July 14th, 2009
With the recent state of residential and commercial business foreclosures, realtors are often left with the difficult task of finding a cost effective way to enhance curb appeal for the properties they are managing or selling. The following are some good strategies for getting the most “bang for the buck.”
Mowing/Spraying
Get the turf mowed and the weeds sprayed. This is a no brainer. The first thing that catches a potential buyer’s eye is the grass. Even a property that hasn’t been mowed all season will look dramatically different after a good mowing and weed kill.
Shrub prune
The landscaper does not incur any capital expenditure is this case, so they can really dress the property up inexpensively with a prune.
Trash removal
Nothing says “neglect” quite like bags of debris scattered around, or worse trash lying in the grass and parking areas.
New mulch
A more expensive option, but if the bed areas are relatively small it will create a lot crisper look.
This advice also holds true for homeowners preparing a house for sale. Of course Complete Turf and Landscape is always happy to come out and provide a no cost estimate and recommendations.
Tags: curb appeal, landscape staging, sell your house, staging
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May 20th, 2009
In honor of Arbor day, April 24, 2009 we are featuring the Skyline Locust as our plant of the month. This improved variety does not have the thorns commonly associated with Locusts, are native so they adapt well to our area, and are a very attractive tree. Furthermore leaf clean up in the fall is a breeze; the tiny leaflets on this tree are very easy to collect.
Tags: plant of the month, skyline locust, tree
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May 20th, 2009
Lots of people called frantically during the weekend of storm asking what would become of their plant materials. It turns out as long as the weight of the snow and ice did not break buds or branches the damage should not be significant. The true damage this time of year comes from wild temperature extremes. Tender buds and blooms push rapid, soft growth during warm spurts, then a sudden temperature drop damages or kills this growth.
Tags: bloom, buds, plant damage, seasonal tip, snow
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May 20th, 2009
Arbor Day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care.
You can celebrate Arbor Day with your family by planting a tree. It is an act of optimism and kindness, a labor of love and a commitment to stewardship.
Here is a great website that can give you much more information and celebration ideas.
www.arborday.org
Tags: Arbor Day, plant, tree
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May 20th, 2009
Green living is a buzz word that has everyone trying to be more earth-friendly. One of the significant problems large metropolitan areas have is air pollution. The combination of industry and energy by product, and very little plant life to clean the air contributes to the haze and poor overall air quality.
Recently I was reviewing the website portfolio of Christy Webber Landscapes. They are an incredible company out of Illinois who create amazing and lush landscapes in very small back yard areas. As these areas mature, the environmental benefit will become quite significant. This is truly a great example of people actively aiding the environment by reducing CO2 levels and also enjoying a beautiful urban garden.
Plants should be a part of our lives, there are many creative and low maintenance ways you can bring nature into your homes and work spaces. This is just another way that you can be more green, and do your part, to keep our city and air beautiful and clean.
Tags: earth-friendly, green, green living, urban garden
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March 3rd, 2009
I am really excited about a new variety of impatiens this year branded ‘Rockapulco’. These impatiens are very heat tolerant and prolific. They grow to 20″ tall and come in rose, purple, white, dark orange, red and others. You can count on seeing these in some of our commercial landscapes this summer.
Tags: heat tolerant, impatiens, plant of the month, rockapulco
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March 3rd, 2009
Late February is the time to cut back your ornamental grasses. If the clusters are large it is recommended you tie then together about one foot above the ground. Next use a hedge trimmer or manual pruners and cut the grasses about 6″ from the ground. This will help new plant material emerge quicker and prevent insects and diseases that may be harbored in the dead plant material.
Tags: new growth, ornamental grass
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February 23rd, 2009
Often I am asked why turf appears so weak underneath large shade trees. The usual answer is that the turf is not receiving enough sunlight to efficiently photosynthesize. Most turf requires about four hours of sunlight per day to remain health and not thin out. However there is another factor at play that may have a significant impact on the turf health and that is adequate irrigation. Healthy turf usually requires about one inch of water per week. Here’s the kicker- a mature pin oak also requires about one inch of water per week. This means if a property has a mature shade tree, the area underneath the canopy will require twice the amount of water other turf areas will!
Bear in mind this is one of four critical factors to have a successful stand of turf under a large tree. It is also important to fertilize regularly, properly prune the tree and it will probably be necessary to over seed the area annually in the fall with a shade fescue such as Rebel or Razor.
Tags: fescue, grass, lawn, shade, sunlight, turf, watering
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December 3rd, 2008
As the winter rolls closer the weather forecasts mention snow more and more often. What can you do to be prepared to face accumulating snow and ice?
Hopefully you have given the snow blower a test run and it is ready for the first snow. Another good idea is to make sure you know the whereabouts of your snow shovel. If is has gone missing it would be a great idea to buy one now while the supply is adequate.
After clearing snow most people will apply an ice melt to their driveways and walks. The choice of ice melt as well as application technique is crucial to the life of your concrete surfaces. The most damaging material is straight salt. The chemical properties of salt wreak havoc on your concrete, simply because more product is required due to its ionic formula. Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride require only 1/3 as much product as salt to melt the same amount of snow or ice.
The most important consideration is using the proper application rate listed on the bag. More is most definitely not better when it comes to your hard surface health. Too much product will result in more freeze/ thaw occurrences and cause cracking and crumbling. After the ice and snow are gone, sweep up any granules that may be left behind. If we are going through a warm period drag the hose out and rinse the areas you have treated.
If you have any questions, as always feel free to call or email me.
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November 24th, 2008
Not so fast! Even though the leaves are down and the grass isn’t growing, there is still work to be done. Go to the garage and start the engines on all of your equipment and run them until they are out of fuel. Weed eaters, blowers and mowers. Letting your equipment sit all winter with old gas in the tank is the cause of more early spring heartache than anything else, guaranteed.
Mowers will not start properly, if at all, and if they do they will perform much less efficiently. Blowers and weed eaters usually run on a gas/oil mix. If the combination sits in the tank all winter long the oil settles into you carburetor where it gums up and solidifies, in turn shutting down the air/gas mix going into your motor. The end result is you pulling the rip cord 780 times to start it, until it breaks, and then taking it to the shop that works on your model. Pain, swearwords, heartache and time are all an end result.
Your bonus for reading this blog:
While you are doing all this, give your snow blower a test run. If there is any gas left from last year get it out of there and put in a tank of fresh gas. If you left gas in the tank last winter it will be easier to start now than in December. Plus if it doesn’t start, you can take it out for repair now and it will be ready for the first substantial snowfall.
If it still will not start you have very few options. Bledsoe’s on Wornall only repairs Stihl products and Toro only works on Toro products. The only good option I recommend for small engine repair is Raytown Seed and Feed, in downtown Raytown
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