With spring knocking on winter’s door, it’s time to start thinking about your commercial landscape maintenance plans. This is a great time to prepare your property for a healthy, colorful season. Timing is crucial when it comes to landscape maintenance. Now is when you want to assess and manage the winter damage on your plants, protect turf and beds with herbicides application, and put in place a watering plan.
It is best to consider your top priorities before jumping into your landscape maintenance plan. Use this commercial maintenance checklist to start checking off critical spring landscaping tasks so you can roll into summer growing strong and healthy.
Top Spring Maintenance Tasks
A well-maintained, colorful landscape is a strong selling point for customers visiting your business, renting your property, or entering your office park. No matter what type of commercial property you own, Denver Commercial Property Services can help you add value and beauty to your property and make your visitors feel welcome and at ease.
This is why we stay up to date on all the latest trends in landscaping and design, no matter which season. We understand that your business operates year-round, so it should look and feel good to you and your customers all the time.
Deal With Winter Damage: Assessing the Property
After the freezing winter months, trees and shrubs that were not protected can show signs of winter burn – browning or scorched leaves and needles, dead buds, and twigs. Winter burn typically happens when plants lose water during the winter season, leaving them vulnerable to damage. This compares to walking outside in the cold without gloves or a hat and getting frostbite. Like humans, moisture nourishes the plant tissue, and lack of water leaves the plants exposed, making them susceptible to damage.
Additionally, when the snow melts, it can also reveal signs of snow mold. A thorough spring property assessment can identify any winter damage on your commercial property and help you take the appropriate steps to rejuvenate plants and turf that are suffering.
Clear the Way: Spring Clean Up
Throughout the fall and winter months, leaves and other debris have been scattered throughout your commercial landscape. These elements need to be cleaned up before you can begin mowing your lawn. Leaves and other green waste collect in landscape beds, which are natural traps for fly-away foliage, and also need to be removed to allow perennial plants to regrow and the replanting of annual plants.
With a thorough spring-clean up, you can prepare your beds for fresh mulch and annual flowers. Removing any debris or leaves from your grass is critical to allow the lawn to breathe by increasing air circulation to alleviate common winter diseases.
Cover Ground: Mulching Landscape Beds
During the winter season, mulch breaks down into the soil. Mulch is beneficial for landscaping because it helps soil retain moisture, suppresses weed growth, prevents temperature soil fluctuations, and provides a clean aesthetic appearance. Mulch offers a clean-lined bed that accents flowers and gives a commercial property an overall manicured look. Be sure to add a new layer of mulch before planting annuals this spring.
Prevent Weeds: Applying Weed Killer
As we all know, weeds can be a significant headache. To prevent any weeds or even crabgrass from cropping up in your commercial property, this summer, now is the time to apply a pre-emergent herbicide. This preventative measure should be the first application of the season and is the most crucial one. Pre-emergent herbicide prevents the germination of particularly stubborn grassy weeds.
However, waiting until after the weeds break through the surface means you’ll need to ensure that you apply a post-emergent.
Prepare for Planting: Irrigation Maintenance and Container Essentials
Looking at your irrigation is crucial before turning the systems on for the first time in the season. You need to ensure that the soil is thawed before turning the system on. A spring irrigation tune-up includes checking valves and the controller, assessing the system for wear and tear, removing obstructions such as dirt and debris from sprinkler heads, and checking the water pressure.
It’s important to note that a watering system can help keep planted annuals stay healthy and well-watered all season long. Additionally, this is the time to plan what spring plants will go into your planting pots and containers.
Spring Into a Health Maintenance Program
As the weather heats up, we all look forward to being outdoors, and we want our commercial properties to look their best at the start of the outdoor season. Be prepared by taking the proper steps to establish a healthy commercial landscape. Taking great care of your property will protect your landscape investment and ultimately reduce maintenance expenses.
To learn more about our Landscaping services, contact DCPS today!
