About us

Mike Simmonds launched TruGreen Gloucestershire in 2018, and ever since he and his experienced team have been delivering a professional Lawncare service that has continued to delight customers and exceed their expectations.

The TruGreen team pride themselves on their industry competency – they are trained to complete treatments on lawns with all the relevant staff holding professional licences and qualifications, including City & Guilds PA1 and PA6 (Safe Use of Pesticides).

Mike Simmonds

Born and bred in Gloucestershire Mike lives in the local area – working across Gloucestershire is like working in his own back garden. He has had the pleasure of working with many local people and businesses and decided the time was right to go into business for himself in late 2017.

As a customer, Mike value’s a personal service and so, with TruGreen, he has made sure that is exactly what he delivers. All lawncare plans are created to match a customer’s individual lawn requirements and Mike is always available to speak to direct with any of your concerns or requirements you may have.

Along with creating quality lawns, regular communications are shared with clients to provide helpful hints and tips, such as how to deal with lawn pests and what to look out for, extreme weather advice and cutting & watering guides.

Our Lawn Care Services

At TruGreen we understand that every lawn is different.  That’s why we provide a FREE 14-Point Lawn Analysis to ensure that your lawn gets the best possible bespoke lawn care package.

Our services include:

Lawn Fertilisers 

Grass plants need on-going nutrition, and absorb their nutrients through their root system. Therefore, a good soil rich in nutrients is essential for a healthy lawn. Fertilisation is a lawn treatment that provides, or supplements, the natural nutrients needed to become a healthy lawn. The market leading fertilisers we use are changed depending on the time of year and lawn requirements to ensure the correct level of Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P) and Pottasium (K) are maintained.

Weed Control

Unfortunately, even the best kept lawns are susceptible to weeds. There are hundreds of different weeds which will need to be kept in check with various professional strength weed killers. Different weeds will require a different weed killer for the treatment to be effective. We help to remove them and keep them at bay by using herbicides to destroy the weed plant. It is worth noting that weed control is an ongoing process, and it may take several treatments before your weeds disappear. However, it is well worth persevering so that your lawn can be weed free and healthy.

Moss Control

Moss is something that every lawn suffers from at one time or another. Unless treated and removed, moss will continue to choke out the grass plants. You’ll typically find moss growth in lawns that have poor drainage. In order to eradicate moss, we need to eradicate the conditions in which it grows, followed by our professional moss control treatments. We do not use over the counter treatments, but specially designed moss control treatments that are only available to professionals such as TruGreen.

Aeration

Modern living means that lawns become compacted very easily and benefit from aerating twice a year. Aeration involves piercing the lawn to allow water, oxygen, fertilisers and other nutrients to penetrate the soil more effectively and reach the roots. There are two main types of aeration which benefit the lawn; solid tine aeration, which aids the development of the grass plant, and hollow core aeration which facilitates the application of a top dressing and improves drainage.

 Scarification

Scarification is a mechanical operation which helps to remove all unwanted organic matter from around the base of the grass plant (thatch) and tidy up any straggly lateral growth from your lawn. The process will also remove moss that will otherwise choke the grass plant and restrict growth.

Your lawn may need scarification to prevent the build up of debris which could lead to other problems. Thatch will naturally build up over a period of time resulting in an inferior grass quality and appearance, so it is vital that this layer is kept to a minimum. Scarification will also aid fresh grass growth giving and increase in grass density. Thatch and moss infested lawns will not wear well or cope with drought conditions, giving further reasons to support a regular scarification.

Pest Control

There are a number of grass pests that are common in the UK.  A grass pest is a creature that lives within the soil and feeds on the grass plant.  Many grass pests feed on the root of the plant which causes a rapid deterioration in the condition of your lawn, causing large areas of discoloured grass and, potentially, a dead lawn.  The most common/destructive pests are Leather Jackets and Chafer Grubs.  Watch out for Crane Flies (Daddy Long Legs) landing on your lawns at the end of Summer/Autumn as this is when they lay their eggs. It’s best to contact a lawn pest control specialist such as Trugreen, as soon as possible to avoid damage to the lawn.

