Plant of the Week: Devil's Betelnut Box

Rafflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth. It has a very strong and horrible odour of decaying flesh, earning it the nickname "corpse flower". It is endemic to the rainforests of Sumatra and possibly Borneo. Although there are some plants with larger flowering organs like the titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) and talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera), those are technically clusters of many flowers.

Rafflesia arnoldii (Indonesian: padma raksasa), also called Kerubut (Devil's Betelnut Box) is one of the three national flowers in Indonesia, the other two being the white jasmine and moon orchid. It was officially recognized as a national "rare flower"

The first botanist to find a specimen of a Rafflesia was the French explorer Louis Auguste Deschamps (1765-1842). He was a member of a French scientific expedition to Asia and the Pacific. During the expedition he spent three years on Java, where in 1797 he collected a specimen of what is now known as R. patma. During the return voyage in 1798, his ship was taken by the British, with whom France was at war, and all his papers and notes were confiscated. They did not see the light of day until 1954 when they were rediscovered in the Natural History Museum, London.

The British botanist Joseph Arnold (1782-1818) and the statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (1781-1826, founder of modern Singapore) collected a specimen of another Rafflesia species found by a Malay servant in Sumatra in 1818. Arnold contracted a fever and died soon after the discovery. Lady Raffles, who had also been present when the specimen was collected, finished the colour drawing that Arnold had started of the plant, and it was sent to Joseph Banks, along with the preserved material. Banks passed all the materials on to Robert Brown (1773-1858) of the British Museum and Kew's resident botanical artist Franz Bauer (1758-1840).

William Jack (1795-1822), who was Arnold's successor in Sumatra, being aware that Deschamps, despite his loss of notes, could formally publish a name for the newly discovered genus at any moment, rushed to draft a description to ensure the credit went to a British botanist. This draft description was held in readiness, in case there was word that the French were about to publish, whilst waiting for the British Museum to produce a better-prepared version.

The generic name, Rafflesia (given in honour of Raffles), proposed by Brown (who had originally wanted to call it Arnoldii) after Joseph Arnold, was validated by S.F. Gray in his report of the June 1820 meeting of the Linnean Society of London, as published in the Annals of Philosophy in September that year. The species Rafflesia arnoldii was officially described for the first time in 1821 by Brown, so that Arnold was commemorated after all

The flower of Rafflesia arnoldii grows to a diameter of around 3 feet, but the greatest measurement from a reliable source is 3.4 feet for one at Palupah Nature Reserve near Bukittinggi, Sumatra measured by Prof. Syabuddin of Andalas University. R. arnoldi weighs up to 24 pounds. These flowers emerge from very large, cabbage-like, maroon or magenta buds typically about 12 inches wide, but the largest (and the largest flower bud ever recorded) found at Mount Sago, Sumatra in May 1956 was 17 inches in diameter. It lives as a parasite on several vines of the genus Tetrastigma , which grow only in primary (undisturbed) rainforests. Rafflesia lacks any observable leaves, stems or even roots, yet is still considered a vascular plant. Similar to fungi, individuals grow as thread-like strands of tissue completely embedded within and in intimate contact with surrounding host cells from which nutrients and water are obtained. This plant produces no leaves, stems or roots and does not have chlorophyll. It can only be seen when it is ready to reproduce. Perhaps the only part of Rafflesia that is identifiable as distinctly plant-like are the flowers; although, even these are unusual since they attain massive proportions, have a reddish-brown coloration and stink of rotting flesh. This scent attracts insects such as flies which then pollinate the rare plant. It is not to be confused with the titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum, which is also commonly referred to as the "corpse flower" because of its repulsive odor. 

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

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Fall Weed Control

Weed control is the botanical component of pest control, which attempts to stop weeds, especially noxious or injurious weeds, from competing with domesticated plants and livestock. Many strategies have been developed in order to contain these plants.

 The original strategy was manual removal including ploughing, which can cut the roots of weeds. More recent approaches include herbicides (chemical weed killers) and reducing stocks by burning and/or pulverizing seeds.

A plant is often termed a "weed" when it has one or more of the following characteristics:

Little or no recognized value (as in medicinal, material, nutritional or energy)

Rapid growth and/or ease of germination

Competitive with crops for space, light, water and nutrients

The definition of a weed is completely context-dependent. To one person, one plant may be a weed, and to another person it may be a desirable plant. In one place, a plant may be viewed as a weed, whereas in another place, the same plant may be desirable.

