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Chinch Bugs attack my lawn every year.
Weeds seem to take over.
Diseases are killing my shrubs and trees.
We can end the cycle!
You can hire one qualified company to provide all your landscape services safely and on time.
How can I prevent damage instead of replacing dead plants and grass?
- Use our weekly lawn and landscape maintenance. When our well trained qualified crew is on your property each week, we see potential problems as they first emerge. Monthly or bimonthly spray companies are not on your property often enough to prevent damage. They are always working from behind trying to stop the damage.
- If you are happy with your lawn maintenance company or maintain your own property, we can provide all your fertilization and pest control services.
- We are fully licensed by the State of Florida for shrub, tree, and lawn pest control. Our program treats pests without poisoning your family, friends, and pets. Most companies overspray in an effort to prevent damage. That can no longer be done as Chinch bugs have developed resistance to all the available poisons.
- Fertilization for your particular lawn and landscape.
- Soil testing and analysis
- Lawn Spraing
- Tree and Shrub Pest Control
- Weed Control.
- All work supervised by a graduate horticulturist with 30 years of experience.
- We can solve any landscape problem you have.
Fully licensed and insured for your protection. Does your current lawn maintenance company have $1million liability insurance?
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OBD or your typical lawn spray company…What’s the Difference?
Some 100 million pounds of pesticides are used by homeowners in homes and gardens each year, even more when commercial companies are added in. Suburban lawns and gardens are known to receive far heavier pesticide applications per acre than most other land areas in the U.S., including agricultural areas.
Lawns and landscapes are often overlooked when a healthy environment is being considered for our homes. This is primarily because a home is frequently our largest investment and we want it to look its best for maximum value. There just don’t seem to be any alternatives to the chemical tread mill. Another reason is that, sadly, we have bought into the chemical companies’ massive marketing campaign that says we should surround ourselves with large lawns that are 100% weed free. Even with their chemicals that is not practical, or possible!
The best that can be said is that is a great coup for the chemical companies because once you begin using their quick fix silver bullets it is hard to stop. We are actually making our lawns chemical junkies that will go through terrible withdraw pains if we back off. The reason is that these chemicals and acidulated petroleum based fertilizers have killed all the beneficial soil microbes God placed in the soil to keep a balanced functioning system. The soil is seen as nothing more than a medium to hold our plants up and into which we dump things to receive the desired affect.
The amount of chemicals needed to sustain such expectations is staggering. They are making us, our children, and our pets sick. Studies show that these hazardous lawn chemicals are also drifting into our homes where they contaminate indoor air and surfaces, exposing children at levels ten times higher than preapplication levels.
Of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 19 are linked with cancer or carcinogenicity, 13 are linked with birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 26 with liver or kidney damage, 15 with neurotoxicity, and 11 with disruption of the endocrine (hormonal) system.
Of those same 30 lawn pesticides, 17 are detected in groundwater, 23 have the ability to leach into drinking water sources, 24 are toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms vital to our ecosystem, 11 are toxic to bees, and 16 are toxic to birds. With numbers like this, the only logical question becomes: is this really necessary and what can we do to stop or prevent this kind of contamination?
You can have a beautiful lawn and landscape without using toxic poisons that endanger your family’s health and pollute our ground water. Imagine your peace of mind with a landscape safe for pets, plants, and people. The key is to build a healthy living soil teaming with beneficial microbes that work for you.
“It is not a chemical vs. organics question. Everything in the world is chemical. The point is that the two words, “chemical” and “organics,” have become the passwords for two philosophies.
"“Chemical” represents the university taught approach to force-feeding the plants using synthetic fertilizers and trying to control nature using synthetic pesticides.
‘“Organic” represents the approach of working with nature to improve soil health and using only products that increase the chemical, physical, and biological balance in the soil”. J. Howard Garrett
Create a Healthy Foundation
So what can you do to reduce or eliminate the toxic chemicals from your outdoor living space? Healthy living soil is the key to your success in landscaping or gardening. Your soil is not just media holding up your plants into which chemicals are added. A properly managed soil is a healthy living system that will feed your plants while discouraging and destroying pests. We will follow these simple steps to begin the process of restoring and improving the beneficial life to your soil:
1.Your soil will be tested by a reputable lab that does a complete soil analysis. You wouldn’t allow the dentist to start drilling your teeth before taking an x-ray. The same principle applies to fertilization. Don’t add anything to your soil until you know what is there and what is missing. Adding too much of one thing could cause problems, deficiencies, or toxicities with something else. Only add what you know you need. We take soil from surface level to about three inches deep in 10-12 spots around your landscape to make up a good composite. Then, our lab provides the following information in a soil analysis: pH, Total Exchange Capacity, Base Saturation, desired calcium to magnesium ratio, exchangeable hydrogen, the amount of nitrogen, sulfate, phosphates, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, boron, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, salts and chlorides present. From this, we can plan accurate applications for correcting the soil in order to give you a healthy landscape requiring less time and money.
