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18 Jun 2019
0 Comments By progreenadmin General

How to Keep Your Garden Green during Harsh Summer

It’s already summer- that time of the year when you need proper hydration and protection from harsh sunlight. You can find respite in AC and fresh fruits but what about your beloved garden? It’s not just you who suffer in the scorching heat; your plants take a lot more brunt of the harsh sunlight and rising temperatures than you do.

As summer arrives and you hear news about record high temperatures and wildfires, it’s time to think about your darling lawn. You need to plan how plants in your garden are going to survive and thrive in this season. You may think about replacing your Petunia, Cineraria, Calendula, and Chrysanthemum with Portulaca, Gomphrena, Calliopsis, and Lily but that’s not just enough.

You can’t turn the sun off but you can make sure that your plants receive proper hydration and care. And if you don’t want summer heat to take a toll on your lawn, it’s essential to follow some summer lawn care tips. So, to help you keep your garden green and dense, here are a few tips to keep your plants hydrated and flourishing this summer.

Pick Summer Plants

The first thing you need to do is to select native plants that are drought tolerant. The regional plants and crops can best adapt to your area’s weather and their root can go deep to suck in the water. The plants that bloom in summer can survive the rising temperature and don’t need any extra care all year round. You may also have succulents that require very little water. There are some vegetables such as cucumber, pumpkin, eggplant, and watermelon that are best to plant this season.

Proper Irrigation System

Your garden needs a proper watering system in all seasons but in summers it must be in top condition. As the weather gets warmer, you might need to water your plants more often. It’s best to have a drip irrigation system even if you have drought-tolerant plants. In this system, there is a drip line for every plant around its root zone which ensures that water reaches right into the root ball in the soil. The system not only waters the garden efficiently but also saves water by preventing any runoff. Another important consideration is when and how often to water the plants. You don’t need to water plants too frequently and the amount of water needed depends on your climate and the time of year. As far as timing is concerned, it’s highly recommended to water plants early in the morning to minimize evaporation.

Use Mulch

If you want to protect the soil from direct sun rays and reduce evaporation, add mulch on the soil. With the help of dried grass clippings or wood mulch, it is possible to shade the soil from sun exposure and keep it moist for longer. There are various types of mulch but for best result, choose light-colored mulch which can easily reflect the sunlight. Wood mulch is also a good option because it is organic and breaks down over time. When it decomposes, it will add compost to your soil. In addition to this, mulch is also useful to prevent the growth of weeds which take water away from the plants.

Provide Shade to Your Plants

For the regions that receive high temperature and scorching sunlight, gardening requires some extra efforts. At the time of planting shrubs and crops, you need to look for a shady area. You may even locate your garden in the yard with permanent shade. In addition to this, you can also use shade covers. If you don’t have a shade cover, you can use old window screens to cover the plants that are in direct sunlight. The right way to shade the plants is keeping the cover several inches above the plants to block around 50% of the sunlight.

16 Jun 2019
0 Comments By progreenadmin Gardening, General

How to Easily Maintain Your Garden Irrigation System

Do you want to keep your garden lush and green even during the hottest and driest weeks of summer? If so, properly installing and maintaining your irrigation system is of utmost importance. These days, in-ground irrigation systems are the first preference of homeowners but without regular maintenance, even the best system fails.

You can’t rely on natural rainfall for the whole year to supply water to your beautifully designed lawn. Your plants need accurate water supply to survive and flourish which is possible only through a well-maintained irrigation system. With the right type of irrigation system, it’s possible to water your garden only where it is needed. Moreover, the latest underground sprinkler systems also give you the ability to automate your watering schedule. But if you have an automatic sprinkler system, maintenance and tune-ups are essential to conserve water, save money, as well as keep your lawn in perfect condition.

Maintenance ensures that your lawn sprinkler system operates at maximum efficiency forever to protect your investment. To help you save water and keep your irrigation system in prime working order, here are some simple tips to maintain your system. These tips will help you in watering your lawn, garden, or landscape more efficiently throughout the year.

