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13 Mar 2019
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt GreenTalk, Ken's Quick Tip, Landscaping, Lawn and Landscape Care , ,

Ken’s Quick Tip: Picking the Right Pipe

Example of ribbed pipe that will inevitable become clogged in North Texas

A critical component in a happy and healthy lawn and landscape is proper drainage. Your lawn’s health depends on how well it can retain and drain water. While grass needs the right amount to grow, too much water can impede oxygen uptake, slow metabolic processes and invite root rot. To make matters worse, in North Texas our infamous clay soil isn’t the best for natural drainage. If we get one of our famous gully washers and your downspouts aren’t properly connected (or you have other drainage challenges) you’re going to end up with standing water.

Choosing the right kind of pipe.

Most contractors in North Texas like to use a black flexible pipe that is ribbed (see example.) They like this pipe for two reasons, it’s cheap and easy to install.

These pipes are not good for drainage though because they tend to sag down to every low spot in their trench and become easily clogged by leaves and other debris which causes all kinds of problems.

At Village Green we only use a 4″ PVC pipe in our drainage system work.

This pipe costs more than the cheap black flexible kind and is harder to install, but the quality and smooth inside (that won’t become clogged) more than pays for itself over time.

If you have a drainage issue or any other lawn or landscape related problems, give us a call at 972-495-6990 or or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. With nearly 40 years in North Texas, we have the expertise to solve your lawn and landscape problems and would love to earn your business in 2019.

    04 Mar 2019
    0 Comments By Ken Hyatt GreenTalk, Ken's Quick Tip, Landscaping, Lawn and Landscape Care, Weeding , ,

    Ken’s Quick Tip: An Unwelcome Sign Spring is Near in North Texas

    Henbit

    At Village Green a sure sign that spring is near is the arrival of henbit North Texas lawns. And while any sign of spring is at some level is welcome, henbit is a weed.

    As far as weeds go, henbit is pretty, with a rich green and cute purple flower, but we still don’t like to see it our lawns. During our winter months, brown is beautiful. In fact you can learn on why brown is beautiful in one of my previous Quick Tips.

    So, how do you get rid of henbit? The best way is to prevent it from starting in the first place which means using a good pre-emergent in the winter. The trouble is if you are seeing henbit in your lawn now, you’re too late to do that this year and you need to use a broadleaf weed control to make it go away. A good rule of thumb is anything that will make dandelions go away will also take care of henbit.

    If you aren’t the do-it-yourself type and don’t want to mess with chemicals another easy tip is to simply cut your lawn short. PLEASE DON’T SCALP IT!) If it comes back up, mow it again. Keep in mind these are winter weeds which means as our days get and stay warmer, they will go away on their own.

    Finally, if you’d like to not have to worry about weeds period, give us a call. We offer affordable feed and fertilization programs based on eight annual visits a year. I promise with our expertise in North Texas (we’ve been doing it since 1980) we can solve any lawn or landscape problems. Give us a call at 972-495-6990 or or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. We’d love to have the opportunity to earn your lawn and fertilization business in 2019!

    22 Jan 2019
    0 Comments By Ken Hyatt GreenTalk, Landscaping, Lawn and Landscape Care , ,

    Ken’s Quick Tip: The #1 problem with two-thirds of the lawns in North Texas

    This is Village Green’s 39th year in the lawn and landscape business in North Texas (I’m getting old!) Seriously though, I’ve seen a lot of unhealthy lawns over the years with the same common problem. They were not watered properly. Especially during our North Texas winter. I’d go so far as to to say that two-thirds of the underperforming lawns we see have poor watering as the main culprit. That’s a lot of lawns in nearly 40 years of business!

    The secret to a great lawn isn’t a great mystery. In fact, it is pretty simple. It takes three things for a lawn to thrive. Sun, water, and fertilizer (and in that order.) Of those three things the two that are easiest for you to control are water and fertilizer. But the kicker is you have to have the water for the fertilizer to work.

