Sirhornsalot
**The Official Horn Sports Landscaper and Landscap
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2013
- Messages
- 34,656
Winter “to-do’s†are important,
don’t blow them off!
While Christmas and Hanakah will dominate the conversations of this month, there are still things to do in the landscape this month. There is no month where there’s not at least something to be done.
This bird bath, with the bowl turned upside down for winter (so it does not collect or hold water), looks like a mushroom now.
First off, those of you who have bird baths in your landscapes . . . flip the top upside down or bring it in altogether. Most bird baths are two-pieced, with the bowl being separate from the stand. This is done, in part, so that you can flip the bowl upside down during the winter months when there is freezing weather.
If you don’t flip it over or bring it indoors, then water will collect in the bowl and then freeze. If it freezes, it will often bust or crack the bowl as most bird baths are made of concrete.
April 1st is normally when we get our last freezing weather so plan on keeping it this way until that time.
Leaves, Leaves and more Leaves
We’re in late fall now and the leaves on the trees have turned. They are just now starting to fall some. So many times, we disregard the collection of leaves that build up around our homes. They seem harmless, don’t they?
Those “harmless†leaves are a fire hazard.
One moment of carelessness can be a real problem when we don’t maintain our leaves and remove them from around our homes. I highly recommend gathering your leaves into piles, then running through the piles with a mulching lawnmower. You will want to run through the same pile several times as to get the size of the clippings down to as small as possible. The smaller you cut the clippings, the faster it will decompose and recycle back into the soil.
Remember, the more organic matter you can put into a lawn, the healthier the lawn will be.
If you don’t have a mulching mower at your disposal, you may want to remove the leaves instead. Here’s a tip on leaf removal . . . . Instead of trying to stand your bag upright (which it will never do for more than seconds, lol), lay your bag beside your leaf pile. With one hand keep the bag open while it lays on the ground. With the other hand, scoot the leaves into the bag. The technique is the easiest way to do this.
Even if you remove your leaves, you may still have a recycling option. Often times, there is someone in the neighborhood who is actively composting. Offer your leaves to them. Most folks will welcome organic contributions to their compost piles.
Under The Mistletoe . . .
Mistletoe is a very popular Christmas tradition whereby an interested admirer can steal a kiss by getting that person to stand under a cluster of Mistletoe hung in the house. Failure to comply with the kiss supposedly causes bad luck.
The tradition of using Mistletoe as part of the Christmas celebration began in the 18th century in England among the lower class people and servants. It had long been valued as an herb with healing powers, but had increased in popularity and eventually incorporated into the Christmas tradition it is today once it made it to the English middle class.
Mistletoe is actually a destructive parasitic fungus that feeds on a tree’s nutrients. Once Mistletoe sets inside a tree’s canopy, it multiplies and grows larger as it steals nutrients from the host by growing into the tree’s bark. As the tree becomes weakened by the parasitic Mistletoe, it becomes vulnerable to disease and pests which can lead to a quicker death. Eventually and if left unaddressed, it will kill the tree by itself.
I’ve long wondered if someone back then didn’t see the opportunity to help rid trees of this menace by making up a reason (Christmas) to harvest it. lol Nonetheless, December is an excellent month to remove your tree’s Mistletoe because the leaves of the tree are dropped and the only thing left in the tree thats green is the Mistletoe. This makes it easily identified.
It is removed very easily. It will simply break off where it meets the limbs. If possible, it is good to scrape the wound with a knife to remove as much of the Mistletoe as possible so that it doesn’t return the next year. However, it often grows on the outer most reaches of the canopy so an extension/pole saw may be the tool to use.
In North Texas, the most common trees affected by Mistletoe by far are the Cedar Elms. In the DFW area, at least half the Cedar Elms have Mistletoe. Some Oaks, Willows, Apples and Pears will also suffer from this.
Ball Moss or Fungus Balls
Another common “squatter†in the tree canopies of Central and South Texas are what the residents there refer to as “fungus balls†or “ball moss.†The common thinking, a myth often passed on by tree trimmers, is that ball moss will lead to the destruction of the tree.
The assumption is that ball moss is parasitic (feeds on a host plant). However, this is not true. This is proven by the fact that ball moss also grows on power lines. Ball moss just more or less uses the tree as a home, like a fern will do in the forests. It derives its nutrients from water and air, not the tree host.
Hey, let me tell you about the deal I got!
I’m going to share the subject matter of a recent conversation I had with a fellow landscape contractor in the DFW area. In that conversation, he mentioned to me that he was having some difficulties with a customer. When I asked him what he was having difficulties with, he noted that the customer was regularly unhappy with his company’s services because things other than the lawn itself were not being attended to.
When I asked what he charged this client for their lawn service, his answer was all I needed to hear. “$22.50†he said. That is a price charged in 1975. Since then, labor costs have tripled. Gas costs have tripled. Equipment costs have doubled, at a minimum. And of course, all of the equipment and trucks must be serviced and maintained.