2.Balance your soil according to the recommendations from the soil test. Now we can safely add the nutrients and amendments that will correct deficiencies and repair the biological and physical structure of your soil. It can take months to change the soil chemistry so it is important that you get started right away.
3.Stop using artificial pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. These products will destroy beneficial soil microorganisms and earthworms. While they may bring temporary relief, they guarantee you will have to keep using them and create an environment ripe for other attacks. We will not apply anything to your soil that does not encourage life.
4.Aerate soil. Increase the air in the soil through mechanical aeration or conditioners if needed. Healthy soils need oxygen and that includes the soil microorganisms. This can almost only be done by balancing the soil chemistry and using organic soil conditioners. Compost Tea + is one of the best.
5.Build soil organic content. Florida’s sandy soil is almost always to low in organic matter. We can add compost or apply Compost Tea + to prepare beds and gardens, and to stimulate lawns. Stimulation of microbiotic activity in the soil is the most important way of building soil organic matter.
6. Add mulch to all bare ground. Natural mulch preserves moisture, helps to eliminate weeds, and keeps the soil surface cooler which benefits earthworms, microorganisms, and plant roots. Cover bare ground under trees and shrubs and in vegetable and flower gardens with 1” of compost and 3” of shredded tree trimmings or bark mulch.
BUILDING ON YOUR NEW HEALTHY FOUNDATION
“We have developed a philosophy of business that stands in stark contrast to most landscape companies. It is based on sustainability- in terms of the growing environment and work force.”
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As we restore vital soil life, we will be careful not to upset the balance. The cultural practices that go into your property are just as important as the chemical inputs. As an experienced horticulturist I constantly stress good horticulture in everything we do. Our team knows the importance of using clean sharp tools and blades, the right equipment for the job, and careful attention to detail. We provide a financial incentive when they finish the work on time with no call backs (by you or OBD) or complaints. This helps us manage the tension between speed and accuracy.
Our philosophy is different from other landscape companies. We operate on a sustainable model that works with the laws of the environment to become more and more self perpetuating. We build soil health and therefore plant vigor to improve the appearance and life of the entire landscape.
We also only hire American citizens with proven talent who, most importantly, posses a good attitude with a desire to keep learning. Every employee is a well documented American citizen. This is not a matter of prejudice, it is simply a matter of experience proving what works. Employees who live in this country permanently, who take pride in the country, and need to keep a good reputation in order to stay employed in a local market, do better work- more efficiently. Our experience is that American workers will do the work and consistently outperform illegal workers.
Here are a few of the things we keep in mind to sustain the natural system that will work for you 24 hours a day.
1. Plant only adapted species. Always plant varieties that do well in your specific environment. Plant annuals and vegetables in the proper season and, if you plant them, be prepared to loose tropicals (including citrus) in the winter. We can help you select the best plants including Florida Native species.
2. Watering. Irrigate your lawn and landscape deeply and infrequently to encourage deep roots. An application of .75”-1” every week or tow is sufficient in the winter, depending on the temperature. In the summer time you may need two applications per week. Shallow frequent watering results in shallow root systems that are susceptible to drought and pests. Less water will be required as you increase the mineral level in your soils. Use your yearly soil lest to keep the mineral level where it needs to be.
3. Foliar Spraying. We prefer to spray lawns and shrubs during periods of stress with Compost Tea +, a good biological stimulant. This encourages healthy growth and reduces pests. A good stimulant includes molasses, compost tea, vinegar, kelp, and other ingredients. These applications will reduce plant replacement and pesticide requirements.
4. Encourage biodiversity. We may introduce beneficial insects and will certainly protect those that exist. You can plant herbs that attract these insects and install bat and purple marlin houses. Use only organic fertilizers that will not burn out the humates and beneficial microbes in your soil.
5. Mowing. Lawns are frequently mowed to low. Most lawns thrive when cut to 3-4 inches tall. Some species, like Bermuda, are best kept at 1-1.5 inches tall. This will give you a strong healthy root system that is resistant to drought, heat, and freezing. We will never remove more than 1/3 of the grass height in one mowing. The grass clippings and some finally chopped leaves remain on the lawn. They are a great source of nutrients and will add to the soil structure. We always use sharp blades for a clean neat cut that does not damage grass. Mower blades are kept clean and sharp.
6. Pruning. Just like in your lawn, we will usually not remove more than 1/3 of the plant at any one pruning. Anything more will cause stress and make the plant susceptible to pests and temperature extremes. Azaleas are pruned right after flowering. Later pruning will remove next years bloom. Our team will not perform Crape murder on your Crape Myrtles! Yearly pruning will encourage more blooms but sever pruning weakens the tree.
So the difference is this: we are a unique growing business rooted in a desire to exceed our customers’ expectations. Our philosophy of sustainability allows us to meet that goal for our customers and provide an enjoyable stable work environment for every member of our team. And, you can relax knowing we are not endangering the health of you or your neighbors.
We hope you will choose us to provide your landscape services. We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Jeff Brower, President
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