by Jorge Melo The best time to aerate and overseed your lawn in South Coast Massachusetts is early to mid-fall , typically from late August through mid-October . This timing gives your grass seed the ideal conditions it needs to germinate and establish strong roots before winter. The air temperatures cool down to that perfect 60-75°F range while the soil stays warm from summer, creating exactly what new grass needs to thrive. You'll also benefit from fall's natural rainfall p

by Jorge Melo If you want hydroseeding to work, the preparation matters more than the seed. In simple terms, preparing your yard for hydroseeding means removing everything that competes with new grass, fixing drainage and grade issues, improving the soil, and making sure water reaches every inch of the lawn consistently. When those steps are done right, hydroseeding produces fast, even growth. When they’re rushed or skipped, the lawn comes in thin, patchy, or fails altogether

by Jorge Melo If you want a lawn that actually survives winter and comes back thick in spring, the best time to plant grass seed in Massachusetts is early September . In South Coast, MA, including Mattapoisett and Fairhaven, this window consistently produces the strongest results. Soil is still warm, nights are cooler, weed pressure drops off, and new grass has enough time to establish roots before winter. Spring grass seeding can work, but it carries more risk. Late fall gra

by Jorge Melo If you are planning a patio, retaining wall, or stone feature on the South Coast of Massachusetts, you have probably heard the terms hardscaping and masonry used interchangeably. They are closely related, but they are not the same thing. Hardscaping  covers all non-living outdoor construction that shapes how a space works day to day. Masonry  is a specialized part of hardscaping that focuses on cement-bonded, structural, and detail-driven work. In places like Ma

by Jorge Melo If you are searching for how to get rid of crabgrass in Massachusetts , here is the truth most homeowners learn the hard way. Crabgrass does not take over lawns because it is unbeatable. It takes over because prevention was missed, the lawn was thin, or nothing was done at all. Across South Coast Massachusetts, from Mattapoisett to Fairhaven, crabgrass shows up when lawns are stressed, neglected, or cut too short. Once it is established, spraying alone rarely so

By Jorge Melo A bumpy lawn is more than an annoyance. It rattles your mower, scalps grass in some areas, and leaves others untouched. In Massachusetts, uneven lawns are common because the ground is constantly moving. Soil settles. Roots decay underground. Water follows the wrong path. Winter freeze-thaw cycles lift sections of turf and drop them back unevenly. Here is the honest answer upfront. The easiest way to level ground  is to add loam and grass seed when low spots are

By Jorge Melo Timing pre-emergent the wrong way wastes money. Timing it right can save your entire lawn season. In Massachusetts, the margin for error is small. One warm week can flip soil temperatures fast, and once weeds start growing underground, it is already too late. The answer is not a date on the calendar, and it is not when crabgrass shows up. The answer is soil temperature and local signs that landscapers in our area actually trust. The short, correct answer is this

by Jorge Melo Lime does not suddenly stop working because the calendar changes. It works all year. What changes is how efficiently it works and how long it has to correct the soil before the grass needs it most. In Massachusetts, you can put lime on your lawn at any time of the year as long as the ground is not frozen solid, flooded, or the turf is severely stressed. Fall is usually the best window because it gives lime the most time to work its way into the soil before sprin

by Jorge Melo Every spring, homeowners ask the same question. “Why did these flowers die last year, but those came back?” It is not bad luck. It is not random. And it usually is not because you did something wrong. Most of the time, it comes down to understanding the difference between an annual plant and a perennial, and how each one behaves in Massachusetts weather. In simple terms, annual plants live for one growing season , while perennial plants come back year after year

By Jorge Melo A homeowner in Massachusetts asked me last week why clover keeps taking over their lawn. I hear the same thing every year. Clover moves in fast, spreads across every thin spot, and before you know it, the lawn looks patchy and uneven. What most people don’t realize is that clover isn’t the real issue. It’s a sign the lawn is struggling. Maybe the soil hasn’t been aerated in a while, maybe the lawn isn’t being watered correctly, maybe fertilizing has been inconsi

