Archives for December 2020

Ways to Protect Plants in a Florida Cold Snap

It doesn’t happen often, but it does occur – a spell of unseasonably cold weather that can damage plants. There’s typically one cold snap in Florida each year and climate change has made weather conditions much less predictable. Even if temperatures don’t reach the freezing mark, winds can make it feel colder and plants can suffer.

Below freezing temperatures aren’t beyond the realm of possibility. In 1899, Tallahassee saw temperatures of 2 degrees below zero. Miami National Airport recorded 30 degrees in Dec. 1989 and again in Jan. 1985. Fortunately, there are measures that can be employed to lessen the potential for damage.

Location Matters

South and east sides of buildings hold heat longer than other locations, which means there will be more heat radiated back to plants. A fence on the north side of a property provides a level of protection against cold and winds. Flowers planted under and next to cold-hearty bushes or shrubs helps shield them from the cold.

Preventative Care

Plants within landscapes that have been well cared for are better equipped to survive a cold period. That includes fertilizing at the right time, regular watering, weed control, and managing insect pests and rodents.

Mulching

Applying mulch helps preserve moisture for healthier plants, can discourage insects, and provides an insulating layer. If the forecast calls for below-normal temperatures, it can be helpful to water mulch early in the morning ahead of the front. The mulch will absorb the moisture, be warmed by the sun, and aid in protecting roots.

Cover them Up

Covering a plant is an effective way to protect it from cold temperatures. There are a number of materials available that are inexpensive, lightweight, and reusable. Whenever possible, don’t place heavy materials on plants that will compress foliage or bend branches. Don’t wrap them too tightly, make sure the cover reaches the ground, anchor the bottom to prevent it from blowing off. When the temperature warms, remove the coverings. Avoid plastic as it doesn’t allow plants to breathe. 

Plan the Landscape

The best protection against times of cold weather is a well-planned landscape that employs features that protect plants, along with plantings that are able to withstand the occasional cold snap.

RCH Landscaping is a full service landscape company based in Boca Raton, Florida. We design, install, and maintain Commercial and Residential landscapes all around Boca Raton, Delray Beach and The Palm Beach areas. Our team of highly skilled landscape technicians have an undisputed track record of creating and maintaining beautiful commercial and residential landscapes all over South Florida.

Contact RCH Landscaping Today for a Free Estimate

561-779-9760

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Protecting your Landscape from Pests

There are dozens of pests that can arrive in your landscape uninvited. Insects are the No. 1 problem that individuals experience. The first order of business if you observe a problem is hire a professional. There are also beneficial insects that live in your landscape and a professional has the experience and knowledge to tell the difference.

Don’t immediately assume that complete and total annihilation is the only option for dealing with pests. There are measures that every property owner can employ to aid in making the landscape less attractive to insect pests.

Pest-Repelling Plants

Some plants are repulsive to certain types of insects. They’re attractive and add character to the landscape. Pest-repelling plants can be used in companion plantings to discourage bugs within the landscape. In addition to some herbs and flowers such as chrysanthemums, don’t overlook carnivorous plants that feed on insects.

Maintaining Distance

Bushes, vines, trees and even flower beds established near structures are an invitation to insects that can enter homes and commercial properties. It’s a good idea to maintain a distance of about six feet between buildings and plants. When mature, trees shouldn’t overhang structures. Keep trees pruned and inspect them regularly to prevent infestations before they occur. Dense plantings are also an invitation to mice and rats.

Clean up Debris

Leaving leaf piles, decaying wood, grass clippings, and mulch are all capable of calling insects to homes. If you don’t have a bagger on the mower, be sure and rake up grass clippings. Keep debris cleaned up.

Avoid Wood

Using wood chips are often viewed as an eco-friendly way to mulch or reduce mowing areas, and decrease the time spent on landscape maintenance. However, a great many insects, not to mention mice and rats, find wood chips and woodpiles a safe haven. Synthetic alternatives or pebbles offer a highly attractive option that won’t invite pests.

Professional Services

There are definitely times when professional services should be sought. The experts can address any current infestations and make the landscape less attractive to insects and rodents. They have a variety of methods that can be employed to keep your landscape healthy, which will significantly reduce the potential for pests to take up residence.

RCH Landscaping is a full service landscape company based in Boca Raton, Florida. We design, install, and maintain Commercial and Residential landscapes all around Boca Raton, Delray Beach and The Palm Beach areas. Our team of highly skilled landscape technicians have an undisputed track record of creating and maintaining beautiful commercial and residential landscapes all over South Florida.