    If you want a healthy lawn this spring and summer, you need to make sure are watering 12-months out of the year. Even during the North Texas winter. If your lawn hasn’t been thriving in the past more than likely under or poor watering is your main problem. Whether it be improper sprinkler settings, broken sprinkler heads, inadequate water coverage, or simply sprinklers that were turned off for the winter the result is under-watered lawns. It doesn’t matter how much sun or fertilizer they get, without proper year round watering the lawn isn’t going to thrive. Because that is what the water does, it helps spread that fertilizer down into the root system which makes your lawn stronger. That strength will sustain your lawn in the tough North Texas months (winter and summer) when we have extreme temps. That’s why it’s so important to be consistent with your lawn plan and to not forget that after sun (which is mostly beyond our control,) you have to give you lawn water and fertilizer.

    If you don’t feel your lawn is as good as it could be give us a call and let us help solve your problem. We offer affordable sprinkler repair by certified technicians and fertilization and weed control packages. If you have the time and are the DIY type, download our free watering guide and make sure your system is set for winter watering. You can also check out our resource center which has free downloadable content (including my secrets to a healthy lawn series.)

    I promise if you have the proper watering schedule and follow it up with a proper fertilizer and weed control (we offer affordable plans that will save you time and money,) your lawn will bounce back in no time and end up being the envy of your neighbors.

    We’d love to have the opportunity to earn your lawn and fertilization business in 2019! Give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com.

    15 Jan 2019
    0 Comments By Ken Hyatt GreenTalk, Landscaping, Lawn and Landscape Care

    Ken’s Quick Tip: Winter Weed Control (Why Brown is Beautiful)

    Last week I posted a photo on the Village Green’s Facebook page. The photo which you can see here, shows a lawn that isn’t using Village Green for fertilization and weed control. As you can see from this photo, there is a lot of green in their yard which you would think is good. It is not. That much green in January is bad. It means their lawn has far too many winter weeds. During the winter months we have a saying at Village Green, ‘brown in beautiful.’ A brown lawn in winter means it is mostly free from weeds which will lead to a thriving and healthy lawn come spring and summer.

    To understand why, it important to know a little more about weeds.

    Fortunately for us in North Texas it is rare for cold weather that is well below freezing to last that long (we’re too close to the Gulf of Mexico.) And while it may be uncomfortable to us humans (and pets,) the truth is these cold temps aren’t that big of a problem for our plants.

    There are two types of weeds, the kind that sprout from seeds and those that come back from their roots every year. Apply a winter pre-emergent will create a barrier in the soil, blocking most weed seeds from growing which means we only have to spot treat the weeds that are coming back from their roots. These treatments while the lawn is dormant in the winter cut spring weeds dramatically. This saves time and more importantly herbicides.

    The exception to this is St. Augustine lawns. They are very sensitive to being treated with products and blanket treating a St. Augustine lawn with a weed control products will often stunt its growth. While we do apply a winter pre-emergent to St. Augustine, we apply it at about half the recommended rate. Our goal with St. Augustine is to make it so happy and healthy with watering and correct fertilizer the rest of the year that during the winter it is too thick for weeds to touch the soil. I call this Mother Nature’s weed control!

    At Village Green we can’t prevent all weeds, but we can prevent most of them. If you need help with your lawn this year, give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. We’ve been helping our neighbors improve the health and beauty of their lawns and landscapes for over thirty five years and have a lot of experience and answers when it comes to fertilization and weed control in North Texas.

    10 Dec 2018
    0 Comments By Ken Hyatt GreenTalk, Landscaping, Lawn and Landscape Care

    Ken’s Quick Tip: How to Protect your Plants this Winter in North Texas

    The first day of winter is December 21 which means we’ll be seeing more cold fronts pushing through North Texas over the next few months (if not before!) I’m often asked what can be done to make sure plants survive an Arctic blast or worse, snow and ice.

