Maintenance guidelines to achieve a beautiful landscape

How exciting! You have finally made the investment in the creation of a beautiful landscape or new garden area! Now what? It looks so beautiful, but how do you keep it that way? If you are like most homeowners, you opted for a low-maintenance landscape.  Hopefully it will grow into being low-maintenance; however, initially, it will take more care to get established.

So what do you do? First you need to be familiar with your new plant materials and their individual care requirements. These include watering, fertilization, pruning, and pest control. If you do not have this knowledge, refer to a good resource such as your landscaper, your county extension service, a reference book, or the Internet. Some landscapers offer consultation services for a small fee. Once you are armed with this information, then you can create your maintenance plan.

Water Well
Water will be the most critical factor in establishing your new landscape. More plants die from either too little or too much water than from other factors.  
•    First, be sure to check for local watering restriction updates on the MALTA Web site, www.maltalandscape.com. Currently, hand watering is allowed for 25 minutes a day on an odd-even scheduled between midnight and 10 a.m. Odd numbered addresses can water Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and even numbered on the other days.

•    Early morning is the best time since watering in the evening can invite the growth of fungus.  
•    Newly sodded or seeded lawns will require more frequent watering than trees and shrubs. The goal with sod and seed is to keep them continually moist (but not water-logged) for the first 2 weeks, and then can be stepped back to 3 days per week for the remainder of the growing season. Because of this, check on local restrictions before laying down a new lawn.   
•    Trees and shrubs require 3 to 8 minutes once to twice daily (depending upon how quickly your soil dries out) for the first two weeks. Be aware that watering times and frequency will vary with the weather.  Less water is required during wetter, cooler months.
•    Pay close attention to each plant to see if it is telling you that it needs more water or less water.  A wilting plant can also mean too much water.  First check the soil 1 inch below the surface at the roots to see if it is wet or dry.  If still very wet, do not apply more water.  The soil may even need to be further amended to help with drainage.

Food for thought
Fertilization is also important in helping plants and grass to survive and thrive.  
•    A time-released type fertilizer should have been applied with the installation.  Some specialized fertilizers exist for certain types of plant materials such as annual flowers and acid-loving shrubs which includes Azaleas. However, a general fertilizer formulation of 10-10-10 can be used with most all plants and grass. If a fertilizer was not applied at installation, apply as soon as possible.  
•    Always refer to the fertilizer manufacturer’s recommendation for application on the package. It is possible to damage plants and grass by applying too much fertilizer. It is recommended that grass be fertilized throughout the growing season. Trees and shrubs should be fertilized no less than twice per year.

Growing grass
The highest maintenance plant type is grass, which refers weekly mowing during the growing season. Newly installed sod and seed should not be mowed for two to three weeks following installation. New sod is ready to mow when it is growing and has rooted well (test by lightly tugging on a few sod pieces). New seed is ready when the majority of the seed has grown in and is not pulled out by the mower wheels passing over it. The cutting height will depend upon the type of grass. Ask your landscaper or refer back to a good reference source for the proper mowing height.  

Pruning time
Tree and shrub pruning requirements will be based on the type of plants and their rate of growth. Many evergreen shrubs (such as holly and cleyera) will require frequent pruning and can be pruned during most times of the year. Some flowering shrubs (such as hydrangeas and azaleas) should only be pruned in spring and summer in order to avoid pruning out the flower buds for the next season. Perennial plants can be pruned to the ground when their foliage completely turns brown usually late summer to fall.

Weed trimming
Weeds are a maintenance nightmare. Pre-emergent products exist to aid in decreasing the emergence of weeds from seed. However, it is important to use the proper product since most pre-emergents will also prevent or impede growth of new sod or flowers. Do not apply a pre-emergent on grass seed, since it is meant to prevent seeds from growing.  Common pre-emergents can be applied over well-established lawns and shrubs or mulched beds.

If weeds are present, a post-emergent can be carefully applied to the weed. Most post-emergents (weed killers) that are commonly bought and used are non-selective, which means that they will kill or damage any plants whose foliage is sprayed. Therefore, be very careful not to spray the leaves of shrubs and trees, or the blades of grass. If weeds are very close to desirable plants, it is best to pull them by hand, taking care to get the roots of the weed. Additional pests are disease and insects. Monitor your plants and consult a good resource to diagnose any problems. Treat any problem as soon as it is detected.  There are also products for prevention of disease and insect damage. As always, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s label for directions as using any product.

Maintaining your newly installed landscape or garden does seem like a lot of work, but it can be accomplished successfully with knowledge, time, and care.  If you are lacking in any of these areas, a professional landscape contractor can help. Being familiar with your landscape materials and maintaining them with proper watering, fertilization, pruning and pest control will bring you joy and pride in your home for many years. So Happy Maintaining!

Solterra Landscape
404-236-7557
www.solterralandscape.com