Pipe cracking cold
On December 28th we woke up to the upper teens in our area. I literally heard PVC pipes cracking in the nursery. That sound is expensive and especially if the back-flow is involved. The lease little bit of water left still in the line will expand upon freezing and crack brittle pipes. Be sure to leave your outside faucets dripping if we are going to be below freezing for more than four hours. If you find you’re going to be out of town and you are a Dickerson Landscaping client, call us in advance and we will schedule someone to do it for you.
Save money in less time
Your irrigation system may be running too much. Your lawn still needs water during the winter months but not as much as it does in Summer, so scale back the number of days it runs from November to April 1st. Set it to come on for once a week at most. Your lawn can get by on about half an inch a week now. This tip will save you water and electricity. If you need to schedule an irrigation optimization audit give us a call. For Veranda and Southern clients this is free, for Hammock clients this is around $85, and for non Dickerson Lawn care clients it is $135.
Ever wanted a fruit tree?
Do you know when is the best time to plant fruit trees? Now!…During the winter the sugars in the trees are dormant and drawn back into the trunk, making it the optimum time to plant deciduous trees; so now until March is the best time. In addition to this being the best time to plant fruit trees we have been doing research in edible landscaping. As a result we have come up with a list
of several fruits trees that grow and produce fruit in our area. Growers have achieved this by graphing production buds to stock that will grow in warmer climates.
These trees are: Chestnuts and Pecans; Kaki Persimmons, Fuyu, Homestead, and Jiro; Apples: Dorsett and Anna; Peaches: Florida Crest, Florida King, and a dwarf variety called Zorrito; Plums: Gulf Coast and Gulf Ruby; Pears and Nectarines. So quite a list to chose from and if you’re looking for a nice midsize shade tree that can add attractive accent to your property and provide a tasty treat.
Pruning time
Time to prune your Crape myrtles, if you so desired. Thanks to David Marshal and the research done by Gary Knox; more and more people don’t really see the benefit to pruning Crape Myrtles back so drastically. There is very little to support this annual event. Here are a few reasons to prune your Crape Myrtles but not to the point of making it Crape Murder
- To get our any dead or damaged wood
- To keep the tree in scale with the surrounding landscape
- To keep it from rubbing against the side of your house
- To keep branches from blocking and interfering with security lights
- To free up walkways so your guests don’t have to duck on the way to the front door.
If you want to have this done please call and we will get it scheduled.