    Fortunately for us in North Texas it is rare for cold weather that is well below freezing to last that long (we’re too close to the Gulf of Mexico.) And while it may be uncomfortable to us humans (and pets,) the truth is these cold temps aren’t that big of a problem for our plants.

    What really harms the majority of plants in North Texas is that our cold fronts often bring very cold and DRY air. That means when you see that temperatures are predicted to plummet, the best protection you can provide your plants it water them. If the soil is wet, even if the temperature plunges into the single digits, the soil temperature won’t drop below 32 degrees which protects the roots of your plants.

    While your plants will survive the cold if you’ve watered, Village Green does recommend covering your blooming plants, such as pansies, or your more sensitive plants. But please use an old sheet or cloth towel. Do not cover your plants with a plastic sheet or tarp. This is bad! The plastic works like a magnifying glass, and will scald the plants underneath doing far more damage than the cold.

    Have a lawn or landscape question? Give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. We’ve been helping our neighbors improve the health and beauty of their lawns and landscapes for over thirty five years and have a lot of experience and knowledge in what plants and trees will thrive in North Texas, which will save you time and money in the long run.

    03 Dec 2018
    0 Comments By Ken Hyatt GreenTalk, Landscaping, Lawn and Landscape Care

    Ken’s Quick Tip: What to do About Fall Leaves

    Many of our customers wrongly assume that leaving fall leaves on their lawn is a good thing. Actually it is not, and the reason why surprises many of our customers.

    When you leave your leaves (that’s a mouthful!) on your lawn it becomes accustomed to the added protection the leaves provide. Then, when that inevitable North Texas wind blows, the leaves will move exposing your lawn from the cold which could leave to freeze damage if our temps drop low enough.

    Another concern is that leaves hold moisture in the lawn which sounds good in theory, but often leads to fungal problems in lawns in our area.

    St. Augustine is especially susceptible to both freeze damage and fungal problems so piles of leaves is very bad for our St. Augustine customers.

    Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to get rid of your leaves, what do I recommend as the best way to clean them up in the fall? A mulching lawn mower is the way to go, simply shred them every couple of weeks. If you shred them, most of the time you won’t end up with nearly as many bags than if you simply rake and bag them.

    Finally, what should you do with leaves in your landscape beds? Think of it as free mulch for the winter and let the leaves stay put (or use some of the shredded leaves from lawn in your beds.)

     

    If you have any lawn or landscape related questions give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. We’ve been helping our neighbors improve the health and beauty of their lawns and landscapes for over thirty five years and have a lot of experience and knowledge in what plants and trees will thrive in North Texas, which will save you time and money in the long run.

    26 Nov 2018
    0 Comments By Ken Hyatt GreenTalk, Landscaping, Lawn and Landscape Care

    Ken’s Quick Tip: How to Plant a Healthy Tree

    By far the two biggest mistakes I see when home owners (and some landscape companies) plant a tree is planting too low, and too much mulch. In today’s quick tip I’ll give you my secrets to planting a healthy tree in North Texas.

    Mistake 1: Planting tree too low

    This simply mistake is the most common one we see and does damage to the tree. It also is the main reason if a tree has been planted for a year or so and never really grown. Most think a tree is supposed to be planted with the root ball flush with the soil level. This results in people planting their trees too deep which makes it hard for your newly planted tree to thrive.

    What you should do is plant the tree, so the root flare is flush with the soil level (to get a better idea of the root flare, think about a neck flares into a person’s shoulders. The problem is a lot of growers take the excess dirt from digging the tree out of the ground and pile a layer of that dirt onto the root ball. That means many trees arrive with a two to three inch layer of dirt that needs to be scraped away to export the root flare which most people don’t realize (or miss.)

    The reason this is bad for your tree is that this excess dirt rots the bark off of the tree and prevents valuable nutrients from moving from the roots up to the branches. One of the symptoms of a tree that has been planted too deep is if you lean on a tree that has been in the ground a few years and that tree’s trunk rocks easily back and forth in the ground, that tree is slowly rotting.

    Mistake 2: Too much mulch (a.k.a. mulch volcanoes!)

