Pre-Emergent Weed Control in Commercial Landscaping
Phoenix experiences extremes in weather and while Bermuda Grass goes dormant in the winter months, weeds remain a problem. With the onset of spring, conditions improve for all growth and weeds begin to emerge. Seeds can remain dormant amongst your landscaping for extended periods especially in commercial properties where they tend to be amongst open areas where weeds are not closely controlled. Sun State Lawn has been controlling weeds in commercial landscaping for over 30 years.
One way to attack a weed problem is to target them before they germinate and start growing. This is called pre-emergent weed control. A pre-emergent weed killer is a chemical treatment that will prevent seeds from germinating. This can be applied in either liquid or water based granular form. Often a colorant is added as a temporary indicator that will show where the treatment has been applied assisting in attaining effective coverage.
Pre-emergent treatment is a part of our protocols since it is extremely effective. If applied at the correct time, it greatly reduces the amounts of weeds that germinate. Pre-emergent treatments are effective on lawn and gravel areas.
While pre-emergent treatment is very effective, seeds are continually distributed and also some may have already germinated so will show up as the weather warms. For this reason Post-emergent treatment is also done periodically. This is best done early in the growth cycle to prevent unsightly growth and so as to prevent the weed from flowering and forming more seeds. Post –Emergent treatment is usually done by spraying a selective herbicide which targets broad leafed plants while leaving grasses unharmed. Again colorant is sometimes added as a temporary indicator of which areas have been treated. The colorant is biodegradable and will break down and fade within a matter of days.
Fertilization of grass helps with weed control since many weeds struggle to compete with healthy and strongly growing grasses.
We are proud to have specialist staff that is amongst the most highly trained in the industry. They have specialized equipment that allows them to safely handle and apply. Our crews often work at night since it is often less windy at night and liquid spray does not dry out before properly targeting the weeds within your landscaping.
At Sun State Lawn we customize treatments to offer you the best protection for your property, keeping it looking its best, without headaches and within budget.
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How to get the most out of your commercial landscaper
Keeping your commercial property looking good is a priority for every property owner. It is all about curb appeal. Tenants prefer good looking properties and you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression on prospective tenants or your tenant’s visitors. Especially in this economy, professional landscaping can make the difference between an occupied and unoccupied property.
Commercial properties are businesses too and property managers are budget conscious and want to get the best possible landscaping and service for their money. There are many possibilities but what is the right approach for you property and how exactly can you be sure that you are getting good value and service out of your commercial landscaper?
At Sun State Lawn we believe in keeping our client’s properties looking their best, without headaches and within budget. We believe the following tips will help maximize your landscaping dollars.
Evaluating and Understanding Your Property
Without a thorough understanding of your property, you will not be able to judge what you are being offered. Each landscaping company you might contact will offer you different services. Unless you know your property in reasonable detail, you may well think you are getting a good deal but actually wind up with sub-standard service and much less than you bargained on.
The process of gaining a good understanding of your property, will give you the ability to have a meaningful discussion with your landscaper as to what of the existing landscaping is an asset and what needs to be changed as well as being open to a professional opinion on low budget enhancements that you had not considered.
Unhealthy or poorly maintained plants reflect poorly on your property. Items that take a long time to establish and grow to their full potential like trees and shrubs need to be properly placed and planted in an environment that will suit their needs.
The climate in Phoenix is harsh and there is a misconception that only cactus’ and scorpions do well here. There is a wide range of indigenous plants that can provide a lush and colorful backdrop, screen, sound dampening barrier or simply to properly frame a stunning view. A professional landscaper can help you to designing your landscaping to truly enhance your commercial space in an artful and enduring manner. A benefit is that professional landscapers will be able to help to avoid maintenance or potential safety problems with trees, fence lines and public access ways.
Irrigation is the heart of any landscaping. A professional will know how best to group plants and also how to set up and program your irrigation systems for optimum results. A properly laid out and programmed irrigation system will save you money while ensuring your property looks stunning.
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Winter Lawn Care
Around half of all water used in Phoenix is used for watering domestic and commercial landscaping. By caring for your lawn areas properly by watering wisely, you will not only have a great looking landscape but will save money and help to conserve a precious resource.
Watering lawn during the cooler hours is a good idea in both summer and winter since it reduces evaporation losses and generally winds are light which makes for more thorough irrigation, since sprinkler patterns do not get distorted.
In cold climates it is generally recommended that irrigation take place at temperatures above 40 degrees. However Phoenix rarely sees snow and sustained freezing conditions so irrigating lawn early in the day during winter here gives the water the most time possible to soak in before nighttime temperatures drop down and the possibility of freezing arises.
