Sulfur, We Promise It Won't Stink

Do you know that rotten egg smell? The one that stings the back of the throat it's so bad. That's what sulfur smells like. Except, not when we use it. Sulfur is smelly, real smelly but ours doesn't stink. Do you want to know why? It's simple really, our supplier makes it that way. Which is good because who wants their lawn to smell like a natural gas leak.

We use sulfur for a handful of things but primarily it's a late season fungicide and it's a great application to put your turf to bed for the winter. We've seen quite a bit of fungus this year and we'd highly recommend a late season application for any of our customers who've received notes from their techs about melt out, or red thread, it even helps necrotic ring spot. These fungi can tend to reappear. Obviously Necrotic Ring Spot tends to stay around year in and year out. Every extra sulfur application you can get on it will help move it along.

The other reason to order a late season sulfur application is it really helps your lawn go into dormancy healthy and in turn wake up in the spring healthy. Our customers who get the application in the fall not only see their grass come back quicker in the spring but usually there is very little if any of the early spring fungus we tend to see, fungus like snow mold.

It's a very inexpensive treatment and we will start applying it any day now. We usually do our sulfur treatments all the way through the end of the season. Check out our website for more details. Or email us for an estimate. You can always call us too at 1-800-LAWNCARE.

Overseeding, Not Just For The Grassless

Yes, I'm pretty sure grassless is a word. If it's not I will create a Wikapedia page for it just to avoid being wrong. I have issues. Not major issues, but issues none-the-less. I only eat corn if it's on the cobb in it's natural state, I only wear black socks, and I cannot be wrong when it comes to grammar. That's it. It's those three things. It could be so much worse, right?

Enough of my ramblings. Even if grassless isn't an actual word, the truth about overseeding remains. It is not just for barren patches of dirt. You see overseeding, if done correctly, does wonders for new and mature lawns as well. Our process is a little involved but as you can see by the photo it works.

If your lawn is sparse with lots of ground showing through the turf we can help. Overseeding would be a huge benefit to you and will help thicken the turf up. If your lawn is decades old and tall fescues and bent grasses are creeping in, we can help. It would help push out the grass variations and give the lawn a nice uniform look. If you have a nice established lawn that you are looking to take to the next level; again, we can help. Overseeding will give your lawn the kick in the pants it needs to be the envy of your neighbors.

Our process is involved but it's certainly not rocket science. First we aerate the lawn. This allows for faster root development and more seed to dirt contact. Next we spread a top of the line blue grass seed. Not all seed is created equal. We are looking for results so the seed we use needs to reflect our commitment to that end. Finally we spread a special blend of grannual fertilizer over the top. This helps the soil germinate a greater ratio of seeds. The results are undeniable. It works. It's more affordable than you might think and it's not too late to do it this year. We probably have another month or so of growing season left and seeds will winter if we have a cold snap.

Call the office, 1-800-LAWNCARE, to schedule an estimate.

More Than Backpacks

I've already written about our partnership with Willard Elementary, but I wanted to give you a few quick takeaways from the day. You see, at Living Water we're not new to community outreach events. It's in our DNA. Over the years God has poured out His blessings on us and we honestly believe that the more we honor Him with our finances the more he blesses and sustains us. So when it came to Willard it was a no brainer, it's in our wheel house. What we didn't realize is how deeply personal this relationship would become and how the backpack drive would affect a few or our employees.

Most of the time our outreach is done behind the scenes. We prefer to donate time and money anonymously but we knew that for some reason we were supposed to take the lead in regards to Willard. Lisa Fairburn, one of our owners, has worked countless hours with the principal and staff to get this backpack drive off the ground. When it came time to hand the backpacks filled with school supplies to the students and parents we wanted to include some of our employees to help them understand that this is part of our company culture. Here are few stories and takeaways from that evening.

