But the application of water on landscaped areas is not always as easy as it may initially seem.  The ultimate condition of soil in which the turf and plants grow must have the proper balance of air, water, and soil particles.  When this balance is not achieved or maintained, burning or smothering may result, causing damage to the turf and plants.  That is why it is important to understand a few basic principles of how your irrigation system and landscape work together.

IRRIGATION SCHEDULING

When the installation of your irrigation system was completed, the controller of your system was programmed to deliver the amount of water a new landscape needs to properly establish itself.  Two or three weeks after installation, you can begin to adjust the controller to deliver only the amount of water your landscape needs to maintain itself.  Too much water is just as harmful to your landscape as too little water.

To get the most out of irrigation water, you need to constantly assess just how much water is needed and run the system to deliver proper amounts.  For instance, within a given week, if Mother Nature is so kind to deliver the amount of free water to your landscape that you would normally apply through your irrigation system, do not allow your system to operate.  Simply by-pass the operating times on your controller to prevent overwatering.

There are several ways, from simple to quite complex, that watering frequencies and amounts can be established.  The appearance of grass can be used as a guide to when to water.  Footprints that remain visible on the grass for several minutes after walking on it, loss of leaf luster, wilting appearance of shrubs and small trees, and a blue-grey appearance of the turf indicate a need for water.  Irrigating shortly after these conditions are noticed will lead to rapid improvement to turf quality.  If the water stress proceeds to the point where the leaves turn brown, it can take days or even weeks of irrigation to return the turf to the quality it had before it became stressed.

Soils act as a reservoir for storing and supplying water for turf use.  A high percentage of turf roots are in upper 2 to 3 inches of soil; however, effective rooting and corresponding water extraction also occur at deeper soil depths.  Because of better aeration, grass normally roots much deeper in sands and loams than in clay soils.  Consequently, turf grown on a good, sandy loam soil does not require irrigation as frequently as that grown on a heavy clay soil.  With heavy clay soils, the tendency is to overwater continuously, causing a shallow-rooted turf that is difficult to manage.

Estimating critical soil moisture amounts to use as a guide on when to irrigate can be done by probing the soil with a screwdriver, heavy wire, or similar simple probe.  Usually, when  a probe easily penetrates the soil to 3 to 4 inches, enough water is available to carry the grass for about a day, depending, of course, on the rate the water dissipates from the soil.

Irrigation scheduling needs to take into account whether an area is composed of heavy clay, is compacted, or is steeply sloped.  Cyclic irrigation, or repeated, short applications of water throughout the day is effective to minimize runoff on slopes and heavy soils.  Cyclic watering, especially with an automatic irrigation system, can be quite helpful in reducing runoff and preventing ponding.  Other ways to prevent water loss is by aerating and dethatching.  Aeration holes catch and hold water until it can infiltrate the soil.  Breaking the thatch barrier by the use of a dethatching rake or dethatching machine will speed water movement into the soil.

If your soil is sandy, you can probably expect to water every 3 days.  On clay soil, watering every other day seems to be the norm.

Look for part 2 in a few days

Thinning out means to cut off specific branches all the way back to the point of its origin. This technique is used when you want to inspire growth to increase height, or to open out a shrub or tree which is too dense. This type of pruning allows more energy to be used by the remaining branches.

Heading back means cutting back the smaller branches or individual buds. This technique serves many purposes. Increased flowering, denser leaf cover, size and shape control are just a few results of this method.

When To Prune: If you are pruning for safety reasons or to control disease, you can prune anytime. The seriousness of the problem should dictate the timing. Most pruning, however, should be in the late winter or early spring before the buds break. Specific plants require different timing, and we will cover some of those later. Early to mid summer is also a good time for trees, but don’t wait too long or you will interfere with the trees food storage for the coming year.

How to Thin Out:

1. Find the correct tool for the job. You want to use something that will provide a clean cut. The cleaner a cut is, the reduced chance of infection. It is also much easier     to cut if you use something reflective of the size of the job.
2. Cut all the way back to the origin of the branch, whether it be another branch, or the trunk itself.
3.  Always cut at an angle.

