With Lawn Care Companies, Communication is Key

Filed Under (Lighting Ideas) by landscaper on 04-09-2011

One of the most crucial facets of home upkeep is lawn care. When you are young and physically fit, it is somewhat easy to mow grass, trim hedges and plant bushes. As we grow older however, it becomes more challenging to carry out these tasks. Thankfully, there are landscaping companies located everywhere that provide comprehensive lawn maintenance and services for all types of properties.

There are many variables to take into consideration when choosing a company to manage all of your lawn care needs.

Firstly, you may want to check on the company's reputation and local work history. Do they have agood history of doing business with local residents? Ask for references. Are they known for providing dependable and detailed service? Has the company been involved in lawsuits with customers over bad service or breach of contract? Answers to these concerns and many others can now be obtained easily, by utilizing various Internet websites. There is now a wide range of websites where virtually anyone can publish opinions about and reviews of local businesses.

If you have picked a company to provide lawn service at your property, whether it be residential, commercial or industrial, it is imperative to make sure that the business is licensed, insured and bonded. In the case of any kind of mishap, conflict or property damage, the status of such credentials would be of great value.

Establishing a schedule of service that is convenient for you and the lawn care company is advantageous to both parties. It is generally best to set up a regular schedule of service, whether it be weekly, bi - weekly or monthly. When establishing a routine of lawn maintenance, it is usually best to have a written contract in place. Most respected landscaping companies do offer written contracts to all consumers.

Be sure that you and the company providing yard care work are in agreement over the particular jobs that are to be performed. For example, you may think that mowing a lawn should include trimming and clipping of all small grass growth where the lawn mower can't reach, but the lawn care company might charge additional fees for trim work. Some lawn service companies also offer package deals and long-term contracts, which offer substantial financial savings.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: ,

Add this to : Digg! Digg it Bookmark! Save to Del.icio.us Subscribe to RSS Subscribe to My RSS feed

Easy Ways to Save Water And Money With Your Sprinkler System

Filed Under (Lighting Ideas) by landscaper on 02-07-2011

When it comes to lawn care, everybodydesires a green, healthy lawn, but when the water bill comes, you realize that getting a yard that’s green can cost a lot of green. There are some basic things you can do to conserve water while still reaping the advantages of a lush yard.

First and foremost, be smart about your sprinkler programming system. Learn how to operate it appropriately and efficiently. Set it to the minimal amount of wateringneeded. You might need to make a few minor adjustments in the beginning, but this assures that you won’t be using too much water. Be sure you know how to include and delete days of the week you wish to water. Also learn how to to adjust the time spent watering in individual zones. That way, you can stop the system on days when it rains and enhance it when there is an especially hot or dry stretch. It’s not always simple to keep up with the daily weather predictions and remember to change your program, so look at adding rain sensors. Rain sensors can be incorporated into nearly any current sprinkler system and will instantly shut off the system if rain is detected.

When you water can make a difference as well. If you water throughout the hottest time of the day, you will lose some of your water to evaporation due to both sun and wind flow. The best time to water is between 2 am and 10 am, so program that system to do the job when you want it to.

How you water is as important as when you water. It’s always better to water heavily less often than to water a little bit every day. When you water a little bit every day, you encourage the roots to remain close to the surface rather than growing deeper. This tends to make them vulnerable to dehydration in the heat of the season. A deep soaking two days a week is typically sufficient. For the duration of the hottest portion of the season, you may need to raise it to three days per week.

Don’t let an undiscovered leak cost you money. Walk your system at least monthly and not just when it’s working.  Look for wet places when the sprinkler isn’t sprinkling. If you’ve got a sprinkler head that leaks or a broken pipe underground, it’s using water 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That can really add up over a month’s time. Plus, tiny complications can grow to be large difficulties quickly costing you even more.

If landscaping is included in your lawn watering schedule, don’t be afraid to put it on a separate schedule. Flower beds might need to be watered more often, but that doesn’t mean your lawn does too.

Ground can only take in so much water in a provided period. If you water too much at once, unused water simply runs off into the sewer system and is thrown away. Instead, let each zone run just long enough to get about a quarter inch of water. Rotate areas so each one gets roughly the same amount. Then run through the same cycle once again about an hour afterwards. That way, the soil will have sufficient time to soak up all of the water you give it without wasting any of it. Optimum absorption–minimal waste.

If you’re really serious about getting the most out of your watering system, you can call an irrigation specialist. A certified irrigation professional can take a look at your lawn and your system and propose changes based on grass and plant types, soil types, grade, exposure and more. Hopefully, by employing all of these guidelines, your following water invoice will be reduced and your lawn will be none the wiser.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Add this to : Digg! Digg it Bookmark! Save to Del.icio.us Subscribe to RSS Subscribe to My RSS feed

Categories