Contact RCH Landscaping Today for a Free Estimate

561-779-9760

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Shopping Tips when Visiting a Nursery

A nursery can be a wondrous place full of familiar favorites and exotic finds. The typical gardener will arrive home with far more plants than they planned for and some that they absolutely should have avoided. The following are some tips to use when visiting a nursery.

Shop Local Nurseries

Big box stores and similar outlets typically offer more plants, but they often lack the knowledge to guide consumers on their choices beyond what’s written on the included tag. Local nurseries are more likely to have varieties that will thrive and flourish in the South Florida landscape and personnel are far better equipped to answer any questions.

Plan the Plants

Gardeners should have some idea of what they’re seeking before visiting the nursery. That will require some research on the part of individuals. Just because a tree or plant looks good in someone else’s landscape doesn’t mean it’s right in every yard. It could grow too large, produce a large amount of debris from leaves or blossoms, develop thorns as it matures, or be toxic to children and pets.

Shop on Weekdays

Shopping will be a much less stressful outing during the week. Large crowds are normal on weekends. Workers will also have more time to answer questions.

Look First

Make it a point of wandering through the entire nursery before making a decision to purchase anything. Read the tags and observe where plants are placed – sun or shade. Annuals may not present a problem with overgrowing their area, but they could self-seed and be invasive. Perennials may stay in their allotted space better and bloom more freely once established. Don’t buy in haste.

Buds and Roots

When plants are transplanted to the landscape, they’ll need to undergo a period of recovery. Choose plants with more buds than open blooms. The plant will experience less shock. Blossoms often wither and die, while buds will usually recover.

It’s not a good idea to purchase a plant that’s completely root-bound. The roots will be so tightly bound that it will be difficult for the plant to absorb the nutrients it needs from the soil. A root-bound plant needs to have its roots loosened before planting and watered well until it becomes established.

RCH Landscaping is a full service landscape company based in Boca Raton, Florida. We design, install, and maintain Commercial and Residential landscapes all around Boca Raton, Delray Beach and The Palm Beach areas. Our team of highly skilled landscape technicians have an undisputed track record of creating and maintaining beautiful commercial and residential landscapes all over South Florida.

Contact RCH Landscaping Today for a Free Estimate

561-779-9760

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commercial landscape

Maintaining Commercial Landscapes

Some commercial landscapes are beautiful to behold. They receive the regular care and maintenance needed to prevent overgrowth and provide a superior aesthetic. They’re neat, green, and mark properties as those that are desirable with which to conduct business. A lush landscape requires attention to detail and an elevated level of knowledge about the plantings involved.

Trimming

Trees need to be judiciously trimmed to maintain their shape and remove damaged limbs. Landscape professionals can identify areas of potential problems such as weak branches that can fall and cause injuries or damage property features. Regular inspections ensure that damage from storms or insects hasn’t occurred. Bushes and vines can also require trimming to prevent them from overgrowing their space.

Irrigation

Different types of plantings require varying amounts of moisture that can be insufficient. Even in Florida’s climate, rain amounts can be insufficient for particular plantings. A properly installed irrigation system is essential for delivering the right amount of precipitation and at the correct time. That requires an irrigation system that’s been properly installed, calibrated and adjusted.

Lawn Care

Grass grows best when its not too long or too short and each type of lawn grass has specific requirements. Cutting lawns too short will result in browning and leave them susceptible to insects and disease, while leaving them too long will present an unkempt appearance and encourage insects.

Fertilization

A one-size-fits-all fertilization program can do a significant amount of damage or if applied at the wrong time. There are different fertilizer formulas to achieve specific results. Grass requires a different fertilizer for growth than one that encourages blossoms. Some types of plants obtain their nutrients from closer to the surface, while others are deep feeders.

Insects

There are hundreds of potential insect pests that can infest every aspect of a commercial landscape. What works to control one species won’t necessarily work on others. Regular maintenance and inspections by a professional are an effective way to identify potential problems before they escalate.

RCH Landscaping is a full service landscape company based in Boca Raton, Florida. We design, install, and maintain Commercial and Residential landscapes all around Boca Raton, Delray Beach and The Palm Beach areas. Our team of highly skilled landscape technicians have an undisputed track record of creating and maintaining beautiful commercial and residential landscapes all over South Florida.

