Mowing Your Lawn: Do It Right

One of the most important things you do in your landscaping is mow your lawn. Your home’s curb appeal goes down the drain if you have poor lawn cutting techniques that damage the lawn and promote weeds and insects. Instead, your goal should be a neatly manicured lawn that will be the envy of the neighborhood. How do you know the best mowing practices? Here are some guidelines to help you achieve success.

Select the right mower.

Rotary mowers are the most popular type used for both residential and commercial lawns, although they vary depending on the size of the job. Homeowners usually opt for push mowers on small to medium yards where speed and power aren’t a requirement. Larger riding mowers are a good choice when push mowers aren’t sufficient. However, keep in mind that the blade turns slower on bigger mowers and can rip the turf, which increases your lawn’s risk for disease. Faster blades make sharper cuts that are healthier for your lawn. Heavier big mowers can also cause soil compaction, inhibiting the ability for air, water, and nutrients to pass through your soil. If you use a larger mower, aerate your lawn annually to combat soil compaction issues.

Set the right height.

The height that you mow your grass is critical to its health. It varies somewhat depending on the type of grass, but generally the most important thing to know is the 1/3 rule. This rule means that you shouldn’t cut any more than 1/3 of the leaf blade at any one mowing. Cutting more than that at a time can cause drought damage or root stunting, especially during the hot Houston area summers. If your lawn need to be cut more than 1/3 of a leaf blade, take several passes on your lawn over several days. This give the grass time to recover and your lawn won’t be shocked so much.

Decide if mulching is right for your yard.

Many lawn mowers come with the ability to mulch or shred grass clippings and spread them back to your soil surface. Adversely, bagging and removing clippings means your lawn will need more fertilizer because valuable nutrients leaving with the clippings will need to be added back. Some homeowners are afraid that returning clippings to your lawn creates a layer of thatch that water and nutrients can’t get through, but this is false. Mulched clippings from a routinely mowed lawn acts as an organic fertilizer. Thatch from clippings is only a problem for lawns that are cut from high growth to extremely low heights.

Mow at the right time.

How often you mow depends on the amount of rainfall, sun exposure, temperature, length of day, and fertilizer applications. Therefore, you shouldn’t set a strict schedule for mowing. It is better to cut the lawn when it reaches the needed height. And during the hot Houston summer months, lawns should be mowed less frequently to lower drought and heat stress.

Know the right way.

Always alternate the direction that you cut your lawn every other time you mow. Don’t follow the same pattern each time, because it can increase soil compaction and cause inconsistent growth patterns. Also, make sure your lawn mower blade is sharp. Disease and ripped turf become issues when dull blades are used for cutting. Make a habit of sharpening your lawn mower blades at the beginning of the mowing season, and you can make it easy on yourself by taking the blades to your local hardware store.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Drip Irrigation

Watering your lawn and garden is often not an easy task, and it can also get very expensive and waste water. Drip irrigation offers an efficient and cost-effective way to water your landscaping.

What is drip irrigation?

This type of watering system has been used in dry areas of the country for some time, and the Houston area fits the bill. It applies water slowly at the plant’s roots where it is most needed. Plants are over 90% efficient in using the water applied, while other irrigation methods like sprinklers are only 65% to 75% efficient. Also, evaporation and runoff are reduced. Homeowners most often incorporate drip irrigation into the bedding areas of their landscaping, as well as for watering shrubs and trees.

What are the benefits?

• The quality and productivity of plants improve.
• The areas between plants remain dry, reducing weed growth.
• The efficiency of drip systems saves money and water.
• Leaking of water and nutrients below the roots is minimized.
• Uneven ground is properly irrigated.
• Leaves, fruit, and stems of plants do not contact the water as much, preventing disease.

Is operation and upkeep difficult?

Like sprinkler systems, drip irrigation may be set to run automatically or controlled manually. Manual control allows you to decrease watering after rainfall. Most drip irrigation systems are designed to run every day without rain, and it may run once or twice a day. Watering your landscaping early in the morning allows less evaporation, while evening watering increases your landscaping’s risk for disease. Maintenance of your drip irrigation systems involves regular checks for proper function, and most companies provide detailed guidelines for you to follow to keep your system running smoothly.

What about the cost?

As you might guess, the cost of a drip irrigation system varies according to the size of your target area and the materials needed for your system. No matter what the size of your space, there are upfront costs for items required in every system such as the pressure regulator and backflow preventer. Ask Outdoor Development for an estimate for incorporating drip irrigation into your own home’s landscaping.

Pergolas versus Arbors

Structures are often used in landscaping to enhance or complement the beauty of the area. They can incorporate a variety of features such as roofs, benches, swings, and vines to make your garden more attractive and comfortable. Pergolas and arbors are two types of overhead structures that are often referred to interchangeably, but there are actually some notable differences between the two.

What is an arbor?

Usually comprised of a trellis as some part of its makeup, an arbor tends to form a tunnel-like passage of climbing plants. Arbors are often shaped like an arch, and most have a continuous length of latticework running from one side to the other. These garden structures are usually relatively small.

What is a pergola?

