have a low fuel value which can actually help act as a buffer around your property in case of fire hazards.

Need a sprinkler repair? Find a location near you!

02 Sep 2017
0 Comments By Sprinkler Master Uncategorized

Be your own boss. Franchise with Sprinkler Master

Want to be your own boss?

Franchise with Sprinkler Master! All it takes is a truck and the desire to be successful.

With six more weeks of winter, you have just enough time to start a Sprinkler Master franchise before the sprinkler repair season begins. Call (385) 240-1105 or visit https://www.sprinklermasterfranchise.com today to get started!

01 Aug 2017
0 Comments By Sprinkler Master D.I.Y.

Build Your Own Wooden Pallet Herb Garden

What a fun DIY! Growing your own herbs has never been easier than it is with this cool trick from www.herbgardendesigns.com. This project combines recycling with decorating and gardening for a beautiful end result. Make one yourself by following these simple steps:

  1. First, you have to find yourself a wooden pallet that is in a good condition. Once you already have one, you will just fix loose parts and you maybe rub sandpaper to smoothen rough surfaces of your wooden pallet.
  2. You will need to cover the bottom, back, and both sides of the wooden pallet with landscape fabric. Fold the landscape fabric twice or thrice just according to the size of your wooden pallet plus a few inches more. Once you have done folding the landscape fabric, you can now start stapling the fabric at the back, bottom, and both sides of the wooden pallet. You will have to leave the topportion and the spaces between the slats, since that is where you are going to plant your herbs later on. Make sure that you are going to securely staple the landscape fabric to your wooden pallet.
  3. Lay the pallet down the floor facing up. Once it is already on the floor, slowly fill your wooden pallet with potting mix. After filling it with potting mix, you can now start planting herbs in between slats.
  4. Once you have completed planting your herbs on your wooden pallet, you will have to leave it there horizontally for a couple of weeks to give your herbs enough time to form sturdy and strong root systems. After a couple of weeks, you can now set it upright.When you’re finished creating your own vertical herb garden, give Dr. Sprinkler Repair a call. Plants needs water; Dr. Sprinkler Repair can and will deliver!
15 Jul 2017
0 Comments By Sprinkler Master Uncategorized

Causes of Dry Spots and How to Fix Them

Sprinkler Master Repair knows that nobody wants dry, brown spots on what should be a lush, green lawn. So we’ve compiled a list of the common causes of dry spots and possible remedies so that YOU, our customer, can have a healthy and thriving lawn this summer. When it comes to your sprinkler system, don’t forget to give Sprinkler Master Repair a call. We specialize in sprinkler repair, as well as sprinkler installation and maintenance.

