What a weather year it has been. First we started with snow and ice events. Then we progressed into the spring rains. Almost immediately, the temperature changed into 80+ days of 90 degree weather. Now here we are in early December and as I write this it is 9am and 19 degrees with a single digit wind chill. Rare temperatures for the Charlotte region.
As the seasons ebb and flow, the landscaper's roll changes. In the spring, we work on pre-emergent weed control, fertilization, trimming and mowing. As the summer progresses, the mowing and trimming continues as needed depending on what the conditions are and what Mother Nature brings us. Going into fall we begin to prepare the turf areas for next year by spraying any crabgrass that has broken through, aeration, seeding, fertilization and disposing of leaves. That brings us to winter.
While we are less visible in the cold months, landscapers are still out there. Our stops at the property change focus as the grass growth slows and the mowing becomes less necessary. We begin a process we refer to as Winter Stops. With the wind, rains and human presence on the properties, things we normally take care of in conjunction with mowing, now become the focus. We will visit the properties on average every 10 days. We will remove any trash, limbs, and debris that are present. We are also blowing the concrete areas and any other areas that may need it. With the unpredictability of weather, it is possible that mowing could be necessary, although this is usually an exception. We will make sure edges stay crisp and keep the turf looking good.
If you have contracted with us to plant and maintain your flower beds, one of our winter focuses is to keep the winter weeds out. Checking weeds in the flower beds is very important as chickweed loves those areas and left unchecked, will take them over and choke the flowers out. We also check pansies for fungus that can develop under certain conditions. Although we apply a liquid fertilizer, insecticide and fungicide after planting, we still keep an eye out for disease. If left unchecked, a fungus can kill the flowers.
As we get closer to spring, we work on items like crape myrtle pruning (horticulturally correct, of course), trimming monkey grass and items like pompass grass. We begin the spraying of winter weeds in the turf to eliminate competition to allow the turf to have full benefit of the fertilizer we will put down in the spring. The last thing I would mention, while not part of winter stops, particularly, is that we do most of our pine needle installations over the winter months. That is when we get our best pine needles as they fall seasonally. Pine Needles are an important step in having the property looking neat and clean as the spring green up begins.
Our main goal in the winter is to keep the properties in check. You would be amazed how fast things can accumulate and become unsightly without consistent management. These visits, while not as visible, make sure that that doesn't happen. So as much as we'd like to be vacationing on some warm, tropical island, we're still happy to be able to keep your property looking its best during the winter.
Keep Warm!
The AA Tex Lawn Team
