Landscape maintenance

Regular maintenance

• Soil maintenance

– pH and nutrient testing & maintenance

– Amending

– Weed control

• Plant maintenance

– Irrigation

• Mulching

– Pest control (insects, disease, other

organisms)

– Pruning

Landscape tools

Weed control

• Chemical control

– Pre-emergent vs.

post-emergence

– Selective vs.

nonselective

Weed control

• Hand weeding

• Landscape fabric

• Mulch

Irrigation

• Water supply to a plant

– Limited by root system

• Improve soil drainage, reduce soil

compaction to improve root growth

– Avg. soil absorbs 3/8” water per hour

• Slow, less-frequent deep watering better

than frequent shallow watering

– Soaker hose

– Drip irrigation

– Basin watering (berm)

Irrigation

Irrigation

• Hand watering

• Sprinkler irrigation– Good for lawns, densely planted beds

– Wastes water (evaporation, unplanted areas)

– Can promote foliar diseases

– Fixed heads/risers

– Portable heads

• Drip/trickle irrigation– Reduces water usage by >50%

– Can apply fertilizers

– Nozzles, pipes can clog

Irrigation

• Mulching/ground covers reduces

frequent watering needs

• Standard 1/2” residential pipe can

handle one irrigation head (install ¾”-1”

piping if plan to irrigate)

• Generally need 1” water per week

– Lawns 1” per week

– Woody plants 3-4” total every 4 weeks

• Newly transplanted woody plants need to be

watered weekly (1st year), every 2 weeks (2nd year)

Garden pests

Pest control

• Choose plants with minimal pest problems

• Insect pests are often vectors for disease

• Chemical control

– Contact poisons vs. systemic pesticides

– Synthetic vs. organic

Biological

pest control

• Gardens Alive

• Home Harvest

Pruning

• Removal of excessive & undesirable

growth

Why prune?

• Sanitation– Broken branches & dead tissue

• Diseased parts

• Opening canopy– Increase air flow; reduce humidity

– Increase penetration of sprays

• Removal of undergrowth for appearance and fire prevention

• Stimulate new, vigorous growth

Why prune?

• Aesthetics

– Shape

• Formal hedges

• Topiary

Espalier

Vase-shaped trees

Pollarding

Why prune?

• Enhance reproduction

– Yield enhancement

– Fruiting shoots vs. non-fruiting shoots

– Increase flower size

– Fruit distribution, size, sugar content

uniformity

– Access to fruit

Why prune?

• Manipulate physiology

– Pre-transplant root pruning

– Shoot tip pruning to promote branching

– Stimulate new growth on older plants

Dwarfing

• Bonsai

Pruning tools

• Saws

• Shears

• Hand pruners

• Loppers

• Pole pruners

• Bypass vs. anvil

Pruning tools

• Sanitation

• Branch size and pruner damage

– Hand pruners (< 1/2 inch dia.)

– Loppers (< 2 inch dia.)

• Maintain sharp tools

– Clean cuts heal faster

Pruning principles

• Cutting is irreversible

• Breaking apical dominance changes form of plant

• Pruning invigorates regrowth

• Pruning can direct growth

• Timing of pruning is critical– Spring flowers develop on previous season’s

growth

– Summer and fall flowers develop on current season’s growth

Pruning techniques

Prune inward growing branches

Pruning for outward growth

Prune rubbing branches

Included bark

Crotch angles

Trees with central leaders

• Standard form

Pruning

Multiple

leaders

Removing the central leader

Branched head standard

Multistemed tree form

Drop crotching – controlling

height

Pruning

cuts

Pruning

branches

• Cut at 900

angle

• Cut in stages

Pruning large branches

Pruning pines –

pinching candles

Pruning shrubs

• Heading back

Thinning

Renewal pruning

(gradual renovation)

Coppice for color

Shearing

Hedge shapes

Training - Espalier