Winter – Village Green Plano Landscaping

25 Feb 2021

Important Lawn & Plant Freeze Damage Update

Last week we experienced some of the most extreme winter weather I have ever seen in North Texas.

With temperatures that went from 0 to 70 in a matter of days, coupled with heavy snow for our area, our plants and lawns had to withstand some brutal conditions. Now that we’re warming back up and heading into March, we are getting many inquiries about short-term and long-term freeze damage.

Below are two videos that I hope you find helpful. The first one covers what we’re seeing with local plants and landscapes. The second covers what we see in lawns with varying types of grass in our area.

Thank you for trusting Village Green with the care of your lawn. If you have any questions or need help to diagnose an issue, you can send us your photos via email or, better yet, give us a call at 972-495-6990. We also welcome you sharing this with family and friends who may find this information helpful.

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13 Feb 2021

0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Dallas Lawn Care, How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Landscape Solutions Freeze, Freeze Warning, Winter, Winter Plant Care

Important Tips To Weather The Arctic Blast

With extreme cold and wintry precipitation in the forecast for North Texas, we wanted to share some some essential lawn and landscape tips and info to make sure you are ready to weather the arctic blast.

Below are two videos that we hope you find helpful. One is all about what you can do to protect your plants from the extreme cold temperatures. The second video is one I hope you won’t need but valuable information regarding what tools to have on hand if you experience a pipe bursting from the extreme cold.

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Below are a few tips to help you prepare.
Water
It seems counter-intuitive, but plants with moisture do better in extreme cold than those that are under-watered.

Cover Sensitive Plants
We recommend you use a cloth sheet (old sheets make a great cover.) Don’t use plastic. The idea is to trap heat against the ground, so plastic doesn’t help. When the sun comes out, it can make things worse by scorching your plants. If you have pansies, you don’t have to worry about covering them to keep them alive (although covering will prevent their blooms from being damaged.)

Turn Off Your Sprinkler
All cities in our area require a freeze sensor on sprinkler systems. If you aren’t sure about yours, the simple solution to preventing dangerous icing is to turn off your sprinkler system (remember to turn it back on once the cold snap has left our area.)

Thank you for trusting Village Green with the care of your lawn. If you have any questions, give us a call at 972-495-6990.

16 Dec 2020

0 Comments By Ken Hyatt How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Sprinkler System Plano sprinkler repair, Watering, Winter, Winter Watering, Winter Watering Guide

Do You Know How Much You Should Be Watering This Winter?

In winter, even though your lawn and plants are dormant, your soil still needs consistent watering to keep it healthy. One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your lawn health is to turn your sprinkler system off during our winter months.

This means in winter, we recommend you water one ten-minute burst one day per week.

Also, keep in mind that many of the newer sprinkler controllers have a seasonal adjustment (set to 20% during winter,) which is easy to use with your watering guidelines. Finally, if your lawn has a lot of shade, you can cut your watering about half of what we recommend and be fine. Shady lawns always need less water than those that get a lot of sun during the day.

Important Note for Rotary Head Sprinklers and Drip Systems.

If you have rotary head sprinklers (they slowly turn and send out long streams of water), we recommend running twice as long as you would regular sprinklers since it takes them longer to put out the same amount of water. Drip Zones (drip systems work by maintaining a level of moisture in the soil.) We recommend that in the winter they run one day per week for 10 minutes. Since different drip lines water slightly differently, it is important to pay attention to your beds to make sure they are getting the proper amount of water. If you have questions or need help with your sprinkler system, give us a call. Proper watering is vital for a healthy lawn, and we are always happy to help.

Proper watering is vital for a healthy lawn, and we are always happy to help. You can also find a how-to video on programming your watering guide on our website or YouTube channel. You can download a copy of our Winter Watering Guide here (be sure and share with your friends and family!)

As always, if you have any questions or need help with your sprinkler system, give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com.

10 Nov 2014

0 Comments By Kyle GreenTalk, How To allen, dallas, Fall, Farmers Branch, Flowers, Frisco, garland, Landscapes, mckinney, north texas, Pansies, Pansy, Pee Mart, plano, Predator Urine, richardson, Village Green, Winter

How To Get Healthy Pansies in North Texas

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA We’ve never understood why the name pansy got associated with wimpy when they’re the toughest flower we’ve ever seen. Pansies can weather single digit temperatures and wintry precipitation one day and bounce back and start blooming a few sunny days later. They are truly a hardy little flower and should be your go-to flower in North Texas if you want colorful blooms during the colder months of the year. A few tips on how to get the most out of your pansies…

They prefer a loose well-drained soil so they don’t stay wet after watering. An easy way to accomplish that is to add potting soil to the bed.
Pansies are like candy to rabbits, so if you have a large population in your area, it may be challenge to grown them. I haven’t found anything that is 100% effective to keep rabbits away, but many recommend using fox or wolf urine as a deterrent. You can buy discount urine here: ThePeeMart.com (only on the internet, right?). The downside to using this is you have to apply it every few weeks. • Mix blood meal into your soil. Not only is a great organic fertilizer for pansies, it also acts as a rabbit deterrent.
The key to nice blooming pansies is to fertilize them a little but mostly, don’t over water them. That’s the fastest way to kill them.
If pansies are planted too early and are exposed to warm weather, the plant will get tall and leggy and won’t really recover – the recommended soil temperature is below 65 degrees.
Finally, you can cover pansies when the temperatures drop below freezing. That keeps the blooms from being burned off. If you don’t cover them you’ll lose the blooms and they have to re-set again, but they will look nice again a couple of weeks later.

