Posts from the ‘Landscape ’ Category

In the heat of Arizona summer, most of us are worried about our lawns drying out. But it turns out overwatering can be as much of a hazard to your lawn than underwatering. Water is a precious resource and no where is that more deeply felt than here in the Sonoran Desert. Good water management means good irrigation efficiency. Below are signs that your lawn has had more than enough water.

1)  When you watered your lawn and it squishes under your feet, it is a good indication that you have over used water.

2)  Make sure to scale down on the sprinkling if you water your lawn too much that the soil can’t absorb.

3)  If your lawn has a blight, mold, or patch problem, you’re probably overwatering. The best time to water your lawn is in the beginning of the day so that the moisture can evaporate opposed to night when moisture sits on the lawn for hours before the sun rises.

Check out http://www.nwlandscaping.com for landscaping information.

Listed below are the profiles of the most common weeds in the United States.

Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale

Perennial; spreads by seeds; height to 1 foot; found in U.S. (not southernmost TX, CA, AZ, and FL) and southern Canada; can flower at any time when temperatures permit

Annual sowthistle
Sonchus oleraceus
Perennial; spreads by seeds; height to 18 inches; found across U.S. and southern Canada, mostly in lawns; flowers July through October.

Carpetweed
Mollugo verticillata
Annual; spreads by seeds; stems grow to 1 foot; found across U.S., except for ND and parts of MT and MN; flowers June through November.

Large crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis
Annual; spreads by seeds/roots at leaf joints; height to 3 feet; found across U.S., except ND and parts of SD, MT, and MN; flowers June through October.

Poison ivy
Rhus radicans
Perennial; spreads by creeping rootstock; found across U.S. (not AK or CA) and southern Canada, as vine or shrub; flowers in May and June.

Lamb’s-quarters
Chenopodium album
Annual; spreads by seeds; height to 3 feet; found across U.S.; flowers June through October.

We are in the middle of monsoon season here in Arizona. It’s a good time to check your properties waterways and drainages for debris in order to prepare for heavy rains and keep your landscape design in tip-top shape. Determine any possible problem areas and correct or contact a professional to get a quote. Trees are particularly vulnerable to heavy rain and high winds if not properly cared for. Thin the crown as needed and check tree stakes to avoid loss or damage.

Homeowners should also prune and shape select plants as needed, just be sure not to over-prune since that may cause unrecoverable damage to the plant. Irrigation during the hottest summer months should take place between early evening hours and early morning hours. Varying start times may be required to achieve maximum saturation and avoid excessive run-off. It’s a good idea to invest in a irrigation system that allows for multiple start times if you haven’t already. Some systems are limited in their functionality and are not as useful.

It is a common occurrence. Homeowners will take on a landscaping project for their home and bring in decorative gravel for their yard. Along with bringing in gravel they also bring in countless weed seeds. Many times gravel companies will have wide open yards that enable the weed seeds to roll into the piles of gravel throughout their facility.  On top of seeds coming in there is a possibility that the soil that is being landscaped has also been disturbed in one way or another. Digging, scraping, hoeing, planting or watering can move all the nutrients that the seeds need to grow, closer to the surface, making it much easier for the seeds to germinate.

It is possible to suppress this outbreak by a strategic pre-emergent application. Since there will be a lot of movement on the soil preparing for the gravel you wouldn’t want to do the treatment at this time. You also wouldn’t want to treat after the gravel is put down. This could cause the seeds to embed themselves deeper into the soil. The best time to apply pre-emergent is after all the preparation of the soil is done and before the gravel comes in. This will allow a protective barrier of pre-emergent to be between the seeds and the soil.

Would you consider genetically modified grass for your backyard? Well according to a July article, genetically engineered grass is expected to hit the U.S markets without government review in the near future. This type of grass could speed the evolution of hard-to-control weeds.

Check out this website below for more information:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/07/engineered-bluegrass/