When planning your Venice Florida landscape design make sure you take al the aspects of your families lifestyle into account, small kids will love gardening vegetables, taking care of fruit such as oranges, lemons and the such, children take great pride in nurturing gardens and then harvesting the fruits of their labor, bringing it in the home and preparing it for the table, it not only gives them a really helpful hobby it teaches them that work brings good things in life.  Here are some tips on designing landscapes that are kid friendly.

1. Let your children be involved in the planning stages, let them give their ideas on what they want to see when the landscape is finished, give them books that they can understand,and even let them get their classroom involved in the process.  this will give them an exciting  reason to get to school and participate.

2. After they have helped in the design process, let them go to the nursery and pick out the plants with you, letting them get involved in the buying process will teach them that this is an investment, not just game. When visiting the nursery give them time to view all the plants, educate them on why we plant tree’s for shade, why we use ground covers, why ornamental and eatable landscapes are not only beneficiary for man kind but how the animals benefit from a well designed Venice Florida landscape Design .

3. Designing a vegetable garden in the plan will really get them excited, I have not met a kid yet that did not like gardening and working with vegetables it’s very therapeutic and gives them a good reward system.

4. Even if the labor is too much, let them watch the crew or the adults install the tree’s and plants, let them look up the benefits of grass, tree’s and shrubs, a little education will go along way and be with them the rest of their life.  Again let them involve their class mates.

After the design and install is complete let them write about the process, letting them expalin why a well designed  Venice Florida landscape design is so important to our environment and gives us many years of enjoyment.

1. First of all use a non selective herbicide that can be planted on with in weeks of spraying, Round up and Prosecuter from Lesco are both very good products.

2. With most herbicides you have to wait ten days to see what is all the way dead, believe me it is much harder thatn you think to kill al the non wanted grass, in some cases it seems as if the grass just wont die, thats why a second and third application are almost always needed, this way there is no question that the Beruda is all the way dead.

3. Rake all debris from new area of planting, removing root zone is no very important as long as you are sure grass died from herbicide application.  after raking and removing all debris, check irrigation for proper coverage, after coverage is established apply milorginite, it is 2600 sq ft per 35 pounds, make sure to Read bag, you want to apply on ground for root zone and on turf after applied, one good thing is it wont burn or over fertilize your lawn.

4. When selecting where to buy your sod make sure its local there are many sod farms in the Sarsota Mantee County arae and sod distributers, make sure the sod is delivered the day it is cut, this is very important with Venice Lawn Care Replacing Lawn  this will ensure that turf is  fungus free, all commercial turf companies have to be certified to provide weed free and insect free turf.  Install turf that day if possible do not let turf sit on pallets more than three days.

5. After turf is installed apply more milorginite, read bag and apply properly.  check irrigation to make sure any heads are not covered with new turf, and for proper coverage.  after two weeks mow lawn with walk behind mower making sure not to scalp lawn.  St. Augustine should be afull 7″ tall then remove one third this will bring it to 4″ it looks tall but this will protect root zone and Ensure lush green healhy lawn.

6. Apply pest control and fertilizer every two months, do not over apply or apply near any water ways, this means retention ponds also.

Hope this will help you with making sure you have a beautiful lawn for years to come.

Of course landscape companies are profit motivated, this seems to blur thier vision of designing and installing an affective landscape, it looks really good when its installed but within months we see it is way over planted, shrubs growing into other shrubs, trees shading plants that need full sunshine, ground cover over taking plants that start declining because of crowding.  One other problem I see a lot is too many colors in th landscape design, we all love color, however too many colors make the landscape look busy and takes the eye in all different directions, Venice Florida landscape design starts with picking no more tan three primary colors, installing colors within focal points such as entrance ways, corners to give balance, its a lot like interior design, too much stuff with too many colors looks like it was just thrown together.  A well designed landscape will have three colors installed at focal points, a dark green back ground, and tree’s installed to give the most affect of shading where needed, installing shade trees in South West Florida is very smart idea, South West Corner of house installed far enough from house that it wont affect the house in a negative way, such as dropping leaves on roof, filling gutters with leaves, damaging tiles on roof and the such.  Installing shade tree’s  in the proper location on property will help with electric bills just as much as good insulation will, plant deciduous trees that drop leaves in Winter so that the sun shoine will help heat the house and in spring and summer as the tree puts back on leaves it will help cool the house.  Many studies show huge savings in the electric bill, also tree’s are the biggest asset to any landscape, most people do not know the value of well maintained tree’s on a property, they add thousand of dollars in property value, making your property easier to sell and for more money.

Venice Florida Landscape design can be very benificial to all of us, along with providing habitat for all the animals that need well planned landscapes to thrive and provide the natural beauty of our envirnment.

1. Water today to hydrate plants and other landscaping, plants suffer most damage from being dry, the cold winds dry foliage and make it much easier for damage to occur.

