Are You Looking for Some Great California Lawn Care Tips?

Resource Landscape is ready to bring quality lawn maintenance services to Ontario, Chino Hills, Corona, Riverside, La Verne, Rancho Cucamonga, and their surrounding areas. Besides our services, we love sharing our knowledge of the industry! If you want your property to thrive, but prefer a DIY project, keep scrolling for tips to keep your lawn and plant life healthy and looking great.  

Do I need an Irrigation System?

As we all know, California has one of the best climates around. Unfortunately, it also brings lots of hot days and weeks of drought. One of the best investments you can make is in an irrigation system. Not only will it save you from moving hoses around, but it takes the guesswork out of making sure your lawn is getting enough water.  

The best time to water your lawn is in the early mornings usually, between 3-9 am, for approximately 20 minutes per station. Try to water 3-4 times a week when temperatures are 75-85 degrees. The best part of having an irrigation system is you can program it to keep your grass healthy even when you are away. 

How do I get my grass to stay green?

Every homeowner wants to look out and see a lush green, manicured lawn that would make the groundskeepers at Pebble Beach Golf Course stop and do a double-take. It’s possible when you follow these simple steps.  

The first step is to choose the right type of turfgrass. You want to get a turfgrass that requires 20% less water and is a warm-season grass. A Bermuda grass is drought resistant and an excellent choice for Southern California. 

Next, you should cut the grass at least once a week, preferably mid-morning. Never cut the grass too short. If you have Bermuda grass, then the blade height should be between 1-2 inches. Keep in mind the higher the grass, the more it will hold water and prevent weeds from growing. 

Lastly, you don’t need to mow as often in the winter as the grass is dormant, but you should fertilize your lawn twice a year in February and December. 

What is the best way to control weeds?

The most common weeds you see in California are dandelions, spotted spurge, clovers or, sedge weeds. It’s hard to believe, but some of the reasons you get weeds can be that the lawnmower blades haven’t been kept clean.  

Did you know that if you put cooking spray on the blades before you start cutting, it will help the grass not stick to the lawnmower and keep it clean?

Identifying weeds is the first step in trying to control them. Dandelions are a sign that your yard lacks nourishment. Sedge weed or nutgrass is among the most challenging weeds to get rid of as it feeds on over-watered yards. Clovers have tough seeds that seem to be resistant to herbicides. Regardless of which weeds you have in your yard, one thing is for sure they are not a gardener’s friend.  

One way to get rid of weeds is to pull them by hand. Or you could purchase herbicides that prevent seeds from germinating, while other brands will kill on contact. Let’s not forget about homemade remedies like vinegar and Epsom salt. Choosing the right solution can be confusing. Remember that here at Resource Landscape, we offer landscape consulting services if you want to maintain your property yourself but need to be pointed in the right direction! 

Should I hire a professional tree trimmer?

Have you ever strolled down Newport beach and noticed how every corner has beautiful palm trees or rows of bougainvillea trees bordering every beach house? There is an art to trimming and pruning trees. So here are a few tips to get you started.

The bougainvillea trees pop vibrant red and purple colors from May until December. These trees can grow 30 feet high and can block sunlight from other plants and trees in your yard. If not pruned 3-4 times a year, they can get unruly and take away from your curb appeal. 

Palm trees need to have the fronds removed when they start turning yellow or brown. It’s best to trim once or twice a year when the new fronds grow. A great tip is to apply rubbing alcohol on your tools to prevent diseases from getting on the tree. Spring is a great time to maintain palm trees, but really, you should watch for the fronds to turn brown before you do any trimming.

Did you know that the Crape Myrtle or Evergreen Pear trees are best to prune once they have stopped flowering which, is usually spring? Whereas the California Box Elder thrives better when trimmed in the summer. If your trees are deciduous, then fall and winter trimming will give you the best results in the spring. 

Although we have given you some great tips to trim your trees, you may not have the time or resources to care for the numerous plants and trees in your yard. That’s where we can help. 

Our experienced team will identify the best time to trim your trees and offer quality service at a competitive price. 

Why is Aeration so important?

Your lawn is continuously having traffic, whether it’s a lawnmower or people walking across it. It will create the soil to get compacted down and have no room to breathe. Now add clay soil which is dense and has particles of rock, to the formula, and you have a lawn where no nutrients are getting to the roots.  

Aeration is vital to the health of your lawn. It allows water and air to move through the lawn thatch and get to the roots. There are different ways to aerate your lawn. You can use a plug aerator or a spike aerator. A spike aerator is a tool that pokes holes into the ground, whereas a plug aerator removes plugs of soil. You can rent an aerator machine, but our recommendation is to have us come out and do the job while you sit back and enjoy your yard. 

Resource Landscape shines more than the California sun when it comes to quality lawn maintenance, landscaping, and irrigation services. Call us if you have any questions or would like a free estimate.