Now that summer is here, it’s time to turn your attention to weed control. Though there were below-freezing temperatures in Tucson this winter, those days are firmly behind us now! Warmer temperatures and Monsoon rain bring weeds back to life here in the desert. Prevention is the key to controlling weed growth, and is something your Tucson Commercial Landscape maintenance company can assist you with. Pre-emergent spray can help you stop weeds before they even start. Read on to learn more.

What Is Pre-Emergent Spray?

As the name suggests, pre-emergent spray is used to kill seeds of weeds before they even emerge. The climate in the Southwest is very inviting to a variety of weed species, which can cause irritating allergic symptoms as well as an eyesore in your landscaping. As the weather keeps getting warmer, seeds begin to germinate and poke their heads out of the ground. Pre-emergent spray contains an herbicide that creates a barrier around the seed, preventing it from ever sprouting. This barrier seals off the seed. Pre-Emergent is safe to use around your existing plants as it only stops germination of seeds. July is a great month to spray Pre-emergent, as our summer rains will help to soak the pre-emergent into the ground

The Benefits of Pre-Emergent Spray

You lead a busy life, and there are probably many things you’d rather do than spend your free time pulling weeds out of your garden. Pre-emergent spray solves that problem before it even starts, decreasing the time you have to spend doing landscape maintenance. Your Tucson landscapers can use a pre-emergent spray so you avoid having to see unsightly and sometimes hazardous weeds take over your custom landscape. Many types of weeds are notoriously hard to get rid of, with roots that extend deep below the surface. Pre-emergent spray prevents these from growing, and may minimize your weed growth in coming seasons as well.

Do you want to keep your Commercial Properties weed-free? Don’t wait until it’s too late! Contact Santa Rita Landscaping at (520) 623-0421 or visit us online to learn more about our residential and commercial landscaping services.

Water is one of nature’s most precious resources, especially in a dry, desert environment like Tucson. Even native plant species need some water to grow and thrive amidst your landscaping. If you have had trouble with your plants, it could be related to watering. In fact, according to one source, as much as 80% of all plant problems are due to incorrect watering. A smart controller can be an important part of your landscape maintenance, improving your plants’ health while saving you water and money at the same time. Read on to learn more about smart controllers.

How Smart Controllers Work

There are a variety of types of smart controllers that have advantages over standard methods of irrigation timers. Most timers simply turn on and shut off the water at pre-programmed intervals, regardless of weather and local rainfall. Smart controllers are climate-based and adjust the time and amount of water released based on local weather conditions. Some models of Rain Bird smart controllers measure rainfall in real-time, suspending irrigation while it is raining. The controllers calculate the amount of rain and automatically adjust your watering schedule so that your landscaping is not over- or under-watered.

Why Choose Smart Controllers

In addition to providing more precise irrigation, smart controllers can save you time and money. The system is completely automated, so you don’t have to worry about shutting your irrigation off when it rains or forgetting to turn it on after the weather has passed. Smart controllers do all the work for you. These controllers do more than just make your landscaping look consistently beautiful—they can also save you up to 80% with proper watering techniques. Rain Bird smart controllers meet and surpass the standards set by the EPA’s WaterSense program, which requires products to be at least 20% more efficient than standard, non-labeled products.

When you’re ready to save time and money at the same time that you conserve water, contact Santa Rita Landscaping at (520) 623-0421. Our three owners have over 75 combined years of landscaping experience in achieving extraordinary results for all of our customers.

As residents of Tucson know, it’s a dry heat here for most of the summer. However, the arrival of mid- to late-summer brings the notorious monsoon with heavy rains and high winds that can cause serious damage. Roadways flood, roofs leak, and without the right preparation, your landscape design could suffer, as well. Summer monsoon officially starts on June 15, so keep reading to learn how to prepare your landscaping for the upcoming storms.

Staking Out Trees

If you’ve ever gone camping, you are probably familiar with staking out your tent in case of excess wind. Preparing your younger fast growing trees for the monsoon follows the same basic principle—trees that are staked out with guy wire are more stable than trees that are left to withstand the elements on their own. Small trees can be staked using two lodge pole stakes to stabilize them. Trees over a year old can benefit from guy wires. For maximum stability, trees should be staked out at three separate points that are out of range of the root system. If you are unsure of how to do this yourself, consult your Tucson landscapers to help you secure your trees during the monsoon. Because tree growth and long term stability can be inhibited by ties, you may want to have the ties and stakes adjusted or removed when the monsoon storms are over.