How to Head Back:

1. Find the correct tool for making a clean cut
2. Trim just below the buds after the plant flowers.
3. If trimming into a hedge, be sure that sunlight can reach the lower branches or the hedge will be see-through.

Special Tips and Things to Remember:

1. Cutting a branch or bud results in more growth 2-4″ below your cut.
2. When cutting off large limbs, be sure to trim off some of the bark of the branch so when it falls it does not rip bark off the trunk.
3. Overgrown and dense shrubs will bloom less than one that is more open.
4. Try to prune trees to have one tall leader, this provides for a stronger trunk and a faster grower.
5. Prune off all shoots at the base of a trunk as well as any diseased branches.
6. Prune azaleas lightly right after they bloom and it will flower more the next season.
7. Your local extension office has many specific brochures if you run into special problems.

Some rosarians do not use mulch, as they maintain that mulch harbors disease and insects.  However, keeping unmulched beds free of weeds requires constant care.  Some people feel that without mulch, there is less incident of crown gall and that fertilizer may be more easily worked into the soil.

Mulching is a convenient way to control weeds, insulate the soil against summer heat, and conserve moisture by slowing down evaporation.  The humus resulting from the mulches make the nutrients already found in the soil more readily available to the roots of the roses.  Soil temperature and moisture are consistent, providing favorable conditions for a continuous growth of fine roses.

The best time to mulch is after the soil has warmed and before the bushes start growing.  Before you mulch, the soil should be soaked by a good rain or water from the garden hose.  It has been found that a depth of four inches is necessary for most mulches to give the desired results.  Cost and availability also determine which mulch to use.  So that grass and weeds can be removed by hand, mulch should be placed no closer than six inches to the plant.

CONTROLLING WEEDS

If weeds are out of control by the end of the growing season, and you did not use mulch, there is help.  Casoron, a pre-emergent winter herbicide, is applied after there have been two killing frosts (temperatures below freezing).  It comes in two strengths-4G and 10G.  It should be applied one foot away from any plant that is only one year old.  Casoron does not kill wild onions or Johnson grass.  These must be removed by hand.

FERTILIZING

There are many materials for and methods of fertilizing roses.  The best method is a matter of opinion, but a group of English researchers found that a combination of organic and chemical fertilizers will grow better roses than either one alone.

When you buy fertilizer, three numbers are printed on the bag or container.  The first number indicates the percentage, by weight, of nitrogen included.  The second number gives the percentage of phosphorus available as phosphoric acid or phosphorus pentoxide.  The third number is the percent of potassium or soluble potash (usually potassium oxide).  A soil analysis will tell you what formulation of fertilizer will be best.

For newly planted roses, add fertilizer only after the first blooming cycle and therafter only once a month.  Stop feeding your roses by six weeks before the last bloom cycle.  Scatter the fertilizer evenly around the bush, at least six inches from the base.  Scratch it lightly into the soil, then water it in.  If your soil is dry, water the ground soil the day before you feed your roses.     On two-year-old or established bushes, feeding should occur in the spring, about four to six weeks before the first cycle of blooms, with continued feeding as discussed above.

When shopping for pruning shears, do not stint on price.  Poor quality shears can damage your rose bushes.  Do not buy anvil shears.  These crush the cane.  Other pruning shears go by several names:  scissors-type, hook-type, or secateurs.  The secateur type, if kept sharp, will give a clean cut.  Hold the hook edge above the cutting blade.  This way, if any of the cane is crushed, it is cut off above the blade and not left on the remainder of the cane.

On the crown, a new cane, called a basal break, may form.  This can happen throughout the year, but generally happens when the bush breaks dormancy.  On some bushes, the basal breaks may only grow to two feet tall.  On others, they may grow to four feet.  You may prefer to pinch the top out when the cane has reached a certain height, say 15-18 inches.  Doing this should make the cane more stout and encourage it to put out more canes.

