Maintaining your landscape investment is essential, and best performed when done by professionals on a monthly basis who focus on the right seasonal care. Anyone who has gone through the process of having a new landscape project designed and installed for their home or business understands the level of investment that’s put into this essential area of property beautification.
In order for this investment to pay off and perform long term, there are many requirements for newly installed plants and other flora to thrive which must be tended to during the first year after being installed.
Peer Landscaping is Southwest Florida’s leader in landscape design, installation and maintenance, and we’re proud to be the trusted partner of many people in Lee and Collier Counties. We’re based right here in Fort Myers and as Florida natives, we can provide our customers with the personal touch and local knowledge to make their property look great in any season. Using years of local expertise and state of the art technology, we design landscapes for maximum comfort, environmental capability and curb appeal. While we have a division which focuses on designing and installation of brand new landscaping projects for properties of any size, we also offer regular maintenance services for businesses and individuals across the SWFL area.
Maintenance for a New Installation
When it comes to a newly landscaped space, there are many things to watch out for, take care of and plan for during its first year after being installed. In this article, we’ll touch on a few key areas to be aware of following the installation of any landscaped space.
The first year is critical for new plants. They require much more attention throughout year one because they are new to the environment and they have to establish themselves in the space. Whether we’ve planted a tiny seedling or a grown tree, they still must establish a root system in their new surroundings, so they need more attention immediately following their installation.
When we install a new landscape, you can be assured we have installed plants which are appropriate for the local climate, but even the perfect trees can falter without frequent watering after they are installed. When it comes to new trees or shrubs, watering is the first thing to keep in mind. Regular watering can ensure the new plant has the ability to thrive, but most people just take a guess at how much and how often to water their new plants, which can be detrimental to their growth.
For a newly planted tree or shrub, it’s important to water daily for the first two weeks to one month of the plant’s life. Since it’s new to the area, keeping it watered daily will give it the best chance to take root. How much water depends on the size of the tree, the more established the plant is, the more water it will need to thrive. We can provide specific guidance for that.
As the plant begins to take root, watering can be spread out more. During the second and third month, you will water every two or three days, eventually moving to weekly waterings until the new plant has well-established root systems.
Another area to consider is the mulch around the plants. We always leave some space around the base to allow for watering. As the plant becomes more established, mulch can be filled in to protect the root system. Mulch is important for protecting your new plant’s roots from drying out and roasting in our hot Florida sun.
It may be tempting to prune your trees during year one, but it’s usually better to let them grow for at least a year before trimming. Trimming too early can hinder growth and lead to an unbalanced final product.
Certain plants also thrive when fertilized after being planted. While this isn’t something you will likely continue for the life of the tree, it can be beneficial in the short term. Our landscape experts will help you determine which parts of your landscape need fertilizer, and when. Fertilizing only during the months that are allowed by your municipality is important for our ecosystem.
As you can see, there are many steps to take to ensure your landscape project thrives during its first year and beyond, but the main thing is to make sure you keep an eye on your yard and consult us as your landscape partner when needed.
Seasonally Appropriate Maintenance
After the first year, you will likely find that without regular, and seasonally-appropriate, landscape management, the flora will struggle and your property will not thrive.Every landscape layout we deal with is different and has its own unique challenges, and our team has the know-how to care for any property. When creating a new landscape maintenance plan, we create action items to be performed monthly which vary each month based on the time of year and the tasks which are needed for the season.
While each month will include some constant items like trimming shrubs, checking plants for fungus or insects, and general property care, a professional knows when to prune, fertilize and plant new flora to maximize the health and appearance of the space.
There are some obvious benefits from working with a landscape professional like us for monthly maintenance, the clearest being time saved. But letting us take care of your landscape maintenance needs also keeps you out of the Florida heat and weather, and that’s also important for your health.
Not only does working with an expert keep you from performing the physical activity which accompanies landscape management, it saves you from having to learn about the local environment, which plants are in your space, when is best to care for them, etc. Instead our clients leave the labor and expertise to us and the result is a great looking yard all year long.
Another, not as obvious benefit, is cost savings. You might be thinking this is backwards, if you’re paying someone else, how can you save money? But after surveying our clients and comparing their previous expenditures for landscape management to their invoices from us, they actually spend much less by letting us care for their landscape.
Because we have the right equipment and experience, we can work quickly and efficiently and keep your costs down while making your space look great.
Why Our Pruning Service is Essential for Proper Growth
About a year after we’ve installed your new landscape, comes the time for maintaining it, so it continues to provide beauty for you every day. Even if you’re new to gardening, you probably are aware of the need for pruning of shrubs, plants and trees.
In our subtropical environment, pruning is imperative to keep your garden from starting to look like a jungle. But it’s also important to prune trees, plants and shrubs properly. Improper pruning can cause your landscape to die off too quickly.
Peer Landscaping has been serving the landscape needs of Southwest Florida for years by providing state of the art landscape design, professional installation services and landscape maintenance using our local expertise to help any space thrive.
In today’s article, we’ll discuss the reasons why pruning your plants is essential and a few benefits you can expect to see when your plants are pruned correctly using our garden service.
We’ll start out by saying it’s usually not necessary, or healthy, to prune a plant or tree during its first year after being installed. Most plants require this time to become established and develop their root system, but after the one year mark it becomes necessary to regularly prune your plants.
Pruning stems is essential for plant growth, and the plant’s overall health. Stems on a plant which have stopped producing new growth are an unproductive drain on resources. The plant will continue sending water and nutrients to these areas, but since they have ended their lifecycle, they are only serving to drain the overall resources of the rest of the plant. This is why it’s so important to “deadhead” flowers. Deadhead is simply another term for pruning off the dead and dying flowers from a plant so it produces more.
It’s always a good idea to remove any stems which show no signs of life. Our experts will remove these stems just above the last sign of life. When this happens, the plant’s biology signals to start producing new growth. When done for the entire plant, this ensures all the energy is being put toward growing and producing parts.
While you’ll notice the above-ground improvement in the quality of your new stems, there is also improvement which happens to a plant’s root system when it is pruned. The other part of the biological equation with the new stem growth is stronger and deeper root development. When the plant is pruned, it sends a “stress” signal to the root system, which responds by kicking its growth into overdrive. The result of these two processes together is typically a healthier and stronger plant because of the pruning.
In addition to ensuring the health of the plant, pruning is usually essential to preserve the appearance of the space and the curb appeal of your property. No one wants unshapely or half-dead plants in their garden, yard or commercial space, and pruning can ensure everything looks neat and tidy.
When you sign up for our gardening service, our landscape experts come out to your house on a regular basis to look over your garden, and prune it for maximum growth and beauty. You will soon notice how much better your trees, plants and shrubs do when they are pruned regularly.
If you have more questions about our gardening service, or have a need for a new or existing landscaping project, please contact us today and we will be happy to help!
Regular, planned and prudent landscape management during the first year after installation is vital for longevity and a successful finished product.