Recovering From Halloween Pranks

As a commercial property manager you may view Halloween celebrations with a different thought process than most folks.  The morning after can bring many “pranks” to light.

In a perfect world, kids who love donning costumes and trick-or-treating on Halloween night will never turn into teenagers who love to use the occasion to vandalize their neighbors. But it seems an eternal rite of passage and one that can leave you with a serious mess to clean up.

Hopefully decorating trees and shrubs with toilet paper, smashing easy-to-get-to pumpkins, and perhaps tossing a few eggs are the worst it really gets.  Few teens are devoted enough to a lot of damage. In our urban areas, pranksters' activities intensify, and they spend the night soaping windows, throwing toilet paper, ringing doorbells and running away.

Toilet Paper Attack
Harmless but unsightly, toilet paper is pretty easy to clean up as long as it doesn’t get wet first, in which case it turns into papier mâché and haunts you for months to come. So don’t be tempted to try and hose it off, and make sure you get rid of it before the next rain. Arm yourself with gloves, long sticks, and garbage bags to stuff the TP into; your local recycler will probably accept it. Unwind and collect as much as you can reach, using the sticks to lift and loosen streamers out of your reach. If you have tall trees and your perp had a good throwing arm, there may be some you just can’t get to without resorting to extraordinary measures. Don’t do anything rash, such as climbing up the tree (and falling out). Eventually, the stuff will break down and disappear.

The Old Egg Toss
The residue from the eggs needs to be washed of any surface as soon as possible.  Eggs can damage some surfaces in just a few hours, and once it dries, it's hard to remove.

Soaping Windows
For some bizarre reason, kids seem to think it's funny to rub a bar of soap all over your car's or your windows to make it hard to see out. Water and a rough sponge should get most of it off, but if the mess isn’t yielding to water and elbow grease, it may be that the perpetrator used a candle or block of paraffin wax instead. Carefully use a single-edged razor blade to remove as much of the wax as possible from hard, smooth surfaces such as glass (if it’s warm out, you can harden the wax by rubbing it with an ice cube first). Remove any remaining residue with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol.

Or you can let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the post Halloween clean-up work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Even Desert Landscaping Needs Watering

Many times the use of desert landscape is done to make the need for watering a non-issue.  They are very good at storing water. Many desert plants store water inside themselves, like cacti, for instance. While desert plants are drought tolerant by their very nature they still need some water just to survive.

Watering is sometimes a challenge for plant owners, especially for those who live in the desert where plants have extreme water needs. Watering questions are typical of the many inquiries we receive each year in talking with commercial property owners. In the interest of both conserving water and maintaining healthy and beautiful landscapes, let's look at this sometimes-mystery called irrigation.

It might be helpful to start by discussing how plants process water and how this process protects plants from the sun's intense heat. When temperatures are high and humidity is low, the transpiration rate for plants is high. Transpiration rate describes how fast water vapor is lost to the atmosphere through evaporation, primarily from a plant's leaves. This water loss occurs during photosynthesis when openings called stomata on leaf surfaces open and close for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. When the stomata are open, water vapor escapes. This evaporation has a cooling effect on leaves and is a critical part of a tree's protection from the sun's heat and light.

Our challenge is to provide water in quantities sufficient to allow plants to "breathe," that is, to release water vapor in amounts needed to keep leaf surfaces constantly within a temperature range cool enough not to burn.

But it's not only a function of providing adequate water. Desert-adapted plants have special features to help them handle the heat. They sometimes have thick leaf surfaces or reduced leaf areas or other adaptive qualities. Plants without these features have a hard time in the summer heat. Some non-desert adapted plants have large leaf surfaces that transpire at such high rates that they lose water faster than it can be replenished. In spite of having enough water in the soil, they can suffer from sunscald.

The owners of these non-drought-tolerant species have a difficult task keeping them alive, let alone green. Survival is not only a matter of having adequate water. It's also about a plant's genetic functional ability to handle our hot environment. And that is sometimes beyond our control or even an irrigation controller.

More importantly you can let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Commercial Landscaping Ideas; Consider Your Clientele

Although good landscaping is important for homeowners, it can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to your business. A beautifully landscaped business will encourage potential customers to stop by for a visit, but a poor landscaping job could send those same potential customers to drive on by.

One mistake many business owners make is designing a magnificent landscape without considering the cost of ongoing maintenance. No matter how beautiful or well designed your business' landscape might be, the grass will need to be mowed, the flowers will need to be watered and the trees will need to be pruned. It is imperative for business owners to factor in not only the cost of the initial landscaping job, but the monthly cost of maintenance as well.

It is also a good idea for business owners to build green technology into their landscape designs. For instance, business owners can use native plants in their landscape designs, incorporate drought resistant varieties of trees and shrubs and use landscape elements that will reduce soil erosion. These designs are good for the environment - and good for business as well.

One way for business owners to reduce the maintenance costs of their landscapes is to complement traditional design elements like trees, shrubs and flowers with rocks, boulders and other hardscaping elements. These elements can be stunning, but they are also low maintenance. By incorporating them into the overall landscape design, business owners can cut maintenance costs without sacrificing a beautiful and enticing exterior.