On hybrid tea roses, a cluster of blooms forms from the basal breaks as well as from the new canes that break from older canes.  These form what is known as a ‘candelabra.’  Flowers produced from these canes are small and usually have short stems.  You can prevent a candelabra by removing the side buds, which appear below the top terminal bud, just as the buds begin to grow.  Grasp the bud between the thumb and forefinger and snap it off at the leaf axil, while holding the cane just below this point with the other hand.

After the bush has bloomed, the next step is to remove the spent blooms.  This is called ‘deadheading.’  On new bushes, cut the bloom (using the pruning shears) at the stem, about one-quarter inch above the first pair of five leaflet leaves.  Some roses bushes may have two or three pairs of three-leaflet leaves below a five-leaflet leaf.  Where this is so, cut off the stem above the second pair of these leaves.)  If you want more blooms, continue this practice as your bushes grow older.  However, if you want longer stems, particularly on hybrid teas, then you should cut the stem back to the second set of five-leaflet leaves after the first cycle of blooms.

Pruning is also essential to two-year-old or older bushes.  Dead canes must be removed.  You will also need to remove damaged or broken stems what have crossed over the center of the bush and are rubbing against another cane.  First remove canes less than 3/16 of an inch in diameter.  Stems growing from pruned canes will grow no larger than the cane from which they were cut.  Prune the remaining larger canes to approximately 18 to 24 inches in height.

When a leaf drops off, or is removed, it leaves a crescent-shaped scar.  This scar produces a swelling from which a new cane will form, called a ‘bud eye.’  The first cut should be made as high as possible on the outside, or outward-facing eye.  Cutting to an outside eye gives the bush a better shape and prevents canes from growing in the center of the bush and rubbing other canes.  It also allows sun to get to the bud union, aids aeration, and keeps fungus and diseases away from the plant.  Depending on the plants health, you will want to retain 3-6 young canes.

When pruning, be sure to check the pith, or center, of the canes you are cutting.  If the pith is white, your cane is healthy.  If your pith is brown, cut a little more off the top, continuing until you have a white center.  Some rosarians will not cut all the way to the white center, especially after a severe winter.  Instead, they cut back to a bud eye where the center is slighly colored, or a very light tan.

After pruning, be sure to protect against borers, by sealing the cut cane.  Several things may be used:   fingernail polish, Elmer’s glue, carbolated vaseline, or a tree-wound compound.

When pruning is finished, the bush should form a bowl, with the canes radiating from the center like spokes from a wheel. This leaves the center open to sunlight during the year and encourages basal breaks  from the bud union.  Prune out all poorly growing basal canes.  Canes that grow on the inside can be left if they are not rubbing or crossing other canes.  If a bush is spreading too much, cut it back to an inner eye.  This causes the new cane to grow straight up.

Unwanted eyes may grow in the wrong place, the wrong direction, or too close together.  If you remove them early enough, you can rub them off with your thumb (this is called ‘thumb pruning’ because you do not use shears).

Always clean up all debris and old leaves to keep diseases from spreading.  It is a good idea to spray the bushes and ground with fungicide at this time, to kill any dangerous fungus spores present.

Coming March 15 – Pruning Climbing Roses

Do not plant rose shrubs too close to existing trees and other shrubs.  Roses need at least six hours of full sunlight per day and close proximity to trees and shrubs may interfere with this need.  If there is a choice between morning or afternoon shade, afternoon shade is more beneficial.  Morning shade slows the evaporation of moisture which can cause various fungi that roses are susceptible to.  Afternoon shade protects from too much heat and drying of the soil.

pH

Neutral pH is 7, the pH for pure water.  A higher number indicates a more basic soil, and a lower number indicates a more acidic soil.  Roses prefer a slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.5 to 6.8.  They will grow, however, in slightly alkaline soil with a pH of 7.5.  A pH of 6.0 is also tolerable.

