1. Landscape Maintenance

2. Learning Objectives
List the tools required for general landscape maintenance.
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of irrigation.
Describe four mulches suitable for use in landscapes.
Recognize common landscape plant problems, such as crossing branches, girdling roots, and suckering.
List the three main purposes of pruning.

3. Low Maintenance Landscapes
Features:
Groundcover areas instead of lawns
Mulches around trees and shrubs
Automatic irrigation system
Low-maintenance plants
Flowering shrubs rather than annual and perennial flowers
Plants that are disease-and insect-resistant
Plant adapted to the local climate

4. Tools Soil-working tools Watering equipment Rakes
Fertilizing Equipment

5. Power Equipment Hedge trimmer –good for long sections of formal hedge
Power blower–blowing grass and leaves off paved areas
String trimmer –trim grass beside paved areas
Edger–maintains a clean line between turf and non-turf areas
Chain Saw –removal of large trees and shrubs
Power pruner –for high branches

6. Safety around Power Equipment
Eye protection
Remove sticks, stones, and other debris
Keep people and pets 50 ft. away
Do not use lawn edgers in graveled areas
Hearing protection around gas-powered (2-stroke) engines
Safety footwear

7. Irrigation
Sprinklers
Hand-watering
Drip or trickle irrigation

8. Fertilizing Timing Rate
Usually just before or during active plant growth
Spring most common
Rate
Trees: 6 lbs actual N per 1,000 sq ft
Shrubs: 2-4 lbs actual N per 100 sq ft
Groundcovers: 2-4 lbs actual N per 1,000 sq ft

9. Cultural Weed Control Hand-pulling Cultivating with a hoe
Weed barriers
Mulching
Solarization

10. Chemical Weed Control Pre-emergence Post-emergence Bio-herbicides
Trifluralin
Oryzalin
Only kill germinating seedlings, not established plants
Post-emergence
2,4-D (dandelion control in lawns)
Glyphosate(non-selective, spot-treatment)
Kill weeds on contact
Bio-herbicides
Wheat or corn gluten meal

11. Mulches Organic Inorganic Plant-derived
Should be weed-and pesticide-free
Shredded bark, pine straw, etc
Inorganic
Rock
Marble chips
Recycled tires

12. Common Landscape Problems
Suckers
Mower Blight
Crossing Branches
Stem Girdling Roots

13. Why Prune?
Size Control
Health Improvement
Appearance

14. Review Questions
Name three examples of personal protective gear to be worn around power equipment.
A benefit of drip irrigation is that water is applied directly to roots of desired plants, minimizing growth of __________.
Describe one major difference between organic and inorganic mulches.
Mulching around landscape plants can protect trees from which common landscape problem?