Weeds compete with productive crops or pasture, ultimately converting productive land into unusable scrub. Weeds can be poisonous, distasteful, produce burrs, thorns or otherwise interfere with the use and management of desirable plants by contaminating harvests or interfering with livestock.

Weeds compete with crops for space, nutrients, water and light. Smaller, slower growing seedlings are more susceptible than those that are larger and more vigorous. Onions are one of the most vulnerable, because they are slow to germinate and produce slender, upright stems. By contrast broad beans produce large seedlings and suffer far fewer effects other than during periods of water shortage at the crucial time when the pods are filling out. Transplanted crops raised in sterile soil or potting compost gain a head start over germinating weeds.

Weeds also vary in their competitive abilities and according to conditions and season. Tall-growing vigorous weeds such as fat hen (Chenopodium album) can have the most pronounced effects on adjacent crops, although seedlings of fat hen that appear in late summer produce only small plants. Chickweed (Stellaria media), a low growing plant, can happily co-exist with a tall crop during the summer, but plants that have overwintered will grow rapidly in early spring and may swamp crops such as onions or spring greens.

The presence of weeds does not necessarily mean that they are damaging a crop, especially during the early growth stages when both weeds and crops can grow without interference. However, as growth proceeds they each begin to require greater amounts of water and nutrients. Estimates suggest that weed and crop can co-exist harmoniously for around three weeks before competition becomes significant. One study found that after competition had started, the final yield of onion bulbs was reduced at almost 4% per day.[1]

Weeds can also host pests and diseases that can spread to cultivated crops. Charlock and Shepherd's purse may carry clubroot, eelworm can be harboured by chickweed, fat hen and shepherd's purse, while the cucumber mosaic virus, which can devastate the cucurbit family, is carried by a range of different weeds including chickweed and groundsel.

Insect pests often do not attack weeds. However pests such as cutworms may first attack weeds then move on to cultivated crops.

Some plants are considered weeds by some farmers and crops by others. Charlock, a common weed in the southeastern US, are weeds according to row crop growers, but are valued by beekeepers, who seek out places where it blooms all winter, thus providing pollen for honeybees and other pollinators. Its bloom resists all but a very hard freeze, and recovers once the freeze ends.

In domestic gardens, methods of weed control include covering an area of ground with a material that creates a hostile environment for weed growth, known as a weed mat.

Several layers of wet newspaper prevent light from reaching plants beneath, which kills them. Daily saturating the newspaper with water plant decomposition. After several weeks, all germinating weed seeds are dead.

In the case of black plastic, the greenhouse effect kills the plants. Although the black plastic sheet is effective at preventing weeds that it covers, it is difficult to achieve complete coverage. Eradicating persistent perennials may require the sheets to be left in place for at least two seasons.

Some plants are said to produce root exudates that suppress herbaceous weeds. Tagetes minuta is claimed to be effective against couch and ground elder,[3] whilst a border of comfrey is also said to act as a barrier against the invasion of some weeds including couch. A 5–10 centimetres (2.0–3.9 in)} layer of wood chip mulch prevents most weeds from sprouting.

Gravel can serve as an inorganic mulch.

Irrigation is sometimes used as a weed control measure such as in the case of paddy fields to kill any plant other than the water-tolerant rice crop.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

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Choose Your Commercial Property Care Carefully

Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC. is a service oriented family owned business specializing in commercial landscape maintenance in the Phoenix Metro area.

Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance has been maintaining commercial properties in the Valley of the Sun, here in Arizona, to the highest level. We have many years of experience here in the valley caring for plants in our desert climate and in commercial property landscapes.  

We are always a reliable source for all of your property maintenance needs. We employ a well educated, fully trained and experienced staff who can attend to all of your needs in a knowledgeable and professional manner. 

Our services include all facets of Property Management. We cover property maintenance to customized lawn treatment programs, tree & shrub diagnostics and care, annual color programs, enhancements, Irrigation System management, We can help with your Holiday and Event Decorating. Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance has a full time staff to fulfill any and all of your needs twelve  months a year! 

We are certified, licensed and insured to meet all local requirements and regulations. Contact our award winning company to schedule a commercial property consultation today. 

We will design and develop a custom program for your specific property and budget needs. You can be on your way to improving your property’s appearance and value with our guidance and expertise.

Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC, features first class customer service, providing unmatched value, superior products, our extensive local experience and unquestionable reliability.

