Content marketing is an effective way to serve your customers, build relationships — and establish yourself as an expert. The idea behind the strategy is that useful information brings more value than a sales pitch.

Many manufacturers offer content that is already packaged for you to use. Here is some timely information from Stihl that you may want to share on your website, in a newsletter or in your stores. Be sure to credit the source, so you can gain more recognition for the brands you carry. Consider including photos of your dealership that show off your lawn and garden inventory. And, you may want to add a contact name and number at the end of the story for customers who want more info.

Caring for Lawns in Wet Weather

Heavy rains and flooding have left many lawns waterlogged, or worse, covered in silt when flood water recedes. Nature has a wonderful way of recovering from these things, but a few points considered now could give it a helping hand.

Try to avoid walking on wet or damp grass, as it is likely to damage it. If a lawn has been waterlogged for several days, wait until water levels have completely subsided and you can walk on it without leaving wet footprints.

If you want to mow the lawn once it has dried out, set the mower blades to the highest possible cutting height. Do not attempt to mow a wet or saturated lawn as you risk compaction and ruts. And obviously do not use an electric lawn mower in damp or wet conditions.

If the lawn has been flooded, be aware that any silt left behind may be contaminated, so wear rubber boots, disposable rubber gloves and cover any open wounds before working outside. You should attempt to remove silt, along with any debris from the lawn — either by hosing or raking it off. Unfortunately, if your lawn has been submerged for over a week or if it is covered with more than ¾ inches of silt there is a possibility that it will need to be re-laid, but this along with any major lawn repairs will need to wait until early spring.

Lawns that have been very wet will benefit from some serious aeration — either manually using a garden fork or with the help of a powered aerator. Moss is also likely to build up in damp conditions, but remedial treatments like aeration, scarifying, top-dressing or re-seeding bald patches will now need to wait until next spring.

One thing you can do now is check for any particularly waterlogged or vulnerable areas of the lawn, where heavy rain collects. Make a note of those areas and consider preventative action you could take in the future, either by evening out the ground levels or improving.

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