Getting Your Landscaping Ready for Spring

Your grass is greening up, flowers are beginning to bloom, and birds are chirping away. That means it’s time for you to do some important things to get your landscaping in good shape for Spring! Here are some tasks to help you achieve the best looking yard around.

Aerate

The healthiest grass out there is that which is allowed to grow high, enabling its root system to thrive and deepen. A strong root system breaks up the soil and promotes drainage, in turn creating healthier grass. Since most of us keep our grass mowed to a shorter height, the roots are not able to do as good of a job as needed for ideal grass. That means we have to help our grass achieve its best condition, and aeration is often a great solution. Aerating your grass promotes air circulation, improves distribution of nutrients and moisture, loosens compacted soil so that roots can better grow, breaks down thatch buildup, and aids oxygen in reaching the roots. How do you know if your yard will benefit from aeration?

• Your lawn is getting too thin and there aren't any obvious causes like watering changes or too much shade.
• You see more water runoff than normal, and it’s not due to too much rain or over-watering. Soil that is too compact doesn't absorb water well.
• Fertilizer doesn't noticeably help your lawn. This likely means that the fertilizer’s nutrients can’t reach the roots of your grass. If you aerate your soil, wait about two weeks and then apply fertilizer for the best results.

Fertilize

Mid-spring is the ideal time to apply weed and feed fertilizer to your lawn. If you fertilize too early in the season, you may get rid of a few weeds but you won’t achieve greener grass. You might even promote lawn diseases like Brown Patch if you don’t fertilize at the right time of the year.

Trim

Spring is a great time to trim some of your trees and shrubs. Crape myrtles, ornamental grasses, and roses will especially benefit from trimming this time of year.

• Crape myrtles are very popular in southern landscapes. They should be pruned in the late winter or early Spring to eliminate dead or weak branches and sucker growth.
• Roses should be trimmed regularly to reduce disease or pest damage, and to promote new growth. Spring is a great time to focus on your roses.
• Ornamental grasses should be trimmed to allow new growth to emerge from damaged foliage. This will give you a nice batch of new growth in the Spring.

Mulch

One of the greatest things you can do to improve the appearance of your landscaping is to add a new layer of mulch in your beds and around your trees. It protects plant roots from extreme temperatures (which will be hitting this area before we know it!), discourages weed growth, and conserves moisture in the soil. You can choose the type of mulch you like best for your landscaping, as there are several types and colors available.

Contact C4 Landscaping for help in sprucing up your lawn this Spring. Time is of the essence in getting your landscaping looking beautiful for the rest of the year!

Types of Mulch

It’s time to start thinking about mulching your yard here in the Houston area. Mulch is a great way to protect the soil in your flower beds and garden, and no Katy yard should be without it. You have a choice about the type, color, and texture of your mulch. Here is a description of the most common kinds of mulches to help you decide which one is right for your home or business.

Hardwood bark

One of the most prevalent mulches in this area, hardwood bark mulch is made from oak, hickory, and other hardwoods. It is dark brown in color, and shredded to be used as a top dressing or along paths or surrounding trees. It is easy to work with and breaks down to enhance the nutrients in the soil.

Pine bark

Another popular mulch used in the Katy area is pine bark, which provides the benefits of an appealing scent and a contributor of organic content through decomposition. Pine bark mulch ranges in color from red to dark brown, and should be in shredded form as opposed to large chunks to avoid washing away.

Pine needles

Also having the pleasant pine smell, pine needle mulch is attractive and lightweight. It allows water and air to easily penetrate the soil, and is especially beneficial when placed around flowering plants like azaleas and hydrangeas.

Shredded native

Native mulch is created from recycled materials from tree trimmers and landscapers, making it a very environmentally friendly choice. This dark brown mulch is available in either finely or coarsely textured forms, and resembles hardwood mulch.

Cedar

Generated from trees that have been cleared for ranching or development, reddish-brown cedar mulch has a nice odor and is available in shredded or ground textures. It provides long-lasting results as a top dressing in your landscaping, and some people even claim that cedar mulch repels insects.

Compost

Another excellent top layer that is especially helpful to your soil is compost. Dark brown and crumbly, compost may either be purchased or generated yourself at home.

