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Stephen Stewart

About Stephen Stewart

https://elslandscapeaz.com

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What’s That Crusty Buildup on my Arizona Irrigation Drip?

Have you ever looked at your yard on a hot Arizona summer day only to notice that one of your plants is suddenly wilted and dying after being perfectly fine for years? One of the most common problems we experience with our drip irrigation systems in the Valley of the Sun is the eventual, and often inevitable, buildup and eventual clogging of the drips at the end of spaghetti lines by minerals.

Why Does This Happen?

The buildup of minerals on drip emitters is a problem across the world, though this problem is especially severe in the Sonoran Desert and other dry parts of the United States. Why does this happen, though?

First of all, most of the time the minerals that accumulate on drips are calcium carbonate and other simple salts. These minerals are found in trace amounts in most water supplies as part of the natural world. These salts deposit more with higher pH, and Arizona’s alkaline soil creates alkaline water, leading to more calcium buildup wherever possible. Add onto that the fact that most of our water comes from canals and goes through pretty heavy treatment before being dispersed to residential neighborhoods, and you end up with a lot of dissolved calcium carbonate. It’s not harmful to animals, in fact, if you’ve ever eaten a TUMS or other antacid, you’re consuming about 1000 milligrams of calcium carbonate per tablet. It’s easily soluble in water, which leads to the problem with getting water to plants.

As the temperature increases during the spring and summer, the rate of evaporation increases rapidly. As water evaporates faster, any trace amounts of calcium carbonate and other salts lingering on a drip emitter at the end of the scheduled watering cycle will be more likely to stick to the emitter rather than fall to the ground. Repeat this cycle over and over again as spring turns to summer, with an already heightened level of salts in the water to begin with… and by mid-June, you’ve probably got some clogs if you haven’t paid attention.

What Can Be Done About It?

Unfortunately, there’s not really a permanent solution to this issue as long as we continue using drip irrigation. There’s always going to be a mineral presence in our water supply, especially in Arizona. Our Maintenance Crews make sure to check drips for clogging regularly to prevent problems from arising. In your own yard, the best casual strategy to prevent clogging is to go out to as many drips as you can find and twist the adjustable knobs to break apart potential buildup. Other than that, you’d have to find a way to change the pH of the water. This is a challenge that Arizona communities have been contending with for a long time, to varying degrees of success. With planning and approval by community boards, we sometimes offer sulfuric acid dilutions to decrease pH for community water supplies, thus decreasing salt accumulation. But for your home, unless you have a personal well, you’ll likely have to go through your local government for any inquiries into decreasing the pH of the local water supply.

Overall, the buildup of calcium carbonate and other salts is a part of life for anything relating to Arizona water. It can cause these clogs, and it can even cause absorption and evapotranspiration issues for many plant species, even native ones. That’s why we apply gypsum to turf spaces – gypsum reacts with salt buildups and breaks them down, allowing for water, air, and other nutrients to flow.

ELS Maintenance makes sure all community’s drip emitters are regularly unclogged and does whatever it can to lessen the frequency of future buildup. If you know of a community or commercial property looking for a new landscaping company, email us at [email protected] and we’ll get started!

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Leave Young Trees Staked Through Monsoon Season

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The heavy winds characteristic of summer monsoon storms in Arizona threaten to damage young trees. Young trees have often not developed trunk strength or a root system extensive enough to withstand the winds. We therefore stake them to protect them not only from wind, but also from people, traffic, equipment, animals and other hazards.

Stake Your Tree for No More Than a Year

Most any type or size of tree, however, is only going to need support stakes through the monsoon season plus one or two growing seasons (spring or autumn) before or after. After no more than a year, remove the stakes entirely and backfill their holes with soil.

Stake with the Right Materials

Commercially grown trees often come with a stake tied tightly to the trunk. Even if the tree came this way from a nursery, remove the stake. When you plant the nursery tree in the ground, change the staking method to the one we describe here, which will be loosely looped around the trunk to allow the tree to sway in any direction. A tree should never been constricted around its trunk.

In place of any nursery stake, use two wooden poles measuring 6-to 8-feet long and 2- to 3-inches in diameter. You will also need two 18- to 20-inch segments of garden hose or smooth, pliable rubber tubing that won’t damage the tree bark and 2 lengths of heavy-duty wire about 5-feet long, enough to reach from pole to pole and wrap around one another to tie off.