Fungus & Disease Control

The development of most diseases are usually dependent upon weather conditions, so recent weather conditions are to be considered during any diagnosis. Most diseases will have certain characteristics such as discolouration of the grasses, brown, dry patches or signs of fungi (mushroom type growth).

Re-seeding and Turfing

TruGreen has specialised equipment which plants the seed at the correct depth, enabling the seed to germinate quicker and more successfully. The correct seed will be chosen for your lawn to ensure good establishment of a robust lawn.

Our turf supplier is of the highest quality, and can supply turf for hard wearing lawns for children and pets or  to ornamental and or shady areas.

Wetting Agents

A Wetting Agent helps the lawn to hold moisture, which slows down deterioration as well as helping grass to recover from periods of drought or dehydration. Thus improving its colour and overall health. 

It is important to note that a Wetting Agent will not create moisture. It’s effectiveness relies entirely on regular watering, be it from you or the rain. It then retains the moisture in the soil for longer, giving the grass a chance to recover. What is particularly clever about this treatment is that it will help the lawn withstand further periods of high temperatures or drought. 

Wetting agents can be administered ad hoc, but to get the maximum benefit they are best applied more regularly as part of an ongoing lawn care plan – initially three per annum is ideal. 

Growth Regulator

A growth regulator is liquid treatment which redirects the plant growth from above the ground to below the ground. It works by blocking the growth hormone within the plant which is responsible for the vertical, leafy growth, but the energy is not lost. Instead it is diverted to produce more lateral and downwards growth. This increases the thickness of the lawn and improves rooting. A growth regulator really helps drought tolerance and greens up grass. 

This treatment is ideal for holiday periods during the summer, applied before you travel means no over grown lawn to come home to. 

Top Dressing

Topdressing is a hugely beneficial lawn treatment. It the relatively straightforward process of adding a thin layer of specifically designed treatment over the top of the grass. The purpose of this is to improve soil biology by adding organic matter and beneficial microorganisms thus encouraging a dense, lush, hardy lawn. 

Top dressing also improves drainage, reduces lawn stresses, helps keep thatch under control, and acts as a long-term natural fertiliser. As an additional bonus it smoothes out the lumps and bumps caused by worm castings.

If all of this has gone over your head, TruGreen Gloucestershire can do the hard work for you! With our Free 14-Point Lawn Analysis we can answer questions, offer advice and create a plan that suits you and your lawn care needs and aspirations. Call us now on 0772 204 5855.

Areas We Cover

TruGreen work across Gloucestershire covering a wide area, to include:

● Gloucester

● Cheltenham

● Tewkesbury

● Stroud

● Forest of Dean

● Cirencester

● The Cotswolds

Along with the smaller villages and hamlets across the county.  

Please give us a call 07722 045855 and we will check when we are next in your area.

We take great pride and care when working on customers lawns. Ensuring our clients are happy and engaged in the lawn care process is really important to us. This approach has led to us being the highest rate lawn care business in Gloucestershire. Don’t take our word for it though, here’s what our customers think…

Seasonal Advice

You too can have a perfect lawn with these tips from the TruGreen experts. Here’s what you need to do to your lawn, and when, in each season.

Spring

Moss is something that every lawn will have to deal with at some point. It will manifest itself and choke out healthy grasses, as well as starving the grass plant of the all-important nutrients applied through fertiliser. There are various reasons for the build-up of moss in a lawn, but very damp and shaded areas are at most risk, combined with limited daylight and increased rainfall during the winter months, the ideal conditions are produced for moss to develop and take over the lawn.

The application of a quality commercial product, based on Sulphate of Iron, followed by a programme of scarification will keep the moss at bay and allow the grasses to grow and thicken. Scarification will also reduce the thatch layer which if left to build-up will become an ideal growing medium for mosses. Additionally it is important to introduce aeration to improve drainage, along with the application of a balanced fertiliser to achieve a strong and healthy lawn.

TruGreen tips to achieving a great lawn!

● Moss treatment using Ferrous Sulphate

● Scarification to remove mosses and thatch

● Aeration to improve drainage and fertiliser efficiency

● Balanced fertiliser to allow for healthy grass growth

Summer

Red Thread is one of the most common turf diseases found in the UK, resulting in irregular red patches on the lawn. It can occur at any time of year, but more commonly during the summer months and will favour damp, shady, poorly aerated and compacted soils that are lacking in Nitrogen. Red Thread will not generally kill the grass plant, but does give an unsightly appearance to the leaf, spoiling the appearance of the lawn.

