Prime's Clippings September 2018

photo courtesy: John Pavelka Silver Nightshade, Solanum eleagnifolium A beautiful late summer 'weed,' blooms even during a drought

Hurry Up Fall- It's Hot! Although we had a nice big rain event in mid August- and one to start September (woohoo!)- this has been a very hot, dry, challenging summer season for north Texas gardeners. I can’t say enough good things about the rain, let's hope we continue to see more. We have been running a rain deficit all year and have had brutally hot temperatures, setting several new records. Any rain is good rain, and that should ring true for the rest of the year or until we finally get some major moisture. Up north, fall dependably begins in September when the kids head back to school. Around here, be prepared for another two months of hot weather. We should catch a break in October, but our lawns and plants don’t know that fall officially begins September 22nd. They just know they haven’t had enough to drink all season. Regardless of the eventual onset of cooler weather, September and October are two very important months for north Texas gardeners. Probably the most important chore coming up is the application of fall pre-emergent weed preventative to our lawns and beds. Equally important is a fall fertilization with a balanced product including potassium for the roots. Some gardening experts will tell you there is a perfect range of days in which to apply pre-emergent, but in truth that range can be quite extensive, and even applications outside of the peak period can be effective. But if you are a do-it-yourselfer, this is the single most important application you can make. Don’t forget to do it! Fall veggie gardens can be a bright spot at the end of this tunnel of heat. There are a number of veggies you can plant from seed and transplants over the next few weeks and then enjoy harvesting when our milder weather finally returns. Check out this easy guide from Texas Agricultural Extension Services: http://dallas-tx.tamu.edu/files/2010/06/Vegetable-Planting-Guide.pdf It is also nearly time to plant shrubs and trees again. So take heart! Next month we will hopefully be talking about fall weather. Winding Down a Challenging Summer This was a record year for temperatures and seemingly for chinch bug damage as well. I have never seen so many chinch bug problems. They will remain active as long as it remains hot, so if you see a dead patch starting in your St Augustine check for a sprinkler problem and then treat immediately if chinch are present. I had 4 different patches of chinch bugs in my own yard and have never had them before. Grub worms can still be treated too and we are starting to see infestations and some damage. Grubs do some of their worst damage in the fall but as soils cool they move deeper into the soil, becoming harder to control. Treat now! We are still several weeks from lawns starting into dormancy so continue to mow weekly and water regularly. See the tips above regarding fall pre-emergent and fertilizing. You may make applications at any time now. Avoid trimming spring blooming plants like azaleas and spiraeas any more this year as you may be removing spring blooms. Also avoid high nitrogen fertilizers on spring bloomers, but you can still use balanced fertilizers and especially iron or acidifiers for chlorotic plants. If we get into a wet spell, watch for lawn diseases like brown patch (later) or gray leaf spot (now), and powdery mildew, fungal leaf spot, and scale insects on shrubs. Treat as needed depending on severity so your lawn and plants go into winter healthy and happy. Rye and Fescue Seeding Time for our annual reminder about over-seeding your lawn with ryegrass. There are two types of rye seed available, annual and perennial. Annual rye seed is the one most commonly used but will need to be mowed every week in the spring. Perennial rye is more refined, with a darker green color and slower rate of growth, is more difficult to germinate. In our area the term perennial is not accurate. Most rye burns out by June. In shady areas or if we have prolonged cool, wet weather into the summer, ryegrass may persist longer. The normal preparation for over seeding is to mow the lawn a few notches lower and remove the clippings during the last half of September through October. This allows the seed to make better contact with the ground and improves germination. The seed should be watered several times a week until it is up and growing. In about two weeks lightly touch up any thin areas. Once it is up, mowing will vary depending on the weather and type of seed used, but once every 2-3 weeks is usually the norm until about March. Light fertilizing in December will enhance the appearance. Pricing: Scalping, over-seeding, and touch up is based on square footage and will run around 8 times the cost of a normal mow. If your mowing is $35, your annual rye installation will be $280. Perennial rye would be $52.50 additional. For larger or commercial properties call or email us to request a quote. Fescue is a northern grass that struggles here in July and August, but there are transitional mixes now that are an option for heavily shaded yards where St Augustine just will not make it. If you have heavy shade and prefer a lawn there instead of groundcovers or a shade garden, then fescue may be a fit for you. Like rye, it will germinate now and establish during the winter and spring months. As mentioned, it thins out in our hottest months and does need regular watering, but simply reseed each fall to thicken it back up. Fescue does not need to be mowed as often as rye. We have found an excellent way to install fescue is to aerate the area with a core aeration machine and then broadcast the seed. This is especially effective on slopes where seed may wash. We only recommend fescue for shaded areas where you are having trouble growing St. Augustine. The pricing is based on square footage with a minimum of $250.   Upgrade Your Commercial Facility To A Hydrawise Smart Wi-Fi Irrigation Controller and Save $$$ Wi-Fi based sprinkler controllers have been making headway in the residential market for the past few years. The drawbacks have been dependability and a limited amount of zones that could be utilized, making them unsuitable for our typical commercial properties. Now there are finally some good choices for commercial and larger properties. What is the Hydrawise Smart Wi-Fi controller? Hydrawise is a new line of controllers by Hunter, a long-time leader in commercial and residential irrigation products. Hunter is the preferred controller for a large segment of contractors, Licensed Irrigation designers, and Landscape Architects due to their dependability, ease of use, and functionality. Approximately 90% of our properties have Hunter controllers. The new Hydrawise controllers are connected to the internet through your Wi-Fi signal and allows you and your contractor/installer to monitor and program your sprinkler system from a home or office computer, laptop, tablet, or phone anywhere that you have internet access. Additionally, it is connected to local airport or independent weather stations giving it both real-time and predictive weather capabilities. State law currently requires that controllers be equipped with rain and freeze sensors so that they do not run when temperatures are below 40 degrees or there has been a measurable amount of rain. This is of course to reduce water waste and prevent accidents and injuries due to ice forming if it drops below freezing when the sprinklers are going to run. Although this is helpful, using both real weather data from a nearby station and the forecasted temperature and rainfall add another layer of safety and water savings potential, and eliminates the inherent fallibility of sensors. Obviously weather forecasting is also fallible, but you can select a wide parameter of settings for predicted rainfall or temperatures to manage your application. The controller will also let you set programs based on actual weather data rather than just a time based schedule. Using this function or setting good predictive settings can lower your water usage. And this weather based system provides the best security of not having a sprinkler run before freezing weather comes in, reducing your liability for ice related accidents. A flow sensor device is another enhancement available for properties with up to a 2 inch mainline. This can be installed into the plumbing and will alert the controller and the users of a potential leak. On older systems that are prone to frequent breaks or valve failures this can pay for itself in just a season or two. The Hydrawise is suitable for residential as well, capable of working with any system from 1 to 54 zones. For a quote on upgrading your system, email us or call and ask for Mike or John.

