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Time To Plant Your Phoenix Vegetable Garden!

Now that the Phoenix area is firmly in its springtime weather patterns, it’s time to garden! We have approximately 3 months to harvest as many of the typical garden crops as we can before the heat of June begins to kill these spring annuals off.

But what crops should you be planting right now?

Peppers

Peppers enjoy the Goldilocks warm temperatures between April and June. Jalapenos are typically the easiest to grow to fruition, though any peppers will thrive between now and the onset of the summer heat. If provided with shade and consistent water, they can survive the summer and provide peppers in the fall as well! Try the Chiltepin for a small, spicy delicacy.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes do not like the cold, but once the weather begins to warm up they will thrive. Cherry tomatoes are the easiest to grow to fruition, though if you can keep the fruits safe from birds and provide enough calcium to prevent blossom-end rot, tomatoes of all sizes can be harvested before the summer wilt if you plant them now.

Peas

Peas are excellent plants to grow in any garden, as their roots contain rhizomes that provide nitrogen nutrients to the whole garden. Even as they wither away with the summer heat, they will leave the soil with more nutrients than what they started with. And you’ll get to harvest tasty peas along the way!

Radishes

Anything with a bulb is a great option for Arizona gardening, and radishes are no exception.These may be one of the easiest crops to grow in Arizona, going from seed to harvestable bulb in as little as a month.

Beans

Beans, just like peas, create their own Nitrogen supply and increase the fertility of an entire garden. Depending on the species, they can last longer than peas. They’re great sources of protein and can be stored for years if done properly.

Corn

You’ll need open space for corn, and it creates several other gardening challenges. Corn sucks up Nitrogen rapidly, so they are often planted with beans. It is also often targeted by birds, especially quail. While getting corn to grow to maturity can be a challenge, they enjoy the climate of the springtime in Arizona and can certainly make for a feast if successfully harvested.

Squash

We’ve talked about Corn and Beans, so now we have to mention Squash, the third member of the “Three Sisters Garden.” Some varieties of squash can grow through the summer, others can survive the winter. The benefit of squash on a larger garden comes from their large leaves and vining properties. They create shade that cools the soil and preserves moisture for every other plant in the garden. The “Three Sisters” method involves the Squash cooling and protecting the soil, the Beans fertilizing the soil, and the Corn benefiting from both and creating the most calorie-rich nutrition.

Carrots

Carrots are tubers that also grow well in the spring in Arizona. If you want the best harvest, small varieties of carrots will likely be the best idea. There are even species of carrots which are native to parts of Arizona, if you can get your hands on them.

Artichokes

Artichokes can be planted now, and with their strength against heat, you can harvest artichokes well into the summer. Sometimes, artichoke plants can survive for multiple years if you can protect them from aphids and excessive sunlight. Just make sure you have a lot of space when planting artichokes, as they can grow up to 5 feet wide and 4 feet tall.

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Best AZ Native Flowering Plants for Low-Water Beauty

The Sonoran Desert features some of the most beautiful and interesting flowers in the world if you know where to look. If you’d like to make a hummingbird or butterfly refuge out of your backyard, check out some of these Arizona native options.

 

Starting with bushes, an easy favorite is the Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua). They can be found blooming bright strands of pink, orange, or fuchsia through the spring and into the early summer before going dormant until the next spring.

 

There are several species in the genus Penstemon which provide perfect, long-lasting pink or red flowers for hummingbirds and humans alike to enjoy. The Penstemon eatonii, in particular, can live for several years without going dormant or dying.

The Chuparosa (Justicia californica) grows in a network of blue-green stems with bright red trumpet flowers, another hummingbird favorite. After periods of rainfall they sprout leaves quickly followed by blooms, before eventually turning to mostly sticks during dry or cold times when they can be cut back until the next growth spurt.

Fairy Dusters are popular flowering bushes used in landscaping around the city. Pink Fairy Dusters (Calliandra eriophylla) in particular is native to the Sonoran Desert and is known for blooming in the winter.

Ocotillos (Fouquieria splendens) can take a couple years to get fully established, but once they do, they create strange columns of bright red flowers that are vital to the survival of Arizona hummingbirds. An interesting fun fact: the ocotillo is not a true cactus or a succulent, but rather a very interesting-looking drought-deciduous bush.

Small groundcover flowers that you and the ecosystem will love include Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata), Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum), Lupines (Lupinus sparsiflorus), Mariposa Lilies (Calochortus species), and several others. You’ll need to plant these in the ground, as they do not like being in pots.

Moving away from bushes, you can’t ignore the beautiful blooms of Sonoran Desert cacti. The Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus) is a genus of small, clustered cacti that produce huge pink, purple, or orange flowers in the late spring.

