Hurricanes can be large, powerful and fickle storm systems which rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. Storm influences are often most severe on the northeast side of storms. Hurricanes have feeder bands of rain storms which sweep through the area. Wind forces of 80+ miles an hour probably may be sustained for hours. Before and especially after hurricanes, there is often unseasonably dry weather. DO NOT take a hurricane lightly as these storms kill and destroy lives.

After the Storm

1. Community Break-Out: Crews will be onsite as soon as it is safe to mobilize for all contracted communities.

a. Our focus will be to open roads, driveways, and sidewalks so that emergency personnel can get in and homeowners can get out only.

i. Crews will not address any landscaping that does not pose an immediate threat.

b. Safety is our number one priority. If electrical wires pose a threat, crews will wait until it is safe to return to perform needed work.

c. All debris will be set off to the side in an open area for future removal.

2. Community Clean-Up: Crews will return to all contracted communities after Community Break-Out has been completed for all communities.

a. All maintenance activities (mowing, pruning, etc) will be put on hold until clean-up has been completed.

b. Home Owner Association (HOA) areas will be addressed first, followed by the Common Areas.

c. All trees/palms will be restaked if the plant has not been badly damaged. Trees/palms beyond repair will be removed.

i. Homeowners are responsible for making sure any removed trees/palms are placed on a plant replacement list for approval by the HOA.

3. Requests from Homeowners:

a. The standard response time for addressing any homeowner issue does not apply in storm preparation or clean-up events.

b. All requests will be recorded and addressed based on priority.

A PDF version of this article is available by clicking here.

To download a copy of Mainscape's landscaping schedule, click here.

This information is provided as a general guideline for when specific landscape maintenance items are performed.Schedules are continuously adjusted with regard to environmental conditions, growing conditions, site conditions, seasonality, and individual plant species as appropriate.

Please see our contract for additional details.

Dear Homeowners,

As you are aware, May is typically the worst month of the dry season due to the long hot days without rain (causing greater rates of evaporation and turf stress).

We are managing the turf in response to this drought, and will determine the most beneficial times to mow as dictated by site conditions. There may also be times when we determine it is best to alter the mowing schedule because the grass has not grown, the weight of the equipment will cause too much damage to an already stressed turf, etc. We will continue to manage the turf as indicated until conditions improve.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call 1-800-481-0096.

Sincerely,

Your Mainscape Team

Dear Homeowners,

We are still in the middle of the dry season, and the worst is yet to come. Mainscape would like to help you understand the changes that have been taking place in your landscape over the last several months, what to expect in the upcoming months, and how these issues are being addressed.

COLD DAMAGE

• As you are aware, on January 4, 2008, Southwest Florida experienced a weather event; in some areas of Southwest Florida temperatures dropped to 29°F. The cold temperatures, wind chill, wind direction, and exposure from that evening all played a part in the resulting cold damage to your tropical plant palette. This cold snap was quite rare, and we do not anticipate this kind of damaging event every year.
• The impacted plants in your community were pruned to allow sunlight to reach the healthy portions of the plant and encourage new growth. While these plants are making a comeback, due to the dormancy experienced by many of these plants as well as the time of the year, recovery may take some time before substantial growth is observed.

PRUNING

• Previously, the shrubs in your community were tightly pruned into formal box shapes, regardless of the growth habits of each species. This practice has many negative aspects:
  • The plant's potential lifespan is greatly reduced from a normal 8-10 years, down to 5-6 years with heavy pruning
  • By removing the new healthy growth, which is where many flowers grow from, the plant becomes very woody and unsightly
  • The possibility of pest infestation is greatly increased over time if it has not been pruned appropriately.
• Therefore, in an effort to ensure plant health and longevity, Mainscape prunes each plant species in the manner that is best for that shrub. This means that many shrubs will be full with rounded edges (i.e. arbicola, cocoplum, etc). As a general rule, the smaller the plant leaf, the tighter the pruning can be maintained (i.e. ficus, wax jasmine).

