Evaluating Existing Plant Material: Maintaining Plants in Good Condition
For all landscape plants that are in good condition on your properties, and the ones that you intend to keep, set up a preventative maintenance schedule with Crabapple LandscapExperts for best performance.
A schedule ensures that the plants will be cared for on a regular basis, and calendar dates for specific tasks can include times to
- fertilize
- prune or thin
- treat for pest problems
- mulch
- water
- move to another location if desired
Remember, Crabapple LandscapExperts will keep your plants healthy, yet will not overstimulate growth, reducing maintenance while increasing health and beauty.
Evaluating Existing Plant Material: Plants in Good Condition
With luck, proper original design and planting, and great maintenance many of the plants in the landscapes you manage will be in good condition. Crabapple LandscapExperts are well-acquainted with how each type of plant should look and can give your plantings an annual or semi-annual once-over.
Healthy Plant Characteristics
- Leaf size and color are appropriate
- Timing of spring leaf-out and fall leaf-drop is within acceptable limits
- Number of flowers and fruits is suitable (interesting but little-known fact: plants about to die often produce an abundance of seeds in an attempt to reproduce)
- Rate of growth is adequate
- Plant is healthy and withstands insect and disease attacks
- Root system is vigorous, clean and expanding
Landscape Renovation: The Property Manager's or the HOA Rep's Responsibility
Many non-plant hazards also exist in the landscape, and it is the responsibility of the Property Manager or the Homeowners Association representative to take steps to correct them before any problems occur. Preventative care by Crabapple LandscapExperts is the best and most cost-effective insurance for residential and commercial properties.
Examples of correctable hazards:
- Insufficient night lighting
- Dimly lit or dark apartment/condo/house numbers
- Metal edging that has eased above ground
- Uneven or broken paving
- Uplifted tree roots
- Holes in lawns
With the cost of liability insurance today, troubleshooting by Crabapple LandscapExperts is a conscientious decision and a great step toward safety.
Landscape Renovation: Damaged or Weakened Trees
Trees that have been damaged are a potential hazard to residents, and it is the Property Manager's or the Homeowners Association Rep's responsibility to call Crabapple LandscapExperts to eliminate danger.
- Tree limbs partially broken by strong winds, ice or even lightning strikes may be hanging above, just waiting to fall on an unsuspecting resident
- Trees with major branches cut out (sometimes the utility companies will chop a tree to clear their power lines) may become weakened
- Upright trees with narrow branch crotch angles are subject to splitting, as is the case after strong winds with Bradford Pears planted in the 80s - 90s
- Insect pests like tent caterpillars or progressive tree diseases such as blight can weaken a tree making it susceptible to further damage, death and toppling
- Construction cuts are sometimes made too near to tree roots and can undermine its support system. Examples are road cuts, paving, curbing, foundation or swimming pool excavation, grade changes or underground utility work
Call Crabapple LandscapExperts to set up routine inspections evaluate your landscape trees before an incident happens, and to correct landscape problems we discover. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