The Prickly Pear (Opuntia) genus contains dozens of species of succulent desert plants, with each species blooming in the late spring and early summer with waves of orange, yellow, or pink flowers, depending on the species. Their fruits (and paddles) are edible if you know how to safely harvest them!

Other blooming cacti and succulent plants include Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa), Barrel Cacti (Ferocactus), Pincushion Cactus (Mammillaria grahamii), and of course, Saguaros (Carnegiea gigantea).

These are just a few of the countless examples of plants that create stunning blooms in the Sonoran Desert. If you take a hike in the desert in the springtime or after a wet monsoon season, you’ll see thousands of examples to give you inspiration for a low-water native garden of your own.

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we install and maintain plants that make sense for the area, following Sustainable Landscape Management (SLM) guidelines. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, contact [email protected] and we can get started!

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Spotting Invasive Weeds in Arizona Yards

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As we transition from winter rains and frosts to springtime blooms, it’s important to know what we’re looking at when we see flowers in our yards and on the sides of streets. Sometimes, a pretty flower is actually an invasive species – a plant not native to our ecosystem that competes with (and sometimes defeats) native plants. Invasive flowers and grasses in particular interrupt the lifestyle of iconic Sonoran Desert animals as well; starving desert tortoises and keeping quail from walking on the ground, among other dangers. They can also drastically increase the risk and severity of wildfires. Overall, it’s vital to keep invasive species off your property whenever possible.

The plant biodiversity of any given place changes constantly in the long term. A species is only “invasive” when it was brought from one area to another by human activity and it disrupts the equilibrium of the previously existing ecosystem.

There are a few invasive trees that cause problems by lowering biodiversity and preventing the growth of native species.

The Salt Cedar (Tamarix ramosissima) is a tall shrub or medium tree that grows mostly in washes and other wet areas, which spreads rapidly to block water flow and increase fire risk.

The Weeping Acacia (Acacia salicina) is generally considered “benign,” but can quickly reseed and overwhelm any area near a water source. They typically don’t spread very far, and are often still used as trees in landscaping. This is probably the least harmful tree on the list.

The Lead Tree (Leucaena leucocephala) may look like a mesquite or acacia, but is actually one of the worst invasive trees in Arizona.

The invasive bushes and flowers of Arizona are arguably much more harmful, as they spread into the wilderness and are not restricted to washes and wet areas.

One of the worst offenders in the past few decades is the Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum). Its purple variant is fine to plant, but its natural form outcompetes native species throughout the desert.

 

Globe Chamomile (Oncosiphon piluliferum) is the most recent invader to Arizona. It looks like a cute wildflower blooming in little gold spheres. However, it’s certainly the most harmful plant on this list and needs to be removed on sight.

It may look pretty while it blooms, but it actively harms the wildlife of the Sonoran Desert by being inedible and clogging the ground with flammable brush that can catch fire easily during the summer. Pick it before it blooms to prevent its spread. As an identification tip, its young leaves look a bit like carrot leaves.

Several other grasses and flowers are also invasive: Brome Grass, Buffelgrass, Camelthorn, and various Thistles (including the famous “tumbleweed”) are among the most problematic for the ecosystem.

For some lists of invasive plants that should be removed on sight, check out the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management’s Invasive Species list at https://dffm.az.gov/forestry-community-forestry/forest-health/invasive-plants or the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension’s Invasive Species Program at https://extension.arizona.edu/pima-invasive-species-program for more information. Removing invasive species will improve the health of your property’s landscaping and slow the spread of these species while scientists develop strategies to mitigate their impact on the ecosystem.

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we do what we can to prevent the germination and spread of invasive species at our communities and commercial properties with herbicides, manual pulling, and pre-emergent weed killer. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, contact [email protected] and we can get started!

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Before You String Up Your Christmas Lights – Which Arizona Trees Go Dormant in the Winter?

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With the holiday season approaching, you may be looking over your yard thinking of ideas of where to hang up lights and place decorations. If you’ve just moved here, it may be difficult to tell which trees are going to lose their leaves and which ones are evergreen.

Before you put your Christmas lights up, and before you call up your community manager worried that your favorite tree is dying, let’s go over some of the basics about deciduous trees in Arizona landscaping.

First, let’s go over some trees native to the Sonoran Desert. Desert Willows are often the first to go completely bald as nighttime temperatures descend. Almost every species of Mesquite Tree goes dormant in the winter, keeping few or no leaves from December until the beginning of April.

American Native Acacia species such as the Sweet Acacia look similar to mesquites and lose most of their leaves during the winter. Many species of Palo Verdes actually lose their leaves in the summer AND the winter, regrowing their tiny leaves during the spring and fall just to shed them again.