Shredded rubber

A more unique option, shredded rubber is often used in areas like playground surfaces. Made from inorganic materials such as recycled tires, this mulch lasts the longest of any type of mulch. It doesn’t decompose or blow away, and is promoted as being a nontoxic way to suppress weeds. The downside is that shredded rubber mulch doesn’t look natural, and even comes in colors like red, blue, and brown.

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

Don't Forget to Mulch!!

Walk outside along one of the bayous or parks in the Houston area, and look down. What do you see? In a healthy ecosystem, you won’t see bare ground. Nature covers its own soil with plant growth, decaying matter, or even inorganic matter. This is what you want to imitate in your own yard!

The best way to protect the ground in your garden and flower beds at home is by using mulch, which is material spread over and around the roots of your plants. Why should you use mulch?

• It preserves the moisture in your soil, which means you don’t have to water as much. In the hot Houston area, that’s a big advantage!! Mulching will save on your water bill, as well as protect your home from hard-to-remove stains that occur if you don’t have mulch in the flower beds next to your house.
• Mulch regulates the temperature of your soil. In the winter, a layer of mulch can prevent freezing. In the hot Texas summer, mulch can keep top soil from reaching temperatures that inhibit plant growth.
• Mulch protects your soil from erosion caused by wind and rain.
• Mulch significantly reduces weeds. That means prettier landscaping, and less work for you!!

When is the best time of year to apply mulch? It is ideal in this part of Texas to put mulch down in late Spring once the ground has started to warm up. So it’s time to start thinking about what type of mulch you will choose for your own yard! You want to protect and maintain healthy landscaped plants, shrubs, and flowers, not to mention adding to the value of your home by making your yard look beautiful and complete.

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

Protect Your Landscape

A well maintained landscape takes time, effort, and money so you surely want to protect your investment! If cared for properly, your landscaping will appreciate with each passing year. A shrub that you paid $100 to install a few years ago may be worth 10 times that amount today. Your investment is literally growing in your yard, so make sure that you take steps to protect and even enhance it.

It’s no secret that the Houston area endured a very serious drought over the past year. These conditions killed many plants and endangered lawns and trees. The stress of this severe weather means that you need to pay extra attention to your landscaping to help it regain its health.

First, the most obvious step is to water your landscaping properly. Set up a schedule of adequate, consistent watering. It is best to water your plants deeply and less often at a slow trickle, allowing the water to thoroughly soak into the ground. When you dump a large amount of water on hard, dry soil in a short amount of time, the water will run horizontally across the surface instead of penetrating the ground to get to the roots. However, when you water at a slow trickle (such as placing a hose at the base of a tree for an hour where the water is barely running out), the moisture is absorbed deeper. You should strive to give your plants this treatment weekly. If you have a sprinkler system, be careful not to overwater.

Next, manage infectious diseases and destructive insects that can attack your landscaping. By performing careful, regular observation of your plants and lawn, you can spot most problems. Scheduled treatments and preventative programs will also help avoid problems before they occur.

Another important step is to get rid of weeds, which not only look bad but they compete with your plants and decrease their health and value. Make sure you keep your flower beds mulched and your grass thick and not mowed too short. Also, using pre-emergent weed controls for your lawns and beds will keep seeds from germinating.

Finally, give your landscape a regular diet of balanced food. Fertilization timed for the most effective results is best, and will help keep your entire landscape lush and healthy.

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

Putting the Spotlight on Landscape Lighting

 A quality job of landscape lighting will turn an ordinary home and garden into the extraordinary. It allows you to showcase trees and other focal points, as well as to take the spotlight off of areas you’d rather people not see. Lighting also provides safety and security, and a good way to increase the value of your property. Whether you choose to go dramatic or subtle with your lighting effects, you can create a whole different level of beauty at your home.

There are a variety of options when it comes to landscape lighting.

• Up-lighting – To achieve dramatic effects, up-lights are a great way to illuminate small trees or ones with interesting trunks. Experts usually recommend using mercury vapor lights for up-lighting purposes.
• Down-lighting – The idea of down-lighting is to mimic the effects of a full moon shining down on a yard. When properly done, it creates unique shadows on the ground. Mercury vapor is also a good choice for down-lighting because it highlights the green colors in plants.
• Feature lighting – This can be compared to using a spotlight. Feature lighting is perfect for highlighting fountains, address signs, sculptures, and benches. Incandescent bulbs are recommended for this purpose because they bring out the colors in materials like stone, brick, and wood.
• Incandescent lighting – As stated, incandescent lights emphasize colors and features of your home and landscaping. A great benefit is that incandescent lights can be dimmed, which allows for added drama. They are well-suited for lighting arbors, columns, and other landscaping elements.
• Architectural illumination – This describes the use of various lighting techniques to focus on a home’s architecture.