Kaileen recalls; "I was giving out backpacks to 4th through 6th graders, and it was an amazing experience. Parents had such fantastic reactions when they realized that they didn't have to pay and the backpacks were filled with school supplies. I didn't see one unhappy child, they were all so excited. One little boy was almost in tears when he said 'I've never owned a new backpack before.' It was all I could do to hold back tears. Such a great experience."

Brenda said; "The children's faces were priceless. When they realized that they were getting new backpacks.... it was like Christmas for them. Several of the parents eyes welled up with tears because they weren't sure how they were going to afford either backpacks or supplies. Words can't describe how appreciative they were. Perhaps the icing on the cake for me was how welcoming and appreciative the staff was. Amazing all around!"

Christina echoed; "Something that I took away from the event, was when a mom broke down in tears because she couldn’t believe the backpacks had all the supplies in them. I was raised in a household that didn’t have a ton of money, so I thought this project was a great idea. It was cool to be able to give back to the community and I look forward to future opportunities to serve locally!"

These are just a few of the stories coming out of just that one night. We thought this might brighten some of your days. If you would like to get involved with our partnership with Willard Elementary please  go to our "contact us" page and put "Willard" in the comments section.

Beyond The Green

Some of you know over the last few years owner's Mike and Lisa have transitioned out of day to day operations of Living Water. While they still provide oversight and vision to the company, most days you won't find them tooling around the office. Mike did however get out and spray lawns on quite a few occasions this year. Whether it be to help get production caught up or to train his youngest daughter Amelia in the ways of LW, he still loves the work. His trick knee on the other hand, not so much. They still remain a vital part of the management team, so rest assured LW remains a local, family centered business.

Starting about five years ago Mike and Lisa started feeling that God was leading them to plant a church. After speaking with their pastor and graduating from Spokane Ministry Institute they started meeting in their home with a handful of people. Mike settled on a name for the group and called it City Church. Just over three years ago the group had out grown their home and was pressed to find a more permanent meeting place. Mike and Lisa felt the Lord lead them to the Garland District where they found a building that they could share with another church and thus began their ministry to the neighborhood.

The church is growing and thriving in a very diverse part of town. One of the major points of ministry for City Church has been to Willard Elementary. Lisa has spear headed this venture into the public school system. While it is very hard for a religious based organization to get any head way into the schools, Lisa has managed it with character and grace. Finding ways for City Church and LW to be involved while abiding by the federally mandated rules regarding church and state.

It started by simply bringing a group of volunteers to hang out with the kids at recess. Policing some of the goings on, or simply playing with the kids in some of their favorite recess games proved to be a perfect first step in cultivating a relationship with the staff and students. Rumor has it Mike has yet to win a game of wall ball. He swears it's that dang trick knee and not that he's on the other side of fifty years old.

This relationship grew over the following months and proved to be invaluable when the Willard family experienced tragedy in February of this year. I'm sure some of you remember the triple homicide that occurred close to the Garland neighborhood, the victims were students at Willard. Mike and Lisa were called by the principle and asked to provide a pastor's presence and counseling to the staff, families, and students. While something like this was never on their radar when they felt called to the neighborhood, they both agreed there couldn't have been a time when the love of God poured out through a local church was more needed.

There have been plenty of other ways that Mike, Lisa, City Church, and Living Water have served  Willard over the last few years, like serving at spaghetti feeds, organizing fundraisers, math nights, and back pack drives just to name a few. However, they would say that without God using you, their customers, to support LW through the years, this new chapter of ministry would not have ever been possible. Whether you realize it our not you are supporting this outreach and several others like it by simply being our customer. So, in conclusion, THANK YOU! We value your business.

There's A Fungus Among Us..... Sorry...

First let me start by apologizing for the title. But honestly, how can I blog about lawn fungus and not put that ever-so-clever, overused, play on words in here somewhere? It can't be done... at least I'm not capable of it. I have issues.

Anyway we're seeing some lawn fungi out there and would like to make you aware of them since we can help.

