Should I stop water to all my plants and trees in winter?

It's a question many homeowners and community managers are asking around the valley at this time of year. Our advice is not to stop watering your plants and trees through our Arizona winter but instead it's preferable to water less frequently and more deeply. Twice a day for 5 minutes is actually too often and too little. If you have established trees that become dormant in the winter then you will only need to water them once a month in December and January. But remember ... they need to be watered deeply! Ideally down to approximately 3 feet in depth. For trees that have been planted more recently and smaller perennials, they require watering more often. We suggest every 6 to 10 days and depending on the size of the plant you should go from 6" to 1' deep. Before you start watering your plants and tress in the winter you may want to get a soil probe to accurately let you know how deeply you've watered, and how long it takes to get that deep. Simply push the probe into the soil and it will stop where the water stopped ... easy right?!

If you have any questions about your plants and trees we would be happy to answer them on our Facebook page.

The Many Different Ways to Connect with ProQual

We are excited to announce a number of new ways that Proqual Landscaping is expanding in the exciting world of Social Media. In the last couple of weeks we have launched an enhanced Facebook page, a newly designed Twitter profile, arrived on the hot new thing that is Pinterest and expanded our company LinkedIn profile. This is just the beginning of many efforts designed to let you know what's going on here at ProQual and to make it easier for you to get in touch with us and give us any feedback you have on our services.

Facebook

As the number one Social Network worldwide we know many of you are using Facebook to stay in touch with friends and businesses. On our new page you will be able to stay up to date with new services we offer, check out our photo albums and learn about the amazing plant life we have here in Arizona. 

Twitter

What can you say in 140 characters? A surprising amount! ProQual is on Twitter to let you know what we are doing and where we are doing it, but we also use it to be an active member of our communities here in the valley. We love living here and appreciate our amazing weather (OK, we will forget about July and August!), great sports teams and all round awesome outdoor lifestyle. On our Twitter profile you will be as likely to see tips for managing your own desert landscaping to seeing the latest Cardinals score!

Pinterest

WOW, talk about the new kid on the Social Media block! In January 2012, comScore reported the site had 11.7 million unique users, making it the fastest site in history to break through the 10 million unique visitor mark! Now ProQual has arrived on Pinterest to share the best of the web with you. So what will you find on our boards? Well, we hope it's more than just pretty photos. We are building a profile on Pinterest to become a useful tool for you to get ideas for your backyards, see the best of Arizona and even have a smile or two :-).

LinkedIn

Some people call it Facebook for business. Others have named it the most important networking tool of the 21st century. We have found it to be a great way to connect with our existing clients and potential clients, as well as using the website as a way for people to easily learn more about ProQual through our LinkedIn company profile. We are working to get all the profiles of our key staff optimized so that whomever you meet from our company you can connect with them on LinkedIn.

Instagram

OK, so I think we saved our favorite until last. We LOVE Instagram! If you are not familiar with the photo sharing service that is designed for use on smartphones then we encourage you to download the app ASAP. Instagram allows us to be anywhere, on a job, at an event or even hiking Camelback Mountain and take a picture that we can instantly share. This app is truly designed to show off the beautiful landscaping work we do for our clients as well as the amazing views we see every day here in the valley. You can follow us by searching @proqual on Instagram. 

Which social media platform do you use the most? Let us know your @handle in a comment below!

Protecting Plants From Freezing in Phoenix AZ...

It's finally the time of year when you might see frost in Arizona. When temperatures drop to 32 degrees or cooler, you'll need to protect plants around your property. Here are a few simple tips to help prevent frost damage in Arizona and keep your plants healthy:

Landscape plants
Use bedsheets or frost cloth to cover frost-tender plants such as bougainvillea, celosia, ficus, hibiscus, Mexican fan palm, red bird of paradise and sweet acacia.

Fruits and vegetables
Cover with a bedsheet or frost cloth.

Herbs
Bring container plants closer to the house or cover plants with a sheet or frost cloth. Frost-tender herbs to cover when frost is in the forecast: anise, basil, bay trees, scented geraniums, lavender, lemon balm, lemon grass, lemon verbena, marjoram, nasturtiums, Cuban oregano, oregano, rosemary, thyme, peppers and chiles.

Fruit and nut trees
Cover the tree overnight with a sheet or blanket that reaches to the ground. Uncover after sunrise.
Loosely wrap the trunks of young citrus and other cold-tender trees. These wrappings - towel, blanket, cardboard or frost cloth - may be left on during the frost season.

Cactus
Use foam or plastic cups or cardboard boxes to protect the tips of columnar cactus or bloom stalks on agaves and aloes.

IMPORTANT! Plants damaged from frost? Do not prune damaged areas until the plant begins growing in the spring.

If you have a commercial property in Arizona that needs landscape maintenance, contact ProQualLandscaping.com to schedule an appointment and learn how to protect your valuable lanscape assets with the care of an Arizona Certified Arborist and landscape professional.

Rye Grass Lawn Care in Arizona...

Ever wonder how some properties just seem to have that perfect winter lawn in Phoenix? Once you have over seeded with Rye Grass for you winter lawn there are a few maintenance items to consider. 

We found some great information for Arizona Rye Grass lawn care and wanted to share them with everyone...

Rye Grass comes in to major types – annual and perennial. Annual grass survives for only one growing season whereas the perennial Rye will thrive for years. These grasses were introduced to the United States from Europe where they have been grown for centuries. Rye grass, no matter if it is annual or perennial is a cool season grass that will do well anywhere outside the southern tier of the United States.

Rye grasses are often mixed with other types of grasses although they provide wonderful ground cover and a lush lawn by themselves particularly in cooler climates. In the south Rye grass can be used to green up a lawn comprised of grasses more suitable for their warmer climate. Rye grass germinates quickly and seeding is relatively simple as no soil preparation is necessary as long as the seed has contact with the soil and is spread uniformly throughout the area to be seeded. Seed spread just prior to expected rain will deliver results quickly and one can expect to see little “grasslings” sprouting after just a few days.

Read entire article here.

Arizona Rye Grass Winter Lawn

November Arizona Landscape Reminder...

Fall leaves in Arizona

It's cooling down quickly around the valley and Phoenix Arizona landscaping needs winter attention too!

Don't forget to consider the following items in your Arizona landscaping care and maintenance program.



November

• Prune back perennials
• Protect susceptible evergreen plants from winter injury with antidesiccant
• Continue mowing until grass stops growing
• Plant winter lawn if you haven't already
• Ask your arborist about deep root fertilization and other tree services
• Plant and transplant shrubs where needed
• Apply winterizer to ensure a healthier, thick lawn next spring
• Mulch evergreens before ground freezes