Place Your Stakes

First, figure out the direction the wind usually blows. Best practice is to position the lodge poles standing straight up and positioned in line with the wind, 180 degrees from each other on either side of the tree. That means that if wind typically blows from the south, the two lodge poles would be placed 180 degrees from each other in the south and north positions.

Position the poles 6 inches outside of the root ball and drive them into the ground to a depth of about 2 feet. More importantly, drive the stakes far enough into the ground that they do not extend up into the tree’s canopy and thereby damage swaying branches or foliage.

Support the Trunk with Loose Ties

Slide the wire through the hose pieces and position them against the tree trunk. Attach each end of both wires to both poles so that they meet on either side. Set the height of the wire just below the lowermost canopy branches. Twist the wire ends together on the outside of the stake. Cut off any excess wire ends for safety.

Inspect the Staking Every Few Months

Check your stakes every few months to be sure that only the rubber tubing is gently in contact with the tree trunk. Be sure that the staking is not constricting the tree trunk in any way. A staked tree should still be able to move somewhat within the tie.

Leave Low Branches on the Tree

Avoid pruning a young tree while it is staked, unless branches are dead or damaged to avoid pest and disease infestations. Leave lower branches on the trunk for the first year as well to help protect the trunk from sunburn.

Remove the Stakes

Again, remove the stakes entirely after 1-2 growing seasons, after the danger of monsoon has passed and after no longer than a year. Remove low branches. Learn more about how to care for your tree through the seasons as it matures.

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Beautiful Start to the Summer at the ELS Wholesale Nursery!

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It’s about to officially be summer, which means the tens of thousands of plants at the ELS Wholesale Nursery are looking great!

You can slide through the images to the right for just a few selections of the truly massive quantities of beautiful shrubs, trees, and succulents grown in-house for use in the many developments being built and maintained by ELS Maintenance & Construction.

After the lengthy but wet winter we had, it took a little longer for the spring growth to arrive. But when it did, things BOOMED! Now, our nursery is looking as lush as ever, with plants being sent to job sites daily.

If you’re interested in doing business with us, feel free to request a bid by clicking here.

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Early Summer Pruning for Desert Trees and Shrubs

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Wondering what you can do in your garden in the heat of the summer? How does pruning trees sound? It may come as a surprise, but May to August—in the otherwise brutal heat of the summer months—is the best time to prune native and desert-adapted trees like palo verde, sissoo, mesquite, willow acacia, palo brea and African sumac. June is ideal, just before the summer monsoon season begins.

Here’s why.

  

First, desert trees grow quickly and can build up heavy foliage that weigh down their limbs. Second, pruning cuts to desert trees heal more quickly in the heat.

The goal of pruning a desert tree is to evenly reduce the weight of overgrown or heavy limbs to create more space within the tree canopy for wind to blow through and for heavy rains to fall to the ground below. This approach is called “crown thinning,” a term you can read more about it you don’t have much pruning experience.

You can prune any tree at any time of year to remove dead or diseased branches or to remove a branch that rubs against or crosses another branch. If the tree is already unhealthy, limit your pruning to removing only dead branches.

If your tree is in good condition but just overgrown, remove suckers from the trunk and thin the crown, being careful not to remove more than 25 percent of the tree’s foliage in any one year. In the process of thinning, also be sure to avoid “lion tailing” your branches. Lion tailing involves removing too many small branches from within the tree canopy, leaving foliage mainly on the branches’ outer tips. Lion tailing is a common cause of storm damage to trees because the branches end up unevenly balanced with too much foliage weighted at the tips.

So, this month, begin by deciding what and where to prune. Look at your desert tree from a distance to assess its overall height, width, density, shape and spacing between branches. Think about how wind and rain can better move through the tree. Plan your cuts. Then hydrate in advance, head outside early in the day, and start pruning.

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The Benefits of Turf Aeration for Arizona Grass

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Aeration is a process vital to the success of turf spaces, and in the Phoenix area, it’s practically a regular requirement to keep grass looking happy and healthy. You may see aeration listed on your landscaping schedule, but what is it, and when is the best time to do it for your home’s lawn?

Why Aerate Turf?

A grass turf needs water to penetrate deep, through the thick mesh of living and dead material known as the “thatch,” in order to get to the roots. Over time, the thatch becomes thick and tightly woven, to the point where very little water makes it to the roots. This also prevents nutrients from getting to the roots. Grass without water or nutrients results in sad, dry grass that will look ugly for most of the year. Aeration is the most common solution to this inevitable problem.