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, are included in our everyday service.

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.

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Famous City Parks: Bukit Timah Nature Preserve, Singapore

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a small 400 acre nature reserve near the geographic centre of the city-state of Singapore, located on the slopes of Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore's highest hill standing at a height of 500 feet, and parts of the surrounding area. The nature reserve is about 9 miles from the Downtown Core, Singapore's central business district.

Despite its small size, it is considered one of the most productive pieces of nature. Alfred Russel Wallace also thought highly of the place. Together with the neighbouring Central Catchment Nature Reserve, it houses over 840 species of flowering plants and over 500 species of fauna. Today, it is one of the largest patches of primary rainforest left in Singapore. The forest reserve was formally declared as an ASEAN Heritage Park on 18 October 2011.

The name Bukit Timah is borrowed from the tallest hill found in the area of the same name, which is also the tallest geographical location in all of Singapore. Bukit means hill in the Malay language, while Timah means tin, although tin deposits are not found in the area. The hill served as a granite quarry for many years, but since the mid-1900s, all operations of which has since been abandoned and converted into recreational areas and even filming locations.

In 1882, Nathaniel Cantley, then Superintendent of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, was commissioned by the Government of the Straits Settlements to prepare a report on the forests of the settlements. On Cantley's recommendation, several forest reserves were created on Singapore island over the next few years. Bukit Timah was one of the first forest reserves established in 1883.

All the reserves were worked for timber with the exception of Bukit Timah Reserve. By 1937, the forest reserves were depleted under economic pressures for development. However, three areas, including the Bukit Timah Reserve, were retained for the protection of flora and fauna under the management of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

In 1951, further protection of the reserves were provided by the enactment of a Nature Reserves Ordinance and the establishment of a Nature Reserves Board for the administration of the reserves, now designated as nature reserves, which total some 11 square miles in area.

Today, the nature reserves are set aside for the propagation, protection and preservation of the indigenous flora and fauna of Singapore under the National Parks Act and are managed by the National Parks Board.

The primary activities at Bukit Timah are strolling, running and hiking. There are also smaller groups of people who rock-climb and abseil at the Dairy Farm quarry as well as mountain biking. There are specially-allocated mountain-bike trails around the area and Bukit Timah Mountain Bike (MTB) Trail  is located within the Reserve. The 6.5 KM MTB trail loop around Bukit Timah Hill and stretched between Hinhinde Park and Dairy Farm Road. The trail represent a tropical rocky terrain with extended technical climbs and difficult descent at short intervals. For MTB Map trail rating, it is largely made up of black diamond sections with intermittent blue square sections. There are also short alternative double black diamond sections.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want commercial desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

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Plant of the Week: Baseball Plant Euphorbia obesa

Euphorbia obesa is a subtropical succulent species of Euphorbia genus. It comes from South Africa, especially in the Cape Province. In the wild, it is endangered because of over-collection and poaching, because of its slow growth, and the fact that the pod contains only 2 to 3 seeds. However, it is widely cultivated in botanical gardens.

Euphorbia obesa resembles a ball, thornless and decorative. It is commonly known as 'baseball plant' due to its shape. Its diameter is between 2.4 and 7 inches depending on its age. Young Euphorbia obesas are spherical, but become cylindrical with age. They contain water reservoirs for periods of drought. It almost always shows 8 ridges adorned with small deep gibbosity regularly planted on the edges. It is green with horizontal lighter or darker stripes. In the wild, and with exposure to direct sunlight, it shows red and purple areas.

The plant is dioecious, which means that a subject has only male or female flowers. The small flowers are insignificant in apex. In fact, like all Euphorbia, flowers are called cyathia. As in all Euphorbia species, the latex is toxic. Living in similar conditions on two different continents, Euphorbia obesa presents a form of convergence with Astrophytum asterias which is a cactus from Mexico.

This species is indigenous to a small range in the arid Karoo region of South Africa. This is a region of summer rainfall. The genus can be found all over the world.[3] The forms range from annual plants laying on the ground, to well-developed tall trees.[3] In deserts in Madagascar and southern Africa, convergent evolution has led to cactus-like forms where the plants occupy the same ecological niche as cacti do in deserts of North and South America.[3] The genus is primarily found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and the Americas, but also in temperate zones worldwide.[citation needed] Succulent species originate mostly from Africa, the Americas, and Madagascar.[citation needed] A wide range[citation needed] of insular species can be found.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. 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

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How to Identify Common Weeds On Your Commercial Property

What familiar weeds reveal about your lawn’s growing conditions and how you can control them. Lawn weeds are the No. 1 thing that’s not on any property owner’s wish list. No one wants to endure the battle of the annual bluegrass or the invasion of creeping Charlie. Weeds find their way onto your property through many means. Wind, birds, mowing and even foot traffic can ferry weed seeds. The soil itself contains weed seeds, many of which remain viable for over 50 years. The question isn’t if you’ll have weeds to deal with, but rather when weeds will appear.