Trimming Trees

During monsoon thunderstorms, there are often gusts of wind with speeds of 30 miles per hour or more. At winds of 30 miles per hour, you can see large tree branches in motion. As the wind speed increases, the entire tree will move and structural damage can occur. Winds of around 50 miles per hour can uproot an entire tree. While it is impossible to control wind speed, you can control how your trees are prepared for the gusts. Trimming back branches and thinning out the tree tops will improve how much wind can pass through them. Decreasing this resistance may give your trees a better chance of surviving the monsoon and staying rooted in the ground.

Call Santa Rita Landscaping at (520) 623-0421 to find out how we can help you prepare your landscaping for the summer monsoon. We have been serving Tucson’s landscaping needs for 28 years.

You don’t have to install expensive high-voltage landscape lighting systems in order to provide your property with safe, aesthetically pleasing illumination. Low voltage lighting solutions such as halogen lamps and LED bulbs ensure that you can keep your grounds lit up at night without incurring an unreasonably high electric bill, and contemporary designs can fit with any architectural style. For help choosing between LED and Halogen, read on.

12 Volt Halogen Outdoor Lights

Halogen lamps, like some other types of incandescent bulb, contain tungsten filaments. This metal reacts with a small amount of iodine or bromine inside the bulb to create a halogen-cycle reaction, which causes the tungsten to evaporate but then re-condense back on the filament. Halogen lamps last longer and produce brighter light than other types of incandescent bulbs. Most Halogen bulbs last 3,000 – 5,000 hours. They are also much more compact than standard bulbs, allowing them to be installed in small, unobtrusive fixtures.

LED Lights

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, use electroluminescent semiconductors to generate bright light in any color. LEDs use even less energy than compact fluorescent lights or even halogen bulbs, making them a very cost-effective option for landscape lighting. Most lighting manufactures guarantee LED Bulbs for 35,000 – 50,000 hours. Though they are initially somewhat more expensive than other types of lighting, LEDs will reduce your energy spending in the long run. Depending on the type of fixtures you use and the number of lights on your property, LEDs can save you up to 75% on your exterior illumination bills as compared to incandescent lights, making them an affordable, sustainable choice.

Tucson property owners seeking custom lighting designs for their property can call Santa Rita Landscaping. As Southern Arizona’s Landscape Solution, we have provided services to homeowners and commercial property owners for over 20 years. Call us at (520) 623-0421 to set up a custom consultation today.

If you want to make a colorful addition to your garden this spring, planting annuals can provide a splash of vibrant flowering hues that can withstand high Tucson temperatures in the late spring and early summer. Annuals will last one growing season, and the varieties of spring annuals listed below are particularly beautiful and long-lasting in the warm, dry desert climate.

Salvias

Salvias are resilient plants that boast aromatic flowers resistant to drought, making them ideal for a Tucson garden. There is a wonderful assortment of salvia plants that you might select for your garden including cooking sage, ‘Evolution’ salvia, and ‘Mystic Spires Blue’ salvia.

Snapdragons

Snapdragons are beautiful plants blooming flowers of red, orange, pink, and yellow. They are a popular choice for Tucson gardens, because they do not require heavy upkeep and thrive in sunny areas. Another benefit of snapdragons is their easy-to-cut flowers, which can create gorgeous bouquets to display inside the home.

Marigolds

Marigolds are some of the most frequently seen spring annuals thanks to their multi-colored flowers and high resistance to pests. They are an ideal addition to a vegetable garden, or they can create a resilient, colorful flowerbed on their own anywhere in your landscape.

Zinnias

A cost-effective and easy-to-grow spring annual that thrives in heavy sunlight is the zinnia. A packet of seeds will generally produce a pleasing array of multi-colored flowers in an assortment of shapes in just a few weeks. The colorful blooms that come in will not only attract beautiful butterflies to your garden, but they can also be easily trimmed to create one-of-a-kind bouquets of green, red, pink, purple, and yellow.

For tips to help you grow your spring annuals with success or select the right plants for your garden, contact Santa Rita Landscaping at (520) 623-0421. Our expert Tucson landscaping services will allow you to create your ideal outdoor space with minimal stress.