Spring is the time of the year when your landscape is starting to emerge from the long cold winter season. The buds on the trees are finally starting to develop. The roots on your plants and grass are beginning  to grow again and plant life is regaining it’s beautiful vibrant colors.

At this time of the year your automatic lawn sprinkler system needs to be properly “started up” and reviewed. All repairs and alterations should be performed (by only a qualified irrigation technician) at this time to ensure your system is operating at its peak performance. The water duration and frequency of the watering cycles  (aka settings) should be programmed into the lawn sprinkler controller to deliver just the right amount of moisture during each irrigation cycle. Over watering at this time is a common problem and can severely hurt or diminish the growth  of your seasonal plantings and existing evergreens.

During the annual spring start up visit, Pacific Lawn Sprinklers will program your irrigation controller for the adequate amount of water required at this time of year. A complete inspection of all main lines, lateral lines, backflow preventers and electric solenoid valves will be performed. Each sprinkler head will be checked and adjusted to ensure proper coverage and operation.

As the cold winds of fall move in, along with the changing leaves and falling temperatures, it is once again time to think about winterizing your irrigation system or garden watering system. Here in the Northeast, winter delivers a steady bout of prolonged freezing temperatures that can damage the components of your lawn sprinkler system or drip irrigation system if not properly winterized. Costly repairs at the spring start up next season can be avoided if your irrigation lines are properly shut down, drained, and blown out with a regulated high volume air compressor. 

Most people feel that LED landscape lighting systems are only installed in resorts and palatial estates due to the cost. However, nothing could be further from the truth. With major advances in technology and the growing demand for landscape lighting, it has become affordable for all. An outdoor lighting system can be designed and installed masterfully and economically for any size home or entertaining area.

I hate to say this, but I'm still hearing that my indus­try, low voltage landscape lighting, has a bad reputa­tion. So, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for me to get back on my soapbox.

The mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus have evolved to reproduce in the smallest amounts of collected water, even in bottle caps. Yards and landscapes tend to have more than enough water sources to support a growing mosquito population. As annoying as that situation is on its own, it could now also have the potential to contribute to the spread of Zika in the United States.