The Aeration Process

            In order to properly aerate a turf space, you’ll need an aerating tool or machine and a recently watered patch of grass. The turf is easier to penetrate when the grass has been thoroughly moistened. The aerator comes in a few forms. There are aerators that you can install on a lawn mower for larger grass spaces, or you can buy a push aerator for smaller grass spaces.

You also have a choice between spike aerators and plug aerators. We usually recommend the plug aerator, as it pulls chunks of soil up and out of the ground and allows for more water to pass the thatch. The spike aerator also works, though not as effectively. It pokes small holes into the turf at regular intervals. Whichever aerator you use, you need to make sure you pass the aerator over as much of the turf area as possible multiple times until there are sufficient openings for water and nutrients.

When To Aerate

The best time to aerate turf depends on the climate and ecosystem of the region. For the Phoenix area, the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension recommends aerating turf once a month from June through August. It’s the hottest time of the year, and during June the driest time of year, a time during which grass needs to be able to absorb as much water and nutrients as possible. Aerating during this time also prevents water waste and saves you money.

ELS Maintenance makes sure all turf spaces are properly aerated as needed, and you may see us poking holes or pulling soil plugs from golf courses, parks, entrances, and anywhere else with grass. For more information about turf care practices, the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension has many great sources. If you know of a community or commercial property looking for a new landscaping company, email us at [email protected] and we’ll get started!

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Complete Your Winter-to-Summer Grass Transition

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In late April and early May, when nighttime temperatures are consistently above 65 degrees, it’s time to transition winter to summer grass. If you didn’t overseed with winter perennial ryegrass, your Bermuda grass will transition naturally and sooner because it isn’t competing with the winter grass. Whether you’re watching the ELS crew take care of your community parks or striving for the best lawn in the neighborhood, you’ll appreciate these simple tips for transitioning to fuller, greener summer Bermuda grass:

Cut Down Your Winter Perennial Ryegrass

Each time you mow, lower the mow height ½” inch until the winter perennial ryegrass is about ½- to 3/4-inch high. Be sure to collect your clippings so they don’t block sunlight to the soil. The lower the ryegrass, the more heat and sunlight can reach the exposed soil surface. This will encourage the Bermuda grass roots to grow and the ryegrass to die back.

Reduce the Amount of Water You Apply

Ryegrass requires consistent water. When you cut back on the water you apply, you will further stress the ryegrass and allow the Bermuda to gain advantage. You can get similar results by stopping the water completely for 5 days. The Bermuda will hold on, but the ryegrass will die back.

Aerate to Address Soil Compaction and Encourage Bermuda Growth

You can opt to aerate your turf areas. Turf aeration addresses soil compaction, increases water penetration and nutrient uptake to the roots, and oxygenates the soil.

Fertilize Two Weeks Later

The Bermuda grass should be growing in well and overtaking the ryegrass after about two weeks. Then it’s time to broadcast a balanced fertilizer and increase the watering back to appropriate warm-weather levels.

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The Basics of Arizona Weed Control

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April showers bring May flowers. And weeds. We refer to plants we don’t want as weeds. They pop up in locations where they don’t belong. They compete with the plants we actually want for sunlight, water and nutrients. In other parts of your yard, weeds look unsightly and can become a nuisance.

Control Weeds Before They Germinate

Since weed seeds need the right combination of soil temperature, water and sunlight to germinate and grow, weed control begins by creating undesirable growing conditions.

For a variety of reasons, including health and groundwater protection, turn first to non-chemical options for weed control. Spread a layer of mulch over the soil, especially on vegetable gardens and flower beds to also add organic matter and slow soil evaporation. A layer of rock or bark will have the same effect of blocking sunlight.

Chemical treatments are typical for cost-effectively managing weeds in residential parks and common areas. ELS applies seasonal pre-emergence residual herbicides for long-lasting weed management. Some pre-emergence products are available to homeowners for residential use.

Eliminate Weeds After They Emerge

For the weeds that nevertheless emerge, you can purchase various post-emergence weed killer products. Or, simply hand-pull or hoe the young weeds before they flower and set a new seed cycle. Applying simple household staples, like white vinegar, diluted rubbing alcohol or boiling water, are also effective methods for killing weeds. Just be careful not to accidentally damage the plants you wish to keep. YouTube videos are a good source for further instructions.