Clean Clogged Sprinkler Head

As a part of routine maintenance, you need to make sure that the sprinkler heads are not clogged. If you don’t clean the clogged sprinkler heads, the system will fail to perform and your landscape will no longer receive the required amount of water. To avoid this issue, you should keep checking the sprinkler heads every now and then. If you find any substance or dirt clogging the heads or anything restricting the proper flow of water, take action immediately. The sprinklers with metal parts may also develop rust and can suffer corrosion over time. When this happens, you will need to replace that part because rust will hinder the flow of water. Another issue that impedes the sprinkler heads from deploying water properly is roots or vines growing over the sprinklers.

So, for cleaning the sprinkler head, you need to lift the head out and remove it from its sleeve. Now, dip it in hot water for a few minutes and use a stiff wire to remove any dirt or debris from the nozzle holes. Also, remove the debris buildup from the sprinkler sleeve itself.

Inspect the Piping and Broken Sprinkler Heads

From time to time, you should inspect the piping lines, as well as sprinklers. This is because pipes that connect the pop-up lawn sprinkler heads often develop leaks which result in wasting water. To avoid this issue, you need to look at where pipes are laid and take note of moisture or water at an unwanted place. In addition to this, you should make sure that sprinkler heads are not broken or missing. You need to fix or replace broken and missing heads so that water is distributed properly across your lawn and there are no wet spots and runoff.

Adjust Sprinkler Heads & Check Your Water Pressure

Another important step in the maintenance routine is checking the position of the sprinkler heads. Adjusting the position of the head is more important in regions that are vulnerable to seismic activities which may cause the heads in the lawn sprinkler system to shift. Soil erosion or seismic activity is responsible for making subtle terrain changes which result in disturbing the angle of the sprinkler head. The head also gets tilted due to a bump from a lawnmower or from accidentally stepping over it. If you don’t adjust the angle from time to time, the system will not evenly pump out water. Besides this, you should also keep a watch on the water pressure. Ideally, your irrigation system setting should be between 40 and 65 PSI.

15 Apr 2019
0 Comments By progreenadmin General, Landscaping

Tips to Hire the Perfect Landscape Lighting Designer

Everyone wishes to live their house of dreams, but not many of them are able to fulfil it. You can do so by hiring the right professional lighting designer for your project. A landscape lighting professional is someone who specializes in the art of outdoor lighting. He makes sure that your house looks unique and the most stylish in your neighborhood. Here are few tips to find the right designer for you.

  1. Customer feedback

This is the most reliable source of information. A good landscape designer would have a large customer base, who would vouch for him. You must also ask for suggestions and opinions from your friends, family and colleagues. They can share their experience with you, based on which you can make a choice. You could even ask for the contact details of their previous clients and get information about the designer.

You might also want to make an online search about the best outdoor lighting designer in your area.

 

  1. Qualifications and experience

It is mandatory that you get answers to a few questions before you hire a company or contractor. You must ask for their qualifications and certifications. They must be affiliated to some association or organization. Ask about the previous projects they have handled and the difficulties they had to overcome to deliver it. This is would tell you about the scale of work they have done.

 

  1. Obtain quotes

Before finalizing your outdoor illumination designer, you must at least visit two to three designers and obtain quotes from them. Discuss your idea of the project and ask them for suggestions and alternatives. Negotiate with them and try to strike a suitable deal.

 

  1. Understand if the lighting is their only expertise

It is necessary to have knowledge about the various other aspects to construction, but you don’t want a jack of all trades. You must make sure that the team that you hire must specialize only in outdoor lighting. You want an expert who does this every single day. This would ensure you that he is not only up to date with latest trends but is also rich in experience in this line of work. This would also mean that he has enough experience in dealing with the problems that might arise during the project.

 

  1. Team work

It is essential that you form a solid team with your landscape designer. For you to communicate your desires to them, a strong bond must be formed. You must be able to feel comfortable talking to them. The professional that you hire should value your ideas and try to include as much as he can into the plan. Also, his sense of style must match with your taste.

 

In addition to the above points, a good landscape designer would give you product warranty and service guarantees. If not, you must ask them for it. An outdoor illumination designer would help and accomplish your life long dream of having that oh- so- amazing home.