Your local garden center can help you to determine your soil type and can advise you on how to increase or decrease your pH level.  To raise your pH level, you can add agricultural lime or dolomitic limestone.  To decrease your pH level, you can add sulfur.  Always be sure to mix your additive into the soil well, preferably with a garden tiller.

DRAINAGE

Roses will tolerate many kinds of soil, but poor drainage and lack of aeration will cause your plants to weaken and die.

If winters in your area are damp, and the springs are very wet, it is advisable to wrap your rose beds in plastic in the fall.  Doing this will keep the bed dry enough for planting in the spring.

Coming March 7, Pruning Your Roses!

High end homeowners invest a lot of time and attention to the care of their yards as there’s nothing that brings more attention and curb appeal better than a well manicured lawn.  We all desire that rich luscious rolling green lawn and it can be had with by using a few revolutionary methods of Lawn Care, providing the optimal path in landscaping and lawn maintenance.

High End homeowners, agents and brokers alike have been keeping their grass lush and green with a professional method known as “reel cutting”.  This unique and specialized system of lawn care is known among HOA’s, POA’s and deluxe upscale commercial properties as lawn service at its perfection.   Rather than chopping the grass blade and ripping it from the bottom of the shaft, Reel Cutting actually trims the blade in a mechanical manner similar to a barber using a comb and scissor.

As we look further in to the art of yard design, we begin to look at the combination of Residential Landscape Maintenance, Lawn Care & Tree/Shrub services, Landscaping and Hardscaping, and Seasonal Enhancements. These are the key ingredients in producing a home outside your home.  As seen on many popular Home design and Do it Yourself channels, creating that perfect outdoor space and outside rooms are the topics of hot discussion.  Living is extended outside the walls of our homes reaching into our backyards.  Custom fire pits combined with outdoor ovens, wet bars and appliances create the perfect place for a family barbeque or an intimate dinner for two.  With the installation of low voltage lighting or a combination of low and high voltage, you can achieve that magnificent and breathtaking view thought only to be had in the movies.   Add in the hot tub and cabana for a delightful evening of romance and splendor

Season Enhancements provide the right mixture of color and texture that aid in keeping lawns and property looking at their peak year round.  Not only do these features add beauty to your yard, they provide the necessary ingredients to maintain the integrity of your lawn below the surface.  By aerating and seeding, you will not only add beauty, but will install longevity in your home ultimately saving you money and value.  Enjoy the fragrance from plants and shrubs all year with professional planting and care of blooms and plants.

Having your home or property Tree serviced by a shrub and tree service is essential in bringing out the design, distinction and structure your home deserves.  Not only adding beauty, shrub design adds a measure of security to your home and family. Dating back to early times, shrubbery as been seen as an effective tool in protecting your home.  However, let shrubs go unattended; they can become a haven of hiding spots for intruders.  Keep your family and your assets safe with a shrub and tree service.

So we have seen that landscaping, Reel Cutting, Seasonal Enhancements and property and yard design not only provide you with endless days and nights of enjoyment, they have a unique way of bringing families together. Land and Hardscaping add a significant sense of value to your home and properties making you stand out from the others with pride and achievement.

To use this key, first select statement 1a, 1b, 1c, or 1d, depending on which is most true of the problem being diagnosed.  Then proceed to the numbered pairs of statements as indicated.  Probable causative agents are underlined.

1a.  Symptoms mostly on or in foliage – see #2

1b.  Symptoms mostly on or in young twigs – see #13

1c.  Symptoms mostly on or in main branches or trunk – see #17

1d.  Symptoms mostly on or in roots – see #20

2a.  Leaves of normal size but off-color or with spots, holes, or off-color margins – see #5

2b.  Leaves smaller than normal or wilted; not discolored or spotted – see #3

3a.  Leaves wilted or drooping – see #4

3b.  Leaves not wilted or drooping, but smaller than normal:  cold injury; drought; viruses; mildews

4a.  Stems not showing stain (cut stem with clean knife, as stain can result from residue on knife blade):  soil too wet or too dry

4b.  Stems with distinct stain in sapwood (cut diagonally with clean, sharp knife):  wilt disease (Dutch Elm disease, vericillium wilt, etc.)