Weed Control in Turf Areas

If you have a lawn, this means that the best prevention against weeds is keeping your turfgrass dense and healthy enough to choke out weeds. Be sure to mow your variety of turf to its recommended seasonal heights and frequencies. Maintain turf vigor with routine, seasonal fertilization, aeration, and infrequent, deep irrigation.

If you choose to apply a pre-emergence residual herbicide on turfgrass at home, late autumn and early spring are generally the best times of year in Central Arizona. But plan ahead, because there are two different types of pre-emergence herbicides available for residential lawns, each with a different mode of action. Select the correct type and then follow all package directions carefully.

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Fixing Drainage Problems After A Wet Winter

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You know the saying “April showers bring May flowers?” Well, in Arizona this year it’s more like “March showers bring April flowers.” After all the storms last month, you probably noticed if there were any weaknesses in your yard’s drainage system.

Water follows gravity.

Remember that water follows gravity, until it reaches the lowest point, where it collects. It is these low points in your landscape that you need to address with a drainage solution when water becomes a problem. For example, your standing water following rains may breed mosquitoes, or overwatering land above a shallow water table may cause flooding. Here are some solutions to prevent standing water and drainage problems:

Dig a swale

Help water continue to flow by digging a swale that pitches downward from your current low point to an even lower point on your property. A finished swale might be a long, shallow trench finished with small rocks and plantings along it, for example, to help prevent soil erosion.

Add or extend gutters and downspouts

Add gutters along the edges of your roof to catch and channel rainwater down through downspouts. Trench in additional drainpipe lines to carry water even further, from your downspouts and away from valuable structures, like your house, into your landscape or toward storm drains in the street, for example.

Harvest rainwater

As groundwater in the southwest becomes increasingly scarce, and more expensive, many homeowners will join the ranks of rainwater harvesters. Most often, this simple technique involves running water from gutters along the perimeter of your house into barrels or tanks with spigots or submersible pumps for storage and later use.

Plant a rain garden

If you have a low point in your garden that fills with water but doesn’t cause any immediate problems, you can take another approach and transform it into a rain garden or a focal area for your yard. Dig down and place a layer of rocks or add a liner to create a natural pond. Or, find native plants that thrive in that spot. It may take some experimentation because your plant choices will be guided by the size of the wet area, how quickly water percolates naturally into the soil, and how much sun the area gets.

French drain

Trench in a French drain to move water quickly and efficiently away from a structure or from any point on your property to an adequate drainage area. A French drain is most often made from connected lengths of perforated, flexible tubing sheathed in porous landscape fabric, which allows water to seep out without debris flowing into the pipe. Keep in mind that over time, you may still need to dig out and rebuild your drain if it becomes clogged.

Dry well

If the area where water pools also happens to be the lowest point on your property, you may have no other choice than to build a dry well in that spot. A dry well serves as the endpoint in a drainage system. At its most basic, it can be a man-made pit filled with gravel, dug to a width and depth commensurate with the volume of water that collects at that point. Often covered by soil and turf or mulch on the surface, the large pore spaces between the stones allow large volumes of water to pass down deeply into the soil. Dry wells are the most common fix for soggy areas in parks and recreational turf.

There may be other causes for your water drainage problems that may be more complicated to resolve. For example, your land may not have enough pitch, your soil may be compacted, or pavements and hardscapes may be impeding water runoff. Consult with a residential drainage engineer for help with these types of problems.

In the ELS Enhancements Division, we are pros at designing and installing drainage systems and performing drainage repairs for homeowners associations and commercial properties Valley wide. Invite ELS to care for your commercial landscape by sending email to  [email protected].

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Demystifying Turf Fertilizers for Arizona Lawns

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 When it comes to fertilizing plants, you can usually find your tree, shrub, and garden fertilizers at any nursery or hardware store, each one specified for all sorts of potential uses and purposes. But for many reasons, turf fertilizer is much less clearly understood by the general populace. What makes turf fertilizer different from other fertilizers, if anything?

Fertilizer Types

Fertilizers, at the most basic level, are collections of nutrients that plants need in addition to water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide, in order to thrive. A “complete” fertilizer is one that contains each of the three most important elements for healthy plants: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Most of the liquid and granular fertilizer for trees, shrubs, and herbs will be some formula of a complete fertilizer. The ratio, typically written as (Nitrogen %) – (Phosphorous %) – (Potassium %), is important to note on any container, because different regions have soils with different amounts of each of these compounds. Additionally, every species of plant uses up its mineral supply at a different rate.

