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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Big winter storms hit ArizonaAfter very little rain this past summer it looks as though we are going to get it all back at once!
The rain started coming down on Tuesday, 1/19/2010 in the afternoon & continued throughout the evening.
Today
we are drying out a bit but the next storm is lining up in California & is expected to produce heavy rain in Arizona
on Thursday & Friday.
It doesn't rain a lot here but as they say..."when it rains it pours".
9:27 am mst
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Overseeding your Lawn for winterOctober is the month to convert your lawn to rye grass here in the valley. Once night temperatures
hit 65 degrees at night, Bermuda & Hybrid Bermuda (Tiff) grass begin to slow down. There is a small window of opportunity
to get your winter lawn established. Once it gets to cold, Rye-grass seed is slow to germinate if at all. The seed doe's germinate
quickly when temperatures are in the 80's. So once October is gone so is your opportunity to establish a winter lawn. I like
to over-seed within the first two weeks of October,
This is when you want to scalp &
verticut your lawn.
Verticutting removes the built up thatch that accumlates through out the summer. You can rent a verticutter
or you can buy a
de-thatching blade that attaches to your lawnmower.
Once you have detached your lawn you can then
sow your winter grass seed. For perennial Rye grass spread rates vary so read the label on the bag. It is important
to make sure that your grass seed makes good soil contact so that it can germinate. Germination usually takes 5 to 10 days.
Water your new seed up to 5 times per day. You want to keep your soil moist at all times, you do not want it to dry
out in between waterings. Your new lawn should be pretty well established in 10 to 14 days. Cut the water back & begin
mowing weekly.
Grass seed comes in annual & perennial varieties. Annual is cheaper but steer clear of this
nasty grass. it grows to much & stains everything green! Perennial grass is much more like golf course grass. So in this
case it is best to spend the extra money for perennial grass seed. Expect to pay about $85.00 for 50 lbs or about 5,000 sq.ft.
Good luck & enjoy your winter lawn!
9:07 am mdt
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Experts wrong about 09 monsoon season!What happened to this years Monsoon season? I posted an article in a previous blog that quoted
experts predicting an active monsoon season. Though we did have a couple of storms, so far the 2009 monsoon season has been
relatively mild.
Some people are breathing a sigh of relief, although we really could use some more rain in the
valley. It makes it very hard on trees, shrubs & summer lawns when they are only receiving irrigation water.
Some of the larger landscape trees & shrubs rely on the supplemental rainfall they receive to help keep them lush. Particularly
the non native species.
So from a Landscapers perspective, I am doing the Rain dance!
Lets hope
for a wet fall & winter ****Only six more weeks of summer! This summer seems to be flying by!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Monnsoons are here!So the monsoon season has gotten off to a little bit later start this year. Only a couple of days after
the start of last years monsoon season on July 10th, 2008 we received our first batch of storms on July 12th & 13,
2009. Another big storm brought high winds, lightning & rain to most of the phoenix metro area the week of July 20th,
2009
August is usually a big month for some furious monsoon activity. August is also one of the wettest months
of the year in Arizona along with December.
I think the worst is yet to come in August so batten down the hatches
& make sure your storm drainage issues are taken care of.
As they say it doesn't rain much in arizona
but when it doe's it can reek havoc!
Here is the definition of Monsoon from Wikipedia:
The
English monsoon came from Portuguese monção, ultimately from Arabic mawsim (موسم
"season"), "perhaps partly via early modern Dutch monsun". The Arabic-origin word mausam
(मौसम, موسم) is also the word for "weather" in Hindi, Urdu, and
several other North Indian languages. The definition includes major wind systems that change direction seasonally.
- "Most
summer monsoons have a dominant westerly component and a strong tendency to ascend and produce copious amounts of rain (because
of the condensation of water vapor in the rising air). The intensity and duration, however, are not uniform from year to year.
Winter monsoons, by contrast, have a dominant easterly component and a strong tendency to diverge, subside, and cause drought.
12:43 pm mdt
Monday, June 15, 2009
Experts predict early, wet monsoon seasonAnother wet monsoon season may be coming to the Valley, according to weather experts. During a briefing on Thursday sponsored by the University of Arizona, climatologists said there are indications of
an early onset and high intensity to the summer's thunderstorms, at least early on. "We think
(the monsoon) will start strong and be strong into July," said Erik Pytlak, a meteorologist with the National Weather
Service in Tucson. Last year, these experts accurately predicted the coming monsoon would pack
stronger, more frequent thunderstorms in the state. Phoenix's official rainfall total for the
2008 monsoon season was 5.7 inches - more than double the average amount of 2.77 inches. And Mexico had its wettest June-through-September
stretch since at least 1941. A decade has passed since the Valley had consecutive summers with
above-average rainfall. The monsoon is the summer phenomenon of humid air flowing northward into
the Southwest. When the monsoon is in full force, muggy days can lead to stormy afternoons. These
summer thunderstorms are responsible for about one-third of the Valley's annual precipitation. Monsoon
season begins June 15 and lasts through September. The climatologists said they look for clues,
to divine the monsoon's arrival and strength, in such wide-ranging areas as drought conditions in Texas and thunderstorms
in Southeast Asia. Christopher L. Castro, an assistant professor in the University of Arizona's
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, said there are "large-scale signals" of the monsoon arriving sooner than later
and bringing rain almost immediately. However, the experts said forecasts were difficult to make
for the monsoon's later half. To blame was the growing warmth of tropical Pacific Ocean waters.
This weather pattern, known as an El Nino, can snuff out the monsoon - but it can also lead to wet autumns in the Southwest.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Monsoons Are Coming....Get Ready!