  • Animal Urine
    • Dogs are the most common culprit, but large birds and other animals can cause urine spots, too. Urine usually causes your lawn to turn yellow in spots, sometimes with a bright green ring around the edges where the diluted nitrogen in the urine acts as a fertilizer. Cut out the dead spot and fill it with plugs cut from sod. Head to a nursery with a clump from your lawn and find a strip of sod that matches, or wait until the fall and sow fresh seed after clearing the dead grass and loosening the soil.
  • Buried Debris
    • Buried debris, such as lumber, rocks, metal, etc., can have an obvious effect on the surface of your lawn. Use a screwdriver to poke around beneath a dry spot to see if anything is underneath the sod. If possible, remove the debris.
  • Chemicals
    • Gasoline, fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides can cause dead spots if spilled. If fertilizer is applied unevenly or incorrectly, it can burn the grass. Even insect repellents can burn your lawn when sprayed on the grass blades. Pour chemicals, fuels, and sprays on your driveway, not on your lawn, and follow application directions.
  • Compacted Soil
    • Aerate to relieve soil compaction. Add organic matter and reseed.
  • Diseases
    • Fungal Diseases
      • Brown patch and other fungal diseases thrive in moist conditions, most often in midsummer (when nights and days are hot and humid) and spring (as snow melts). They may show up as circular or irregular brown spots, or you may notice a spotting or infected pattern on the blades or a generally dying/thinning out. Increase air circulation and sunlight as much as you can, to make your lawn less inviting to fungus. Note the size and shape of the damage as well as the frequency of watering, fertilizer, mowing habits, and sunlight in order to diagnose the disease correctly. Take a sample of the affected grass (blades, roots, and soil) to your local cooperative extension office for analysis.
  • Dormancy
    • Cool-season lawns can go dormant during the heat of summer while warm-season lawns go dormant during the winter. If your lawn has a mix of grasses, you’ll have curious brown patches as some areas go dormant while others stay green. Seasonal dormancy is normal, but make sure your lawn is healthy and strong to prevent unnecessary browning.
  • Drought
    • Lawns need one inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation. Dry, compacted spots are more easily drought-damaged. Keep an eye on dry, sunny spots, especially if your soil drains poorly. If you irrigate, make sure your entire lawn is watered evenly.
  • Dull Mower
    • Dull mower blades tear your grass, causing damage and gradual death to the grass. Sharpen your blades in fall and spring. After mowing, examine your grass to see if the mower is cutting cleanly.
  • Erosion
    • Water tends to run off slopes, taking grass seeds and young shoots with it, and leaving bare ground or dried out areas behind. Aerate your lawn to increase water absorption. If the slope is steep, consider building terraces or planting groundcover.
  • Excessive Pesticide Use
    • Applying too much insecticide or herbicide can “burn” turfgrass and lead to yellow or brown grass. Follow the manufacturer’s specifications on amount and frequency of application.
  • Foot Traffic
    • Aerate to relieve soil compaction and reseed. Redirect the traffic. If that proves impossible, install a walkway.
  • Hot and Cold Temperature Extremes
    • Wait for a change in the weather. Keep your eyes open for early signals of lawn problems.
  • Iron
    • Another reason for discoloration could be lack of iron in your soil. Some of the more common areas of the yard that you might find turning yellow from iron deficiency are those adjacent to things made of concrete. Driveways, sidewalks and concrete planters can be the culprits. The high alkaline content in concrete tends to absorb the iron found in soil, reducing the amount of iron your lawn or garden receives. Iron deficiency appears in patches. Blades may yellow but the veins retain their green color. Iron deficiency may not affect growth. Alkaline soils (such as those in the Midwestern and Western states) are especially susceptible to iron deficiencies. You can add iron as a soil supplement to neutralize alkalinity and help replenish the iron that occurs naturally in the soil. Apply as directed on the package. Remove the product from masonry or concrete surfaces before watering to avoid staining.
  • Nitrogen
    • Lawns that are not getting enough nitrogen (the key component of lawn fertilizer) will begin to change to light green and then yellow. The color change usually begins to show first in the lower leaves. Reduced growth is also a sign of nitrogen deficiency. Normally the entire lawn is affected. Adding nitrogen will help restore the green color if you fertilize properly. Applying too much at the wrong time can do more harm than good. Follow the package instructions carefully. Grass cycling – leaving grass clippings on your lawn after mowing – adds nitrogen naturally to the lawn.
  • Pests
    • Grubs
      • Grubs are a common problem in mid to late summer, and most easily identified when your sod easily pulls back from the ground like a carpet. Pull back a section of sod and inspect for fat, white curved worms. More than ten per square foot can cause lawn damage. Grub control products are available at your garden center.
    • Chinch bugs
      • Chinch bugs are a common summer pest in warm-season lawns, especially in hot sunny patches beside driveways and sidewalks. Inspect your lawn closely, and look at your shoes as you walk through the grass – you should be able to spot the small black and white adults. They’re resistant to many pesticides, but there are products available to target them.
    • Other insects
      • Caterpillars and other pests can live part of their life cycle in lawns. Watch your lawn closely – look for crawling and munching insects and for grass blades that look eaten. Also watch for birds and wasps feeding on these pests in your lawn.
  • Poor Soil
    • Soil quality can vary in your lawn, and poor soil can occur in patches, causing brown, bare areas or moss. Take a screwdriver and push it into the soil. If it doesn’t go easily, your soil is likely compacted. Try aerating and top-dressing to incorporate organic matter in the soil. When you aerate, take a look at the plugs, to see how the quality and texture of your lawn varies in different spots. Keep this in mind as you amend and improve your soil.
  • Roots
    • Large trees or shrubs usually win the battle for water and nutrients. The area under trees is notoriously difficult for growing grass. Consider mulching or naturalizing areas under trees and shrubs.
  • Scalping
    • If your mower blade is set too low or there are lumps in the lawn, it can cut the grass too short and cause damage. Practice proper mowing techniques by raising your mower blades, and smooth out high spots by digging up the sod, removing some of the soil underneath, and replacing the sod.
  • Shady Areas
    • If you can’t beat the shade, join it—by replacing the grass with flowers and plants that don’t need a lot of sunlight. Wax begonias and torenias are two flowering annuals that add pops of color. So do New Guinea impatiens, and they’re not susceptible to the mildew-induced disease that has infected garden impatiens in recent years. Among perennials, lungworts produce pretty blue, pink, or white flower clusters, and their leaves are spotted with silver or white. Also check out plants with pretty foliage. The deep red leaves of the coleus, an annual, and the peach-colored foliage of the perennial coral bells will brighten a shady area.
  • Too Much or Too Little Fertilizer
    • Too much fertilizer causes excessive growth. Too little does not provide enough nutrition to promote the strong roots, crowns and leaves needed to withstand disease. Follow the proper feeding schedule for your turfgrass.
  • Too Much or Too Little Water
    • If the lawn is not getting enough water, the turfgrass begins to resemble straw. Walking on the lawn leaves footprints in the turf. Water only when needed to prevent overwatering. Do it as early in the day as possible to allow evaporation from grass blades. Be sure to follow any watering ordinances or restrictions for your area.
  • Watering During the Day
    • It is actually best to water your lawn in the early morning, before the sun has risen, or in the late evening, after the sun has set. Water droplets on grass can act as magnifying glasses for the sun’s rays, which will actually burn the grass instead of hydrating it. Setting sprinkler timers for optimal watering hours will help with this issue. For help with setting up a sprinkler timer and/or repairing or installing a sprinkler system, call Sprinkler Master Repair today!