5a.  Leaves with white or grey cast:  powdery mildew fungus

5b.  Leaves with spots or blotches – see #6

6a.  Scattered spots or blotches on one or both leaf surfaces or circular holes in leaves – see #11

6b.  Leaves not spotted but with yellow or brown margins, sometimes extending between veins – see #7

7a.  Margin of leaves brown – see #8

7b.  Margin of leaves yellowish, usually between veins: check soil for iron, zinc, or manganese deficiency or soil sterilants

8a.  Weather conditions have been hot and dry:  drought scorch or high salts

8b.  Weather conditions have not been hot and dry – see #9

9a.  Soils in area very acidic or sandy:  test soil for potassium deficiency

9b.  Soils not particularly acidic or sandy – see #10

10a. Weather conditions have been moist, humid:  anthracnose and similar leafspot diseases

10b. Weather conditions have not been moist, humid:  check for soil sterilants; air pollution also possible

11a. Leaves with relatively uniform holes; margins of holes brown or reddish (caution: some insects can cause similar damage):  shothole fungus or xanthomonas caterium

11b. Leaves without holes, but with spots or blotches – see #12

12a. Leaves irregularly blotched with no particular pattern; sometimes several colors:  spray damage; if blotches are red or white and ‘velvety’, probably eriophid mites

12b. Leaves with relatively uniform spots (brown bordered by yellow, red, or light green); usually most evident on upper surface:  leafspot fungi

13a. Young twigs with raised pimplelike structures – see #16

13b. Young twigs dying back – see #14

14a. Dieback of twigs with buds that failed to open in spring:  winter injury

14b. Young twigs dying back after buds open in spring – see #15

15a. New growth black or brown, curled backward:  tipblight fungus; fireblight bacterium; frost injury

15b. New growth still greenish but shriveled; or if brown, still attached:  drought injury; transplant shock; spray injury

16a. Raised structures orange or black; orange ooze or black powder may be present: fungus cankers such as Cytospora and Nectria

16b. Raised structures tan or usually lighter than surrounding bark; oval, round or lens shaped; regular in shape:  normal lenticels in bark

17a. Main branches or trunk with localized sunken areas – see #19

17b. Main branches or trunk with raised or swollen structures – see #18

18a. Structures raised are like orange, reddish, or black pimples:  fungus cankers such as Cytospora, Nectria, and Thronectria

18b. Structures are swollen stem or trunk parts; fissures in bark may have orange powder: stem rusts

19a. Sunken area discolored, cracked, and usually in a streak on the southwest side of trunk: sunscald

19b. Sunken area irregular, on any exposure, and often near base of trees:  mechanical impact bruises, or cankers

20a. Symptoms at base of tree trunks in flare of roots – see #21

20b. Symptoms in smaller roots – see #22

21a. Bark loose; wood beneath soft and punky when probed:  root rot (often follows overwatering in compacted soils)

21b. Tumorlike growth from bark:  crown gall bacterium

22a. Roots with small pealike swellings:  root knot nematode or normal nodules of nitrifying  bacteria (legumes)

22b. Fine roots (feeder roots) slimy, dark-colored; sometimes with sewerlike odor:  many causes; oxygen starvation most common in landscape plantings

See also Identifying Insect Pests

See also Key For Identifying Pests Based On Feeding Damage

1a.  Leaves with damage – see #2

1b.  Twigs or bark with damage – see #10

1c.  Roots with damage – see #15

2a.  Leaves appearing chewed or skeletonized (veins remaining) with tissue between veins on lower side missing – see #3

2b.  Leaves not chewed; either off-colored and appearing “stippled” or silvery, or having galls or swollen tissues – see #5

3a.  Leaves chewed mostly along margins – see #4

3b.  Leaves chewed mostly underneath, appearing skeletonized:  leaf beetles, pear ‘slug’(a wasp larva)