Also designed to support climbing plants, pergolas are larger structures and have posts that support a roof. They are often used to provide shade for a walkway, patio, or deck area. Pergolas typically include more extensive architectural design than arbors, such as columns reminiscent of their original Italian background. Vines may be incorporated to create a canopy over the roof of the pergola, providing even greater shade. Pergola roofs may be made up of lattice, vines, fiberglass or other materials.

Why should I consider adding a structure to my landscaping?

Whether you opt for a pergola or an arbor, these structures can extend your living space into your yard and provide a lovely transition from inside to outside. You can create the effect of an outdoor room, especially with a larger roofed pergola, and add valuable shade. The results of incorporating a pergola or arbor can add interest, value, and appeal to your landscaping to transform your area from ordinary to exquisite. C4 Landscape & Design can assist you in choosing the right plants for your structure. This may include climbing vines to add color, depth, and beauty as well as plants and beds to surround your structure and tie all of your landscaping together perfectly.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

The Best Tree Choices for the Houston Area

The Houston area is rather unique in the requirements that this environment places upon its landscaping to grow well. This is true for trees, because the healthy ones must be able to thrive in this setting. The soil here is acidic and dark brown or black clay. With a subtropical climate that brings occasional freezes during the winter, the Houston area has an average yearly rainfall of over 40 inches. However, some years bring drought conditions with much less rain! Trees need to be able to survive in drenched soil mixed with periods of drought, which is a tough requirement. Also, trees must be resistant to fungus and mildew common to the high humidity that Houston is famous for.

So what are some trees that are able to thrive even with these difficult requirements? Here is a list of the best options for trees that will be successful around Houston.

Live Oak

A large spreading tree with very strong branches, live oaks typically grow to be 35 to 50 feet tall. Their spread can be as wide as 75 feet. Live oaks grow very slowly, not being considered a mature tree until age 50. Healthy live oaks can live for 400 years! It is an evergreen whose leaves drop in February, but the tree quickly begins forming new growth.

Shumard Oak

Shumard oaks are most known for stunning Fall color, adding yellow and red leaves to your Houston landscape. Shumards are low maintenance trees that grow to be 75 feet tall with a spread of 45 feet.

Bald Cypress

These tall trees can reach 100 feet in height and 30 feet wide. Tolerant of both wet and dry soils, the foliage turns to a beautiful burnt orange color in the Fall. Sometimes bald cypress trees product knobby growths from their roots that may impede lawn equipment, but other than that the bald cypress is a great landscape choice for the Houston area.

Southern Magnolia

Known for producing great big fragrant white blooms in the late Spring, magnolia trees are drought tolerant but also grow well in moist acidic soil. These trees can reach 90 feet tall with a spread as wide as 50 feet. It is an evergreen tree with broad dark green leaves. Magnolia trees can grow a lovely thick canopy with their large leaves and branches.

Dogwood

The smallest of the trees discussed here, dogwoods reach 30 feet tall and 15 feet wide. They are known for their beautiful white bracts resembling flowers that appear in early Spring prior to the foliage on the tree. Dogwoods grow most successfully when planted beneath other shade trees or areas that are protected from the hottest sunlight.

Sweetgum

Shaped like a pyramid, the sweetgum tree grows up to 100 feet tall and 25 feet wide. With broad leaves that provide outstanding color in the Houston area, they glow in shades of red, yellow, and orange during the Fall. The downfall of sweetgum trees is that they produce spiny balls that may be frowned upon as messy in your yard.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Landscaping Tasks for Late Winter and Early Spring

There’s one thing you can count on for sure about the weather in the Katy area: you can’t count on it! One day it’s 30 degrees outside and the next it’s 80. You just can’t predict what to expect, especially in February, when the yards of Katy don’t know if it’s winter or spring. You don’t want to jump the gun with your landscaping, only to have another hard freeze undo your work. But then again, you don’t want to be left behind in landscaping tasks that can prepare your lawn and garden for a beautiful spring ahead. Here’s some advice about what you should be doing now, as the growing seasons approach.

Pruning

One of the big keys to gorgeous landscaping in the months ahead is to prune now. Pruning is a regular task in maintaining your plants, and involves selectively removing certain plant parts. Some great reasons for pruning include improving the appearance and health of plants, controlling a plant’s size, training young plants, preventing property damage or personal injury, encouraging flowering and fruiting, and restoring old plants. Here are some guidelines for pruning in February:

• Trim dormant native plants and woody perennials that resemble sticks. This helps new shoots flourish later.
• Prune trees, especially the oaks that are so common in Katy landscaping. Doing this in cooler weather helps avoid diseases like oak wilt. Don’t forget to prune your crepe myrtles too.
• Tend your roses by fertilizing and pruning them to encourage strong, healthy leaves and attractive buds.

Weeding

There’s no way to put this strongly enough….WEED your landscaping now!!! If you neglect this important landscaping task, you’ll be dealing with the seeds for months and months to come. Don’t succumb to using chemicals during this time of year, because they won’t successfully do the job. Weeding needs to be done the old-fashioned way of digging them out with a shovel, getting all of their roots, and consistently watching for new sprouts and yanking them as soon as they appear. It’s also a good idea to mow the lawn regularly to help control weeds, even though you may not think your grass needs mowing.