Before getting started, it is important to understand the nature of your business and your clientele. The landscaping choices you make should be tailored to meet the needs, and the expectations, of your customers. For instance, the landscaping choices made by a discount retailer would be quite different than those for a high-end luxury clothing store. A high-end retailer would want to invest in the most beautiful landscape elements, including magnificent flowering trees and shrubs, to entice and please wealthy customers.

Or you can let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Why Choose Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance For Your Property?

We are a service oriented family owned business specializing in commercial landscape maintenance.

While our normal hours of operations are from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM we offer 24/7 service and Storm Damage Clean-up as needed by our customers.

We keep our overhead low and pass the savings on to our customers. We provide high quality service and pride ourselves on our open communication practices.

Our hourly rate is $26 per hour. Our special project rate, including sprinkler repairs, is $30. We offer convenient payment terms of 2/10 net 30.

All of our vehicles are clearly marked and all of our employees are in uniform for easy identification. Many of the small unexpected things that other companies charge for, we include.

If there are minor sprinkler repairs that are needed, most of them are also included (no charge). We accomplish this by providing an allowance for sprinkler heads, drip emitters, shrub heads, and repairs to lateral lines and drip lines. The only sprinkler issues that we would have to charge for would be main line repairs, valves & timers. And we always get these pre approved by our customers.

Unlike other companies we don't mark-up inventory, whenever possible. Another one of our popular services is safety and visibility trimming at no extra charge. This means that if you have things we think could be a liability on your property related to the landscape, we will communicate with you and work together to resolve these issues before they cause an accident or damage vehicles or buildings. If there is vegetation blocking the view of signs or safe passage in and out of the parking lot, trees blocking safety lighting, we will keep those items at their smallest manageable size (no charge).

We don't charge anything for the installation of winter lawns. This means you do not pay anything for scalping and removal of summer lawn, sprinkler tune up, and top dressing where needed. And the seed is provided at the market price. We also offer a full range of tree trimming options for our customers including emergency storm damage clean up and tree removal. Lawn fertilizer is done quarterly for the price of fertilizer only.

We will strive to keep your landscape safe, clean and beautiful. At the same time keeping your costs as low as possible.

We meet or exceed the highest insurance standards, with $2,000,000 business liability, $1,000,000 commercial auto, and $1,000,000 workman's comp. And we can list you (the customer) as additional insured at no extra charge.

We can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277  We serve the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Winter Lawn Weed Control

Here in Phoenix Arizona, the winter lawn season and even some of the milder weather periods of our winter present great possibilities in weed control, particularly if you are interested in using recommended herbicides.

On your commercial property any time of year is appropriate to hand-remove weeds and for common lawn weeds such as dandelion and plantains, there are a host of tools available (commonly called ‘weed poppers’) that are extremely effective in the complete removal of ‘tap-rooted’ weeds.

If your staff doesn’t mind bending over or getting on their hands and knees, you can achieve the same result with a sturdy pocket or utility knife.  If they commit a few minutes a day to hand-removal, you will be surprised what an impact they can have over several days of effort.

We fully understand that time is money. Hand removal is the most environmentally friendly, however, hand-removal of creeping weeds with fibrous root systems is often very limited in success and can be quite frustrating in terms of the effort expended and the limited level of control.   Especially in these cases, herbicides are often the most effective and cost effective method(s) for winter weed control.

What can or should be done about summer annual or perennial weeds during the Arizona winters? The basic answer is ‘very little to nothing’.  These weeds  have either just completed their life cycle and will die upon first frost  (the annuals, things like crabgrass, foxtail, or spurge) or they have begun to enter their winter dormancy period (weeds like dallisgrass, wiregrass.  Other than mechanically removing them, there is no point in trying to control them during their winter lifecycle with selective herbicides.

Rather than having to worry about your winter weeds and look of your commercial property you can let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Proper Landscape Tool Storage

When a commercial property uses in-house staff for their landscape maintenance they have needs to store the landscape tools used on property or at least at a nearby storage facility.  If your property is such that you do use a local storage facility you must be aware of what and how use that storage area.  If your property has the room and buildings that allow you to store your landscape equipment on property you also must be very aware of the legal and safety requirements for that storage.

Many landscape tools are gas powered.  The storage of those types of equipment means you are storing both the gasoline in their onboard tanks and a refill can as well.  Is the storage area designed to store flammable liquids?

Your chemicals that are used for weed control and vegetation elimination require proper storage as well.

Even if your property is small enough that you only use hand tools for your landscape maintenance  they have sharp tines and edges that mean they must be locked away when stored.

The proper care and storage of landscape tools increases their life and usefulness. Your staff needs to know how to select the best tool for different needs and how to use that tool in the proper, most efficient way. Also, you need to learn crucial safety procedures to reduce or eliminate injuries during landscaping and the storage of those same tools. The safe and correct uses of the twelve basic landscape tools needs to be understood and demonstrated. This is another must for any safety program.