When it comes to pansies your choice is often between these two varieties: Majestic and Crown.

Majestic has a larger bloom and is two-tone, with an eye in the middle. Because these have large blooms, you can’t get the mass of blooms you would from the smaller ones but the two-tone color lets you blend a mix of colors. They are also good if we have a wet winter (they seem to survive better.)

The Crown has smaller blooms, and fill in becoming a mass of solid color.

Lately growers have introduced quite a few other varieties, with a lot of different names, but tat the end of the day the same rules apply. You either like two-tone larger blooms or a solid mass. It really is a personal preference.

As far as color, pastels seem to be the weakest of all pansies, especially if we have a wet winter. They always struggle more than other colors.

Village Green offers full landscaping design and installation for our customers. I invite you to view our online portfolio and if you are thinking of adding some fall color, or doing any landscape work to give us the opportunity to earn your business. We’re happy to do a free quote and answer any questions you may have. Simply call 972-495-6990 or email ken@villagegreen-inc.com.

21 Jan 2014

0 Comments By Kyle Dallas Sprinkler Repair, GreenTalk, Sprinkler Repair Dallas allen, Cold, crisco, dallas, Farmers Branch, Freeze, freezing, garland, Irrigation, landscape, Lawn, mckinney, north texas, plano, richardson, sprinkler, Stage 3 Water Restrictions, Watering, Winter

Winter Watering Guide

If you want to protect your landscape from freeze damage, don’t turn off your sprinkler system in the winter. Granted you don’t need to water as much as you would in the summer, but watering a small amount during winter will make sure your lawn and landscape are ready for the spring growing season and protected against freeze damage.

In the winter your soil will lose on average, 1/4″ of water per week. To help illustrate, imagine filling a gallon bucket with water and setting it out in your yard. When you check your bucket a week later, you’re going to find it still has water, but you’ve lost about 1/4″ from evaporation. That’s what happens to your lawn and landscape during the winter and if you skip watering for weeks (or months) you’re going to make the roots of your plants more susceptible to freeze damage. Another reason to water regularly is that any pre-emergent treatments that are applied to your lawn need water to spread and push them into the soil. This process is what creates the barrier in the soil to prevent the weed seeds from sprouting in late winter and early spring. A pre-emergent can survive a couple of weeks without water, but after that it will disappear and not be effective.

Most plants in our area like water all winter long. Take St. Augustine as an example. It is a tropical plant so it hates the cold. In fact, watering your St. Augustine lawn in the winter may be more important than your summer watering since the biggest killer of it is freezing. Unless you have chosen a very sensitive plant, I rarely see any winter damage of any plants if they have been watered correctly over the winter months.

Be sure and visit the Village Green Resource Center for helpful links to your city watering guidelines as well as our downloadable Village Green Watering Guide. If you need more help please don’t hesitate to contact us at 972-495-6990, email me at ken@villagegreen-inc.com or fill out our contact form. We’d be happy to help walk you through the process to make sure you are getting the most out of your winter watering schedule. For those who want more advanced help, we offer affordable sprinkler system inspections, tune-ups, and sprinkler control replacement that will guarantee appropriate and adequate water coverage for your lawn. If you contact us by February 15, 2014, you can get our early bird sprinkler tune-up special for only $59 (a savings of $45!.)

04 Dec 2013

0 Comments By Kyle GreenTalk care, Cold, Freeze, landscape, Lawn, Plant, Winter

Winter Weather Lawn & Landscape Care

It looks like we’ll finally have our first real blast of winter. Starting Thursday night we have predicted lows of 20 degrees possibly with ice followed by 12 degrees predicted for Monday. Here are some helpful steps for protecting your lawn and landscape…

If your city will allow it (you can find helpful links to check water restrictions here), water your lawn and landscape before the cold weather arrives. Watering traps heat in the ground which will sustain nearly all Dallas area plants through a cold snap.

If you can’t water, most of your plants should be fine since it appears we’ll have enough precipitation to help prevent damage. You should cover sensitive plants with a cloth sheet (old sheets make a great cover.) Don’t use plastic. Again the idea is to trap heat against the ground so plastic doesn’t help, in fact when the sun comes out it can make things worse by scorching the plant leaves. If you have pansies, they don’t have to be covered to survive, but covering will prevent their blooms from being damaged.

