Feeding programs for plants, trees, and turf are an important part of the management of growing plants at Pampered Lawns. Feeding programs promote the continuing health of a landscape and strengthen the resistance of plant materials to diseases, weather changes, and pests.
Feeding Methods
When plants, trees, or turf require nutrient feedings, several methods are available:
__Foliar feeding sprays nutrients directly onto leaves for immediate absorption.
__Granular feeding delivers a slower timed-release flow of nutrients to plant materials.
__Root feeding provides long-term feeding benefits to plants by injection of nutrients directly to the root system.
__Recommended treatment may require use of foliar, granular, or root feeding or a combination of these methods. Good management of the feeding cycle is well worth the effort. It is a form of preventive maintenance which is far less costly than curing or replacing seriously diseased plant materials. When implemented as required, feeding programs promote the health and beauty of your project's landscape.
Get to Know Your Contractor
interview conducted by: Jared McNabb
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In this issue we speak with Jay Hartley who heads up the Installation/Construction division of Pampered Lawns, Inc.
PL: When did you join Pampered Lawns?
Jay: August 2001
PL: Tell me a little about yourself (organizations, certs./licenses, etc.)
Jay: I graduated from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in 1992 in Petroleum Land Management and General Business. Upon graduation I moved to Dallas Texas and worked in the oil and gas industry. I worked for a Nursery on the side and fell in love with the green industry and made a career change. Since my background was not in the green industry, I attended classes at the Texas A & M extension service in Richardson, Texas and Texas certified nurseryman, Certified Chemical Applicator, and a Landscape Contractor. I also became a Licensed Irrigator.
PL: You are the President of the CGCIA board. Tell me a little about this organization.
Jay: Houston Gulf Coast Irrigation Association is an association of licensed irrigators from the Houston Area. We have a tradeshow with manufacturers and distributors and offer CEU classes every December. We have meetings every other month with speakers that provide our members with the latest innovations in the irrigation industry.
PL: With the economy the way it is and many businesses in a crunch, what would you recommend to your clients/potential clients to cut back to meet a budget?
Jay: Use experienced and proven companies that you have a relationship with and have been through tough times as we are experiencing now. These companies know how to get all they can out of the budget they have been given to complete the job.
PL: Lastly, what is it that you feel that Pampered Lawns offers that sets us apart from other contractors?
Jay: The personal relationships that our employees make with our clients. We try to not only be a client, but a personal friend. These days you have to trust who you are working for and the only way to do that is to get to know them.
We would like to thank Jay Hartley for taking the time to answer our questions. You can reach Jay at jhartley@pamperedlawns.com.
Design Techniques
written by: Jared McNabb
Blooming Season
__Knowing the plant's blooming season is critical to producing flower color combinations that work. Bright blue Pansies and bright yellow Daylilies would make a beautiful combination, but the Pansies bloom from late fall to early Spring and the Daylilies in mid Summer to early Fall. To insure year-round color, select plants with different blooming times or lengths of bloom. Group plants with like blooming times together for the best impact.
Texture
__Combining different textures of foliage and flower shapes in the garden makes it more interesting and inviting. The same look repeated over and over can become boring. Texture is determined by such factors as leaf size, density of the foliage, shape of the plant and how close the blossoms are to one another. Bold textured plants tend to seem closer, fine textured plants tend to recede into distance.
Spacing
__The width of a plant at maturity is important in garden planting. It is very tempting to plant young plants too close together. Without propery spacing, plants can turn into a jungle and will not perform to their full potential.
To Get Pampered:
For landscape assistance, maintenance or installation, please contact us at:
Houston
713(682)7442
President
Greg McNabb
gmcnabb@pamperedlawns.com
Vice Presidents
Jason McNabb
Manages: North & Central Offices
jmcnabb@pamperedlawns.com
Kelly (McNabb) Aylesworth
Manages: Southwest & Galveston Offices
kmcnabb@pamperedlawns.com
Maintenance Sales & Marketing
Jared McNabb
jaredm@pamperedlawns.com
Installation/Construction
Jay Hartley
jhartley@pamperedlawns.com
Root Girdling
written by: Jared McNabb
__A girdling root is one that circles the base of a tree at or just below the surface. Girdling roots can also girdle other roots, but without harm. The trees that are most effected by this are maples, lindens, and ashes.
__To identify on young trees, inspect around the trunk for crossing roots that can develop into girdling roots. These are much easier to remove when young, prior to any damage. Take care not to damage the trunk or other roots. When dealing with slightly larger trees, observe them from a distance. Look for declining branches or uneven growth in the canopy of the tree. Root girdling commonly occurs at nurseries when soil is added to the top of the buckets over the crown. This allows the roots to continue to grow around the trunk.
__Common symptoms of girdling are crown discoloration or dieback, tip burn on leaves, and/or one side of the trunk is flattened. These are also symptoms of root damage, flooding, or wilt disease.
Understanding Types of Color
written by: Jared McNabb
__Annuals are plants which develop from seed, flower and die in one growing season. Annuals must be planted each season from seed, young transplants or larger mature plants that provide instant landscape color. New, hardier, better flowering, more pest resistant varieties are available each year. (e.g. Geraniums and Marigolds)
Tropicals
__Tropicals are colorful plants that thrive in summer heat but do not
tolerate freezing temperatures. This group of plants is very popular for containers on patios, around pools and on porches. Plants can be
brought inside for winter protection, and returned outside when warm temperatures return in the Spring.
Perennials
__Perennials are plants that appear year after year without reseeding or replanting. They may die to the ground during part of the year, but return to full form when their season returns. As with annuals, perennials can be planted from seed, young transplants or mature plants.
__A few cold sensitive perennials should be used as annuals in northern parts of the state or may require additional mulching to protect the root system from freeze injury during the winter.
What's in Your Head?
In the world of irrigation there are two types of sprinkler heads. There are the spray heads and the rotary heads. Each head has a certain purpose and is decided upon the amount of
area, amount of pressure and one of the other many variables.
Rotary Heads
__These sprinklers are larger than the sprayers and are
used in open, un-interrupted spaces that allow water to be dispersed 25 to 30 feet or more. These heads typically
pop-up during use and retract after operation for use in lawns or other areas with foot traffic. They are also available in fixed (non-pop-up) versions for use on risers in large planting areas. The majority of rotary heads are driven by a gear system.
__Gear driven heads work because water turns a small
turbine in the base of the unit which drives a series of gears that cause the head to rotate.
Spray Heads
__Their spacing between sprinklers can vary depending upon the specific nozzle installed in the head, but they are rarely are spaced further than 15 feet apart. Spray sprinklers installed in turf areas are also designed to pop-up during watering and retract to below the turf line to allow mowing and normal use of the lawn after watering.Their spacing between sprinklers can vary depending upon the specific nozzle installed in the head.
Submit a Bid
written by: Jared McNabb
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__We created a "Submit a Bid" link
to make it easier for developers, management companies, and neighborhoods to quickly get in touch
with our sales manager. This allows our clients an easier accessible route to get a proposal for a property.
__Simply click on the measuring wheel at the bottom of our website (as seen at the top of this article) and it will connect you to a form. Fill this form out and click submit. That's it!
__Our sales manager will contact you in a timely manner regarding the bid request.