The cleaning products used in the maintenance of your equipment have their own hazards.  Many commercial property owners and managers never give a thought to the proper storage of landscaping equipment or chemicals until an accident happens.

At Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance we can take the dangers of the “do-it-yourself” aspect of commercial property landscaping out of your business life.  When you hire us we will bring, store and maintain our own equipment and you never have to worry about it.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want lush lawns, desert landscaping or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Winter Lawns In The Phoenix Metro Area

The Phoenix metro area has a great green lawn advantage.  You can have green grass all year long, even though the winter and summer climates are very different. The way this is done is by growing Bermuda grass in summer and Rye grass in winter. Although grass consumes relatively large amounts of water, an accurate understanding of how much water the grass really needs can minimize waste.

Transitioning from Ryegrass to Dormant Bermuda
Since Bermuda grass only needs to be planted once, subsequent summers will involve the Bermuda coming out of dormancy. The Bermuda will come in more fully and rapidly if the death of the Ryegrass is accelerated by letting it dry out in early May. Two weeks without watering is usually sufficient to kill the rye grass. After the Rye grass has turned brown, resume watering to encourage the Bermuda out of dormancy.

Ryegrass Life Cycle
Rye is grown in the Phoenix area in winter. Since Rye does not survive the summer, it needs to be replanted every fall, in the middle of October. Ryegrass stays a lustrous dark green until the middle of May, when it quickly dies off as temperatures approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Choosing a Ryegrass Type
Rye grass comes in two types, perennial and annual. In the lower desert, both types are more or less annual because the summer heat kills them. Perennial is more expensive than annual, but the extra cost is generally worth it, considering the effort involved in overseeding. Perennial germinates faster, has a finer leaf texture, a darker green color, and is more vigorous than annual. Also, perennial Ryegrass doesn't produce grass stains like annual does.

Planting Ryegrass
The best time to overseed Bermuda with Rye, in the Phoenix area, is from early to middle October. Plant too early and the sun can bake the seedlings. Also, when the weather is still hot the Bermuda is still growing and will compete with the Rye seedlings. Plant too late and germination is slow because the weather isn't warm enough. So, there is a relatively small window of opportunity.

More importantly you can let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the landscape work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Commercial Landscaping Ideas; Appearance and Safety

As a business owner, or property manager you know that the appearance and safety of your property directly effects how customers view and patronize your business or services. Whether with minor or major landscape enhancements, you can spruce up your property design to demonstrate your company's commitment to maintaining a professional appearance. Use creativity, sensibility and simple upgrades to enhance your current landscape design.

Mark your company's territory by spelling out your company name or displaying your logo in plants and shrubs. Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance’s landscapers can trim your existing hedges or plant new shrubs that brand your company in an eye-catching way. Choose bright-colored flowering plants for the interior of your letters or logo. Colors such as red and yellow are great options since they are easy to read from a distance. Pick darker colors for the outline of the letters in your design. An exception to this recommendation is the use of your corporate identity colors, which may include two dark or two bright colors. In this case, use a style closest to your logo design.

If you're in a single-story building, create a beautiful privacy fence of dense foliage around your office space. You can avoid the fear of someone seeing valuables in your office from an outside sidewalk or parking lot and planning a break-in with the help of your foliage fortress. Place large palm leaves, trees and waterfalls in front of the window as an obstruction. Fill the space in front of your fountain and foliage with gravel extending it to the sidewalk.

You can give your employees a place of refuge during their lunch break with a stone patio filled with shrubbery and a privacy fence. This area is sure to enhance employee wellness and therefore retention by giving them a temporary getaway from the office. Stone walkways are essential around your property for pedestrians seeking access to your building from multiple entrances. A cobblestone walkway adds a welcoming touch to the front door of your business. Always consider a professional landscaper to create walkways and patios with crushed stone and a drainage system to provide a solid foundation that your employees and customers can enjoy for decades.

Or you can let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Why Choose Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance For Your Property?

We are a service oriented family owned business specializing in commercial landscape maintenance.

While our normal hours of operations are from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM we offer 24/7 service and Storm Damage Clean-up as needed by our customers.

We keep our overhead low and pass the savings on to our customers. We provide high quality service and pride ourselves on our open communication practices.

Our hourly rate is $26 per hour. Our special project rate, including sprinkler repairs, is $30. We offer convenient payment terms of 2/10 net 30.

All of our vehicles are clearly marked and all of our employees are in uniform for easy identification. Many of the small unexpected things that other companies charge for, we include.

If there are minor sprinkler repairs that are needed, most of them are also included (no charge). We accomplish this by providing an allowance for sprinkler heads, drip emitters, shrub heads, and repairs to lateral lines and drip lines. The only sprinkler issues that we would have to charge for would be main line repairs, valves & timers. And we always get these pre approved by our customers.