Contact RCH Landscaping Today for a Free Estimate

561-779-9760

Read more

Adding a Mango Tree to your South Florida Yard

If you love mangos and want to grow your own, you’re not alone. South Florida residents are adding the trees to their landscape and as part of home orchards and gardens. Mangos typically grow in tropical locales and South Florida’s climate provides an environment in which the trees can flourish.

The mango is actually a member of the cashew family. It’s one of the most widely cultivated and highly desired trees by home gardeners. Through a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative of the past, a mango seedling program was created in South Florida. It was spearheaded by David Fairchild, founder of the USDA’s Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction program. Several mango varieties were developed as a result.

Height

The average mango tree grows to about 100 feet in height with a canopy of approximately 35 feet wide. With proper trimming, trees can be kept to a smaller, more manageable height of about 15 feet. You can also choose dwarf mango varieties, along with those that can even be grown in containers, though fruit production may be less than a tree planted in the ground.

Disease Control

Mango trees have dense canopies. Pruning them to achieve an open canopy reduces the risk of insect pests, bacterial and fungal diseases, and provides easier access should disease control measures need to be applied. After they’re established, the trees require little if any irrigation. Watering them can actually promote disease and insect infestations. Fertilize lightly and mulch.

Production and Harvest

Keeping mangos small in stature ensures a greater yield and easier harvesting. More of the tree’s energy will be channeled into bloom production rather than upward growth. Pruning also aids in larger fruits. If your mango tree sets a lot of blooms, you could easily find yourself with fruits that are too heavy and break branches.

Thinning the unripened fruit will preserve branch health and improve fruit production. You’ll have higher quality fruit to give away to friends or family – or sell at a local farm market for extra cash. Mango trees are self-pollinating and one tree is sufficient to produce fruit.

However, it’s advantageous to have other flowering plants nearby to entice honey bees and beneficial pollinating insects. There are a number of mango varieties developed that grow well in South Florida and are ready for harvest at different times of the year. The only problem will be deciding which one to grow.

RCH Landscaping is a full service landscape company based in Boca Raton, Florida. We design, install, and maintain Commercial and Residential landscapes all around Boca Raton, Delray Beach and The Palm Beach areas. Our team of highly skilled landscape technicians have an undisputed track record of creating and maintaining beautiful commercial and residential landscapes all over South Florida.

Contact RCH Landscaping Today for a Free Estimate

561-779-9760

Read more

Don’t Skimp on your Irrigation System

An irrigation system will keep your lawn and other plantings healthy throughout the year. It’s a smart investment that will save you a considerable amount of time, effort and money on your water bills. However, irrigation systems can be expensive and many people are tempted to do the work themselves or skimp on materials. It’s a decision that could come back to haunt you.

Water for All

Trees, shrubs, vines, and flowers all need water, but they need them in different amounts. Watering them all in the same way will result in some plants getting too much, while others are water-starved. Installing irrigation heads in the right number and calibrating the output is essential.

Different Methods

A properly installed irrigation system typically incorporates sprinkler heads for lawns, along with a drip system for flower beds and similar areas. Trusting in lawn sprinkler heads to water delicate flowers can beat smaller plants down with the force of the precipitation.

Output and Boundaries

Sprinkler heads should be adjusted to operate at different output levels for varying amounts of time, depending upon the area being watered. Without proper calibration, you can also have overspray in which the precipitation is dispersing water over your boundaries and into your driveway, sidewalk, and roadway.

Coverage Area

Each type of sprinkler head has a maximum distance over which it disperses water. Putting in fewer sprinkler heads than necessary will result in dry areas where the moisture doesn’t reach. You’ll be plagued with dry areas where plantings don’t receive sufficient water.

No Rain Shut Off

Florida receives a substantial amount of rain that feeds the moisture needs of plants. Every irrigation system should include a rain shutoff setting that senses the amount of moisture in the soil. It ensures the sprinkler system only activates when necessary for plant health and water savings for you.

Technology and Professionals

It’s well worth the money to hire irrigation professionals. They have knowledge of, and access to, the latest technological advances. They know how to calculate coverage area, adjust sprinkler heads for appropriate output, and install systems that ensure every planting receives moisture according to its own needs.

RCH Landscaping is a full service landscape company based in Boca Raton, Florida. We design, install, and maintain Commercial and Residential landscapes all around Boca Raton, Delray Beach and The Palm Beach areas. Our team of highly skilled landscape technicians have an undisputed track record of creating and maintaining beautiful commercial and residential landscapes all over South Florida.

Contact RCH Landscaping Today for a Free Estimate

561-779-9760

Read more
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