September Chores Mow weekly and do not bag clippings Treat fire ants Overseed rye grass Apply weed pre-emergent and fall fertilizer Sow wildflower seeds for spring John Hoover General Manager Our goal is to fulfill the needs of the customer by providing timely, quality services and products. Thanks for your business!

Prime's Clippings August 2016

August - A Tough Month

When the big faucets in the sky turn off things get hot and dry in a hurry. Luckily the lakes are full and many cities have eased water restrictions, but the next 30 days will likely be the hardest part of our season. Barring hurricane spawned rain events, August is traditionally our hottest, driest month.

So, repeat after me, the Texas gardener’s mantra: Mulch is good, I love my water hose.  In a perfect world we would just skip August in north Texas, but that ain’t happening.

We had a few isolated spots of rain  in July, but keep an eye on tender plants like hydrangeas or newly planted trees and shrubs, and check your sprinklers regularly for clogged nozzles, worn out rotors, low heads, heads blocked by shrubs, etc. It only takes a week or so to do serious damage to lawns and landscapes that are not receiving enough water, so stay alert!

  

Time to Treat for Grub Worms

Don’t forget! August is the time of year to treat for grub worms. Most of our grub damage is brought on by the larva of the June beetle.  Peak flights of the June beetle occur in mid-May to mid-June and eggs hatch about 1 month later. Grubs are easiest to kill at this early stage of their growth due to the fact that they are closer to the soil surface. Not every yard will have a large enough population to cause damage, but if you have had one in the past you may be in a location that is prone to infestation. Lawns close to street lights where June bugs gather are often hit, and ironically they often attack well watered, lush lawns when soil is soft and food (roots) are abundant. They will do serious damage to turf over the next two months, so treat now to avoid losing your lawn.

Prices start at just $24.95 for customers that are already on our 7 step program! 

(up to 5000 sq. ft., prices based on sq. footage of turf, call for a quote)

Planning for Fall Projects

Every year we like to remind customers that Fall is an excellent time for landscape improvements. Everyone gets spring fever and enjoys freshening up their yard in spring, but well informed gardeners know that Fall is really the best season for planting most of our landscape ornamentals.

Trees, shrubs, and perennials that are planted in September through December get to take advantage of our traditionally mild temperatures and regular rains. Plants that go in the ground in the Fall have reduced heat stress now and are better equipped to handle the inevitable dry conditions of next summer. Although most plants will show little or no top growth during the winter, it’s what is going on in the ground that counts. Root systems thrive in our mild Fall weather and grow vigorously all winter, giving you bigger, healthier plants next year.

