Preparing for Spring – What You Should Expect From Your Landscape Management Company
Spring is right around the corner and good landscape management companies know that now – before spring has arrived – is the time to get ahead on a few tasks to ensure that your landscape will look beautiful throughout spring and the warmer months ahead.
Lawn
Depending on the usage and soil type, it is recommended to have your lawn aerated at least once or twice per year. In heavy use turf, it may be advisable to do this several times throughout the year. So – if the lawn hasn’t been aerated yet – talk to your maintenance company to see if and when they plan to aerate. Aeration is an important step in maintaining a beautiful lawn. It helps the turf absorb water better and gives the roots a chance to breath. Ask your landscape maintenance company in San Diego what their aeration schedule is to ensure that your turf gets the care it needs.
Now is a good time to fertilize your lawn. Technically, your turf should be fertilized year-round to keep it looking healthy and beautiful. As fuel prices rise, fertilizer becomes more expensive and this is where some companies tend to cut corners. At Benchmark, we know that your turf needs to be fertilized regularly. There are several types of fertilizer that can be used. However, depending on the time of year, some fertilizers work better than others. Check with your landscape maintenance company to determine how often they fertilize.
Also, discuss if now is a good time to apply pre-emergent herbicides at your site. This will help ensure that you have a relatively weed free lawn as we head into the warmer months. Ask your landscape maintenance company in San Diego if they are applying any herbicides to control weed growth. Unfortunately, a lot of companies don’t.
Irrigation
With the recent winter rains, the need for supplemental watering may be limited. Watch the weather and talk to your maintenance company to ensure that they are applying water efficiently and that the sprinklers are turned off and on according to the weather. Better yet, have your landscape maintenance company install a rain shut off device to help monitor your system automatically. Irrigating saturated soil is just a waste of precious water.
Good landscape management companies usually manage their systems regularly throughout the year. At Benchmark, we ask our teams to dedicate upwards of 20% of their maintenance time each visit to manage the irrigation. That means each visit we monitor the system by checking valves, timers, verifying water coverage and looking for any broken heads and pipe leaks.
Plant/Tree/Shrub Maintenance
Depending on the type of plant material you have on your site, now may be a good time to have your maintenance company consider doing a “hard prune” on selected plant material. Hard pruning can be a very useful method that allows for rejuvenation of overgrown material. The art of pruning plants is as important as people needing a haircut every now and then. Hard pruning at the right time of year can be a big time saver over the course of the following year. It also allows the plant the opportunity to grow back out and possibly be kept at a more desirable height or allowed to grow more naturally. One good pruning can alleviate the need of pruning for an entire season, in some cases. There are many benefits to a good hard pruning on the proper plant material.
As for plants that have browned because of frost, do not cut back until the threat of frost is completely over. Once any plant is cut, it is very vulnerable so you want to ensure that the weather is warming and conducive for new growth.
Additionally, thin out deciduous trees and give a deep watering to encourage bloom and leaf development.
Lastly, don’t forget to have your landscape maintenance company clean debris and dead leaves from planter boxes. Spray or pull any weeds while they are small enough so they don’t have an opportunity to spread and create a bigger problem when the weather starts to heat up.
If your landscape maintenance company makes the effort now, your landscape will be looking great when spring finally gets here. At Benchmark Landscape we don’t cut corners – and, our customers’ landscapes look fabulous not only in the spring but year-round too.