22 Mar 2019
0 Comments By progreenadmin General

Irrigation Tips to Beat Back Draught Season

Water is vital to keep your plants and lawn healthy. To ensure that you have an ample amount of water even during drought season, it is important to set up a proper working irrigation system. You must water all your plants and lawn properly at night or early in the morning to help the water to stay and not evaporate easily. This will recharge the groundwater to let the grassroots grow deep enough. However, if you water it too much then may create conditions of disease. You must strike a balance between light and heavy watering. Setting up gardens when hot weather strikes are troublesome but with proper irrigation system, your garden can perish. Here are some tips that will help you establish a professional irrigation system in your garden.

ROOT IRRIGATORS

You need to first survey your garden area, look what your garden is asking of you. Try to irrigate those trees and plants that are already established. Most roots go deep, you just need to provide them enough moisture to sustain. Identify the root zones and water them. This can be done with the help of a root irrigator. It is a hose-end needle-like shaft that injects water right to the root zone so that water cannot evaporate easily. Once you water one spot along the dripline, move to another spot till you complete a round-trip.

SOIL MOISTURE

Do avoid watering plants if the soil is still wet. Get a trowel or a shovel to see whether the soil is wet enough or not. Don’t guess, try to match water with your soil type. If the soil type is clay then you need to water frequently but if it consists small amount of sand then you have to water it more frequently than usual.

IRRIGATION CONTROLLERS

Weather fluctuates often, it is sunny one moment and cloudy the other moment. So to avoid such extreme and hard weather conditions, make sure to check your irrigation controllers every once in a month. Choose a timer that measures water flow in hundreds of gallons. The size of your lawn determines the gallons of water you need. Sometimes you may notice puddle occurring whenever you water, try watering in shorter cycles then.

THE RIGHT DEVICE

The right device will help you establish the kind of lawn you want, you must install sensors that take care of the weather and rains. Try to install a rain shutoff device to avoid unnecessary expenditures. You can also use a soil moisture sensor or humidity sensor to check the level of moisture present in the soil. This will enable you to water plants correctly.

SPRINKLER SYSTEMS

There are tonnes of ways to water your garden. With advanced technologies, you can now choose smart watering solutions that work best for you. There are pulsating sprinklers, hose-end sprinklers, in-ground sprinklers etc. all these sprinklers come with timers that enable you to schedule watering using your smartphone. It uses real-time weather data to automate watering so you don’t have to think about it. Make sure these sprinklers operate based on your home’s water pressure.

These irrigation tips will help you fight against extreme or an emergency drought event. Restrict yourself from using too much water and make use of every drop of water that you get. Install a drip irrigation system to let your plants thrive in a drought situation.

16 Mar 2019
0 Comments By progreenadmin General, Irrigation System Maintenance

Steps to Properly Clean a Clogged Sprinkler Nozzle

If you want to keep your sprinklers just as they came new then you must prevent them from clogging. Clean sprinklers prevent clogging problems that can affect your lawn in many ways. You must clean your sprinklers once in a while to tackle problems before they arise. A lot of dirt can build-up over time, but consult an irrigation company or do the cleaning yourself. Here are steps to help you clean your sprinkler heads easily.

STEP 1

The sprinkler head comes built in with a sleeve. When you are not using the sprinkler, it remains inside the sleeve but when you want to spray it gets out of the sleeve. So the first step is to bring the head out of the sleeve in the position it would be if it were running.

STEP 2

Remove the sprinklers head by unscrewing it from the sleeves. In case you have trouble removing it then switch on the sprinkler so that the head pops up on its own. If the water pressure is too much then it can help you to remove the head easily but it will also make the situation messy for you.

STEP 3

Now once the sprinkler head is unscrewed, put them in lukewarm water. Let the head soak for a while. This will let loose the debris that has been stuck for a while in the sprinkler holes.

STEP 4

Meanwhile, as the heads soak, you pick up the sleeve and clean all the dirt as well as debris you find in the sleeve or around it.

STEP 5

Now pick up the soaked heads and take a wire to scrape any unwanted residue present in it. Even though a lot of debris will get clean when you soaked it in water but to scrape debris fully, use a wire and clean every dirt and debris from the sprinkler holes.