By Jorge Melo A wet lawn can fool you. It looks simple enough on the surface, but once the soil is soaked, the whole lawn reacts differently. Grass bends. Soil softens. Clippings clump. And in many cases, the mower struggles more than the homeowner expects. So, can you mow wet grass? Technically yes. But in most cases, no, you shouldn’t. A mower can tear the turf, leave ruts, spread disease, and even get stuck if the ground is saturated. In our 35 years of business, we’ve han

By Jorge Melo A healthy lawn looks simple from the outside, but anyone who maintains one knows a lot is happening beneath the surface. In our 35 years of business, we have seen one thing confuse homeowners more than anything else. A lawn can turn brown from too much water just as easily as it can from too little. The result is the same on the surface, but the cause and treatment are completely different. Many Massachusetts homeowners assume their lawn needs heavy daily wateri

By Jorge Melo Mushrooms can appear almost overnight. One long stretch of rain and your lawn may look like a scattering of small umbrellas rising through the grass. It surprises homeowners every season. In our 35 years of business, we have seen this pattern dozens of times across Massachusetts yards. The fastest way to kill mushrooms in your yard is to control moisture, increase sunlight where possible, and reduce the organic material feeding the underground fungus. When you

By Jorge Melo Planting a new shrub should feel exciting. You stand back, look at the fresh greenery, and imagine how it will fill out over the next few seasons. Then reality hits. New shrubs survive or fail based on watering. In our 35 years of business experience, we have seen shrubs thrive with the right schedule and die fast when they are ignored. So here is the answer right away: Water new shrubs every day for the first week, every other day for the next two weeks, and on

by Jorge Melo Fallen leaves look beautiful on Massachusetts streets, but once they hit your lawn, the real question shows up fast: Should you rake them, mulch them, or leave them alone?  A Michigan State University study once showed that mulching can reduce up to 18 inches of leaf buildup, but that only tells part of the story. Our region deals with heavy oak drops, stubborn pine needles, wet fall weather, unpredictable winds, and pockets of clay soil, all things that change

by, Jorge Melo Fall in Massachusetts is one of the easiest and most reliable seasons for planting. The air cools down, the soil stays warm, and new plants settle in with far less stress than they do during summer heat. That simple shift in conditions gives roots more time to grow strong before winter. So what can you plant in the fall in Massachusetts? Shrubs, perennials, spring-blooming bulbs, hydrangeas, lavender, hardy trees, and most cool-season plants handle fall extrem

By Jorge Melo Introduction A lawn can look healthy on the surface while quietly struggling underneath. That hidden layer is often thatch, and it’s one of the most misunderstood parts of lawn care. “Timing is everything” is a phrase heard often in landscaping, and it applies strongly here. Many homeowners ask the same question every year: When should you dethatch your lawn in Massachusetts? The clearest answer is this: Most lawns in Massachusetts should be dethatched in early

By Jorge Melo Introduction “Timing isn’t everything—but when it comes to lawns in Massachusetts, it’s pretty close!” After more than 35 years in business, our team at New England Tree & 4-Landscape has seen it all—burnt lawns, patchy growth, and frustrated homeowners wondering why their neighbor’s yard looks better. The truth is, even the best lawn fertilizer won’t help if you don’t apply it at the right time. So, how often should you fertilize your lawn in Massachusetts? Th

By Jorge Melo Autumn is the season of change—the air turns crisp, the leaves paint the sidewalks gold, and every homeowner in Massachusetts starts to wonder if their yard is really ready for winter. “A clean yard in the fall is a healthy yard in the spring.” That’s something we’ve learned time and again in our 35 years of business at New England Tree & Landscape. A professional fall clean-up means much more than just raking leaves. It’s a full property reset that protects you

by Jorge Melo Introduction Every great outdoor space starts with a plan. Landscape design isn’t just about picking plants or placing stones—it’s about shaping how a property looks, feels, and works over time. In simple terms, landscape design is the process of planning and building every part of the yard so that everything works together—visually, structurally, and naturally. At New England Tree & Landscape, we’ve learned over 35 years that the best results come from planning