4a.  Chewed leaf margins semicircular and smooth; not jagged:  cutter bee (common on roses), blackvine weevil (common on euonymous)

4b.  Chewed leaf margins jagged and irregular; not smooth and semicircular:  grasshoppers; caterpillars; Japanese beetle

5a.  Leaves with swellings or galls – see #9

5b.  Leaves without swelling or galls, but stippled and silvery – see #6

6a.  Leaves silvery in irregular pattern when view from above:  thrips (common in privet)

6b.  Leaves stippled, sometimes appearing grainy or mealy beneath – see #7

7a.  Fine webbing present; leaves mealy beneath:  spider mites

7b.  No webbing present; leaves not mealy beneath; stippled yellow or brown – see #8

8a.  Stippled leaves also curled or distorted; use caution here-some herbicides cause similar  symptoms:  eriopyid mites; leafhoppers; plant bugs; some aphids

8b.  Stippled leaves not curled or distorted:  many aphid species

9a.  Swelling or galls nipplelike on leaf surface:  psyllids; eriopyid mites (gall mites)

9b.  Swellings variously shaped, but not nipplelike; sometimes on leaf petiole:  gall wasps; spindle midges; gall midges

10a. Damage on twigs or buds only, not on main branches or tree trunks – see #12

10b. Damage on main branches or trunks – see #11

11a. Bark partially or completely chewed down to wood:  rodents (squirrels, mice), grasshoppers (in heavy infestations where food supply is short)

11b. Bark with circular or D-shaped holes; may be oozing sap, pitch or frass (‘sawdust’) may be present:  borers (larvae of beetles, wasps, and flies); bark engravers (larvae of beetles)

12a. Twigs or buds forming galls or swollen areas – see #13

12b. Twigs or buds without galls; twigs with or central pith with channels – see #14

13a. Galls in buds:  gall-forming eriophyid mites

13b. Galls in twigs:  gall midges

14a. Twigs with holes, pith not channeled:  borers; bark engravers; weevils

14b. Twigs with channeled pith:  shoot-tip borers (larvae of moths); pith borers; cane borers

15a. Young roots with gall-like swellings (caution:  some plants such as those n the pea family have nitrogen-fixing nodules on their roots, which look similar; these are beneficial):  nematodes

15b. Roots chewed or with holes – see #16

16a. Roots chewed:  rodents, insect grubs (beetle and moth larvae)

16b. Roots with holes:  root borers; weevils (often these insects are secondary to roots undergoing decay from fungi)

See also Identifying Insect Pests

See also Key To Plant Abnormalities

Identifying pests

Proper identification of insects and related pests is essential to the selection of timely and appropriate control.  It is not enough to just know that the pest is a beetle, bug, aphid, or mite.  The exact species must be known because the life cycles vary considerably even within similar insect groups.  Knowing the precise life cycle of the pest helps in selecting the best method of control and in determining the proper timing of application.

The following procedure is helpful in determining the identity of an insect or related pest if the pest apparently causing the damage is present:

1.  Collect sample, placing them in small containers with tight fitting lids.  Soft-bodied insects, such as larvae (caterpillars and grubs, for example) are best put directly in alcohol.  Household isopropyl alcohol will do. Hard-bodies insects, such as adult stages of flies and beetles, should be put into a container with a small amount of killing agent.

2.  Examine pests and compare with available local literature.  A good source of information is your nearest garden center.  These people are usually very helpful both in identifying the pest and suggesting proper treatment.  Be sure to take along a sample of the host plant when going to the garden center for help.

3.  If identity is still not certain, sent pest samples along with background information to the local Extension Service office or the entomology department of a state university offering identification services.  Information, accompanying the sample infestation should include host plant, date of collection, degree of infestation (if known), and part or parts of the host plant affected by the pest.

4.  Select control measures, if warranted, based upon available local literature or advice from an entomologist.

see also Key For Identifying Pests Based On Feeding Damage

See also Key To Plant Abnormalities