Dandelion

Dandelion is a familiar face in spring and fall lawns. These perennial weeds grow long taproots. The best control is to dig them by hand, but be sure to get at least 2 inches of the taproot, or the root will resprout, yielding two plants. A thick, healthy lawn is your best defense against this weed’s wind-borne seeds taking root. Spot-spray dandelions with a post-emergence herbicide that doesn’t kill grass. Treating mature plants in fall sends herbicide directly to roots. If you can’t treat plants, at least gather blooms before they set seed.

Crabgrass

Crabgrass gets it name from the leaves, which form a tight, crab-like circle. This annual weed tends to appear in weak or bare areas of a lawn. Both over and under watering favor its growth, as does consistently mowing the lawn too short. Treat crabgrass in spring with a pre-emergence herbicide to keep seeds from sprouting. Timing is tricky. In regions with forsythia, aim to get the herbicide down as forsythia starts to bloom. Check with your local extension office or a reputable garden center to fine-tune timing in your region.

Ground Ivy

Ground ivy, also known as creeping Charlie, prefers shady, moist areas of a lawn with low fertility, but also grows in sunny areas. Stems spread over the ground like ivy, rooting at leaf nodes (where leaves attach to the stem). This aggressive perennial weed is tough to beat. Use a post-emergent herbicide to spray plants. Follow package directions carefully for treating creeping Charlie. Be sure to apply subsequent applications as required. When you kill off creeping Charlie, establish grass quickly to prevent the weed from returning.

Chickweed

Chickweed is an annual weed that prefers shady, moist soil with higher fertility, although its seeds will sprout in dry soil. Typically, chickweed appears in lawns that are thin and experience poor drainage. The easiest way to control chickweed is to pull individual plants. If you know you have a heavy infestation, you can use a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring and fall to prevent seeds from germinating. Another trick to kill chickweed is to step on stems to crush them slightly, and then sprinkle some lawn fertilizer over the broken plants. The nitrogen kills the plants. Nearby grass tips may show signs of fertilizer burn, but they’ll recover.

Prickly Lettuce

Prickly lettuce is an annual weed that thrives in cool seasons of the year. It’s a winter weed in southern regions. Plants typically appear in disturbed soil, but they’ll also invade thin lawns with irrigated, nutrient-rich soil. Leaves have prickles along their undersides, and plants can be uncomfortable for bare feet. Prickly lettuce spreads by wind-borne seeds, much like a dandelion. Long tap roots make hand-pulling a challenge. Spot spray individual plants using a post-emergent broadleaf herbicide. Seedlings die quickly from herbicide applications. A healthy, well-maintained lawn is the best defense against prickly lettuce.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want commercial desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. 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

We Are Looking For New Customers

We want to make sure you know that we are welcoming new customers.  Do you have a commercial property that you would like to see if we can add to our regularly scheduled landscape maintenance?

We would like the opportunity to bid for your business. Let us know if you would a new competitive offer for your property maintenance please give us a call and let us show you all the ways we can help you save.

We are a service oriented family owned business specializing in commercial landscape maintenance, providing high quality care based on open communication, and the highest quality service.

We offer a full range of options for our customers by tailoring a maintenance program to the specific individual needs of each property, and budget. We will strive to keep your landscape safe and beautiful, while at the same time keeping your costs as low as possible.

We meet or exceed the highest insurance standards, with $2000000 business liability, $1000000 commercial auto, and $1000000 workman's comp. We list all our customers as additional insured at no extra charge upon request.

Our vehicles are clearly marked and our employees are in uniform for easy identification. All our employees are verified through the I-9 verification system and have successfully passed background checks.

Keep in mind that Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277 We serve businesses like yours throughout the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
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Do You Property Need Some Cleaning and TLC?

The dictionary tells us that the noun junk means; 

1. any old or discarded material, as metal, paper, or rags. 