At that price, for an average sized suburban lawn, the focus of the lawn service becomes the ability of the crew to come and go as fast as possible in order to maintain a certain cost, or help prevent the cost from rising. Quality is still the goal, but even subconsciously it becomes a secondary goal. So while the homeowner might feel good about his ability to negotiate a price, in reality he only negotiated a headache. It often does not show up until the second or third month of service, but sometimes sooner.
Are there services out there who are overpriced? Sure there are. But lawns and landscapes are like anything else – you’ll get what you pay for. Look for quality. Look for the ability to communicate effectively on a regular basis. Look for the ability to have a relationship. With that, you can always address any problems that might arise along the way.
Preparation for freezing temps
Plants are like people. Some of them hate cold weather. Some of them don’t mind it so much. For those of you who have a little of both here are some tips for you.
Palms – Palms don’t care much for cold weather. Freezing weather will kill many types of Palms. Others can make it fine with a little help from us. If you have Mediterranean Fan Palms and other upright Palms with long trunks, you should wrap the trunks with a layer or two of burlap. Wrap from the bottom of the trunk to where the canopy begins. Tie it off using twine.
For Pindo Palms with the long flowing leaves, gather the leaves together so that they meet in the middle, pointing toward the sky. Then wrap the canopy together using twine and tie it off once it is enough to hold it together. Then wrap the trunk with burlap. The reason we tie off the canopy of a Pindo is because any ice or snow can cause the limbs to break.
Never wrap any plant using plastic. Use an organic material such as burlap or one of the special made freeze cloths sold in nurseries and landscape supply centers (or your landscaper).
Lawn – If you know a cold front with freezing weather is coming, it is good to give your lawn 10-15 minutes of watering prior to the arrival of that cold front.
This will protect the turf as wet soil is harder to freeze than dry soil. Once finished, turn your sprinkler system off if you don’t have a freeze sensor working.
Landscape plants – Most landscape shrubs and trees will also benefit from a watering prior to a cold weather spell. Allow enough time for the watering plus some time for the leaves to dry.
Xeriscapes – Most xeriscape plants (desert plants) will tolerate a cold weather spell. DO NOT water these plants prior to the arrival of cold weather as the instinct of most all desert plants is to intake water whenever water is made available to them. So watering a cactus, causing it to intake more, would cause the entire plant to freeze more easily as so much of a cactus is made up of water anyway.
This is where I open up the forum for questions from homeowners and do-it-yourselfers. No question is too simple or too hard. Fire away!
don’t blow them off!
While Christmas and Hanakah will dominate the conversations of this month, there are still things to do in the landscape this month. There is no month where there’s not at least something to be done.
This bird bath, with the bowl turned upside down for winter (so it does not collect or hold water), looks like a mushroom now.
First off, those of you who have bird baths in your landscapes . . . flip the top upside down or bring it in altogether. Most bird baths are two-pieced, with the bowl being separate from the stand. This is done, in part, so that you can flip the bowl upside down during the winter months when there is freezing weather.
If you don’t flip it over or bring it indoors, then water will collect in the bowl and then freeze. If it freezes, it will often bust or crack the bowl as most bird baths are made of concrete.
April 1st is normally when we get our last freezing weather so plan on keeping it this way until that time.
Leaves, Leaves and more Leaves
We’re in late fall now and the leaves on the trees have turned. They are just now starting to fall some. So many times, we disregard the collection of leaves that build up around our homes. They seem harmless, don’t they?
Those “harmless†leaves are a fire hazard.
One moment of carelessness can be a real problem when we don’t maintain our leaves and remove them from around our homes. I highly recommend gathering your leaves into piles, then running through the piles with a mulching lawnmower. You will want to run through the same pile several times as to get the size of the clippings down to as small as possible. The smaller you cut the clippings, the faster it will decompose and recycle back into the soil.
Remember, the more organic matter you can put into a lawn, the healthier the lawn will be.
If you don’t have a mulching mower at your disposal, you may want to remove the leaves instead. Here’s a tip on leaf removal . . . . Instead of trying to stand your bag upright (which it will never do for more than seconds, lol), lay your bag beside your leaf pile. With one hand keep the bag open while it lays on the ground. With the other hand, scoot the leaves into the bag. The technique is the easiest way to do this.
Even if you remove your leaves, you may still have a recycling option. Often times, there is someone in the neighborhood who is actively composting. Offer your leaves to them. Most folks will welcome organic contributions to their compost piles.
Under The Mistletoe . . .
Mistletoe is a very popular Christmas tradition whereby an interested admirer can steal a kiss by getting that person to stand under a cluster of Mistletoe hung in the house. Failure to comply with the kiss supposedly causes bad luck.
The tradition of using Mistletoe as part of the Christmas celebration began in the 18th century in England among the lower class people and servants. It had long been valued as an herb with healing powers, but had increased in popularity and eventually incorporated into the Christmas tradition it is today once it made it to the English middle class.