On July 12th 2008 I reported in my blog that the first Big Monsoon storm of the season struck
the Phoenix Metropolitan area on July 10th 2008. This storm caused flooding & damage to properties throughouit the valley
& caught many off guard. If you are concerned about damage from the upcoming Monsoon season, now is the time to do something
about it. Not after the Monsoon season begins.
We are begining to get busy as many Valley residents are preparing for
this season of storms.
So don't hesitate & wait for the storms to catch you off guard. Give us a call today
& we design a plan to avert costly damage to your Residential or Commercial property.
Have a great summer!
9:56 am mdt
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Spring landscaping tips for the Meto Phoenix areaSpring is the time to turn your attention to your Landscape. Here are some tips to help get your landscape
off to good start. - Winter Lawn Coversion: If your lawn was overseeded with winter rye grass now is the time to begin converting back to your summer grass.
In Phoenix, summer grass is usually Bermuda & more likely Hybrid Bermuda.
- Mowing: By now you should have already begun lowering your mowing height to allow sunlight
& air to get get down into the Bermuda grass
- Verticutting
is not advised to remove the ryegrass because this will not give the dormant Bermuda grass a chance to begin growing
- Mowing height: Should be about 1" for Midiron & Bobsod & about
1/2" to 3/4" for tifway & tif green. Do not mow more than 1/3rd of the height in
one mowing
- Fertilizing: As
you drop your mowing heights & the soil reaches 65 degrees you should begin fertilizing to stimulte the growth of Bermuda
grass. In the first few weeks of April you can begin applying 21-0-0 (Amonium Sulfate) @ 5 lbs per 1000sq.ft. Repeat
this application in Late April
- Watering:
Most all Bermudagrass problems in Arizona are associated with watering. Do not turn off your water during
the Spring to try to allow the winter rye grass to dye out. Doing this will hurt your Bermuda grass. During april you should
be watering every 2 to 3 days to a depth of 8" to 10"
- Plants & Trees: Spring is a good time to cut back all of your frost senitive plants if
you havent already done so. Plants like Lantana, Bougainvillia, Hibiscus respond well to cutting back.
- Roses: As the tempearture warm up aphids & thrips
can become a problem on Roses. It is best to use a fertilizer that contains systemixc inse`cticide as well. Also begin to
watch for powdery mildew on the leaves that appear dust or white. Treat with a fungicide if necessary
- Trees: Most trees only require that dead branches &
limbs be removed
- Weeds:
I'm sure you have noticed weeds are popping up like crazy. It is best to get after them quickly & stay on top of them
by spraying them with an herbicide such as RoundupR
Happy Gardening!!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Craigslist & Unlicensed ContractorsI have already posted a blog pertaining to Un-licensed contractors but here I go again.
The
popular on-line marketplace "Craigslist" is a growing source for consumers & contractors alike. Advertising
is basically free & there are a multitude of services & products that are being bought sold & bartered.
After
talking with clients & fellow contractors it is evident that a lot of business is being conducted through "Craigslist
& less through traditional sources like yellow pages
& newspaper advertising.
Why? Well it is much
easier & less tedious then thumbing through the bulky phone book or trying to read the fine print in newspaper ads. Not
to mention you can just type in a service your looking for & literally several hundred ad's will pop up for you to
choose from.
While this is great for both Contractors & Consumers, it is becoming a buyer beware scenario.
After reading through many of the "Skilled Trades" services offered by companies, I noticed that most
of these companies who claim to be professional & in business for many years boldly say they are UNLICENSED!
I wonder
if they know that contracting without being Registered with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors is Illegal
in
the State of Az ?
There are many contractors whom are Licensed & offer legitimate & quality services on
the "Craigslist".
However, don't assume because a contractor is licensed that they are in good standing
with the AZ ROC.
All licensed contractors are required to post thier ROC # on all of thier advertising.
It is easy
to go on-line to check the status of a licensed contractor by checking the contractors License # with the Az ROC by going
here. http://www.azroc.gov/clsc/AZROCLicenseQuery
And to be safe, never ever use an Un-Licensed contractor!
They will probably be cheaper, but that is because
they are not paying an annual contractors license & bonding fee or liability insurance to protect your property.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Monsoons Rip through the valleyOn August 28th & 29th Monsoon storms really battered most of the Phoenix metro
area with the strongest storms we have seen since 1996.
With these storms some homeowners that have purchased homes
in the outlying areas during the housing boom are waking up to flooded back yards, patios & homes.
While some neighborhoods are banning together to file class action lawsuits against thier home builder to remediate
flooding of thier property, for some the process is just dragging on to long & have decided to take matters
into thier own hands & are having drainage systems installed before the flooding takes a toll on thier homes
foundation. Hopefully when all is settled with thier home builders they will be able to recoup thier drainage remediation
cost.
Unfortunately, when insurance companies get involved the whole process just bogs down & the cost for attorneys exceeds
the cost of fixing the problems! Make sense? Of course not! But thats how it works.
Good luck to all & we will be
here when you need us to solve your drainage problems.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Another DownpourThe monsoons struck the Phoenix Metroploitan area again with heavy rains on July 13th.
Again the calls
from the East valley started coming in.
I don't know what the builders were thinking when they built homes in Mesa/Chandler/Gilbert,
but they were certainly not thinking about Drainage!
And as I mentioned in my previous blog, according to
the soil survey map for expansive soils, it shows large pockets of expansive soils throughout the East valley.
Water & Expansive soil
= Trouble.
If your home is less than two years old I urge you to make sure there are no drainage issues while you can
still go back to your home builder to fix the potential problems.
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