Unlike other companies we don't mark-up inventory, whenever possible. Another one of our popular services is safety and visibility trimming at no extra charge. This means that if you have things we think could be a liability on your property related to the landscape, we will communicate with you and work together to resolve these issues before they cause an accident or damage vehicles or buildings. If there is vegetation blocking the view of signs or safe passage in and out of the parking lot, trees blocking safety lighting, we will keep those items at their smallest manageable size (no charge).

We don't charge anything for the installation of winter lawns. This means you do not pay anything for scalping and removal of summer lawn, sprinkler tune up, and top dressing where needed. And the seed is provided at the market price. We also offer a full range of tree trimming options for our customers including emergency storm damage clean up and tree removal. Lawn fertilizer is done quarterly for the price of fertilizer only.

We will strive to keep your landscape safe, clean and beautiful. At the same time keeping your costs as low as possible.

We meet or exceed the highest insurance standards, with $2,000,000 business liability, $1,000,000 commercial auto, and $1,000,000 workman's comp. And we can list you (the customer) as additional insured at no extra charge.

We can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277  We serve the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

When To Mow – When To Let It Grow

This weeks commercial landscape tip from Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance is when to mow and when to let your grass grow.

During the warm months when the grass is growing, is there a mowing schedule that should be used to encourage the lawn to be green and healthy? Lawns can seem "unhappy" when it's been cut (goes pale, some browning), which may make you want to mow it less-often.

Is there anything you can do to check to know when it's best to cut the grass?

How MUCH you mow is often more important in my experience than how often, the guideline is never mow more than 1/3rd of the total length. This also is adjusted for grass, time of year and relative conditions (watering, latitude and so on), so lots of options. Some folks tend to keep their grass a little long, consider mowing to about 3" with high traffic and trying to prevent weeds from growing as well. 

 At Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance we use a reel mower, so it's pretty simple to set the cut height and they tend to be better for grass health.  One thing to consider for mowing if it looks like it needs it, do it.

It doesn't matter so much how often you mow, as much as how long the grass is.

If your lawn looks yellow and dried out after you've mowed it, you probably have the blade on your mower set too low. Some people like a super-short lawn like a putting green, but doing this requires both a specific variety of grass and lots of extra care spent on fertilizing and other upkeep. Since you're probably not one of those people, your grass will be healthiest if you let it grow a little longer.

The first time you mow your lawn in the spring, try a lower setting. Subsequently mow about every 1-2 weeks, depending on how much watering you do.  Then moving the blade a little lower until it's on about the middle setting. If you notice that your lawn is looking a little yellow in patches, let it grow a little longer, then move the blade height back up. If your lawn is in a similar state, you'd probably benefit from doing the same.

Conveniently, somewhat longer grass is also more comfortable to walk on barefoot.

At Greens Keeper Landscape we want you to know how to take care of your property.  If you don’t want the headache of landscape maintenance we take care of your landscape for you.  To find out how we can help just give us a call at 623-848-8277.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

What Should Look For In A Landscape Worker?

The qualities that are needed for a good landscape worker go far beyond just a strong back or a friendly disposition.  The one thing that is always a big plus is experience.  Experience and years of that experience is the prime quality that is best for any landscape worker.  Continuing education is the next quality or condition that is a benefit in your landscape workers.

You want both speed and quality with a great work ethic when you choose that worker.  It isn’t just the knowledge or experience that makes that employee a great value.  The length of time needed to accomplish the job is of prime importance.

Yes, the compensation is higher for an experienced worker.  But if he (or she) gets the job done faster than a less experience worker which worker actually costs you more? 

Keep in mind one very important consideration is the total crew make-up and the cost to insure that crew.  It doesn’t matter whether it is your in-house crew or one you hire to be provided by an outside vendor you will be paying for that insurance coverage.  If an accident happens you want to make sure that the coverage level will be a true protection.  The minimum coverage required is generally not enough.  If the crew is supplied by a vendor is your property listed for coverage or would you have sue the insurance company to get the protection for any incident?

Landscape workers operate many types of hazardous equipment and need to have the training and experience to keep themselves and the public around them safe during their tasks.

In today’s market place you always want to make sure that you truly understand all of the ramifications of a hiring (in-house or vendor) workers to accomplish projects on your commercial property.  All considerations need to be factored in.

It is almost always a bad idea to go with the lowest bidder or hire based on just the lowest cost per hour.  The experience levels, training and work ethic can make a big difference in real and total costs.

If you choose to hire an outside vendor you want to make sure they truly deliver as promised.  This needs to be well beyond any warm and fuzzy sales promises.  What factors lead you to your last purchases and did they end up living up to expectations.

Let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Does Drip Irrigation Save Money?

Drip irrigation is a method of applying low-pressure water to soil and plants at slow, even rates. Designed for efficient water use, drip irrigation systems help prevent loss of water through evaporation or run-off.

Drip irrigation systems can be simple or complex, serving large agricultural areas, commercial properties or small gardens, depending upon your needs. Understand the benefits and challenges before deciding whether drip irrigation is right for your property.

Several sources cite the efficiency of drip irrigation over traditional watering methods. The Texas Agriculture Extension Service notes that drip irrigation can reduce water loss by up to 60 percent when compared with hand watering or sprinkler systems.

