Omaha Lawn Care Association
Omaha Lawn Care Association
The Omaha Lawn Care Association (OLCA) in an affiliated chapter of the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). OLCA’S purpose is to promote the lawn care and landscape industries through professionalism, community involvement and a commitment to serve the needs of our customers. OLCA members are dedicated to providing professional services from well trained and certified applicators with safety and Omaha’s ecology in mind. OLCA strives to provide its member businesses with the right information at the right time, allowing them to be proactive instead of reactive. The safety of the public is the number one priority of OLCA.
Welcome to Omaha Lawn Care Association: An Association for Omaha's Premier Lawn Care Professionals
Why join the Omaha Lawn Care Association of Nebraska (OLCA) ?
Mission Statement
Serving the Omaha professional lawn care and landscaping industry by providing necessary resources for its active members.
Education
In order to increase professionalism and the ability to compete in the competitive lawn care and landscape marketplace, we provide our members with educational services, continuing education, and resources.
Communication
OLCA is the standard of the professional lawn care and landscaping industry in Omaha through all means available. We continuously reviewing these medians for improvements.
Research
OLCA is proactive in recommending and leading research specific to the lawn care and landscaping industry.
Member Benefits
OLCA seeks to enhance professional services, and to research and create new services to benefit its members.
Preserving Professional Lawn Care and Landscaping in Omaha, Nebraska
Since 2007, the Omaha Lawn Care Association has been holding lawn care companies in Omaha to a higher standard. All potential members are required to complete a series of steps prior to final application. Please find the list of requirements below. These MUST be complete before we will consider your application. Upon successful completion and submission of the required information, a member of OLCA will get in touch with you to schedule a facility inspection. Membership requires all applicant businesses have a storefront that customers can visit. This is a requirement and is not optional. Once the facility inspection has been successfully completed, a vote will be taken by the Board of Directors. Votes are held once per quarter. Please find business requirements below.
Article of the Season
Omaha Spring Lawn and Landscape Guide
Great looking lawn & landscapes in the spring starts with you! This simple guide will help you save money on expensive treatments by eliminating problems before they happen!
Fixing Snow Mold & Mole Damage
After all the snow melts from another tough Mid-At-lantic winter, most people get to see the damage caused from the snow resting on the grass. Most common forms of damage are Snow Mold and Mole Trails.
Snow Mold is easily recognized by small to medium, circular, light tan patches of what appears to be dead grass. This condition is caused by fungi that grow and thrive underneath the heavy snow blanket.
As ugly as it seems, these spots of dead looking grass are confined to the blades of the grass, and have not affected the growing part of the plant. Avoid the expensive treatments, and lightly rake the infected area. This will allow oxygen to circulate and speed up the natural recovery of your lawn.
Mole damage is identified by narrow, twisting ridges throughout your lawn. The small, mouse-like rodent hides underneath the snow blanket during the winter, causing a “tunnelling” effect in your lawn. Lightly rake these areas, and the problem will correct itself.
TIP: Be Gentle! Don’t rake too hard in the Spring, this can cause damage to the plant.
Preventing Weeds in Your Landscaping
Early spring is a perfect time to prevent weeds from establishing themselves in your landscape beds. The key to effective control is preventing the weeds from germinating.
Putting down granular herbicide in your beds before you mulch will prevent weed seeds from germinating throughout the year. This, coupled with an occasional spray treatment quarterly, will save you a lot of time on your hands and knees pulling those pesky weeds!
Plant Pruning & Perennial Care
Before your landscape begins to bloom, take some time to perform some basic maintenance on your plants. Cutting back last season’s dead foliage and pruning your shrubs/trees can help keep a clean, neat look to your landscaping.
Perennial grasses should be cut back and any dead bloom stalks removed. Early spring is also a great time to separate perennials, creating more plants. Using a spade shovel, divide the perennial in half, creating 2 plants.
Early spring is also a good time to transplant any existing trees or shrubs that you want moved. The key to transplanting is removing the plant with a sufficient amount of soil around it containing feeder roots. Insufficient soil around those roots could kill the plant.
The general rule of thumb is that with most small to medium size shrubs, dig a root ball 20 times larger than the trunk. This allows for ample feeder roots and will prevent the plant from going into shock.
Prevent Harmful Tree & Shrub Insects
Insects and their eggs, such as spider mites, hide in your plants just below the surface, sustaining themselves on your plant’s nutrients.
An inexpensive dormant oil spray before your plants bloom will kill these intruders and prevent you from needing an expensive treatment later in the season.
TIP: SAVE MONEY!!!!!!! Dormant Oil can kill those insects on plants before they become a costly problem!