WATER RESTRICTIONS & CURRENT LANDSCAPE HEALTH

• The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) declared an extreme Modified Phase III water shortage order for residential landscaping, effective January 15, 2008. This means mandatory one-day-per-week irrigation restrictions were in effect until April 18, 2008. The (SFWMD) has now approved twice per week landscape watering for the foreseeable future.
• The increased watering frequency will help the tropical plants and grass survive, but in the absence of rainfall it still may not be enough to over-come your irrigation system’s deficiencies. Therefore, keep a watchful eye on your property and report deficiencies to Mainscape at 1-800-481-0096. During late April through the month of May, Southwest Florida’s exotic plants rely on supplemental irrigation to meet their basic needs, and our evaporation rates are at their highest. This places them in a health risk, especially considering the limited root maturity of your young landscape. St Augustine “floritam” turf, hibiscus, gardenia, and oleander, as well as annual and perennial flowers, will continue to be more prone to becoming stressed (yellow and brown leaves, dropping leaves, etc).

• We are beginning to perform necessary plant replacements, and will be hand watering until the plants become established or the natural rainy season. If you are so inclined, SFWMD allows homeowners to hand water stressed plants for 10 minutes per day using a single hose with an attached automatic shut off nozzle.
• Please feel free to visit the South Florida Water Management District website (www.sfwmd.gov) in order to gain more information on the water restrictions.

Finally, your community will also receive another application of mulch in the month of June. If you have any questions as it relates to your landscape investment, do not hesitate to call 1-800-481-0096.

Mainscape will keep you informed on any developments as they relate to your landscape investment.

Gary Hill
Technical Director

Dear Homeowners,

As you are aware, many changes have been taking place in your landscape this winter season. Mainscape would like to help you understand what is occurring and how these issues are being addressed.

COLD DAMAGE
On January 4, 2008, Southwest Florida experienced a historic weather event. The cold temperatures from that evening did quite a bit of damage to our tropical plant palette. In some areas of Southwest Florida, temperatures dropped to 29°F. Wind chill, wind direction, and exposure all played a part in the resulting cold damage.
Firebush, ixora, cocoplum, arbicola, hibiscus, and ferns were the most negatively impacted plants in your community. In the two weeks following the weather event, we pruned out the damaged areas. This practice will allow sunlight to reach the healthy portions of the plant and encourage new growth. Due to the dormancy experienced by many of these plants, recovery may take some time before substantial growth is observed.
Additionally, since your community is relatively new and the plants are young, they tend to be more vulnerable in the landscape. As these plants mature they will produce a fuller leaf canopy that will ultimately grow together. This will enable greater protection of the individual plants. Again, this cold snap was quite rare, and we do not anticipate this kind of damaging event every year.

WATER RESTRICTIONS
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) declared an extreme Modified Phase III water shortage order for residential landscaping, effective January 15, 2008. This means mandatory one-day-per-week irrigation restrictions are in effect.
In 2007, SFWMD recorded the second consecutive year of below-average District-wide rainfall. Currently, surface and ground water levels are unseasonably low and are already showing signs of decline. This winter marks the eighth driest start to the dry season since 1932, and there are still several months of dry season weather (November – May) ahead of us.
Communities over five acres have a four-hour window of time to schedule the once-a-week watering cycle that is allowed by this restriction. For many homes, this restriction translates into only 12-15 minutes of irrigation per week, and much less for the common areas. We are currently at maximum capacity and are able to meet your plants’ needs for today. As the days lengthen and the temperatures climb, however, there can be risk of not meeting the plants’ basic minimum needs.
According to the University of Florida, in order to sustain the health of plant communities we must replenish, through supplemental irrigation, 80% of the evaporation loss on a weekly basis. In January and February, this can be accomplished with the current frequency/duration restrictions. It can be questionable in March, and at risk in April and May when our evaporation rates are at their highest. We cannot predict the weather, but timely rains in our traditionally dry season (through May) are needed to sustain your investment.