The Environmental Protection Agency's Water Sense website states that drip irrigation systems use between 20 and 50 percent less water than conventional in-ground watering systems. The North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance echoes the EPA's comments, citing water savings of between 30 and 50 percent.

The US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service recommends using drip irrigation as part of a water conservation system, noting that drip irrigation saves water because it is precisely placed where needed, eliminating evaporation.

In a drip system, water is transmitted to plants via small diameter, flexible plastic pipes and perforated pipe, emitters or microsprinklers. Perforated pipe discharges water along its length. Pipes are spaced at designated intervals, such as 12 or 18 inches, to water closely spaced plantings. Emitters deliver a precise amount of water regardless of changes in pressure and can be inserted directly into pipes or hoses.

Cost estimates are that systems typically cost between $500 and $1,200 per acre, split between capital investment and annual running costs, and recommends that landscapers new to drip irrigation start small and expand the system as the budgets allow.

Drip irrigation systems require monitoring, as tubes and tapes can become plugged by silt or particles that are not filtered from the water, or by chemicals and algae. Leaks are also a problem and equipment must be checked to ensure water is flowing evenly.

Water savings and cost savings may not go hand-in-hand.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want rock gardens, lush lawns, desert landscaping or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Dealing With Pesky Bare Patches

We are not talking about the ones that are easy to fix.  Just some new seed a little watering and the lawn is back to looking great.  No, we are talking about the ones that just won’t grow no matter what you try.

A quick note here, there are some traffic areas and paths where your best bet may be some type of paver stones or sidewalk section.  Grass that is constantly trampled will not survive and will need to be replaced by some type of hardscape.  The only other solution would be a barrier that redirects the traffic flow and allows the lawn to recover.

If you have an area with dead grass, it's best to remove the entire patch. Once the patch is removed, fill the area with a good grade topsoil. It also helps to mix some natural fertilizer into the dirt for a good measure of nutrients in the new loose soil.

With the soil prepared, lightly sprinkle the grass seed over the exposed area. Be careful to spread it thoroughly. Lightly rake the area so that only about 5 to 10% of the seeds are visible. Apply a light layer of compost over the area to keep the soil damp and help keep your bird friends away.

Lightly water the seeds every day, multiple times a day if it is warm, sunny or windy. Keep them moist until you see the seeds germinate and begin to root into the soil, then reduce the frequency of watering. Allow your grass to grow and fill in before you mow. Mowing it too early or too short can damage the grass and possibly uproot it.

Use a Seed Pad for a Simple Fix

If you don't want to spend a lot of time fixing up the lawn, there are some great products that incorporate seeds and covering in one easy application. These products work very well because the shredded paper and pulp that is mixed with the seeds is very effective at keeping the ground moist and the birds at bay. The filling is usually colored blue or green so you can easily see if you have the entire area covered.

At Greens Keeper Landscape we want you to know how to take care of your property.  If you don’t want the headache of landscape maintenance we take care of your landscape for you. 

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want lush lawns, desert landscaping or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Why Choose Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance For Your Property?

We are a service oriented family owned business specializing in commercial landscape maintenance.

While our normal hours of operations are from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM we offer 24/7 service and Storm Damage Clean-up as needed by our customers.

We keep our overhead low and pass the savings on to our customers. We provide high quality service and pride ourselves on our open communication practices.

Our hourly rate is $26 per hour. Our special project rate, including sprinkler repairs, is $30. We offer convenient payment terms of 2/10 net 30.

All of our vehicles are clearly marked and all of our employees are in uniform for easy identification. Many of the small unexpected things that other companies charge for, we include.

If there are minor sprinkler repairs that are needed, most of them are also included (no charge). We accomplish this by providing an allowance for sprinkler heads, drip emitters, shrub heads, and repairs to lateral lines and drip lines. The only sprinkler issues that we would have to charge for would be main line repairs, valves & timers. And we always get these pre approved by our customers.

Unlike other companies we don't mark-up inventory, whenever possible. Another one of our popular services is safety and visibility trimming at no extra charge. This means that if you have things we think could be a liability on your property related to the landscape, we will communicate with you and work together to resolve these issues before they cause an accident or damage vehicles or buildings. If there is vegetation blocking the view of signs or safe passage in and out of the parking lot, trees blocking safety lighting, we will keep those items at their smallest manageable size (no charge).

We don't charge anything for the installation of winter lawns. This means you do not pay anything for scalping and removal of summer lawn, sprinkler tune up, and top dressing where needed. And the seed is provided at the market price. We also offer a full range of tree trimming options for our customers including emergency storm damage clean up and tree removal. Lawn fertilizer is done quarterly for the price of fertilizer only.

We will strive to keep your landscape safe, clean and beautiful. At the same time keeping your costs as low as possible.

We meet or exceed the highest insurance standards, with $2,000,000 business liability, $1,000,000 commercial auto, and $1,000,000 workman's comp. And we can list you (the customer) as additional insured at no extra charge.