The riparian (river) trees of the desert such as Cottonwoods, Arizona Ash, and Sycamores are the only ones that notably change colors before shedding their leaves, akin to the trees of the more temperate regions of the United States.

 

A few other Arizona trees only lose their leaves during extended periods of drought, with Ironwood trees being the commonly used example. During warmer winters, Chilean Mesquites can sometimes keep the majority of their leaves.

There are lots of non-native tree species that are commonly used in Arizona landscaping, many of which begin to shed for the winter after the first few cold nights. Red Push Pistache, Chinese Elms, and Chitalpas shed their leaves slowly and without much drama – these are the ones that most often worry newcomers when the seasons change.

Texas Ebony Trees have leaf patterns similar to mesquites and acacias, but they only partially lose their leaves in the winter. Their foliage is so dense that they will cause a mess even if they still look relatively full in the dead of the winter.

Jacarandas lose their leaves as soon as it gets cold at night, and sometimes don’t grow back until the end of April. On the other end of the spectrum, the ironically-named Evergreen Pear Tree very briefly loses its leaves in late December or January, only to come back to life covered in white flowers in February.

Southern Live Oaks only shed leaves during especially cold winters when temperatures go below freezing for multiple nights. Texas Mountain Laurels, Bottle Trees, Ficus Trees, Pine Trees, Olive Trees, Arborvitae, and Citrus Trees DO NOT go dormant. If you see them shedding leaves, something may actually be wrong.

This list is by no means exhaustive – these are just some of the most commonly found trees in Phoenix-area landscaped spaces.

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we have an entire dedicated Arbor Division that makes sure trees are healthy and following their normal seasonal patterns at all of our communities. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, contact [email protected] and we can get started!

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Which Arizona Shrubs Need Winter Rejuvenation Pruning?

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Winter is a very interesting time in the field of Arizona landscaping, much different from most other places in the world. Most trees and shrubs native to the Sonoran Desert are drought deciduous, meaning they strategically grow and lose leaves depending on precipitation and humidity. Only the riparian trees (Mesquites, Cottonwoods, Sycamores, Desert Willows, etc.) lose their leaves in the classic autumn fashion of the rest of the United States. It’s the non-native trees and shrubs that behave that way… or at least they’re supposed to in their natural habitats. There are several species of plants that need to be cut back manually to keep them from getting hollow and ugly over time. This is just one of several reasons landscapers engage in “Rejuvenation Pruning.”

Rejuvenation Pruning is the act of chopping a shrub back nearly to the ground, leaving only its main trunks, once every year or so. Simple trimming works to keep plants looking neat in the short term, but over time this leaves them hollow shells of their former selves, with thin and weak foliage barely covering an empty, leafless interior. Not only does this start looking ugly after several months, but it leaves plants more vulnerable to pests, diseases, and sun damage. For these reasons, rejuvenation is vital to keeping a healthy landscape, even if the stumps of the cut back shrubs look ugly for a few weeks. This is, in fact, the best practice for the Arizona landscaping industry.

Evergreen shrubs need rejuvenation to fix the hollow look, typically once per year or every other year. Some notable examples of evergreen bushes in need of regular rejuvenation include Sage, Deergrass, Ruellia, and Lantana. Drought-deciduous shrubs will eventually need rejuvenation as well, though since they grow slowly, they often only need rejuvenation every few years. Some drought-deciduous examples include Creosote, Bursage, Fairy Duster, Chuparosa, and Eremophylla species. Seasonally deciduous shrubs are usually rejuvenated annually in the late fall once their leaves begin to fall off. Some notable deciduous shrubs include Mexican Bird of Paradise, Vitex, Rose, and several others.

Whether the shrub is seasonally deciduous, drought deciduous, or evergreen, the smartest times to rejuvenate are during the late fall and early spring. Big cutbacks like this can be harmful in the extreme heat of the summer or the near-freezing temperatures of the winter. For deciduous shrubs, they won’t have leaves on them by then anyway.

The most important thing to remember is not to worry when you see your landscapers chop down your favorite shrubs. This is the best strategy to keep plants healthy in the long run, even if it means they may look ugly for a few weeks before new foliage emerges. If the shrub is seasonally deciduous, it wasn’t going to be growing until springtime anyway. ELS Maintenance makes sure all shrubs are on a proper pruning and rejuvenation schedule for their species, location, and age, keeping things looking healthy and vivacious. 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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Verticillium and Cinnamon Mold Detected Throughout Phoenix Area

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If you’ve noticed the sudden and rapid death of many trees across the Valley this summer, you’re not alone. We went from an extremely wet cool season to an extremely hot and dry warm season this year. Extreme weather patterns like these often cause weakened immune systems in non-native plant species, which lead to the current situation.