As a rule, watering less often promotes deeper lawn root growth which makes the grass more durable and therefore lawn care easier. Bermuda grass goes dormant in the winter which is why Rye Grass is commonly used for winter lawns in Phoenix. Rye Grass thrives in the cooler weather and crates the intended accent year round. Established Rye Grass lawns need little care and watering (3 to 7 days).
Depending on the soil type and aeration; it is easy to over-water grass in the winter making lawn care messy and difficult. Doing so often produces muddy or soggy patches that are more susceptible to disease, root-rot, and fungus and can create breeding areas for mosquitoes.
Since water does not evaporate readily in the Phoenix winter, it can easily collect in low spots of lawn like areas that are bounded by paving and have no drainage. Adding soil to these areas will provide a longer term fix and make the lawn easier to care for in summer.
How much water is needed depends on a number of factors and the best way to figure this out is to test the ground by probing it with a 6” screwdriver. If the ground is too dry, you will struggle to push it all the way in. If it goes in too easily dial back on the watering.
Regular inspection will tell you a lot about how your irrigation system is working and how to adjust your routine and the system to give you an optimal result. Shaded areas will require less water and remember that it is a waste to water if you have had rain.
You may need to increase times or volumes for areas that are dry or browning. Or look to see if that area is raised and compacted causing irrigation water to run off before it can soak in. If the problem looks difficult to solve without major work, consider splitting the watering cycle into segments that will allow water to soak in rather than running off.
Fertilizer may be used in your winter lawn care regimen, but will need to be of a different composition than would be used in summer. Higher nitrogen will compensate for irrigation water rather than rain and Iron will help to green up the grass. As always if it is used, it should be used sparingly and care must be taken not to burn the grass. Watering well after fertilizer application will ensure that it is dissolved into the soil. This will cause the grass to grow more strongly, which will require mowing. Be sure to sharpen the mower blade so that it cuts the grass rather than smashing it.
Probably the single thing you can do to help care for your lawn properly is to ensure that the lawn and the sprinkler systems are regularly maintained. This will ensure that lawn or shrubs do not interfere with the sprinkler heads and that the heads are properly adjusted to give the garden an even watering. Your garden will look its best and you will be saving money.
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What is Smartscaping?
Smartscaping is a form of water wise landscaping, which is highly applicable to the varied climatic regions within the Sonora Desert.
Smartscape gardens are constructed primarily utilizing plants whose natural characteristics and requirements are appropriate to the local environment making them more durable. Further, the layout is designed to be water efficient through the appropriate irrigation design and taking care to avoid losing water to evaporation and run-off.
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Commercial Landscaping Tips for Winter
Commercial Landscaping
The extremes of the Sonoran Desert climate generally makes the business-as-usual line of approach difficult for any Phoenix commercial landscaping. There are many options for creating great looking commercial landscaping, and with our experience and expertise you don’t have to look too far to find them.
Given the harsh summers (and winters) the trick though is to think out of the box and find ways to incorporate more hard-scape features into your yard. This will reduce the demand for water and maintenance while keeping your commercial landscaping tidy and good looking. Softening the yard with carefully thought out soft-scape, is the real trick.
Your best option is to choose from native plants and other plants for dry areas. You will have to make compromises, but you can still have appealing commercial landscaping, water-efficient courtyards or common areas in your complex.
Winter is the ideal time to set your landscaping up for saving money in the coming year. Contact us and we will be happy to come out and assess your property for ways to optimize your yard.
Watering Commercial Landscaping
No single schedule of watering can be applied to all soft-scaping plants. Given the extremes in weather, your irrigation system needs to be constantly adjusted to take account of the prevailing conditions. This is an area that presents considerable savings and as part of our service to keeping our customers properties looking their best and saving them money, we continually adjust and optimize their irrigation systems.
In the winter, Bermuda-grass lawns become dormant and therefore need no supplemental watering. Bermuda grass dies down and goes brown, so to keep the grass areas of your commercial landscaping looking lush and green, we over-seed with Rye Grass in winter. While the Rye Grass is getting established we switch to a light repeated watering cycles, but after the grass becomes established, Rye Grass areas only require watering every 3 to 7 days.
In general you can save water by preventing runoff. Dividing your watering cycles up into shorter periods spread throughout the day will give maximum effectiveness and save you money.
Drip Irrigation
Shrubs are best served by drip irrigation and variable capacity emitters are available to be tailored to suit every situation. Newly established beds should be kept moist until the plants show signs of growth. Watering can then be scaled back. Winter guidelines for drip irrigation are:
- New Landscape – 3 days a week, 30-60 minutes.
- Established Landscape – 2 days a week, 30-60 minutes.
Precipitation can be factored in and additional watering and meteorological information is available from AZMET