2. anything that is regarded as worthless, meaningless, or contemptible; trash. 

3. old cable or cordage used when untwisted for making gaskets, swabs, oakum, etc. 


Some times Junk is not another man’s treasure, it is just plain-old, ordinary, everyday junk.  

We aren’t sure how it happens.  Slowly but surely “STUFF” just seems to accumulate.  One theory is that “junk” results from the missing socks from wash machines all over and must somehow turn into the junk that accumulates in nooks and crannies everywhere.  I’m not sure that there is a sound scientific theory to support that but it does brighten my day.

At Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance we are ready to haul away all the blight that is cluttering your property.

While Junk Removal can be related to storm damage, it can also be just what you need removed from your property, commercial or otherwise.

If you have anything on your property that needs removal please take the time to give us a call at 623-848-8277 so we can help.

We look forward to helping you make your property more beautiful and valuable by clearing away any Junk.  No job is too little or too big.  We remove your junk one item at a time until it is all gone.  We will remove your headaches from commercial property, rentals, homes, garages, estates or storage facilities.

No time; we can help.  Job too big for you; we can help.  Gives us a quick call so we can help solve your problems.

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Keep Your Commercial Property Grass Hydrated The High Tech Way

The perfect landscaping isn't just about the great outdoors and the natural beauty of plants. There is a whole lot of hard work and precision that goes into the perfectly planted places. and some of that perfection comes with having the right technology on your side.

You know the importance of an irrigation system, might be one of the most important parts to your landscaping technology, but there is Tech support that will make your irrigation state of the art.

Soil Moisture Sensors
Simple to use, yet highly sophisticated in what it does for water savings, the Soil Moisture Sensor represents a new class of smart control technology. This affordable device precisely monitors moisture levels in absolute – rather than relative – terms. shop around, some devices are affected by soil temperature or electrical conductivity that limit the accuracy of the sensors.

Relaying that information back to the controller, it only allows a watering cycle when the root zone moisture drops below the set threshold. Based on the same TDT* sensing technology developed for agricultural applications, the soil moisture sensor’s long-lasting dependability addresses the environmental demands of both residential and commercial applications.

Water Savings Of 40% Or More
By optimizing the amount of moisture at the root zone, a moisture sensor conserves enough water in many applications to pay for itself in less than a year. Avoiding the tendency to overwater, you will enjoy a healthier, lush landscape that is less prone to fungus and shallow root growth.

The device eliminates needless watering and lets the soil say when watering is appropriate. Adding a soil moisture sensor allows you to meet many rigid water conservation guidelines that call for “smart” watering devices.

Advanced Soil Moisture Sensing Technology
Checking soil conditions as often as every 10 minutes, these devices can display not only moisture content, but also electrical conductivity and temperature of the soil, all at the touch of a button. Some device also provides watering history for the last 7 irrigation cycles.

With soil moisture sensing, you no longer need to be concerned with adjusting the controller. Just program the controller one time to water every day that irrigation is allowed – the soil moisture sensor will do the rest.

Keep in mind that Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277 We serve businesses like yours throughout the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
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Famous Parks Tijuca National Park Rio de Janeiro Brazil

The Tijuca Forest (Portuguese: Floresta da Tijuca) is a tropical rainforest in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is claimed to be the world's largest urban forest, covering some 12.4 square miles, although there are sources assigning this title to the urban forest of Johannesburg, South Africa, where between 6 and 9.5 million trees were planted. Similar to Rio de Janeiro's Tijuca Forest, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Singapore Botanic Gardens (established in 1859) is another renowned garden with a tropical rainforest within its city limits.

The forest shares its name with bairros or neighborhoods of Tijuca and Barra da Tijuca that contain its entrances. It is located in a mountainous region, which encompasses the Tijuca Massif. The word Tijuca from the Tupi language means marsh, and is a reference to the Tijuca Lagoon in the contemporary Barra da Tijuca. The forest forms a natural boundary that separates the West Zone of the city from the South, Central, and North ones, and the North Zone from the South one.
History

The Tijuca Forest is a man-made reclamation of land around Rio de Janeiro that had previously been cleared and developed to grow sugar and coffee. Replanting was carried out by Major Manuel Gomes Archer in the second half of the 19th century in a successful effort to protect Rio's water supply. This followed concerns made by the Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro II in 1861 about erosion and deforestation caused by intensive farming, as declining levels of rainfall had already begun impacting on the supply of drinking water.