We can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277  We serve the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Watering Management

No the title is not a mistake.  Or, did you read it as “Water Management?”  While that might be the overall goal, you must start with the management of your watering, right down to the individual plants and areas.  With large commercial properties you can save or waste thousands of gallons of water every year.  That can amount to many hundreds of dollars in either savings or wasted money.

A sprinkler system on a timer is the most basic tools in water management.  The next level up is a system that measures the moisture level in the soil and sets the watering to a real need for water.  Even in our desert climate we have unexpected weather events that need to be considered when watering your green areas.

Beyond the soil’s moisture levels you can adjust your watering to take in other plant needs.  Here are four ideas to help.

Your Delivery System:
A tuned-up delivery system is the foundation of an effective water management plan. Integrate water saving components to maximize efficiency. In many cases a drip system will save the most amount of water while achieving maximum and efficient watering.

Scheduling:
Know the precipitation rates of sprinkler heads to help dial in appropriate run times to meet the “area” plants’ water requirements. Adjust the irrigation frequency as the seasons and temperatures change.

Soil:
Know the soil type your plants live in. Along with weather, specific soil types will determine the duration of sprinkler run times and frequency of the days for watering.  Proper soil mixtures will maximize water retention and help keep plants properly hydrated.

Management & Monitoring:
Be intentional with scheduling monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly system checks and adjustments. Find and correct small issues before they becomes costly problems.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want lush lawns, desert landscaping or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Recovering From City Improvements

While it doesn’t happen very often it can sure be a mess when it does.  What?  Help from the city, of course.

Have you ever had a city official show up and let you know that part of your landscaping was about to be dug-up so the city can repair or make improvements to their infrastructure that just happens to run under your commercial property.

Seeing your tax dollars hard at work can be a good thing.  The aftermath is where problems can arise.  Once the city is done with the “improvements” they try to make repairs to the dig and make your landscaping look good again.  The truth is that while they try to fix the damage it doesn’t always work out. 

You can complain and try to get them to come out and make it right.  You can see right where they ran their trench and after several tries they let you know that is the best they can do.

So are you left with a permanent scar on your landscape?  Is the depression a hazard or just unsightly?

Can anyone do anything to help? At Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance we can address and correct the damage.  Sorry we can help you fight city hall, but we can fix the damage and look of your business property.

We understand your soil and know what needs to be done to return your landscaping to its proper appearance.  Proper soil compaction is usually the basic problem and it may need to start from the bottom of the trench up to really fix the problem.  But we will be able to truly fix your problem.

There are several means of achieving compaction of the soil. Some are more appropriate for soil compaction than others, while some techniques are only suitable for particular soils or soils in particular conditions. Some are more suited to compaction of non-soil materials such as asphalt. Generally, those that can apply significant amounts of shear as well as compressive stress, are most effective.

No matter what is the true cause of the problems your landscape is having we can help.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want lush lawns, desert landscaping or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Do You Have These Common Landscape Hazards?

Around 500,000 individuals in the US visit Emergency departments after having a landscape related accident in recent years.

The lawnmower tops the list of the most dangerous pieces of equipment, with 6,500 lawnmower related accidents reported each year. Surprisingly the innocuous flowerpot is the second most dangerous tool, causing 5,300 accidents, with falls, cuts and lifting injuries some of the most common types of accident recorded.

Many of the following points might sound like common sense, but it's incredible how many people end up in hospital because they haven't taken basic safety precautions in the garden.

Avoid trip hazards such as loose paving slabs, hoses left unwrapped or stored or uneven surfaces.

Use surfaces that provide a good grip underfoot.

Low hanging branches.

Excess sprinkler overflow and runoff.

Do not leave sharp tools lying around. Lock them away.

All types of pool safety.

Learn which plants are poisonous.

Electrical equipment should never be used in wet weather.

Use an GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) to prevent electric shocks. It cuts out the flow of electricity when a cable or cord is cut through.

Lock away chemicals such as weedkillers and insecticides. Just because they have the words 'organic' or 'bio' on them, does not make them safe.

Wear safety equipment - such as goggles, hard hats, gloves and steel toecapped boots - when using machinery. Tuck in loose items of clothing.

Do you provide outdoor barbecue areas?

If you are in the least bit unsure about the safety of tackling a job, call in the professionals.

Let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Commercial Landscape Secrets

We have some tips that you can apply to your commercial properties’ landscaping that will create interest and beauty.

Begin your planning by establishing focal points. These can include trees, big shrubs and tall ornamental grasses, as well as structures such as a gazebos, archways, ponds, trellis or statuary. Once these are in place, the rest of your landscaping can fill in around them.

The architectural structure and the landscape should work together in terms of style, scale, colors and materials. Use trees to frame your buildings, not conceal or overwhelm them. Shrubs and flowers should form a welcoming approach to your office entrance. Create foundation plantings that are more than just a line of shrubs around your layout -- try varying levels of plants, deep borders and curves.