In addition to selecting the type of landscape lighting that best suits your goals and your property, there are some other important things to consider. The voltage is one element to decide upon. High voltage lighting illuminates large area of lawn and big trees. An example is mercury vapor lights. Low voltage lighting usually requires 12 volts and are common for illuminating residential paths and small items like sculptures, outdoor fountains or fireplaces, and urns. Unlike high voltage lights that require conduit, low voltage is less expensive; however, the wiring may be damaged during yard work.

Another consideration is the type of controls for your lighting system. Mechanical time clocks avoid wasting electricity and going through lots of light bulbs, and are recommended for up-lighting, feature lighting, and architectural lighting. Such timers are also helpful because you don’t have to remember to turn the lights on and off. A different type of control is called a photocell, which monitors natural light. Photocell controls are commonly used with down-lighting.

One of the most important choices you’ll make about landscape lighting is who will design, plan, and install your system. Expertise is required to determine the ideal placement of lights so that you don’t see too many fixtures or end up with glares. The experts at C4 Landscape and Design are qualified to handle your lighting, whether it’s a big job or a small one.

Contact Us Today!

 

Preparing your Yard for Cooler Weather

Doing some things to get your yard ready for cooler weather can make all the difference in improving its health. Spread the tasks out over a few weekends and it won’t be so bad, or call C4 Landscape & Design to take the work off of your hands. Even though the Houston area doesn’t get that cold compared to some parts of the country, you will still be glad you get these jobs done now.

• Use a basic rake to redistribute your mulch to allow water to access the roots more easily. Plus, it perks your landscaping right up!
• Don’t fall victim to piling your mulch up like a hill, which is an enticing spot for pests. Instead, even out the mulch around trees and leave a few inches between the mulch and the tree.
• Do your research to learn what kind of fertilizer is best for Fall, and apply it before it gets too cold. Fall is the most important time to fertilize your lawn.
• If your lawn has bare spots or dry patches, reseed those areas before lawn growth slows in the cold weather.
• Aerate your lawn to move air among the soil, which promotes healthy grass. Also remove thatch, the layer of dead grass and debris on your soil, which impedes the growth of grass, blocks water from reaching roots, and promotes fungal diseases.
• Keep your grass at least 2 to 2-1/2 inches tall. Even though it may be tempting to cut it short to avoid more frequent mowing, your lawn won’t be as healthy.
• Get rid of dried leaves, branches, and twigs. Consider renting a wood chipper from a home improvement store to create mulch full of nutrients for your landscaping.
• Carefully prune your bushes and trees, but be sure not to remove new growth.
• Remove dead leaves, branches, and dried fruit from perennials to lower the appeal to bugs.
• Planting Spring bulbs now will provide a longer time for their roots to develop and become strong.
• Tune up your lawn equipment such as the mower and leaf blower. Get them ready for storage in the off-season so that they’re good to go next Spring.

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

End of Summer Lanscaping Tips

September is here, and although in the greater Houston area that doesn't mean you can kiss summer weather goodbye, it does mean you can start thinking about the autumn weather to come. There are some things that you can do now to give your lawn and landscaping beds a better chance for success when it starts to cool off.

• Brown patch disease in St. Augustine grass can still be a problem into the Fall, so continue to watch for it.
• If you have a dead spot or area that appears stressed in your lawn, consider chinch bugs as the culprit. They can still thrive in the Fall.
• For warm-season grasses like most lawns in the Houston area, the final nitrogen fertilizer application of the year shouldn't be any later than September 15.
• Pay attention to your watering and make sure your landscaping is getting what it needs.
• Damage from white grubs can appear in September. If you notice a problem, apply soil insecticide and water it in thoroughly. Ask your local garden store or contact C4 Landscape & Design if you need suggestions for what kind to use.
• By the second week of September, complete application of pre-emergent control for winter-annual weeds on your lawn. You can skip this application if you are planning to over-seed your lawn with rye grass. 

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