LANDSCAPE HEALTH
South Florida landscapes are accustomed to having less water during the dry season and can remain healthy during these harsh watering restrictions. Over the winter months, far less water is lost to evaporation than during the warmer spring and summer months, and natural plant growth is minimal so they require less frequent watering.
Some species of trees go into a dormant state, and drop all of their leaves: Live oaks, maples, bald and pond cypress, sweetgums, and elms to name a few. However, much of the landscape surrounding your home is not native to southwest Florida, and these restrictions will impact certain species more than others. Hibiscus, gardenia, and oleander plants, for example, will be more prone to becoming stressed.
Newly planted landscapes are at risk due to immature root systems. Annual flowers and perennials have high water needs and will struggle to survive under the current water restrictions.
If you are so inclined, SFWMD allows hand watering of stressed plants for 10 minutes per day using a single hose with an attached automatic shut off nozzle.

TURF
Mainscape has been following the Florida Best Management Practices which recommends maintaining a long turf height. This practice produces a longer leaf blade, denser canopy and minimizes evaporation, thus providing a more moist soil.
We are also dealing with different types of turf grasses, some of which are less than ideal for the given conditions, and all react differently to fertilizer and seasonality.

• St. Augustine – This turf surrounds your home, and is maintained at 3½ - 4½ inches. It is a warm-season grass, which prefers moist tropical conditions and is at its best in the summer. St. Augustine turf is at the greatest risk when under water stress: it loses not only the leaf canopy, but is in danger of death, unlike other grass types that experience dormancy when under drought.
• Empire Zoysia – Found in the common areas, this turf undergoes a dormant period during the winter months. It is maintained at 1.5-2.5 inches. Although it has also been injured by the recent cold snap (resulting in a leaf blade color loss), no permanent damage is expected. Warm weather and longer day length will have the biggest impact on its improving color.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE COMING MONTHS
In the upcoming month (late February-mid March), we can expect a significant spring growth burst from emerging buds in your plant palette. The dormant trees will be losing their old leaves while simultaneously putting on their new 2008 leaves. The turf is expected to turn a greener shade of color and begin growth as the days grow longer and warmer. In a typical spring, the before mentioned will happen like clock-work; the wildcard this year will be the weather, and we need help from Mother Nature in the form of rain.
Most all of the plants and grasses are native to the tropics where rainfall is abundant. Irrigation recreates these same life requirements, however, only time will tell the long-term effects of the current restrictions.

Mainscape will keep you informed on any developments as they relate to your landscape investment. Please feel free to visit the South Florida Water Management District website (www.sfwmd.gov) in order to gain more information.

Gary Hill
Technical Director

Dear Valued Centex Homeowner,

As most of you know, Mainscape, Inc. was contracted by Centex to maintain the landscaping on the common grounds and residences of their Associations starting October 1, 2007. If you don’t know us, let me take a moment to introduce ourselves. We are a full-service semi-national landscape company specializing in large site landscape management services, services which include mowing, bed detail, irrigation, landscape installation, fertilization and pest control.

Mainscape has recently attended your annual board meeting and is acutely aware of common issues that affect us all.

Questions and answers are as follows:

• Grass is not as green as I thought it would be. Answer. We are in the process of conditioning the new soils in your community. Soil tests have been taken and the correct nutritional blends of fertilizer are being applied. In most cases multiple applications will need to be performed to condition the soil for consistent color and growth.
• My grass is not growing in an even consistency. Answer. Mainscape’s horticultural practices dictate a higher mowing height as a way to conserve critical moisture in the root zone, this combined with new soils lends itself to uneven height. The unevenness will diminish as we apply successive applications of the proper nutrients.
• There are too many weeds in my landscape beds. Answer. We are aware of this common issue and are in process of not only applying pre-emergent herbicide where needed, but adjusting our labor processes to better address this important issue. Our standard is to apply a non-selective herbicide to weeds 3” in height or less and hand-pull any weed that is larger than 3”.
• What will happen if the weather suddenly gets cold? Answer. We are expecting some cold weather this winter. We are dealing with tropical plants in most cases and warm season turfgrass. We will take as much precaution as we can to protect your landscape investment covering such plants as annual flowers with a thermal insulation layer. Grass will turn brown as a result of cold weather and compacted soils. It will take longer day light hours and warmer temperatures to regain its vigor and color this spring. We suggest placing blankets over a prized ornamental palm or other plants that might have sentimental value as a way that you can help with the process.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call Customer Service at 1-800-481-0096 extension 314.

