Month: June 2020

A beautiful, healthy, green lawn can be hard to maintain during the summer heat and there can be a load of different factors that are affecting its health and color. Seeing that your lawn is a sickly yellow color can be concerning and seem like a tough fix. But don’t worry! We’re here to help you figure out what is the reason for your yellow lawn and how to correct it.  Which of these could be the most likely cause of your lawn turning yellow?

Dryness

The most common cause of your lawn being yellow is that it is dry and desperate for some water. Excessive heat and sunlight will quickly dry out and damage your lawn if it isn’t getting any hydration. Set up a sprinkler or water it regularly with your hose to bring it back to life! 

Over Fertilizing

Fertilizer helps your lawn be green, healthy and keeps it growing. However, if you over-fertilize, your lawn will have an excess of nitrogen and will turn an unattractive yellow color. Putting mulch over these yellow spots can help draw out the nitrogen and correct the discoloration.

Dog Urine

If you have a family pooch or even multiple, they may be the culprit for your yellow lawn. Similar to fertilizer, dog urine has high levels of nitrogen that can burn out your grass turning it yellow in any spots that your dog urinates repeatedly. Watch where your dog urinates and use mulch to help get rid of yellow spots.

Insects

If you still can’t find the problem, you may need to get up close and look closely at the grass for insects or larvae. These little guys can eat away at the roots of your grass causing the color change. Use a proper insecticide to get rid of any of the insects or larvae eating at your grass.

Disease

Another cause for your yellow lawn could be disease that affects the healthy growth of the grass. These diseases are typically fungal, with the most common being fairy rings or snow mold. Use a proper fungicide to correct the problem.

Expert Exterior Care in Norwalk

If you have any questions or need help making sure your home exterior is in tip-top shape, give Landmark Exteriors a call at (203) 838-3838.

Bird watching is a great way to appreciate nature and all the amazing wildlife in your surroundings. Some of the most beautiful birds can be found in your own Connecticut backyard! Here are some of the most common birds to look out for while enjoying some fresh air at home:

American Goldfinch

These sweet little birds are easy to spot with their bright yellow plumage. Their black heads and tails help the yellow to pop even more. You’ll likely hear them making a very high pitch, short, chirping sounds. Make sure to leave out some birdseed specifically with sunflower seeds in it to keep these birds coming back!

American Robin

The American Robin is the state bird of Connecticut, so of course, you’ll be seeing them around! Their coloring varies but they typically have a gray or black head, red chest, and brown back. Their diet consists of insects, worms, fruits, and berries. Because of their diet, they can stay up north much longer than other birds as they can rely on eating winter berries.

Baltimore Oriole

The Baltimore oriole, with colors of yellow and black that match their cities baseball team, might be far from their original home in Maryland up here in Connecticut, but can actually be found all over North America! Their thick, pointed beaks allow them to eat insects, fruit, nectar, and seeds. Listen for a loud, bold, echoing chirp if you think one might be around.  

Barn Swallow

Barn swallows are the most widespread of the swallow species and can be found all over the world. When it comes time for their breeding season, they often use man-made structures, often barns, to make their nests, hence how they got their name! They have beautiful, deep blue colored wings with sometimes white spots, with an even darker blue tail, and reddish-orange face and chest. Look out for these swallows as they dive down quickly to catch their preferred prey; insects!

Black-Capped Chickadee

These birds are highly characterized by their bold and curious nature. They can often be seen eating directly from people’s hands and are not afraid to get up close and personal. Just like the name, they have a black head and chin, with white by their cheeks and chest, and a dark tail. Black-capped chickadee’s love to eat their favorite caterpillars and other insects, but will resort to eating winter berries so they can stay up north during the cold-weather seasons. To help them survive, they also like to store food in secret hideaways that they can recall for up to 28 days after hiding food there!

Northern Cardinal

The iconic northern cardinal can easily be spotted with their bright red plumage and dark-colored face. These birds love to eat seed and will sometimes even feed each other when seeking a mate. These birds as well love to get loud and have a variety of different sounding chirps depending on what they are trying to tell their fellow northern cardinals.

If you need help fixing up your outdoor space so that you can enjoy being outdoors on your own property, give Landmark Exteriors a call at (203)838-3838 and let us know how we can help you.

Don’t let a rainy day dampen your mood even more than it needs to.  Heavy rain can cause serious damage to your home if you’re not doing what’s necessary. To ensure your home is ready for whatever summer storms we have ahead, here are some things to consider:

Get Your Roof Inspected Regularly

Your roof is what directly protects the inside of your home from the rain. However, a damaged or neglected roof can easily lead to a leak or flood. That’s why it’s important to get a roof inspection done, so you can avoid any costly problems down the road.

Make Sure Your Gutters Are Clean

Gutters work to drain rainwater from the roof away from the house. If they’re clogged, the backed up water can cause damage to the gutters, roof, yard, driveway, and foundation of your home making it very costly to fix. Clean your gutters at least twice a year to keep them functioning properly.

Check The Seals Around Your Doors And Windows

Look at all your doors and windows and see that they seal completely when closed. You can often feel a draft or breeze in poorly sealed areas. If not, make sure to reapply caulk to get the right seal so that no water can enter. If your windows or doors are made from wood, make sure they are properly repainted and stained to prevent rot.

Check Your Property For Low-Lying Areas

Have a professional, or do so yourself, and look for areas all across your property for low-lying areas that can easily become too saturated when it rains and can cause costly damage.  

Install a Sump Pump

Is your basement or crawl space subject to a yearly summer flood? It’s time to invest in a sump pump. Sump pumps are used to drain water out of the inside area where they’re installed to outside of the home and will make those summer floods less of a worry. 

If you need help protecting your home from heavy rain or need any repairs done, call Landmark Exteriors at (203) 838-3838 so we can help!

Gutters serve an important function to our houses in making sure that they guide and transport rainwater off of the roof and away from the foundation of the home.  Unfortunately, that also means that unwelcome items such as leaves, dirt, and sticks can get stuck in them, leading to a clog that prevents them from doing their function. Because of this, it’s important to clean them out and get rid of any debris.

 It’s not easy to take a look at your gutters and spot any issues making it tough to know if there’s a problem.

So, how often should they be cleaned?

Like many other areas of home cleaning and repair, how often you clean your gutters depends on other factors such as the amount of rain you receive and the number of trees that hang over your roof and gutters. Ideally, it is best to keep in mind that you should clean your gutters at least twice a year: in the spring and in the fall.  Specifically cleaning your gutters during these two seasons when the temperature changes greatly, there are more storms, and more leaves and debris fall from the trees.

What happens if they’re not cleaned?

If there is a clog in the gutters, water can’t freely flow through, and it will sit there. Leaves sitting in the still water can grow mold that you don’t want to get inside your house. Sitting water also attracts bugs. Other problems that can arise are flooding in your house, damaged roofs, cracks in the home foundation, and yard or driveway damage. All of these problems can be very serious and costly to fix.

If you need professional help cleaning your gutters that’s quick and easy or help correcting the damage that your gutters have caused, give Landmark Exteriors a call at (203) 838-3838.