Mistletoe is actually a destructive parasitic fungus that feeds on a tree’s nutrients. Once Mistletoe sets inside a tree’s canopy, it multiplies and grows larger as it steals nutrients from the host by growing into the tree’s bark. As the tree becomes weakened by the parasitic Mistletoe, it becomes vulnerable to disease and pests which can lead to a quicker death. Eventually and if left unaddressed, it will kill the tree by itself.
I’ve long wondered if someone back then didn’t see the opportunity to help rid trees of this menace by making up a reason (Christmas) to harvest it. lol Nonetheless, December is an excellent month to remove your tree’s Mistletoe because the leaves of the tree are dropped and the only thing left in the tree thats green is the Mistletoe. This makes it easily identified.
It is removed very easily. It will simply break off where it meets the limbs. If possible, it is good to scrape the wound with a knife to remove as much of the Mistletoe as possible so that it doesn’t return the next year. However, it often grows on the outer most reaches of the canopy so an extension/pole saw may be the tool to use.
In North Texas, the most common trees affected by Mistletoe by far are the Cedar Elms. In the DFW area, at least half the Cedar Elms have Mistletoe. Some Oaks, Willows, Apples and Pears will also suffer from this.
Ball Moss or Fungus Balls
Another common “squatter†in the tree canopies of Central and South Texas are what the residents there refer to as “fungus balls†or “ball moss.†The common thinking, a myth often passed on by tree trimmers, is that ball moss will lead to the destruction of the tree.
The assumption is that ball moss is parasitic (feeds on a host plant). However, this is not true. This is proven by the fact that ball moss also grows on power lines. Ball moss just more or less uses the tree as a home, like a fern will do in the forests. It derives its nutrients from water and air, not the tree host.
Hey, let me tell you about the deal I got!
I’m going to share the subject matter of a recent conversation I had with a fellow landscape contractor in the DFW area. In that conversation, he mentioned to me that he was having some difficulties with a customer. When I asked him what he was having difficulties with, he noted that the customer was regularly unhappy with his company’s services because things other than the lawn itself were not being attended to.
When I asked what he charged this client for their lawn service, his answer was all I needed to hear. “$22.50†he said. That is a price charged in 1975. Since then, labor costs have tripled. Gas costs have tripled. Equipment costs have doubled, at a minimum. And of course, all of the equipment and trucks must be serviced and maintained.
At that price, for an average sized suburban lawn, the focus of the lawn service becomes the ability of the crew to come and go as fast as possible in order to maintain a certain cost, or help prevent the cost from rising. Quality is still the goal, but even subconsciously it becomes a secondary goal. So while the homeowner might feel good about his ability to negotiate a price, in reality he only negotiated a headache. It often does not show up until the second or third month of service, but sometimes sooner.
Are there services out there who are overpriced? Sure there are. But lawns and landscapes are like anything else – you’ll get what you pay for. Look for quality. Look for the ability to communicate effectively on a regular basis. Look for the ability to have a relationship. With that, you can always address any problems that might arise along the way.
Preparation for freezing temps
Plants are like people. Some of them hate cold weather. Some of them don’t mind it so much. For those of you who have a little of both here are some tips for you.
Palms – Palms don’t care much for cold weather. Freezing weather will kill many types of Palms. Others can make it fine with a little help from us. If you have Mediterranean Fan Palms and other upright Palms with long trunks, you should wrap the trunks with a layer or two of burlap. Wrap from the bottom of the trunk to where the canopy begins. Tie it off using twine.
For Pindo Palms with the long flowing leaves, gather the leaves together so that they meet in the middle, pointing toward the sky. Then wrap the canopy together using twine and tie it off once it is enough to hold it together. Then wrap the trunk with burlap. The reason we tie off the canopy of a Pindo is because any ice or snow can cause the limbs to break.
Never wrap any plant using plastic. Use an organic material such as burlap or one of the special made freeze cloths sold in nurseries and landscape supply centers (or your landscaper).
Lawn – If you know a cold front with freezing weather is coming, it is good to give your lawn 10-15 minutes of watering prior to the arrival of that cold front.
This will protect the turf as wet soil is harder to freeze than dry soil. Once finished, turn your sprinkler system off if you don’t have a freeze sensor working.
Landscape plants – Most landscape shrubs and trees will also benefit from a watering prior to a cold weather spell. Allow enough time for the watering plus some time for the leaves to dry.
Xeriscapes – Most xeriscape plants (desert plants) will tolerate a cold weather spell. DO NOT water these plants prior to the arrival of cold weather as the instinct of most all desert plants is to intake water whenever water is made available to them. So watering a cactus, causing it to intake more, would cause the entire plant to freeze more easily as so much of a cactus is made up of water anyway.
This is where I open up the forum for questions from homeowners and do-it-yourselfers. No question is too simple or too hard. Fire away!