In 1961, Tijuca Forest was declared a National Park. The Forest contains a number of attractions, most notably the colossal sculpture of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain. Other attractions include the Cascatinha Waterfall; the Mayrink Chapel, with murals painted by Cândido Portinari; the light pagoda-style gazebo at Vista Chinesa outlook; and the giant granite picnic table called the Mesa do Imperador. Among its impressive peaks is the Stone of Gávea.
Ecology

The Tijuca Forest is home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife, many threatened by extinction, and found only in the Atlantic Rainforest (Mata Atlântica in Portuguese). The vegetation is so dense that scientists have estimated that ambient temperatures in surrounding areas have been lowered by up to 20 °F. The forest also contains some 30 waterfalls.

One favela exists in the Tijuca Forest. Its inhabitants are mainly the descendants of those who migrated to the region in the 1930s to take part in the replanting effort. Though conditions have improved recently under the Favela-Bairro Project, Mata Machado still contributes to environmental degradation in the forest.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want commercial desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. 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
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Plant of the Week: Long Lived Welwitschia Plant

It's not pretty to look at, but Namibia's plant Welwitschia Mirabilis can truly claim to be one of a kind. There really is nothing like it. Welwitschia plant consists of only two leaves and a sturdy stem with roots. That's all! Two leaves continue to grow until they resemble the shaggy mane of some sci-fi alien. The stem thickens, rather than gains in height, and can grow to be almost 6 feet high and 24 feet wide. Their estimated lifespan is 400 to 1,500 years. It can survive up to five years with no rain. The plant is said to be very tasty either raw or baked in hot ashes, and this is how it got its other name, Onyanga, which means onion of the desert.

Welwitschia is named after the Slovenian botanist and doctor Friedrich Welwitsch who discovered the plant in 1859 in present-day Angola. Welwitsch was so overwhelmed by the plant that he, "could do nothing but kneel down and gaze at it, half in fear lest a touch should prove it a figment of the imagination." Joseph Dalton Hooker of the Linnean Society of London, using Welwitsch's description and collected material along with material from the artist Thomas Baines who had independently discovered the plant in Namibia, described the species.

Welwitsch proposed calling the genus Tumboa after what he believed to be the local name, tumbo. Hooker asked Welwitsch for permission to name the genus Welwitschia instead. Welwitsch concurred and supplied some well-preserved material from which Hooker was able to make substantial progress in determining its botanical affinities. The taxonomy of Welwitschia subsequently changed intermittently with the development of new classification, however, its current taxonomic status is essentially the same as Hooker's placement.

Most botanists have treated Welwitschia as a distinct monotypic genus in a monotypic family or even order. Most recent systems place Welwitschia mirabilis in its own family Welwitschiaceae in the gymnosperm order Gnetales.

After germination, the seedling produces two cotyledons which grow to 2 inches in length, and possess reticulate venation. Subsequently, two foliage leaves are produced at the edge of a woody bilobed crown. The permanent leaves are opposite (at right angles to the cotyledons), amphistomatic (producing stomata on both sides of the leaf), parallel-veined and ribbon-shaped. Shortly after the appearance of the foliage leaves, the apical meristem dies and meristematic activity is transferred to the periphery of the crown.

The two foliage leaves consequently grow continuously from a basal meristem reaching lengths up to 12 feet. The tips of the leaves split and fray into several well-separated strap-shaped sections by the distortions of the woody portions surrounding the apical slit, and also by wind and adventitious external injuries. The largest specimens may be no more than 4.5 feet tall above ground, but the circumference of the leaves at contact with the sand may exceed 24 feet

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want commercial desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. 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

How Is Your Weed Control Working?

Ugh, Weeds! How To Control Them.

Weeds Defined

First a weed is any plant growing where it is not wanted. Lawn weeds belong to one of three categories: broadleaf, grassy, or grass-like. A typical broadleaf weed is a dandelion. Crabgrass is in the grassy weed category, while nutsedge would be classified as a grass-like weed.

They're the scourge of homeowners everywhere: those dandelions, crabgrass, and clumps of clover that appear out of nowhere. It's not fair, after all the work you put into your lawn. Fortunately, there are several simple steps you can take to take care of weeds in your yard.

Prevention and Maintenance

How To Help A Lawn That's Full Of Weeds

When it almost seems as though you have more broadleaf weeds than grass in your yard, you can still get the lawn you want. For best results, try a weed & feed product that feeds and controls weeds at the same time, like Scotts® Turf Builder® Weed & Feed.