Melt Out is a fungus we see a lot of this time of year. To the untrained eye it looks like a dry patch and is often over watered because the home owner misidentifies the problem. Melt Out has a dry, straw like look to it and sometimes looks like the mower is spreading through the lawn. It's not however, it just appears that way.  Check out our fact sheet for more info and photos.


Pythium blight is another fungus that thrives in the heat. This fungus can be devastating to turf and can spread throughout a lawn in as little as twenty four hours in the right conditions. It first appears as small, sunken, irregularly shaped, purplish, spots 1"- 4" in diameter. Leaves within the patches will eventually become orange or grayish and matted in appearance. Check out our fact sheet for more info. But if you think you might have this disease call us right away 1-800-LAWNCARE.


Curvularia blight is another fungus that looks similar to melt out but is typically only seen in patches of turf that are fully exposed to sunlight and/or turf next to sidewalks and driveways.

There are a handful of other fungi that we see but in reality the treatment is usually the same:
1. Mow at the proper height of 2.5" - 3.5".
2. Water regularly but do no over water the affected areas.
3. Keep thatch to a minimum, but do not power rake, we can help. A liquid de-thatch will help.
4. A fungicide application will probably be necessary.
5. Switching you lawn program from a traditional to an organic program will really help too. Organic fertilizer tends to balance the PH in the soil and help grass resist fungus.

If you're thinking you may have a fungus, call us right away. We can have a tech look at your lawn quickly and assess the problem. 1-800-LAWNCARE or www.livingwaterlawncare.com.

It might Actually Be Billbugs!

There's a fairly new issue we're seeing in our Northwest lawns and I'm not talking about that neglectful neighbor that thinks nine inches is the proper mowing height and swears he prefers a weed filled lawn because it has more character than one without weeds. Nope it's not that, in fact that problem has been around for years. We do have a solution however, buy your neighbor a lawn program. We'll get that turf whipped into shape in no time flat. Actually the newer problem is billbugs.

Billbugs typically prefer a dryer climate such as Boise or the Tri Cities but they've found their way to Spokane and with the hot weather we've been having they seem to like the Lilac City. The biggest issue with billbugs is the symptoms of an infestation often look very much like more common problems.

Billbug damage usually appears in late-June through August, when summer drought stress is common. Light infestations in lawns often produce small dead spots that look like the turf disease, dollar spot. Sometimes the damage looks like irregular mottling or browning in the turf. Heavy infestations can result in complete destruction of the turf, usually by August. The major problem with billbug damage is that it looks like a variety of other problems. Most turf managers confuse billbug damage with drought, disease, chinch bugs, greenbugs or white grubs. Billbug damaged turf turns a whitish-straw color rather than the yellow caused by greenbugs. Soil under damaged turf is solid, not spongy as in white grub attacks.

To confirm billbug attacks, grasp the affected turf and pull upward. If the stalks break easily at ground level and the stems are hollowed out or are full of packed sawdust-like material, billbugs are the culprit.

If you think you might have billbugs please call us right away at 1-800-LAWNCARE or visit the website at livingwaterlawncare.com/contact-us/

There's Nothing Like A Good Plugging

In the lawn care business we deal with a whole bunch of myths. Such as, too much water can grow lawn gnomes, or if you mow too short your turf's spirit might escape, or my personal favorite pink flamingos keep the weeds away. While obviously none of these are true..... to my knowledge, there is one other myth I'd like to dispell, and that's aerating is for spring or fall only.

Aerating is typically done in the spring or fall but it is absolutely valuable any time of year. In fact more than one in a season is a great idea especially if you're in an area where your soil tends to get compacted or if you have a thatch problem. Please don't power rake as it tends to stress the turf more than help. A better solution would be to order an aeration and liquid dethatch.

The benefits of aerating regularly cannot be under sold. It helps establish a strong root system, it gets air circulation to a part of the plant that desperately needs it, it makes your watering more affective, and it recycles plant material back into the turf. All good things. So call 1-800-LAWNCARE or contact us for a good plugging.