Finally, all cities in our area require a freeze sensor on sprinkler systems. If you aren’t sure about yours, the simple solution to preventing dangerous icing is to turn off your system.

If you need more help, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 972-495-6990, email me at ken@villagegreen-inc.com or fill out our contact form. We’d be happy to answer any of your questions about cold weather lawn and landscape care.

23 Nov 2013

0 Comments By Kyle GreenTalk allen, Cold, dallas, Fall, Farmers Branch, Frisco, garland, grass, landscape, Lawn, Leaves, mckinney, Mulch, Mulching, North, plano, Rake, richardson, Texas, trees, Village Green, Winter

What Do You Do With Leaves?!?

Fall is here and so are the leaves! One of the questions we get during this time of year is what should our customers do with all their leaves? If they are in your beds we recommend you leave them alone. They eventually break down into the soil, providing great organic material for the roots of your plants. Your lawn however, is a different matter. Having a thick blanket of leaves can cause a few problems. One is that a thick layer of leaves can promote fungus. Another is that the leaves form an insulation barrier for your grass, which is great, until the inevitable gust of wind blows, leaving your lawn exposed to sudden cold. The inability to acclimate when this occurs is especially hard on St. Augustine and zoysiagrass. So, the original questions, what should you do with all those leaves? If at all possible mulch them. Most mulching mowers can mulch them finely enough after a couple of passes to dispatch the leaves back into your lawn. If, after after a couple of passes, you’re still left with a ton of leaves, or you don’t have a mulching mower, your best option is to go old school and grab the rake and trash bags.

02 Feb 2012

0 Comments By Kyle Landscaping Dallas Healthy, Important, landscape, Part, Pruning, Winter

Why Winter Pruning is Important to a Healthy Landscape: Part Two

Winter pruning allows landscaping experts to fully assess the health and structural integrity of the tree without the interference of foliage. It is important to have this process scheduled early in the winter in order to give landscaping specialists time to accurately diagnose any problems and devise solutions to keep your landscape looking beautiful.

Winter is the ideal time for pruning because the limbs can be fully assessed without the weight of foliage on them. Pruning is generally known to encourage growth, so when it occurs during the growing season, new tissue and bark are constantly being added to the branches. When the foliage is no longer on the tree, proper pruning can take place to establish how much dead or decaying material is on the tree.

Pruning during the growing season is encouraged, but can disrupt the tree’s energy. Landscaping authorities say that since leaves are the primary food source for trees, the pruning that goes on during the summer actually decreases the amount of energy the tree is getting. Obviously the tree is capable of getting through the winter on reserved energy sources, so pruning does not have as much of an impact.

Another reason why winter pruning is ideal and beneficial is because the tree is completely dormant, including disease and insect activity. Pruning sometimes makes trees vulnerable to insect infestations and diseases, especially if the pruning techniques aren’t performed correctly and the tree is wounded. If perchance the tree is wounded during winter pruning, it will be able to seal before or during the early spring before insects and diseases become active once again.

For more information on winter pruning, contact your local landscaping company and schedule a consultation!

Landscape Blog

08 Dec 2011

0 Comments By Kyle Dallas Lawn Care Better, care, dallas, Essentials, Fall/Early, Late, Lawn, Winter

Late Fall/Early Winter Essentials For Better Dallas lawn Care

If you’ve taken care of your fall cleanup and removed all leaves and debris, your lawn is almost ready for maximum absorption of nutrients. Thanks to the seasonal weather changes, nutrients are well on their way via rainfall and other debris like leaves and grass clippings that may have temporarily composted before your fall cleanup. Insects will also pose less threat as they head into hibernation; leaving any last standing weeds from a final post emergent treatment your lawn’s only competition for nutrients.
The next logical step would be to apply a final fertilization treatment to winterize your turf, but wait! Be sure to read ahead before you feed your lawn for maximum absorption of nutrients.
Soil naturally becomes compacted from rain and general use all season which closes pathways for nutrients to be absorbed by the roots of your lawn. A core aeration treatment allows maximum ventilation of your soil and opens up more pathways for nutrients to be effectively and efficiently absorbed by the roots of your lawn. While spike shoes and other do-it-yourself techniques can produce some positive results, often times they don’t penetrate deep enough or pull enough plugs of soil out to naturally fertilize your lawn. An aerator will evenly ventilate and penetrate your lawn for maximum absorption of nutrients in less time. The plugs of soil will also act as a natural fertilizer for the surface of your lawn. Is your lawn in a little rougher shape than most? Are there section of turf missing only to leave spots of soil? Once your lawn has had a core aeration treatment, it is now ready for a seeding treatment to renovate sections of your lawn that are in less than top form.
After you’ve checked these items of your lawn’s to-do list you’re now ready to winterize your lawn with a late fall feeding fertilizer application.
Not sure which type of winter fertilizer to use? Check back next week to learn how to determine the best winter fertilizer for your turf type.

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Tag: Winter