DECEMBER COLD DAMAGES PLANTS

Many lawns turned brown but will recover as weather warms. MORE 

2013 4TH DRIEST ON RECORD

Do you remember that weekend in September when it rained 4 inches? MORE

  

  

  

 

 INVEST IN WEATHER-BASED IRRIGATION THIS WINTER AT A 15% DISCOUNT

 If you do not have some form of weather based irrigation control, you are wasting water and money. MORE

WINTER WORK PAYS OFF ALL SEASON

During the winter we prune most plants and prepare shrub beds for the coming season. MORE

LAWNS NEED MOSS CONTROL 

Moss grows everywhere and needs to be treated to control. January is a good time to treat moss. MORE

FRESH BARKDUST MAKES SHRUB BEDS SHINE

There is no better or more impactful enhancement to a landscape than rebarkdusting. MORE

DEEP ROOT FERTILIZATION BENEFITS TREES

RECORD COLD DAMAGES PLANTS

We had over a week of record cold weather last month and are seeing impacts on lawn and plants that we haven't seen in many years. The first and most noticeable is the desiccation of many lawns. Don't worry, it is not permanent and even common in colder climates like the mid west and even central Oregon.  

Desiccation occurs when the ground freezes for an extended period of time. The cause is actually the lawn leaves "drying out" as the roots are frozen and cannot absorb water. This is somewhat similar to when a lawn dries up and turns yellow in the summer.The grass plants are not dead, the leaves are just burned and most lawns will recover naturally as the weather warms up later this month and into February.  

The same effect has also damaged some plants as well. Our climate is relatively mild and thus is a fantastic place to grow many plants, even those that are marginally hardy and some of these do not do well when temperatures get into the teens. Even some hardy plants have been impacted the cold weather came relatively early as most hardy plants need time to "harden off" going into the winter. Some damage can be seen now but some may not show up until spring. At a minimum, we will likely see a messy spring as most evergreen plants tend to shed more than normal leaves when they break bud.

http://www.koin.com/weather/weather-blog/nw-arctic-blast-2013-record-cold

2013 4^th Driest On Record

Do you remember that weekend in September when it rained 4 inches? Then can you believe we ended the 2013 at 70% of normal precipitation? Did you know that the snowpack is only 30% of normal on Mt Hood? What a strange and variable year it was.  

INVEST IN WEATHER-BASED IRRIGATION THIS WINTER AT A 15% DISCOUNT

 

Our local weather and resulting daily irrigation need varies significantly from year to year. As you can see in the graphs above, it rains a lot and often from October through April then little to none in the summer. The result is a severe irrigation need during our 3-4 month summer but that need varies almost daily. However, comparing one year to the next, the irrigation need is inconsistent and varies It is this variability that makes Weather Based Irrigation such a fantastic cost saving tool.

 

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SOME FORM OF WEATHER BASED IRRIGATION CONTROL, YOU ARE WASTING WATER AND MONEY. With over 150 Weather Based controllers installations over the past 5 years, we estimate that we have saved our customers over 60,000,000 gallons of water and nearly $300,000 annually. You want to be a part of this club!

 

Weather-Based Irrigation

• Adjusts irrigation daily based on weather
• Can reduce your water bills by 20-40%
• Requires no additional monitoring fees
• Can pay for itself in less than 2 years
• Qualifies for rebate from some water districts

 

The results from the Weather-Based Controllers we operate are starting to come in and the claims of 20-40% savings are again being verified. If you were skeptical of these claims, we now have real world data to back them up. Weather Based Irrigation is one of the best ways to reduce your operating expense while maintaining a healthy landscape. Depending on the size and complexity of your site, the payback on your investment is as quick as one or two seasons.

We offer a 15% discount for controllers ordered and installed during the winter when our irrigators have extra time to dedicate to this project. We just need approval by February 1st to schedule before we start next year's system activation and maintenance.

 

http://www.pacscape.com/sustainable/weather-based-irrigation.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WINTER WORK PAYS OFF ALL SEASON

During the winter we prune most plants and prepare the shrub beds for the coming season 

We often get asked about what we do in the winter. Although the lawn and shrubs are not growing, we are still quite busy cleaning up from the stormy fall and are already preparing for spring. So many important tasks are completed in the winter that reaps major benefits throughout the spring and summer.

Shrub Bed Preparation
Following the messy fall and early winter, we perform a comprehensive raking and grooming of the shrub beds. This gets them ready for pre-emergence and re-barkdusting (if planned).

Winter Pruning
Pruning during the summer is mostly focused on managing the new growth. Winter pruning is more focused on structural and rejuvenation. These efforts help ensure the plants are ready for their spring growth flush.

Winter Fertilization
Virtually all lawns, shrubs and trees get fertilized during the winter as this is the most important time.

Shrub Bed Pre-emergence
To prevent weed germination through the spring and summer, we treat all shrub bed areas.

It is not the best time to spend outdoors but and important time for us to prepare to help ensure your landscape is beautiful and healthy this coming season.

LAWNS NEED ANNUAL MOSS CONTROL?

Moss grows everywhere and needs to be treated to control. January is a good time to treat moss.

Moss loves our long wet winters and thrives in most landscapes without control. As moss control is relatively inexpensive, we  have increased our control program to two treatments in the past few years and are seeing much better control with a treatment in December/January and a follow up in March/April. Our treatment in January includes European Cranefly control as this is a common problem as well.  Proposals for the winter treatment went out last month and if you haven't approved it but still want to, let us know as we are completing those applications this month. Proposals for the spring treatment will go out in February. 

WE CAN CLEAR MOSS OFF OF HARD SURFACES AS WELL 

We also have provided moss control on sidewalks and parking lots for clients over the years. There are two options here

for you to consider. We can treat the moss with Zinc which will kill it and keep it from getting worse. This is relatively inexpensive as it treats quickly as in lawns. Where the moss buildup is significant, we can also pressure wash but that is more expensive as it is time consuming. Let us know if you are interested and we can give you a quote for this enhanced service.

http://www.pacscape.com/services/turf-moss-cranefly-control.php

 FRESH BARKDUST MAKES SHRUB BEDS SHINE

 
Before and After Rebarkdusting

There is no better or more impactful enhancement to a landscape than rebarkdusting. Mulch breaks down and becomes less effective with age, causing many problems. Lack of mulch reduces weed control and increases moss build-up as well as increasing evaporative water loss during the summer. In addition, rebarkdusting is the simplest way to make your property look fresher and brighter. We recommend rebarkdusting every other year at the end of winter or early spring. If your shrub beds look like the pictures on the left and want to spruce them up like the pictures on the right, let us know. We proposed in many properties at budget time last fall and will be sending out specific proposals within the next week.

http://www.pacscape.com/services/barkdust.php 

DEEP ROOT FERTILIZATION BENEFITS STRUGGLING TREES

Deep root fertilization is a low cost tool to protect your valuable landscape assets

Deep Root Tree and Shrub Fertilization is one thing that many people neglect in their maintenance programs. In a forest trees grow in their natural habitat and nature replenishes the soil via the leaves that fall in autumn and break down into Humic matter. In the city trees are often planted in foreign location where soil, sun, moisture, and climactic conditions are not favorable. Deep root fertilization is a common technique used to improve tree health. This is done by placing the liquid fertilizer, under pressure, in the tree or shrub rootzone with a soil needle or injector. Deep root fertilization is more effective than surface applied fertilizer as it puts the nutrients right where the tree can take them up with their roots. Small establishing trees and those that are not developing well will benefit from this technique. In our experience, we have seen trees that are stunted or declining in health respond well and recover, protecting that important landscape asset.