Recent soil tests by plant pathologist Dr. Jared Wheeler have revealed the
culprits for the most recent wave of rapid tree death: Verticillium and
Cinnamon Fungus (Phytopthora cinnamomi). Verticillium is a fungal
disease that stops vascular flow in non-native trees planted in soils with high clay content, especially on grounds that were previously farmland.
Phytophthora cinnamomi is a highly contagious “devastation mold” which
causes the rapid decay of root systems in soil with poor drainage.

Many tree and shrub species are affected, but this year, the biggest victims are Chinese Pistache, Elms, Catalpas, Olives, and Oaks. This disease is almost always fatal, and affected trees must be removed. We will soon be presenting bids for soil treatment with sulfur and/or gypsum to decrease microbial buildup in future plantings.’

While Verticilium Wilt and Phytopthora Cinnamomi are the most visible diseases affecting trees this summer, they are not the only ones found in Arizona soils.

Earlier this year, we dealt with cases of Slime Flux, especially on Elm and Ash Trees. Texas Root Rot is a common killer of trees and shrubs in soil with poor drainage. The table below, provided by Dr. Jared Wheeler, shows a list of some common microbial killers of trees in the Phoenix area.

Trees that are not native to the Sonoran Desert are generally at higher a risk of catching diseases, since they are not in their natural ecosystems and are thus are more likely to have weakened immune systems during extreme weather. We are currently removing affected trees and planning our
strategies for soil treatment and tree replacement.

For more information about Tree Diseases:
Verticillium in Pistachios (in an Agricultural Context)
https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1930-2021.pdf
Information on Cinnamon Fungus, aka. Phytopthora cinnamomi (PDF Download)
https://gd.eppo.int/download/doc/199_datasheet_PHYTCN.pdf
ALCA’s Presentation on Common Arizona Tree Diseases
https://www.azlca.com/uploads/documents/part-ii-diseases-disorders.pdf
Pinal Central Article on Verticillium Habits (written during a 2018 outbreak)
https://www.pinalcentral.com/home_and_hearth/gibson-verticillium-wilt-disease-devastating-to-many-
plants/article_d7ce35d6-7db3-519d-8f43-61b97947ad5c.html

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Dethatching Defined – Improving Arizona Turf in the Late Summer

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Dethatching Defined

It’s August, and your summer Bermudagrass should have grown in nicely by now. If it is still looking thin and patchy with areas of brown in between, your turf may be suffering the effects of too much thatch accumulation. Another good indication of thatch buildup is that the grass has a bouncy feel when you walk on it. In Arizona, overseeded turf is prone to thatch because the grass plants die back twice a year, and that dead material accumulates as thatch. Add dethatching to your summer turf care routine.

The purpose of dethatching is to remove that layer of built-up organic matter to restore some breathing room to the soil surface. The organic matter can consist of decomposing grass plants, tree droppings and insects or animal waste, but mostly uncollected grass clippings and living and dead Bermudagrass stolons and rhizomes.

But, wait a minute. Shouldn’t organic matter be beneficial to the soil and turfgrass plants? Yes, indeed. As organic matter decomposes, carbon, nitrogen and other important elements are released that are necessary for plant growth. Organic matter at the soil surface also forms a barrier against weed germination and serves to minimize water evaporation and protect grass against frost damage. So why would we need to remove the thatch?

A layer of thatch is beneficial to a penetrable thickness of about one-half inch. More than that, and the thatch becomes an impermeable barrier to delivering air, water and nutrients to the soil layer and then down to the grass roots beneath. A thatch layer that is too thick can also harbor pests and detrimental fungi. Thatch can accumulate quickly if you overwater, overfertilize or have heavy clay soil.

Thatch buildup causes thin, patchy grass with areas of brown in between. To be sure that thinness is due to thatch, use your fingers or a screwdriver to dig down between the grass blades until you touch the hard soil surface to roughly measure the depth of the thatch layer. Just an inch or so of thatch is going to have a damaging effect on your grass.

You can dethatch your lawn any time of year that the average nighttime temperature is above 60 degrees. This can be as soon as March or April in Arizona. To dethatch your lawn, you can always do it the old-fashioned way, using a sturdy steel rake. Or, you can rent a verticutter/power rake machine. Either way, be sure to clean up all of the debris that gets raked up so it doesn’t settle back in between the grass blades when you next water. Then apply the appropriate rate of fertilizer (see our blog post) to help the grass fill in the newly exposed bare spots.

Even if you dethatch your lawn, take steps to prevent it from happening too quickly again. Recalculate the correct rates of water and fertilizer you should be applying. There are online tools that can help you with both, like AMWUA’s Landscape Watering by the Numbers. Overall, no single action you take is enough to keep your grass healthy. It’s the combination of cutting, watering, fertilizing, aerating, dethatching and weeding that keeps grass looking great and growing well.

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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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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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