Preparing

Any planting or transplanting of shrubs and trees should be completed very soon, before the Katy heat kicks in for good. Prepare your gardens and flower beds by testing the soil, adding fertilizer, and turning the soil. Don’t forget to take a good look at your lawn. If you notice any brown patches, treat the lawn in late February with a fungicide. This is the right time to protect your lawn from further damage and to get it in good shape for the warmer seasons ahead.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Low Maintenance Landscaping

You want your landscaping to add beauty to your home and provide curb appeal, but you also don’t want to have to spend all your free time working in the yard. Just because you desire low maintenance, it doesn’t mean it has to be unattractive. Here are some tips for creating a beautiful outdoors at your home with minimal ongoing effort.

Irrigation

One of the biggest aspects of lawn care that steals your free time is carting around the hose and sprinklers. An automated irrigation system takes care of the watering tasks for you, and keeps everything growing even during the dry spells that hit the Katy area. All you have to do is keep an eye on your yard, and adjust the timer settings as needed for periods of heavier rainfall.

Drainage

A big part of the success of your landscaping has to do with drainage. A professionally designed drainage system will get rid of standing water so it doesn’t build up after a heavy rain. This can damage your landscaping, leading to rotting roots and unhappy plants. And don’t forget the breeding ground for mosquitoes that standing water creates in this part of Southeast Texas! A proper drainage system also inhibits erosion, and makes your yard less muddy.

Hardscapes

Structures created from durable products like flagstone and natural stone will lower the amount of upkeep you must do in your landscaping. These weather resistant materials reduce demands for cleaning and repairs to patios, paths, and driveways. Hardscapes such as these are also aesthetically pleasing, upgrading your landscaping to the next level instead of the use of cheap materials.

Plant and tree selection

Consider planting slow-growth plants and trees, which do not have to be trimmed as frequently as their fast growing counterparts. Quarterly fertilization and trimming can easily be performed to maintain the health of these types of selections. One important thing to remember in the Houston area is to carefully choose your plants so that they’ll thrive in these unpredictable weather conditions. It may be helpful to seek the advice of experts who are well-versed in the best landscaping choices for this extremely variable climate.

Expert help

Not only is it useful to ask landscaping professionals to help you with your plant and tree selections, having them design outdoor areas is a great way to cut down on maintenance jobs. Converting some portions of your yard into outdoor living areas such as patios or decks can help. Such structures resist the elements and require less upkeep by the homeowner. Contact C4 Landscape & Design today to get started on transforming your landscaping into a low maintenance, yet beautiful setting.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Winter Landscaping Tips

Who says your yard has to be blah in the wintertime? Katy winters often bring chilly nights and sunny days, with a bigger cold spell every once in a while to prove it is winter. This weather combination provides Katy with a perfect time of year for some important landscaping activities. Nearly all trees and shrubs planted during the winter establish themselves sooner than those planted during the spring and summer. Also, plants and flowers provide a splash of color for a vibrant winter landscape.

If you’re looking for some suggestions for cool season color, here are some great plants to consider:

• Pansies – popular, jewel-toned flowers that thrive in cold weather and bloom all winter.  Pansies don’t like heat so wait until evening temperatures get under 70 degrees to plant.
• Violas – similar to pansies in their hardiness, violas usually bloom in yellow, purple, and white. They make nice borders and potting plants.
• Dianthus – grow well in the Katy area and require plenty of sun. Bloom in many shades of pink during the winter months, as well as white, purple and red. Dianthus produce a spicy scent and last well into Spring.
• Calendula – a hardy yellow flower that can tolerate short spells of temperatures below freezing, and may even recover after a severe frost.
• Alyssum – a great cool weather ground cover that forms a fragrant border in sun or partial shade. Blooms in white, rose, or lavender.
• Cyclamen – bright green foliage with blossoms of white, red, pink, or purple. These can bloom as late as April. A light covering with a towel is usually enough to protect these flowers from frost on cold nights, but cyclamen give such great color that they’re worth taking winter precautions.
• Ornamental kale – brilliant leaves in colors like red, pink, lavender, blue, white, and violet. Excellent color plants for beds and containers.

In addition to brightening up your landscaping by using color, there are some other beneficial winter tasks. It’s a good time to prune woody trees, fruit trees, and shrubs. Prune crape myrtles to remove dead or weak branches and suckers. Cut back ornamental grasses to encourage new, unhampered growth in the Spring. Consider aerating your lawn and fertilizing winter-flowering plants, as well as trees and shrubs that are over a year old. Remember to water thoroughly before a freeze is expected. Protect your plants by covering them with a blanket or sheet, and then a layer of plastic. Remove the plastic when the weather warms because heat buildup can damage the plants. Finally, add new mulch to your garden to protect plants during freezing temperatures, plus discourage weed growth and conserve moisture in your soil.

Call C4 Landscape & Design to perform your winter landscaping services, as well as plant beautiful flowers to brighten your yard during the typically drab winter months.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.