Study your landscape at different times of day, from different angles and in different weather conditions. Take pictures to help you remember what it looks like. Learn where the sunlight falls, where the shade pockets are, where the rain pools. Choose plants adapted to your landscape's conditions and your area's hardiness zone.

Always consider your landscaping budget, that includes labor, plants and materials. Even when done by your maintenance staff it may be much more expensive than you think. Do some comparison-shopping at local garden centers, and check prices at online nurseries, too. Create a budget and a priority list if you're not able to afford everything at once.

Make lighting an integral feature of your decks, patios, pathways and other landscape areas. It's not only beautiful; it's important for safety, and it will allow your tenants to enjoy your landscaping past sundown. There are so many types of lighting available, you can find lots of options that meld with your properties’ style.

Almost anything can look good on paper, but a year down the road, cool ideas can become problems areas. Will your staff correctly prune that rose garden or aggressive vines? Can they keep your new fencing painted or sealed and sturdy? Will they clean and maintain your pond or fountain features? Plan plants and features that they know and can handle to keep them looking good and safe for your grounds.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want lush lawns, desert landscaping or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Why Choose Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance For Your Property?

We are a service oriented family owned business specializing in commercial landscape maintenance.

While our normal hours of operations are from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM we offer 24/7 service and Storm Damage Clean-up as needed by our customers.

We keep our overhead low and pass the savings on to our customers. We provide high quality service and pride ourselves on our open communication practices.

Our hourly rate is $26 per hour. Our special project rate, including sprinkler repairs, is $30. We offer convenient payment terms of 2/10 net 30.

All of our vehicles are clearly marked and all of our employees are in uniform for easy identification. Many of the small unexpected things that other companies charge for, we include.

If there are minor sprinkler repairs that are needed, most of them are also included (no charge). We accomplish this by providing an allowance for sprinkler heads, drip emitters, shrub heads, and repairs to lateral lines and drip lines. The only sprinkler issues that we would have to charge for would be main line repairs, valves & timers. And we always get these pre approved by our customers.

Unlike other companies we don't mark-up inventory, whenever possible. Another one of our popular services is safety and visibility trimming at no extra charge. This means that if you have things we think could be a liability on your property related to the landscape, we will communicate with you and work together to resolve these issues before they cause an accident or damage vehicles or buildings. If there is vegetation blocking the view of signs or safe passage in and out of the parking lot, trees blocking safety lighting, we will keep those items at their smallest manageable size (no charge).

We don't charge anything for the installation of winter lawns. This means you do not pay anything for scalping and removal of summer lawn, sprinkler tune up, and top dressing where needed. And the seed is provided at the market price. We also offer a full range of tree trimming options for our customers including emergency storm damage clean up and tree removal. Lawn fertilizer is done quarterly for the price of fertilizer only.

We will strive to keep your landscape safe, clean and beautiful. At the same time keeping your costs as low as possible.

We meet or exceed the highest insurance standards, with $2,000,000 business liability, $1,000,000 commercial auto, and $1,000,000 workman's comp. And we can list you (the customer) as additional insured at no extra charge.

We can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277  We serve the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Pollution and Plant Health

Pollution is the introduction of harmful contaminants into air, water or soil. These contaminants can have dire effects on entire ecosystems, making life more difficult for humans, plants and animals. Children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to the health effects from these toxins. In many cases, exposure to pollution has a cumulative effect on the body.

Air Pollution
Air pollution consists of solid particles and gases. Many pollutants are carcinogens. People who breathe in these poisons are at a higher risk for asthma and reproductive-system damage. According the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, birth defects can also be caused by air pollution. A 1995 study found a link between air pollution and increased deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory problems. Humans are not the only living creatures affected by toxic air pollutants. Some toxins, like mercury, settle onto plants and into water sources that are then consumed by animals. The health effects of these poisons are then magnified up the food chain. Animals that are at the top of the food chain end up with the largest concentrations of toxins in their bodies.

Water Pollution
Water is a necessity of life. People and animals need clean drinking water. Farmers need water to irrigate crops. People enjoy using lakes and rivers for recreation. Unfortunately, this precious resource is easily contaminated by agricultural runoff, mining activities, waste treatment plants and improperly disposed-of industrial waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitors 80 different contaminants that may affect drinking water. Microbial contaminants include bacteria and viruses. Most people can fight off the microbial contaminants, however, people with compromised immune systems can get dangerously ill. Contaminants like solvents, pesticides, radium and arsenic are more sinister. This type of pollution can cause long-term health problems for people. Wildlife can also die from exposure.

Soil Contamination
Soil contamination consists of either liquid or solid particles mixed with soil. The contaminants may be physically attached to the soil particles or they may be in the spaces between the soil particles. Contamination results when hazardous substances are spilled or buried in the soil. It can also occur when pollutants settle on the soil, such as chemicals or waste from an industrial smokestack. Plants grown in contaminated soil take up the hazardous substances through their roots. Humans or animals that ingest these plants may get sick. People and animals can also inhale soil contaminants through dust that is present in the air or absorb these hazardous chemicals through their skin.