2. let plant material and turf dry before covering with frost blankets, old sheets, try not to use plastic and if so remove plastic before the next day sun comes out, sun will burn plants and damage anything plastic is touching.

3.  Make sure plants, trees and turf have been fertilized properly, healthy landscape always does better during stressful weather events.

4. Bring all potted plants in doors or cover, the heat from sheets blankets and such actually keeps the warmth from the ground near plants, as heat rises from ground it protects the plants from the brutal effects of cold and frost.

5.  do  not cut beneficial tree’s down because of what you may think is a lot of raking in winter, tree’s provide beneficial canopy during winter, covering plants and turf with natural frost cover.  thin trees and keep healthy this will keep leaves down and make tree’s one of your landscapes best friends.

6. Sarasota landscape protecting against frost is a little work but can actualy be good excersise, get you involved in tour yard which is very soothing, relieves stress, better than anything I know.  Providing yourself with

Using less water in Venice  when watering turf just takes a few important items such as making sure who ever installs irrigation uses the highest quality components, I pre ferRain Bird however Hunter makes good quality irrigation equipment either of these companies will be a good choice.  Use irrigation companies that are not in and out in a flash, installing irrigation takes time to do correctly, such as cleaning all glue joints and using a good quality primer and glue.  Installing pressure regulating valves, using sprinkler heads with check valves in them this way when the system shuts down water does not leak out of heads after system has shut down.  Make sure that proper heads are use installed to cover areas to be water with most efficiency possible.  If you design landscape  make sure irrigation is designed to the landscapes needs, remember plants do grow.  Installing four inch spray heads behind 3 gallon plats is not going to work after plants mature.  Remember watering responsibly in Venice florida is everone that uses water of any kind, recalimed, well water and city or county water.

Im sorry it had to come down to the economy, it should have just been implemented because it was the right thing to do but as we all know economy and profit comes first in most of the political decisions that eventually become law.  there  are so many variables that are involved in proper fertilization and pest control and we could talk all day about different situations, here are some tips on responsible fertilization.

1. Never fertilize before heavy rain is expected, the rain fall washes the granule fertilizer in to the drain and eventually into our water ways.

2. Always read the label of what you are about to apply to your landscape and turf.

3. Never apply more than one pound of nitrogen per one thousand Square ft of area, measure area length times width and this will give you your area in Sq.ft.

there is a formula available through the Sarasota County Extension service

4. There is no need to feed nor water plants in the Winter, the turf nor plants will use the fertilizer because they are dormant.  Water very little for they do use much water because they are not actively growing.  With all of us working together to keep our Sarasota landscape and turf lush green and healthy with out polluting our waterways.

Here are some tips on hiring a good irrigation contractor.

1. Make sure he or she is licensed

2. Make sure he or she provides references with addresses so you can see what the yard looks like. A good irrigation system will show by how healthy the plants and turf  are.

3. When installing the system make sure the contractor separates all turf zones from plant zones and that all tree bubbler’s are separated from the two as well.

4. If operating on a pressure switch make sure zones are built to run between 30 psi and 50 psi this will keep pump running while system is in operation.

5. Make sure all components are a high quality such as Rain Bird or Toro.  I prefer Rain Bird, however Hunter makes a good rotor head.  Try to keep all components one brand which makes repairs easier.

6. Call State Of The Art landscaping to get a proposal or let us service your existing irrigation system.  Call Garry at 941-809-8735

The property had full shade in the front yard, the landscape designer installed shade tolerant plants such as Cat palms, Bromeliads, Song of India and one of my favorite ground covers kangaroo Fern.  All this was well placed and looked great, however the Sarasota landscape designer chose Empire Zoysia for the turf.  Now that it has been two years the grass is in decline, Empire Zoysia will not take full shade, Empire Zoysia in Sarasota needs the minimum of three hrs. of sunlight per day.  so after spending a huge chunck of change our clients are left with having to replace the front yard.  this designer had to of known it,that  the Empire Zoysia was not going to work in the shade and if he did not know, he should have.  This one mistake is going to cost $1,500.00 dollars to replace, so before some really nice looking and very talented Salesman gives you a proposal for installing landscape in Sarasota make sure to check references and take time to google every plant, tree and type of turf they are proposing.  Make sure that placement of plants are going to survive and thrive in the environment they are being placed in.  Alot of contractors will tell you and sell you anything, its up to the buyer to research all the plants, trees, and turf that will be installed and the best way to so that is research on the enternet, or look around your area and see what does best.  and the very best way is to call State Of The Art Landscaping at 941-809-8735 we warranty all work and stand behind our designs and installs for the life of the maintenance that we provide.

Dollarweed is often confused with dichondra. One way to distinguish the two is by looking at the placement of the leaf stem. Dollarweed has a stem located in the center of the leaf while dichondra’s stem is located at the edge (see image below).