STEP 6

Now that you have cleaned the sleeve as well as the head, put them back together. Always remember that your head shouldn’t pop up like before. It should fit at ground level, lowered as usual.

STEP 7

Once you have put everything back as it is, now turn on the water to test the sprinklers. Check if there is any break or leak. Test each head to make sure it’s spraying cleanly and evenly without problems.

STEP 8

This step is to be followed only if there is any problem. If you find any leak or if the sprinkler is not functioning as it should then remove the head again to double-check. If you don’t screw it properly then it won’t pop and drop like it normally does. See if there is any trace of debris that is clogging proper functioning of the sprinkler. Repeat the above steps if you find debris or dirt. If the problem still persists then you might have to get your sprinkler replaced. However, if the problem continues even after replacing the head then you should check your electrical wiring and water connection. It is advisable to consult a leading irrigation company to clean your clogged sprinkler nozzle. Also, If at any time you feel uncomfortable pulling apart your sprinkler system, be sure to call in expert sprinkler repair to get the job done right.

Save your lawn from getting ruined by taking actions on time, as they say, stitch in time saves nine. So stay alert and understand the need of the situation.

20 Feb 2019
0 Comments By progreenadmin General

Winter Maintenance Tips For Your Garden

In the winter time, you have to take care of your garden and your lawns keeping in mind an approach that is a little bit different. This is because, during this time, you are frequently faced with inclement weather conditions and an extreme difference in temperature when compared to summertime and spring, thereby making it crucial for you to provide customized methods of gardening for your plants.

Enumerated below are some of the essential maintenance tips you would be requiring for your garden during the winter time.

Clean Up The Garden

Just after the advent of autumn, you will inevitably have leaves strewn around in the garden, as well as notice the presence of several dead plants. Not only do these act as an eyesore for your garden, but also they are the storehouses of funguses, pests, and certain diseases that could prove to be extremely detrimental to the live plants and vegetation in the surroundings. If at all these that plants have pests in them, it is likely that they will start breeding and spreading around like wildfire before you can even do anything about it. Therefore, you must take a proactive approach to eliminate them before they can prove to be harmful. For this purpose, it is necessary that you remove all the dead plants and bury them in garden trenches. However, it is only recommended that you do so if you are certain that the plants are free from any kinds of diseases. By burying the plants, you would be able to procure organic matter which will help you improve the quality of the soil, augmenting its health and tilth.

Remove Weeds

During winter, you might note that there is a plethora of invasive weed growth in the gardens which might act as an impediment for the healthy growth of the next season’s plants if they are not dealt with properly. To remove these invasive weeds from your garden, you can dig them up and dispose off of them. Keep in mind to not move them to another part of the garden as they might still be harmful when put in a weed pile or a compost heap. Additionally, make sure that you have cleared out your garden of all the weed that you can so that you can plant and take care of the next season’s plants with ease and without any obstruction from these nefarious weeds.

Soil Preparation

Autumn is perhaps the best time of the year to get the soil of your garden prepared for the next season’s planting round. Many professionals advise on adding soil amendments like kelp, compost, bone meal, phosphate, manure, and rock during this period of time. Adding these elements to the soil makes it rich in nutrients, helping it to become biologically active and enriching the quality of the soil. In this way, you will be preparing your soil for the spring.

 

If you are in need of a lawn irrigation and irrigation system expert in the Toronto area, you can render the assistance of Pro Green Irrigation to cater to all your needs.

 

20 Feb 2019
0 Comments By progreenadmin Gardening, General

Practical Ways To Get Rid Of Moles From Your Lawn

Listed below are some of the steps you can take to eliminate the existence of moles on your lawn.

 

Seek Out Their Active Tunnel

The very first step that you would have to initiate on your part is to find out the tunnel that the moles use. Locating this molehill is imperative on your road to cutting off the source of the problem. Once you do so, you must cover the molehill with mud or other such components in order to use it as a sealant and leave it for about a day or two. After that period of time, if you see that the molehill has been uncovered from the sealant, you can be assured of the fact that there are moles existing on your lawn and you can determine methods of getting rid of them following this discovery. Locating this tunnel which the moles use to get access to the lawn as well as to the other surrounding areas on your residential premises is crucial so that you know the exact place you have to target the extermination at.