The Needs of Arizona Grass

The Arizona soil found in the Valley is known for being almost completely void of natural Nitrogen, and it just so happens that Nitrogen is the nutrient that grasses tend to use up extremely quickly. If your grass is looking sad, with patches of thinning or discolored foliage, there’s a high chance that your turf is running out of usable Nitrogen.

In order to ensure a good supply of Nitrogen for your grass, ELS typically recommends the use of Ammonium Sulfate. Ammonium Sulfate is a chemical compound that is not a “complete” fertilizer, but rather a nutrient that supplies exclusively nitrogen to the soil with the fertilizer ratio 21-0-0. We follow the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension’s recommendation of applying ½ – 1 pound of Ammonium Sulfate per 1,000 square feet of turf space, depending on how deficient the grass appears to be. The same ratio is recommended for your personal backyard spaces as well. For example, if you have 500 square feet of turf in your backyard, apply 0.25-0.5 pounds of 21-0-0 Ammonium Sulfate across the space, depending on how healthy your grass is looking.

How Often Do I Fertilize Arizona Turf?

Every yard space is different. Some yards have very poor soil drainage, some have more or less shade than others, some have more nitrogen in the soil than others. Because of this, you’ll have to adjust for how your grass behaves over the course of a year. The general recommendations, however, range from every four weeks to every eight weeks. The Maricopa County Cooperative Extension website with the University of Arizona offers a series of charts explaining the best fertilizing frequencies for different varieties and combinations of grass. Go to extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1817-2020.pdf to read the full explanation.

The most common grasses that follow rules for the examples provided are Winter Rye for the winter and Bermudagrass for the summer. Other, less common grass varieties may have slightly different fertilizer preferences, though these general rules pertain throughout most grasses.

Other Nutrients and Practices

While Nitrogen is the most important element to get into your grass, it’s not the only nutrient that could use an occasional boost. Sometimes, grass becomes deficient in iron, which leads to pale foliage and an overall sad look. To solve this, use iron chelate or other iron-filled supplements. The Arizona soil (and water supply) is often high in salts, which can clog up soil and hurt grass. For this, apply gypsum and “aerate” the soil using a tool called a “lawn aerator.” If you’ve recently overseeded, we recommend using a fertilizer that contains both Nitrogen and Phosphorous.

The ELS Maintenance Division is a group of experts who have been keeping turf spaces looking great around the Valley for nearly 50 years. If you have any questions or manage a community or commercial property that could use a new landscaping company, email us at [email protected] and we can get started.

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Proper Citrus Tree Care—Spring Pruning Basics

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Citrus trees have strong wood that requires minimal pruning. A healthy tree can bear the load of heavy fruit. A common misconception is that a heavily pruned citrus tree will result in new growth and improved fruit quality. In fact, the opposite is true; minimally pruned citrus trees can produce fruit that is of better quality than heavily pruned trees.

 

Spring is Citrus Pruning Season

If your citrus tree requires pruning, the best months in Arizona are February to April. Best is after the danger of frost has passed but before the tree flowers. Pruning between April and October can expose the tree to sunburn damage, and November to February exposes the tree to potential frost damage.

Regular Maintenance with Minimal Pruning

Citrus trees produce the least fruit in areas of the tree canopy that are most shaded. Thus, your citrus tree may only need to be pruned in the spring to thin out those deeply shaded sections inside the tree canopy, opening them up to sunlight for fruit production.

Year-round maintenance of citrus trees involves regularly snipping off suckers and removing branches that are weak, diseased or dead. As with other trees, a limb that crosses another should also be removed to prevent damage to and consequent disease in the other limbs it touches.

Citrus trees, like roses, are most often grafted varieties onto a base rootstock. Shoots growing up around the base of the trunk or in nearby soil are rootstock suckers that should be removed. They are characteristically thorny and will not produce the desired citrus variety.

Thorny, unproductive varietal branches higher up in the tree can also be removed as part of regular maintenance.

Protect Cuts with Paint

Especially for large cuts, protect the exposed citrus wood by painting it with a 50%/50% mix of latex paint and water. Never use an oil-based paint on citrus.

Want to know more about how you can maintain the investment in your landscape and improve its value? Call ELS at any time at (602)-243-1106 or fill out a request a bid form on our website at www.elslandscapeaz.com

 

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