Dollarweed leaf on left and dichondra leaf on right.
Bert McCarty, Clemson University

Before starting a weed control program homeowners should realize that complete eradication of dollarweed (or any weed) from the landscape is not practical. A more practical approach is to control (not eradicate) the weed by limiting the infestation to a tolerable level.

Cultural Control

Dollarweed is a water-loving plant that can float. The presence of dollarweed indicates that there is excessive moisture in the area. Research at the University of Florida demonstrated a reduction in dollarweed just by reducing irrigation frequency (http://grove.ufl.edu/~turf/weeds/dollarweed.html). Monitoring moisture levels and evaluating irrigation frequency are the first steps to controlling dollarweed. Landscape plants and lawns require one-inch of water a week for optimum growth.

A properly maintained landscape that is not stressed by insects, diseases, drought or nutrient imbalance is the best defense against weeds. Proper mowing height of lawns and a 3-inch thick mulch layer around trees and shrubs will prevent the invasion of weeds.

Chemical Control

Lawns: Dollarweed thrives in weak, thin turf with excessive moisture. The first defense against dollarweed is to reduce moisture levels and modify cultural methods (i.e., proper mowing height and irrigation).  After taking steps to modify the lawn care techniques, a chemical control may still be necessary to further reduce the dollarweed population. Herbicides should be chosen according to turf species and applied in late spring (after full spring green-up of the lawn) when weeds are small. Herbicide effectiveness is reduced as weeds mature.

Antrazine (Hi-Yield Atrazine Weed Killer, Image for St. Augustine & Centipedegrass, Southern Ag Atrazine St. Augustine Weed Killer, and Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns Conc. for St. Augustine & Centipede Lawns) can be applied to St. Augustinegrass and Centipedegrass up to two times a year. For maximum effect atrazine should be applied once in the fall and again in late spring (after spring green-up). Atrazine has a pre- and post-emergent effect on weeds, which means it helps to control both emerged weeds and weed seed. It should NOT be applied to newly seeded lawns due to detrimental effect it has on seed germination. Delay atrazine applications to newly sodded and springged lawns until it is well-established and actively growing. CAUTION: Atrazine can travel through soil and enter ground water, please read the label for all environmental precautions.

Dollarweed in a lawn.
Bert McCarty, Clemson University

A three-way herbicide may be used safely on bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass and tall fescue. The active ingredients of a three-way herbicide include the following broadleaf weed killers: 2,4- D, dicamba, and MCPP (such as Ferti-lome Weed Out Lawn Weed Killer with Trimec®, Bayer Advanced Southern Weed Killer for Lawns, and Spectracide Weed Stop Weed Killer for Lawns). Herbicides containing 2,4-D should be applied at a reduced rate on St. Augustinegrass and centipedegrass to prevent damage to these lawns. If a second application is needed, apply the herbicide in spot treatments. Repeated applications of a three-way herbicide should be spaced according to label directions. CAUTION: Three-way herbicides should not be applied during spring transition (green-up of lawn) or when air temperatures exceed 90 ºF. A newly seeded lawn should be mowed a minimum of three times before applying a herbicide.

Imazaquin (Image Nutsedge Killer) can be applied safely to bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, centipedegrass and zoysiagrass. Apply imazaquin in the spring (after spring green-up) when weeds are small. A second application can be made in six weeks after the initial application. Do not apply to newly planted, plugged or sodded turfgrass.

Once dollarweed has been eliminated in areas of the turf, bare spots will be left behind. To prevent the invasion of new weeds in these bare spots fill them with plugs or sprigs of the desired turfgrass.

Landscape Beds: In landscape beds dollarweed can be hand dug or controlled with a herbicide. Dollarweed is a perennial weed that can emerge from seeds, tubers and rhizomes. Once dollarweed has made its way into the landscape bed a herbicide may be necessary if hand pulling is not practical.

Glyphosate (such as Roundup Original, Eraser Systemic Weed & Grass Killer, Quick Kill Grass & Weed Killer, Bonide Kleenup Grass & Weed Killer, Hi-Yield Super Concentrate Kill-zall Weed & Grass, and Green Light Com-Pleet 41% Systemic Grass & Weed Killer) can be used for spot treatments around ornamental plants. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide that should be used with caution. Do not allow glyphosate spray mist to contact ornamental foliage or severe injury will occur. A cardboard shield may be used to prevent glyphosate spray from drifting to nearby ornamentals.

Imazaquin (Image Nutsedge Killer) is a selective herbicide that can be applied safely to certain landscape plants; see product label for a listing of the plant materials. Imazaquin should not be applied around the root zones of plants not on the product label. It is best to apply imazaquin when weeds are small (early spring). A second application can be applied six weeks later if necessary.

Glyphosate and imazaquin are both more effective when weeds are actively growing and should not be applied under drought conditions. As with all pesticides, read and follow all label instructions and precautions.

Thanks to Sarasota landscaping for this information.

Thanks to the University of Clemson for this information.