Dependent upon the severity of the Red Thread, the damage can be treated by applying a high nitrogen fertiliser or, more commonly, by the use of a contact fungicide.

TruGreen tips to achieving a great lawn this summer!

● Apply the correct fertiliser in managing warm weather conditions

● Maintain the grass height between 25-30mm

● Apply a fungicide at the first signs of disease

● Apply irrigation when necessary during the cooler part of the day to prevent evaporation

Autumn

Good lawn care in Autumn will leave your lawn better prepared for the Winter.

When maintaining lawn quality and health, it is crucial to apply the correct autumn fertiliser. Controlling the level of Potassium will raise the turf’s tolerance to disease, wear and soft growth as well as helping it to withstand low temperature during the Winter months.

Additional benefits of our controlled release Autumn fertilisers include the retention of colour and a healthy root structure; important factors if the lawn is to survive possible frost and snow.

Prepare your lawn for winter

All lawns benefit from having any remaining thatch that has accumulated over the Summer months removed before the onset of Winter It is equally important to maintain drainage if moss is to be controlled.

Maximise your lawn’s ability to overcome the winter by speaking with your local TruGreen operator about the level of scarification and aeration that may be required. Combining these mechanical services with an autumn fertiliser will allow for a more healthy lawn come the end of the Winter.

Winter

TruGreen’s lawn care expert Steve Welch is advising garden owners to be prepared to protect their lawns this winter against a repeat of last year’s blight of snow mould.

As snow mould occurs under a blanket of snow, it is often not until the snow has melted and winter is over that you may know if you have been affected or not. The disease manifests itself as a white or pink patch where the lawn has literally gone mouldy. Prevention is key with this particular lawn disease and there are several factors to take into consideration which may affect its likelihood:

● Shade and high moisture, accompanied by cool temperatures

● Inadequate circulation of air above the lawn

● Rapid, forced and weak growth of grass in autumn

● Alkaline soil pH, between 7 and 14

● Weak turf, perhaps due to wear or irregular mowing

● Blunt mower blades causing a poor cut

● Compacted soil and poor drainage

If you feel your lawn may be susceptible to any of these conditions, then an outbreak can be reduced by a number of means, including the following:

● Regular aeration and scarification

● Regular mowing

● Alternating the direction of the cut helps the grass to stand upright and will help air move between the plants

● Lowering nitrogen applications at the end of the Summer / early Autumn period

● The most enthusiastic gardeners can play a role by removing dew with a rake in the mornings.

Here at TruGreen, we will happily answer any of your questions about lawns and their care from the condition, to when you can mow after a treatment.

We thought it might be useful to share a few of the frequently asked and answered questions that we handle on a regular basis.

1. Are your lawn care treatments harmful to children and pets? Our lawn care treatments are not harmful and perfectly safe for children and pets. However, we do recommend for both children and pets to stay off the lawn for a couple of hours after the treatment has been applied to allow it to dry.
2. I don’t have moss in my lawn, do I need to scarify it? Quite possibly yes. Scarification isn’t only for removing moss. Like any other plants, the older they get the more stems they get. As the grass plant gets older these stems begin to form a thick thatch on the surface of the soil. This prevents moisture and nutrients getting through to the grass roots. This is where scarification is of benefit, clearing out the thatch and opening up the channels again.
3. Do I need to water my lawn? Yes, you will need to water your lawn as your lawn is a plant, and requires feeding. You should give your lawn around 3-4 cm of water per week.
4. Can I walk on my lawn after it has been treated? Yes, unless it has had a specialist treatment. We will be sure to let you know if this is the case and how long you should stay off the lawn for.
5. Do I need to be in when you come? No, we will always give you prior notice of when we shall be coming to treat your lawn to make you aware.
6. Do I need to sign up to an annual treatment plan? No, we are happy to complete a one-off treatment where required however we do recommend putting a treatment plan in place to ensure your lawn is kept in the best possible condition and health.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to call us on 07722 045855 or email us on gloucestershire@trugreen.co.uk and we would be happy to help.