    This is a case of doing something right, wrong. Mulch is great for plants and trees. The problem is when a person goes overboard piling too much mulch up against the tree trunk. The next time you are out and above, pay attention to the mulch volcanoes in your neighborhood. Most people, including far too many landscape professionals and lawn care workers, make this mistake.

    For a tree to thrive nutrients and oxygen pass back and forth in a layer just underneath the bark. A telling example of how important this is for a tree, years ago, when a farmer wanted to kill a tree on their land, they would take their knife and cut through the bark all the way around the tree. This cut effectively cut off the tree’s supply of nutrients. This is called girding a tree and that’s exactly what happen when you plant a tree too deep or pile too much up around the trunk. The bark rots which cuts off the supply of nutrients.

    Make no mistake, you need to mulch your new tree (and plants) but the way to do is to leave a gap of about two or three inches away from the trunk of the tree.

    If you are thinking about planting a tree or making any updates to your landscape give us at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. We’ve been helping our neighbors improve the health and beauty of their lawns and landscapes for over thirty five years and have a lot of experience and knowledge in what plants and trees will thrive in North Texas, which will save you time and money in the long run.

     

    09 Nov 2018
    0 Comments By Ken Hyatt GreenTalk, Landscaping, Lawn and Landscape Care

    Landscape Spotlight: Rediscovering the Outdoors from the Comfort of Home

    There are many reasons our customers decide to update their landscape. Some do it for better curb appeal, while others want a great space to relax after a hard day at work. Then there are times like today’s landscape spotlight, when the reasons for a landscape go much deeper.

    Take Ms. F, she loves spending time outdoors. Especially hiking. Unfortunately, some health issues have prevented her from being able to enjoy as much time as she would like outdoors. When David (our landscape architect) and I met with Ms. F we quickly realized that was her main goal. She wanted a landscape that would remind her of spending time outdoors and hiking.

    Our first order of business was to haul off a stackable stone wall that had been the border of her previous landscape and replace it with a basket boulder border to give the landscape a more natural feel. We then replaced a struggling Japanese maple (it was getting too much sun) with a red-rocket crepe myrtle. These stay smaller and have striking deep red blooms. We left her existing, large crepe myrtle and yaupon holly in place and installed sherwood abelia around them which will have white blooms in the spring. We also installed spiral junipers (a favorite of hers) on each side of the entrance. In the backyard, we wrapped the landscape around her fence and installed a natural stone water feature at the edge of her stamped concrete patio, close enough for her to be able to hear it when she sits on her patio and enjoys her new space. A future feature of her backyard will be a pathway running the full length of her landscape so she can get closer to her plants and landscape.

    I’m happy to report that Ms. F didn’t just like her new landscape, she loved it. We created a space where she can now enjoy the outdoors without having to leave her own yard.

    We always take pride in our work at Village Green, but their are times like this project that have extra meaning for me and our team.

    If you are thinking about updating your landscape give Village Green a chance to earn your business. We have transformed lawns and landscapes in North Texas since 1980. For more information or to get an estimate on your project give me a call at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com.

    UPDATE:
    We got the nicest note from Ms. F, after she received our email featuring her landscape. She has given us permission to share.

    Ken,

    I love the spotlight article and even posted it to Facebook (with a high recommendation of course). Every time I read it I find there’s so much I want to add. Like how wonderful everyone is to work with, the professionalism yet friendship at the same time, how I was in tears when I found out the whole job was less than I thought it would be, that the backyard wasn’t just for me but for my friends and family to enjoy when I entertain. Just so much more. Your company and employees have heart…big hearts, and really listen to the client. That’s so hard to find these days.

    Please thank everyone for me. And come back in 2 to 3 years for a landscape update!

    Ms. F

     

    22 Oct 2018
    0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Ken's Quick Tip

    Ken’s Quick Tip: Update on Armyworm Invasion of North Texas

    A few weeks ago, my Quick Tip was about the armyworm invasion of North Texas. In today’s Quick Tip I’d like to share a quick update about them, and pass along a funny story.