Rather than having to worry about the lawn and look of your commercial property you can let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Growing Grass in Mixed Sunlight Areas

One very common question for us is how to deal with growing grass across the variations of sunlight levels on a typical commercial property.

You have areas that are covered with trees that provide a reduction in the sunlight in the 50% range to building shadows that shades up to the 80% range.  Some grasses don’t do as well in shade as they do in full sunlight.

On the topic of shaded lawn recommendations, the Midiron Tiff is an excellent lawn for Arizona because of it's drought tolerance, and ability to withstand high traffic. It is a member of the Bermuda family and does much better in full sun. Also typically Tiff lawns look best when cut with a front reel mower. But these are very high maintenance and therefore more expensive to operate.

At  Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, we recommend Palmetto St. Augustine. Palmetto St. Augustine can do very well both in full sun, and in shady areas. Additionally with Palmetto St. Augustine there is the benefit of year round growth with the elimination of the need for the winter lawn over seeding. In the coldest of the winter months, St. Augustine lawns do slow in growth but look nice year round. The main draw back to a St. Augustine lawn is it's higher water requirements.

We often see remnants of last years winter lawn that most likely had been kept alive in the shady areas until some time in July. It doesn't take much more if not the same amount of water for St. Augustine as it would to keep the Rye grass alive most of the summer in the shady areas.

There is two ways we could go about planting St. Augustine.

Option one would be to seed, or sod the shaded areas, but this would lead to somewhat of a patchwork look with multiple types of lawn in one front yard. Option two is what I would recommend for the best uniform look, but would definitely cost more.

Option two would be to kill off all the existing Bermuda lawns with a non selective herbicide as soon as possible before any scalping takes place, and while we still have warm enough days for the Bermuda grass to grow. This is very important as otherwise we won't get a full kill on the established Bermuda. After the Bermuda is dead, then all the areas could be planted with St. Augustine.

Again, the main factor for the St. Augustine to be successful would be for the complete killing of the Bermuda first. It might become necessary to wait until spring to get the best results on the Bermuda since poison is not effective on dormant, semi dormant, or distressed Bermuda lawns.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want lush lawns, desert landscaping or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance wants to acknowledge that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) is a collaboration of national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working together to promote breast cancer awareness, share information on the disease, and provide greater access to services.

Since its inception more than 25 years ago, NBCAM has been at the forefront of promoting awareness of breast cancer issues and has evolved along with the national dialogue on breast cancer. NBCAM recognizes that, although many great strides have been made in breast cancer awareness and treatment, there remains much to be accomplished. Today, we remain dedicated to educating and empowering women to take charge of their own breast health.

Although October is designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, NBCAM is dedicated to raising awareness and educating individuals about breast cancer throughout the year. We encourage you to regularly visit these sites to learn more about breast cancer, breast health, and the latest research developments. Click on any of the websites below for more information.

Many families are affected by this disease.  Please join in the fight against Breast Cancer.

Related locally Susan G. Komen for the Cure® launched, in 1982, the global breast cancer movement. Today, Susan G. Komen is the boldest community fueling the best science and making the biggest impact in the fight against breast cancer. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, we have invested almost $2 billion to fulfill our promise, working to end breast cancer in the U.S. and throughout the world through ground-breaking research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 50 countries.
We all want beautiful lawns and properties so our mothers, sisters, wives and girl friends can enjoy them and live long and healthy lives.

Shop & Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month: https://www.thebreastcancersite.com/store/bcs/site?origin=BCS_GOOGLE_ADGROUP-BID_OPT-GenericBreastCancer

Call Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance for all of your commercial landscaping needs.  Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Landscape Management Education

How important is the management of your commercial properties’ landscape?  To make sure your landscape is both healthy and beautiful do you need to further your education? 

As a commercial property owner or manager your plate is already very full.  At Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, we know that.  To do a great job of landscape management you need both a good education and years of experience.

Using the community college system it is possible to get a good basic understanding of landscape maintenance and management.  They even offer classes in the evening and on weekends to help working professionals, like yourself, attend classes in your off hours.

As a property manager you may even be able to get your employer to fund all or part of your educational expenses.

The Phoenix Metro area has many great community colleges that are scattered all over the valley to provide continuing educational opportunities in convenient and nearby locations.

Since you won’t be actually doing the work, make sure the classes are about landscape management and not landscaping, the actual doing part of the equation.

The Mesa Community College offers; the Urban Horticulture program prepares you for a career in wholesale or retail nurseries, landscape design and construction companies, or landscape management firms. You will also be prepared to work for a government agency involved with the technical phases of the urban horticulture industry.

Of course you know that time management is extremely important in today’s market place.  You could consider hiring a full time employee to manage your landscape for you.  If you budget is very tight you could also consider using Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance as a sub-contractor to take you landscape headache off your shoulders.  To us that sounds like a win – win proposition!!!

At Greens Keeper Landscape we want you to know how to take care of your property.  If you don’t want the headache of landscape maintenance we take care of your landscape for you.  To find out how we can help solve your landscape challenges just give us a call at 623-848-8277.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net