Latest news with #GaryCourchesne
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rain brings green lawns, but yard work challenges remain
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Some towns have picked up a couple of inches of rain already, and wet weather is something we've seen quite a bit of this month. While the rain might have gotten rid of the drought, it's making it difficult to work out in the yard. All the rain we've been getting recently has made most lawns nice and green, and it's also causing the grass to grow. Rainy days like today make it difficult to get out to mow your lawn. And if the grass has gotten pretty long, it's important to mow it properly. At G&H Landscaping in Holyoke, their lawnmowers are sitting and waiting to be used when the weather gets drier. Gary Courchesne with G&H Landscaping told 22News, 'The next time you can mow, ideally in a dry scenario, would be if you could raise the height to its maximum and take small amounts off multiple times, so you may have to cut it 2 to 3 times.' Of course, right now with all the rain we're getting, you don't need to run your sprinklers. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rainfall in western Mass. alleviates drought conditions
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – It was a wet day Thursday, and we've gotten quite a bit of rain this month. We may be tired of the wet weather, but all this rain has been beneficial. Last fall, severe drought conditions led to brush fires all across western Massachusetts. Fortunately, this spring, a change in the weather pattern brought us rain, and it keeps on coming. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor, which just came out, shows no drought or even abnormally dry conditions anywhere in western Massachusetts. And the State Drought Status map that came out earlier this week also shows no drought conditions across western Massachusetts. 'So far where we stand just under four and a half inches on the month, and of course, that does not include today, so we're only going to continue to go up, and we're already a little over an inch above for the month here at Westover Air Base,' says 22News Storm team Meteorologist Chris Bouzakis. While the lawns are nice and green, the rain is making it difficult for area landscapers. Gary Courchesne told 22News, 'So we've had several inches of rain in the last two weeks, which is just throwing our mowing and maintenance crews way out of schedule, so our Monday schedule is now Friday, our Friday schedule is now the following Tuesday, it's just upside down.' All the rain has caused area rivers and stream levels to remain fairly high. The good news is that despite the rain we're getting, we don't expect much in the way of any flooding problems. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Time to bring out the lawnmower as April ends
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – We're now nearing the end of April, and everything is beginning to get warmer and greener. With the recent rain and now warmer weather we've been getting, the grass is really starting to grow. We've had some beautiful spring weather recently and everything is starting to bloom. Now, it's time to start mowing your lawn. It's important to make sure you cut your lawn at the right height. Dry, windy weather can worsen allergy symptoms in Massachusetts 'You want to start mowing in the spring at around three inches,' said Gary Courchesne of G & H Landscaping. 'It may sound high, but it's not. The longer you leave the lawn in the spring and summer, the less root resorption you'll have, so the roots will stay deep and absorb some sub-surface water.' Courchesne said it's also important to make sure your blade is sharp. He also says this is a good time to check your sprinkler system. 'Making sure you turn it on, there's no leaks,' Courchesne said. 'Have a professional come in and check your system out to make sure you're getting maximum efficiency so you're not wasting water and spending money needlessly.' With the rain we've had recently, you should only have to water your lawn around once or twice a week. Of course, you'll have to water it more often as we head into summer and the temperature goes up. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Lawn and garden preparations beginning in April
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – It's now April, and temperatures are starting to warm up. Severe weather changes from snow to thunderstorms in western Mass. You can start doing your spring cleanup and getting your gardens ready for planting. We've had some typical spring weather recently with some sunshine and also some much-needed rain. You should start by raking up any leaves that were left from last fall. 'Pick up sticks, twigs, prune back ornamental grasses from last fall,' said Gary Courchesne of G & H Landscaping. 'If you didn't prune them, flush cut them. The same goes for any perennials from last fall that weren't cut in any type of garden areas.' Once you've finished cleaning up your yard, Courchesne said you can start putting down fertilizer. 'Then start applying pre-emergent crab grass control and a good balanced fertilizer,' Courchesne said. 'And I always recommend a licensed professional to do that, because you waste money, you can harm the environment if you don't know exactly what you're doing.' With the rain we've had recently, lawns are starting to get green and will start to grow, so it won't be long before they'll need to be mowed. So right now, it's important to check your lawn mower to make sure it's in good working condition. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Do's and don'ts of spring lawn preparation
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The weather has been getting warmer and most of the snow has melted may be anxious to start working on your lawn, but there are some things you should hold off on doing for the time have been getting warmer and we've seen quite a bit of sunshine this week. Most of the snow has melted away in the Springfield area and the official start of spring is just over a week away. How to prepare for spring allergy season If you're looking to get out and start doing yard work, there are some things you can start doing. 'What folks can be doing now is pruning ornamentals, broken branches and ornamental trees, shrubs, roses, things like that,' said Gary Courchesne of G & H Landscaping. But there are still some things you should hold off doing, at least for now. 'I would discourage putting any fertilizer down and crabgrass preventative now, it's way too early,' Courchesne said. 'Probably start thinking about that in early April, first, second week of April.'Right now, you can up pick any branches that fell on your yard over the winter and you can rake out your gardens. You should avoid putting any kind of equipment on your lawn because the ground may still be pretty soft from the recent melting you have any issues or any questions about your lawn, the best advice is to call a professional. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