    If you read my last Quick Tip, you know that army worms can cause extensive damage to your lawn, but that damage is short term.

    One of my neighbors doesn’t take care of his lawn. They don’t water, and certainly don’t have a fertilizer or weed control program in place, which is evident in what was a brown, thin, and weedy lawn. You might think I’m judging them, but in all honesty, I find it funny considering Village Green is my family business. They are also nice people, who are probably not as passionate as a health lawn as me (and they’ve obviously haven’t realized Village Green offers affordable lawn care plans.)

    When the armyworms invaded a few weeks ago, their lawn was destroyed. The army worms stripped all the leaves on their bermuda grass (all the way to the stem.) It was some of the worst damage I saw during the army worm infestation.

    The good news is your grass isn’t dead, just cut back, and it will grow back eventually. It may look bad for some time and the armyworms are very creepy, but there’s really no long term damage being done.

    Fast forward to this week and the armyworms are gone (we’ve not seen any for a couple of weeks.) And my neighbors brown, thin, and weedy lawn? It’s actually bright green and healthy (check out the photo with this article.)

    While I’m definitely not recommending armyworms as a way to have a healthy lawn, in the case of my neighbor’s lawn it worked! Their scalping cleared all the weeds and bad grass and allowed (with our recent rains) the grass to reestablish.

    You may be wondering where all those armywarms went? Next time you are at a high school football game look up at the lights. The record breaking number of moths we’re seeing in our area are those grown up armyworms.

    f you have a question regarding your lawn or landscape give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. I love to answer your questions and they often become the subjects of my Quick Tips which help all our customers.

    15 Oct 2018
    0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Ken's Quick Tip

    Ken’s Quick Tip: When Should We Plant a New Landscape?

    A new or updated landscape is an investment in time and money which is why I’m often asked which time of the year Village Green recommends.

    Village Green can install a landscape that will thrive any time of the year. That was born out of necessity since some customers don’t always have the luxury of choosing when they do the work. We are locally owned and operated and we know North Texas. Which plants to select. What to expect weather wise (although Mother Nature often keeps us on our toes!)

    That being said there are certain seasons that are better than others for installing a new landscape. Below is my list from best to worst.

    Fall
    If you stop and think about it, fall makes a lot of sense in regard to installing a landscape. Plants are like people, and we typically have some of our nicest, most comfortable weather during our fall months. We have a decent amount of rain, cooler nights, and often warm, but not HOT days. This is why fall is the best time of the year to do a new landscape if you have the option. Another important reason is your plants have time to mature before summer (which with our heat and often dry conditions a tough time for new plants.)

    Winter
    Granted we can have some cold weather in North Texas during the winter months, but overall, it’s not that bad for new plants. If you make sure they are well watered, have some mulch, they’ll survive fine even during a North Texas cold snap. Another benefit of using Village Green for your landscape is that we know the plants that are well suited for our area, and we’ll make sure we help you pick ones that are going to thrive in both the fall and winter. And finally like fall, planting in the winter gives your plants enough time to mature a bit before they enter our brutal summer months.

    Spring & Summer
    Spring and summer are when most people are actively looking to install a new landscape. With longer days and warmer temps, it’s the time of the year we spend the most out doors often in our yards. The key to a successful planting in spring and summer is working with a local company who has a history in the area like Village Green because it is extremely important to select the right plants that are well suited to North Texas in the summer. A solid watering plan is also extremely important since the weather is so much warmer. The one thing we don’t advise in spring and summer is planting any large trees. They are always best planted in the fall or winter. Beyond that any season is right for installing a landscape when you have a solid plan in place and select the appropriate plants for North Texas.

    Interested in a landscape? Check out a few of our landscape spotlights below to learn more about a few of our recent projects.

    As always, if you have a question regarding your lawn or landscape give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. I love to answer your questions and they often become the subjects of my Quick Tips which help all our customers.