Respectfully,
Dan Rooney
Regional Account Manager

Dear valued Centex Homeowner,

As most of you know, Mainscape, Inc. has been contracted by Centex to maintain the landscaping on the common grounds and residences of their Associations starting October 1, 2007. If you don’t know us, let me take a moment to introduce ourselves. We are a full-service semi-national landscape company specializing in large site landscape management services. These services include mowing, bed detail, irrigation, landscape installation, fertilization and pest control.

As we embark on our journey to provide you, the resident, seamless landscape care it has come to our attention that we are dealing with, in many cases, brand new soils due to the age of the Centex communities. This presents some acute challenges which we have encountered before and successfully dealt with. You might have noticed your turf not growing and not as green as you would have liked coming out of the summertime, this is not uncommon. We have just fertilized your community with a premium slow-release product, the results of the fertilizer will be apparent within 2-4 weeks of the application. As with anything, the fertilizer is only the beginning building block, but the most important in building a healthy turf community. Our initial focus will be nutrition management and conditioning of new soils. As the nutrition kicks in, your grass should green and begin new growth. Mainscape also recognizes weeds will use this nutrition to step up their growth. While we have spot treated visible weeds during the initial application, the application itself had no pre-emergent capabilities to halt weed seed germination. Your next scheduled application will be in December where a more comprehensive weed management product will be applied.

We would prefer, if you can tolerate a few weeds in your turf, an opportunity to treat the entire property in December as scheduled as opposed to a multitude of individual applications. This will minimize any potential over-lap in weed control products and minimize any chance of injury to your turf.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call Customer Service at 1-800-481-0096 extension 314.

Respectfully,

Dan Rooney
Regional Account Manager

• Florida Best Management Practices recommends maintaining a long turf height.
• Although a long turf leaf blade and dense canopy help to minimize evaporation and provide a more moist soil, leaf blades will begin to fold and become dry as their water needs are not being met.
• Dry Season Turf Health
  • In a typical spring, the landscape is expected to turn a greener shade of color and begin new growth as the days grow longer and warmer. We need help from Mother Nature in the form of rain.
  • While any rain events we experience will provide a short-term respite and help the landscape become greener, the top 12” of soil can only hold one inch of water. Anything more than one inch of rain per week results in runoff, thus creating a constant water replenishment requirement.
  • We cannot predict the weather, but frequent and timely rains in our traditionally dry season (through the end of May) are needed to sustain your investment.
• The St. Augustine turf surrounding your home is a warm-season grass (maintained at 3½ - 4½ inches), which prefers moist tropical conditions and is at its best in the summer. This turf is at the greatest risk when under water stress: it loses not only the leaf canopy, but is in danger of death, unlike other grass types that experience dormancy, when under drought.
• Empire Zoysia turf, found in the common areas (maintained at 1½ - 2½ inches), undergoes a dormant period during the winter months. Warm weather and longer day lengths will have the biggest impact on its improving color.

• There are several species in your community that drop some or all of their leaves for many months out of the year. Live oaks, maples, bald and pond cypress, sweetgums, golden rain, and elms are a few of the trees that go into a dormant state, typically in the winter months.
• Depending upon weather conditions, these trees generally begin producing new leaf buds in March and April.

• All of the palm leaves are removed to encourage root growth of a newly planted palm. It is not uncommon for sabal/cabbage palms to not produce any new fronds (leaves) for several months or a year or more.
• Your palm is still alive and healthy as long as the center spear remains green.

• Currently your community uses a bi-annual application of pine straw. This is typically installed in June and December, depending upon availability.

• If you have dead or missing plants, please contact Mainscape at 1-800-481-0096. A representative will evaluate your property and if replacements are needed, add them to a plant replacement list for HOA Board approval. Once approval is received, the plants will be installed at a time that will best benefit the health of the plants.

• If you wish to enhance or modify your landscape with supplemental plantings, at your own expense, please contact Mainscape at 1-800-481-0096. A representative will help you discuss your options and prepare a proposal for you.
• Once you receive our proposal, contact OMNI to obtain an ARC form or click here to open and print the form. Complete this form and submit it, along with your proposal, to OMNI for approval by the Landscape Review Committee.
• Mainscape will contact you when you have received approval to schedule the work.