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Rejuvenation Pruning; Red Birds of Paradise

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Red Bird of Paradise, also known as Caesalpinia Pulcherrima, is a perennial flowering shrub that is very popular in the desert landscape as it is low maintenance, affordable, and drought tolerant. These plants are known for their ability to grow to large sizes (up to 10-20 feet when mature) as well as for their beautiful red flowers that bloom in late Spring, making them the perfect additions to ant Arizona community.

Red Birds of Paradise are able to tolerate high Summer temperatures and can withstand extremely dry climates such as that of Arizona. However, when temperatures drop below freezing the plant will go dormant and lose its leaves until warmer temperatures arrive again in the Spring. This dormant period provides an opportune time to perform rejuvenation pruning on the plant to ensure that it is healthy year-round.

Rejuvenation Pruning of Red Birds of Paradise

Rejuvenation pruning is a type of pruning that is done seasonally, as needed, to ensure long term health of the plant. The time of pruning is different per plant based on blooming schedule, characteristics of the plant, and growth pattern. For the Red Bird of Paradise, proper time for rejuvenation pruning is when temperatures begin to cool in late Fall/early Winter and the plant begins to fall into dormancy, typically in the month of November.

Renovation style pruning has many benefits for the plant itself as well as for the overall landscape of a community. Reasons for this type of pruning range from encouraging natural growth and dormancy periods for various shrubs as well as ensuring that plants are able to perform optimally when renovation pruning is over and Spring time arrives again. It is important to remember that this type of pruning must be done during the appropriate time of the year as excessive pruning is detrimental to the health of the plant and places the shrubs in a constant state of stress.

Red Birds of Paradise will be pruned this season, prior to Winter, to avoid the natural die back to the ground they experience when temperatures drop below freezing. Pruning of these plants ensures that they look their best, maintain a nice shape, and handles any plants that may have grown into the sidewalks or grown to obstruct views of signs, driveways, and more.

These plants are large shrubs that serve as beautiful and easily maintained attractions in HOA communities. With the proper rejuvenation pruning and maintenance they can survive for many years and look amazing in any community, making them a favorite among homeowners and landscapers alike.

To learn more about the landscape in your area as well as what ELS Maintenance can do to keep it looking its best click here.

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OverSeeding: The Importance of Scalping

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It’s officially time for OverSeeding here in Arizona! As temperatures begin to cool, we are looking to transition turf from Summer Bermuda to Winter Rye grass. Because OverSeeding is a process with multiple different stages and steps, many people are not sure where to start. Not to fear, we’ve got you covered by giving you all of the information you need to understand the first step in Overseeding this season; Scalping.

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What is Scalping?

Scalping, in its simplest terms, is a preparation technique that involves mowing turf lower so that the stems of the grass are exposed. This is done by lowering the mow height on the lawn mower while mowing, thus creating the brow-colored lawn that you see. This is specifically important in fall scalping as it allows the Bermuda to stay stronger while going dormant and allows the Rye seed to reach the ground.

How is Scalping done? In order to properly and effectively scalp, we start off by cutting the water a couple of days before scalp and then proceed to drop the mow height about 1-3 days prior to OverSeeding. After mowing, we collect and remove most of the clippings (leaving some as mulch for the OverSeeded seed). Once this is done, the turf should appear brown/tan as only the stems of the turf remain and a little bit of the soil is exposed. Light de-thatching, or the removal thatch accumulation, during this time ensures that the seed has appropriate contact with the soil.

After scalping, turf should be ready to move forward in the OverSeed process with the application of new seed. This new seed will require more frequent water times with shorter watering duration as we want to be sure to keep the seed moist without floating it.

Benefits of Scalping

Scalping, if done correctly, has a variety of benefits when it comes to a healthy transition for turf. Scalping works as a clearing process to ensure that the turf is free of debris, clippings, and thatch that could prevent the lawn from taking on new seed. This makes it easier for the seed to reach the soil while also working to prevent disease and turf health.

Another benefit of winter scalping is that the process exposes the soil to more sunlight, warming up the soil and promoting the growth of the seed.

Finally, scalping brings the entire lawn’s turf down to the stem, ensuring that all areas are the same height and receive the same amount of new seed. This promotes even growth throughout and leads to a better-looking lawn as the new seed grows in.

While it may not be appeasing to see the brown turf that appears following scalping, it is important to remember the benefits and reason behind performing this step when OverSeeding. The process takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks, but in time the brown turf that you are finding following the scalping process is replaced by healthy, strong winter grass that is appropriate for the season and promotes long term health.

Scalped Lawn Example
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