Fall Preparation in our commercial landscaping is the annual process we go through to properly prepare your commercial building for cooler month. Typically, this time of year, LMC does a Fall fertilization for both the landscape and the turf. The fertilizer typically consists of a low nitrogen number with a high potassium number, 15-0-30, which helps to feed the grass and beds as we go into the Winter months feeding the roots to provide some nutrients and carbohydrates. The fertilizer also helps with early spring green-up of the turf once it breaks dormancy for Bermuda grass, St. Augustine and Zoysia properties. We follow up this fertilization with a Spring fertilizer in March.
For the shrubs and plants, we are providing some resistance to the stresses. After the extreme heat of our Houston summers, we want to feed the roots to prepare them for Winter and then come springtime, when things start to warm up and it starts to grow again, we’ll put down another fertilizer application.
In addition to fall fertilizer, we bring up the mowing height a little bit by one half an inch or so to provide a little bit more leaf area for the grass to soak up the sun. This helps the grass to store nutrients before going dormant in wintertime as well as providing some resistance to traffic by creating a little bit better, stronger, denser turf. We apply pre-emergent herbicides as well to get ahead of any weeds that may take advantage during the colder months.
Our mowing frequency also goes down to servicing every other week. St. Augustine, Zoysia and Bermuda grass go dormant during this period so they are not creating leaf growth that would require more frequent mowing. Our crews stay of the grass during the Winter to allow it time to rest. The exception is rye grass, which would still require weekly service.
Although trees, plants, and lawns are not growing as rapidly now as they do during the summer months, there is still a need for appropriate watering. We rely on the technology of smart water management and ET (Evapotranspiration) rates to determine the need for irrigation. LMC partners with Weathermatic for our commercial properties irrigation systems. Our leadership believes firmly in watering only as needed, and in our experience this is typically not necessary during the cooler months. Delivering only the required amount of water in cooler month helps to avoid diseases and weed issues.
Finally, commercial properties benefit from regular commercial landscape maintenance to keep lawns, plants, gardens, and trees healthy and beautiful. Commercial properties that are neglected during winter months will be more likely to have issues in the spring and summer, such as invasive weed growth, vermin, insect infestations, fungi and other plant diseases, and issues with root systems. LMC is your partner is caring for your property year round.