Use these hot days of August to make plans for your fall landscape projects.

How Sprinkler Heads Get Hit by Mowers

“Your guys hit my sprinkler head with the mower!” 

Believe me, neither one of us wants to hear that.

Our crews mow over 300 acres of lawn each week, passing over thousands of sprinkler heads without a problem. And there is the key- sprinklers are designed and installed as underground systems. A properly installed head should be at or just above grade, and a properly functioning head will retract back into the ground after it waters. In both cases, a lawn mower cannot damage a head that is working properly.

Over time, several factors affect sprinkler head performance and may render the head subject to accidental breakage. The seal around the riser hardens with time and springs wear out preventing retraction.

Soils settle and move, sometimes leaving the head sitting too high. Heads also sink or have dirt build up around them, leaving the head below grade. This is very common and allows dirt to seep into the head around the seal. This grit causes the nozzle to stick in the up position or not retract fully, leaving the nozzle just high enough to be clipped by a mower, but not high enough to be seen.

All of these issues are just routine maintenance and service work that must be performed when the problem occurs, and are not the fault of the equipment operator. Very rarely can you see the head in the tall grass before you hit it with a mower or edger. We will always charge a discounted rate to repair a head that is hit by one of our mowing crews, but please remember that it is not the fault of the mowing service when a sprinkler head is struck.

Tree roots may develop under  a head and as they grow they may push the head up, and eventually it will be high enough to snag a mower deck.

Heads along the sidewalk, curb, or driveway are supposed to be 2-4 inches away from the concrete. Over time they may shift or settle at an angle and touch the concrete leaving no room for the lawn edger blade to pass by.

Things You Should Know About Your Sprinkler System

Thanks to Murphy’s Law, it seems that right when you need your sprinkler system the most is also when it is most likely to break down. Understanding the basics of how your sprinklers work can help you use them more efficiently and know how to spot potential problems. Unlike changing the oil in your car’, there isn’t a whole lot of preventive maintenance you can perform on your sprinklers. However, routine inspections are extremely important.

A typical sprinkler system starts at the backflow device, which is usually in a large box located a few feet from your water meter. There are 2 handles here which are used to turn the water off to the sprinklers without affecting the water to your house. Silt often accumulates around this valve and the handles corrode, making it difficult to turn off the water in an emergency. We recommend cleaning out the silt once a year and replacing your handles with stainless steel handles. Stainless handles will last forever.

Your control valves are located throughout the yard  and have an electric solenoid and rubber diaphragm. These parts fail over time, the wire splices may corrode, and fire ants eat the insulation off the wires. If a valve is not coming on it is often an electrical problem. If it sticks on and runs continuously, it is usually a bad diaphragm or debris may have lodged in the valve. In most cases, we rebuild the valve with all new components, or replace the valve entirely if there is internal wear or other issues.

We typically use spray heads for patterns of 4 ft up to 15 ft, rotors for patterns of 15 ft to 40 ft, drip irrigation for ornamental beds or pots, and bubbler heads for trees, large plants, or large pots. Pop-up sprays and rotors have seals that harden with age and leak or prevent the head from lowering after it pops up. This is the main reason heads get broken by mowers. Properly installed, a head that is working properly cannot be hit by a mower.  If you see a lot of water pooling around a head when it is running it  may have a bad seal. Spray nozzles also become clogged, and heads settle so that they are crooked, too low, or too high. Drip is notorious for being damaged by digging in beds, and rodents also love to chew on drip. Correcting these issues is all part of routine maintenance. 

Your controller is the the brain of the system, and most of today’s controllers have sophisticated settings that allow you to optimize how and when you apply water. Like any computer, they may be damaged by power surges, lightning, or gremlins. But what is the first thing you always check when your controller isn’t working? The electrical outlet! Plug something else in and make sure you have electricity there. If so, then you can call us to come look for the gremlins. 

August- The Toughest Month

Sun worshippers may love it, but gardeners know the next 30 days will likely be the hardest part of our season.

Barring hurricane spawned rain events, August is traditionally our hottest, driest month. So, repeat after me, the Texas gardener’s mantra: Mulch is good, I love my water hose. Mulch is good, I love my water hose…

We actually had a great week of rain mid-July and not a lot of extreme heat so far. Just keep an eye on tender plants like hydrangeas or newly planted trees and shrubs, and check your sprinklers regularly for clogged nozzles, worn out rotors, low heads, heads blocked by shrubs, etc. It only takes a week or so to do serious damage to lawns and landscapes that are not receiving enough water, so stay alert!

You can't beat old fashion hand watering!