2005 Spring letter to lawn maintenance customers

Winter with spring temperatures and now spring with winter temperatures – you know you are in Austin. If you are confused by the weather, so are your plants. Hopefully the cold weather is behind us for this season. NOAA Weather has evolved the la Nina and el Nino prediction tool into this year's model: Nino 3.4. Perhaps they will work the kinks out before releasing Nino XP. NOAA is predicting a warmer than normal spring and summer with normal to less than normal rainfall amounts. The drought-like conditions that have plagued the area for the last year are not likely to end soon. Be prepared for imposed water rationing later in the season.

Spring heralds the arrival of the usual garden headaches. Weeds are a perennial problem. They usually appear before the grass and grow faster than southern turf grasses. As temperatures warm up, grass grows faster (optimal > 85 °). Grass usually chokes out weeds when it starts filling in – regular lawn maintenance helps this process by stimulating growth. After many years of observation and experimentation we have started applying pre-emergent weed treatments quarterly. While we embrace organic methods we have found organic weed control to be prohibitively expensive and of limited duration. As for those little caterpillars – they eat a lot of leaves and make a mess, but are generally harmless. They will be out of the caterpillar stage in a few weeks.

We receive many inquiries regarding “deer-proof” plants. In our 26 years in business we have learned that there are few ‘deer-proof' plants – only plants the deer haven't tried yet. Deer will eat tender new growth from most any plant – they are drawn to the higher sugar content in the leaves. The best protection for new, vulnerable planting is deer netting. If you use a chemical deer repellant be sure to rotate products – deer become used to the same scent. And don't feed the deer (no matter how cute they are); they still eat the plants, attract more deer, and make the neighbors angry.

The National Weather Service has forecast a cooler and wetter than normal spring, followed by a warmer and drier than normal summer. Please remember that your grass and landscape plants need some acclimation when the weather changes from wet to dry and from mild to hot on to scalding . Some seasonal advice:

• If the rains dry up suddenly, the abrupt change can cause your landscape to become stressed, which in turn makes the plants weaker and more susceptible to problems. Adjusting your sprinkler to ‘wean' the plants will help your landscape through this transition.

• Deep water; encourage deep root growth. Summer heat can burn surface roots and the ground dries much faster at the surface. Deeper roots also make plants easier to keep watered.

• Try to maintain constant soil moisture levels – once the ground has dried out and warmed up, it becomes more difficult to remoisturize. Keeping the soil from drying out helps to keep your foundation from shifting and keeps your house cooler.

• Remember, if we do enter drought conditions, to deep water your trees. Drought stress can make your trees more susceptible to disease and insect problems.

• The wet weather over the past 18 months has created lots of undergrowth – wild grasses, etc. If you live in an area where you might be affected by wild fire be sure to cut back any undergrowth that might threaten structures, etc.

If you need assistance with your irrigation system or would like a seasonal check please be sure to call. As an alternative, The City of Austin offers irrigation audits and rebates on (some) replacement controllers. If you would like more information on the city's WaterWise program let us know.

A few gardening tips for April – plant Caladiums after soil temperatures reach 75º. Bring houseplants outside for the summer (no direct sun); repot those that are root bound. Feed everything well. Prune spring flowering shrubs such as azaleas, forsythia, hawthorn, and vines such as wisteria, after they have finished blooming. April is a good time to plant summer and fall flowering perennials. This month we are also planting warm season color such as impatiens, periwinkle, zinnias, begonias, etc.

MOST IMPORTANT – Remember that irrigation systems are not designed to water new plantings. Be sure to supplement any new plantings with hand watering until the plants are established.

We also want to remind you to call the office if you need to make schedule or service changes. If you are having a party or special event please be sure to notify us as well, so we can flag your account. In the event of inclement weather or other scheduling conflicts we will try to accommodate your event – if we know about it. Thank you for the opportunity to be of service.

Member International Society of Arboriculture

State of Texas Board Certified Irrigator

Texas Certified Nurseryman

Honorable Mention – City of Austin- Xeriscape

City of Austin – Certificate of Appreciation

Water Wise Irrigation Professional

City of Austin – Parks Program Partner

Member – Texas Urban Forestry Council