How To Help A Lawn With A Few Weeds

When you see a broadleaf weed here and there, it's tempting just to pull them out by hand. Trouble is, the roots often break, and the parts that remain sprout new weeds. You're better off using a product like Scotts® Touch Up® Weed Control for Your Lawn or check out the line of weed control products from Ortho. A weed control product labeled safe for lawns will target weeds and leave the lawn unharmed when used as directed.

Spring Weed Prevention

Annual grassy weeds, like crabgrass, can be prevented in the spring so they don't become a problem in the summer. Applying a pre-emergent weed killer, like Scotts® Turf Builder® Halts® Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food or Scotts® Halts® Crabgrass & Grassy Weed Preventer in the spring, stops the weed seeds before they germinate.

Proper Lawn Care Is The Best Medicine

When your lawn is stressed, it's ripe for takeover by weeds. A few simple steps can protect it.

Deep Watering: Watering deeply and infrequently helps your lawn compete by encouraging deeper root growth.

   

Set your lawn mower higher: Mowing at the proper height, usually one of the 2 highest setting on your mower, helps the grass grow thick to shade weed seeds, so it's harder for them to grow.

   

Proper Feeding: Feeding at regularly, like every 6-8 weeks during the growing season with Scotts® Turf Builder® Lawn Food, helps your lawn thicken up and fill in bare spots, making them less welcoming to weeds

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. 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

Are You Happy With Your Landscape Maintenance Company?

We want to make sure you know that we are welcoming new customers.  Do you have a commercial property that you would like to see if we can add to our regularly scheduled landscape maintenance?

We would like the opportunity to bid for your business. Let us know if you would a new and competitive offer for your property maintenance. Please give us a call and let us show you all the ways we can help you save.

We are a service oriented family owned business specializing in commercial landscape maintenance, providing high quality care based on open communication, and the highest quality service.

We offer a full range of options for our customers by tailoring a maintenance program to the specific individual needs of each property, and budget. We will strive to keep your landscape beautiful and safe, while at the same time keeping your costs as affordable 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. We list all our customers as additional insured at no extra charge upon request.

Our vehicles are clearly marked and our employees are in uniform for easy identification. All our employees are verified through the I-9 verification system and have successfully passed background checks.

Keep in mind that Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277 We serve businesses like yours throughout the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

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

Tips For Summer Commercial Lawn Care

Summer heat is hard on your turf, especially if your lawn care program falls short.

 If you mow too low, water too much or too little, or ignore early signs of pests, your grass could quickly become lackluster or even completely die in small or large patches. 

Keep your lawn looking its best all summer long by mastering these following tips.


1. Water Wisely
For the healthiest grass, water your lawn deeply and infrequently. Check with your local water authority or Cooperative Extension office for recommended irrigation schedules. Discover tips on how much water a lawn needs. Learn the basics of lawn watering.

2. Mow At The Right Height
In summer, adjust your mower height to leave grass taller. Taller grass shades soil, which reduces water evaporation, leads to deeper roots and prevents weed seeds from germinating. Ideal mowing height varies with grass type. Time mowings so you’re never removing more than one-third of the leaf surface at a time.

3. Treat For Grubs
Japanese beetles, June bugs (beetles) and European chafers lay eggs in grass in early to midsummer. Eggs hatch into grubs in mid- to late summer. Timing varies by beetle and region. Check with your local Cooperative Extension office to determine the best time to put down grub control.

4. Sharpen Your Mower Blade
A dull mower blade tears grass, creating ragged, brown edges that provide an opening for disease organisms. Sharpen your mower blade regularly. The rule of thumb is that a sharp blade lasts for 10 hours of mowing. Consider purchasing a second blade so you’ll always have a sharp blade at the ready.

5. Let Small Clippings Lie
If you’re mowing grass at the right height, you can let clippings lie on the lawn. This practice is called grasscycling and saves you time, money and fertilizer.

6. Fertilize
Warm-season turf grows strongly during summer and needs nutrients. Check with your local cooperative extension office to learn fertilizer schedules for your region. Do not fertilize cool-season lawns during summer. Wait until fall or early spring.

7. Pick Up Litter
Summer activities can result in toys, water games, lawn chairs or tools being left on turf. Avoid harming – or even killing – turf crowns by putting away gear after use.

No matter what you call it, you don’t need to worry about your lawn maintenance. It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. 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