ABC Landscaping LLC

05/18/2022

A green and healthy lawn of grass is a great way to add beauty to any home. Especially here in the deserts of the Southwest. Because Phoenix experiences such drastic temperature changes as summer approaches, it is important to know what grass to use and when to plant it if you want to keep your lawn looking great year-round.

Each fall, many people here in the Phoenix area will plant rye grass to take the place of Bermuda grass. Bermuda grass tends to die as temperatures drop. Once winter is over, it’s important to know how and when to transition back to summer grass. This will keep your landscape looking great all summer long.

Here are a few tips on how you can successfully switch to summer grass
1. Keep an eye on the temperature. When you notice that nighttime temperatures begin to exceed 65 degrees on a regular basis, it’s a definite signal that it’s time to start the transition to summer grass. This typically happens in late April and early May.

2. Take the time to verticut or dethatch your Rye grass to allow the sunlight to get through to the Bermuda grass underneath.

3. Cut back on the amount of water you use. By cutting back to about 75% of what you would normally use for watering your lawn, you will help the Rye take a back seat and allow the Bermuda to grow.

4. You can help the water pe*****te even further by aerifying your lawn. This will ensure that the proper nutrients are reaching the summer grass while allowing more oxygen to reach the root zone. You can typically rent aerifying and verticutting equipment at local home supply stores.

5. Mow your lawn twice a week and lower your mower little by little so that grass doesn’t exceed ½ inch to ¾ inch. Be sure to use a rake to gather all grass clippings to prevent them from inhibiting the growth of the Bermuda underneath.

6. Use fertilizer and slowly build your watering schedule back up to what it was before. You’ll begin to see the Bermuda grass overtaking the Rye.

7. Watch for shady spots in your lawn. Rye tends to grow more aggressively in these shady areas and can block the sun from reaching the Bermuda grass.

Eventually, once the summer heat is in full effect, the Rye grass will die. However, if you haven’t take the right steps to transition to Bermuda grass, you may end up with a bunch of bare spots.

For help in transitioning to summer grass, call ABC Landscaping for a free estimate. You can rely on our extensive knowledge about landscaping in the Phoenix area to help your lawn look gorgeous all year round. Call us at 480-680-8587

04/22/2021

4 Landscaping Tips To Get Your Yard Summer Ready

I don’t know about you, but I always get excited around this time of year. It’s spring, and I really enjoy working in my yard and take pride if it actually turns out well in the summer. We just can’t help to think about getting our yards ready for a beautiful summer. With that in mind, here are four landscaping tips that you can do now to help prepare your yard to look amazing this summer.

LANDSCAPING TIP #1 – START PLANNING
Every year your yard can get a makeover by adding a few things: a shrub, garden or flowers, to help improve your landscaping. Now’s the time to check your yard and start planning where you want things to go. Decide where your yard gets the most sun and plan accordingly.

LANDSCAPING TIP #2 – SPRING CLEANING
If you have plant beds and gardens, you should use early spring to clean up leaves and dead debris to allow for new growth. If you have grass, it’s good to rake any dead grass and leaves. This will help you avoid any fungus and allow your grass to grow when it wakes up for the summer. If you have trees, early spring is good time to do any pruning.

LANDSCAPING TIP #3 – WAKE UP YOUR GRASS
After you rake your grass, it’s time to help it wake up. Early spring is the time for aerating, fertilizing and seeding which will yield the best landscaping results for your yard in the summer. You’ll probably see the signs of aerators or get the knocks on the door. Aerating helps loosen the dirt and will help new grass grow. A good fertilizer will give your grass the nutrients it needs. If you need to seed any areas of your yard, now’s the time to do that as well.

LANDSCAPING TIP # 4 – HAVE FUN PLANTING
After the planning, it’s time to start planting. We have several nurseries in the area to visit for expert advice on what plants grow well in Gilbert, AZ.. Get creative; have fun finding a landscape that fits your lifestyle.

12/05/2020

ACT NOW 15% OFF TREE TRIMMING AND 30% LAWNCARE SERVICE. COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL.

12/05/2020

11/01/2020

Arizona residents are lucky, unlike other parts of the country, you have a choice whether to keep your lawn green all year, or to let it go dormant. Most people do chose to keep it green. In addition to being more esthetically pleasing than a straw colored lawn, maintaining a healthy green lawn all year provides the added benefit of keeping w**ds from getting a foothold in your lawn.

It is important that you make the decision early on, so you can properly prepare your lawn for overseeding. At Goodman’s, we start the discussion with our customers in August, so that we can begin transitioning their lawns in September for installation in October. Waiting until your Bermuda lawn goes dormant naturally before overseeding is not a good idea. Good seed germination takes sun (warmth), adequate water and contact with soil. You want to make sure temperatures are still warm enough to help with germination. There is only a small window of opportunity each year when conditions are ideal, which is why it is so important to plan ahead. Late season installations should be avoided.

Winter Lawn Overseeding
Warm season grasses like Bermuda go dormant and turn blondish/brown when soil temperatures fall below 60 degrees farenheit. If you want your lawn to remain green you must overseed the Bermuda with our cooler season grass, Rye. Perennial Ryegrass is preferred to annual Ryegrass for winter because it’s blade is darker green, hardier, finer and easier to mow.

Do not overseed a Bermuda lawn unless it has been established for at least three months. Overseeding is also not recommended for St. Augustine lawns. If you have Zoysia, use half the recommended seeding rate. For shaded lawn areas overseeding with Fescue is recommended.

How To Install A Winter Lawn in Phoenix, Arizona
1) Stop fertilizing 4 to 6 weeks prior to overseeding your Bermuda lawn, and cut back on watering.

2) If needed, dethatch lawn lightly. Thatch is dead grass below the green part of the lawn and above the soil. Set the dethatcher blades to run at about 1/4” above the soil. DO NOT dig into the soil, you may damage the root structure of your Bermuda, and you DO want it to fill back in next year when the Rye dies. Remember to run the dethatcher in two directions.

3) Rake the removed thatch into piles and dispose of it.

4) The next step is scalping. This lowers the height of the Bermuda, making it easier for the Rye see to receive the sunlight/warmth it needs to germinate. If you are using a reel mower scalp to 1/4” to 1/2”. With a rotary mower 3/4” is acceptable.

5) Apply 10 to 15 lbs of seed per 1000 sq. ft. of lawn. Include a starter fertilizer with seed.

6) Rake or drag to ensure seed makes contact with soil.

7) Lightly cover seed with no more than 1/4” of w**d and salt free organic mulch. Keep seeds damp by watering 3 to 4 times per day with light 5 to 7 minute durations. You want to avoid seed becoming dry, or overly saturated.

8) After germination (7-10 days), reduce watering frequency as needed. This is dependent upon the type of sprinkler heads you have, temperature, wind, and rain, and may vary from once every two weeks to every other day. Only water enough to avoid wilt between watering.

9) When grass is 2” tall (about 2 weeks) mow for the first time. Do not remove more than 1/3 of the blade at each mowing and make sure your mower blades have been recently sharpened. Allow germinated grass to establish deeper roots before mowing on a lower setting.

10) Two weeks after planting, fertilize your lawn using a balance fertilizer. Fertilize monthly, or as needed after that.

11) Apply iron & calcium nitrate at least once before frost.

Call ABC landscaping
Keep your lawn looking beautiful year around. Let ABC Landscaping provide you with a quote on installing winter lawn in your front or backyard. Give us a call today at 480-430-0140 for a friendly estimate today.