 

Spray Gas In The Tunnel

Even though gas sprays prerequisite a certain level of expertise, you could use this gas in order to suffocate the moles living inside the tunnel that you have located on your lawn. Keep in mind that it is always better if you hire the services of a professional exterminator instead of doing this on your own; however, it must be mentioned that it is not impossible to handle this step on your own. You can use a gas spray or even a smoke bomb and place it at the opening of the tunnel. This will lead to them getting suffocated inside the tunnel due to the gas or the smoke. Nevertheless, be certain that you are not using any component that turns poisonous upon coming in contact with water as it will gravely affect any foliage surrounding the tunnel that you are targeting. Furthermore, take extra care and attention to make sure that there is no adverse exposure to the gas, especially if you have pets or children at home, as this could render them sick very easily.

 

Call Pest Control Experts For Help

Even though there is a spectrum of home remedies and other steps that you can take on your own, chances are that they will not work as well as the professional services that are offered by pest control experts. These professionals have the training and the competence to handle issues like this on the daily, and thus have more experienced in this field and they would know how to diagnose a problem and come up with a solution in the shortest amount of time possible, thereby economizing your time as well as your money. In this manner, you would also get rid of the problem sooner, not letting it become an impediment to your life for long.

 

If you are in need of professional lawn irrigation experts in the Toronto area, you can solicit the services of Pro Green Irrigation.

 

06 Sep 2018
0 Comments By progreenadmin Gardening, General

5 Simple Lawn Watering Tips for the Freshest Lawns

A perfectly maintained lawn adds tremendous value to a property. And not just the real estate value, people are also impressed with a flat lush green lawn which looks fresh all around the year. Apart from being environment-friendly surface to carry out activities, a natural lawn also provides many health benefits. But what does it take to keep a lawn healthy?

Many things. And one important element is regular watering. If you want a lawn that is healthy then you should start focusing on watering it properly. Without regular supply of clean water at right intervals, it won’t take it long for all the green to fade away.

But what is the right time and techniques to water the lawns? Are some hoses okay? Sprinklers systems are the best, right? These are just some of the questions that pop up when you think about watering the lawns. Watering lawns is a science and we here to help you with it.

Here are 5 simple tips that you should know about watering your lawn like a pro –

The Best Time To Water

If your lawn appears dull and dry, it’s a simple sign that it needs water. One easy way to ensure that your lawn is in good condition is to walk on it. If your footprints stay there for long then it means it is running dry. But you should not run away and turn on the sprinkler systems just yet. There are certain time-periods when watering the lawns give you the best results.

The morning and evening time slot is best for watering. During the morning (before 10am) and the evening (4pm-6pm) evaporation rate is lower. It gives the water enough time to seep into the soil.

The Water Amount

The water should soak 6-8 inches deep into the ground. You can check this by digging a screwdriver deeper into the ground. You can also use a shovel and lift up the sod. Record the time it takes for the water to reach that exact level and water the lawn for that duration every time you repeat watering. Every lawn is different so make sure you experiment with the depth and time.

Pulsating Sprinklers are Better

You will come across many types of lawn sprinkler systems in the market. One of them is the pulsating sprinkler which is one of the better lawn sprinklers. If you don’t have the luxury of getting an in-built and automatic sprinkler, you can get one and these and hook it up to a garden hose. It sprays the water horizontally, making it less susceptible to losses due to evaporation.

Too Much Water is Bad

People often make the mistake of over-watering the lawns. They would water them over 15-20 minutes daily which is a complete no go. If you want to have it like the pros, then don’t go for lawn watering more than 2 days a week. Lawns are tough, they can stay fresh up to 2-3 weeks without water. Over watering can lead to problems of fungal growth and weak root systems. Both of which are not good for a growing lawn.

You Should Get a Timer

If your mind wanders a lot and often forgets about shutting off the tap then you should get a timer. These cheap but highly effective gadgets will shut off the water supply after the set time period. This way, you don’t have to worry about flooding your garden when you binge watching that new season of the show you like.

P.S. – Get in touch with an irrigation specialist like us to get the best out of your lawn.