Customer Care Guide
Thank you for allowing Landscape 20/20 to help with your landscape project! We truly appreciate you and your business and hope you enjoy your landscape for years!
Here are some tips to help you maintain and protect your investment.
If you have questions or concerns or have a warranty issue, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 480-570-4995. Our office will be your main point of contact, so please do not reach out directly to your designer/sales rep or foreman.
Watering
If your landscape design includes plants and a drip system, it is crucial to the life of your plants to ensure that you are keeping up with the seasons. In the warmer months, our plants here in Arizona will suffer from the sun. To help keep the plants alive, we need to increase the time we spend watering them. You will have a box on the side of your yard that houses the timer for your irrigation. Please check your user manual for instructions on how to adjust the timer. You may have multiple zones to adjust if you have a front and back yard or large trees with different watering requirements. Our plants need less water in the cooler months, so you should adjust your summer schedule to increase watering and allow shorter watering periods in the winter.
Overwatering
Unfortunately, too much of a good thing can be harmful; in this case, we’re referring to overwatering. An overwatered plant will likely develop yellow or brown limp, droopy leaves instead of dry, crispy leaves (a sign of too little water). Wilting leaves combined with wet soil usually mean root rot has set in, and the roots can no longer absorb water. You may also see brown or yellow leaves, edema, mushy stems, mold around the plant, and withering. If this happens, give your plants a little break and turn off the water for a few days. After giving your plant’s soil a chance to dry out, adjust your water schedule to reduce the time you are watering your plants.
Freezing
In winter, you must stay on top of protecting your plants. Use blankets or towels for a freeze warning or very low temperatures. Drape them loosely over plants, supporting the material with stakes as needed. Be sure the plant cover extends to the ground in all places to create a small dome of insulation. If the wind is a problem, anchor the fabric to the ground with bricks, stones, or anything heavy. Woven fabric provides better protection than plastic or paper. Remove your coverings by mid-day, so plants don’t overheat, but keep them handy because there is often more than one frosty forecast per season.
Lights
If your design includes landscape lighting, you will have a box on the side of your yard that houses the timer for your lights. As the seasons change, the sun sets earlier in the winter and later in the summer, and you will want to adjust the time that the lights turn on and off. Please check your user manual for instructions on how to adjust the timer.
Travertine
Travertine is a sedimentary rock, a pre-stage of limestone. Despite the calcium carbonate in the stone, it is prone to getting etched when it comes in contact with acid. Do not use cleaners if they contain one of the following ingredients or fall into the following categories:
- General-purpose cleaners
- Acidic solutions, vinegar, lemon
- Ammonia, bleach
- Commercial cleaners with alkaline not meant for Travertine stone
- Scouring cream or powder
Avoid extreme heat or pressure when cleaning the stone.
Saltwater will deteriorate Travertine and natural stone over time. If you have a Travertine Patio and a saltwater pool, we suggest hosing your patio off periodically.
Travertine should be periodically swept or blown by a leaf blower to keep dust, dirt, and leaves at bay. Leaves left on travertine will often stain the stone. Periodic hosing with very low pressure will help keep your travertine looking fresh—too high pressure will move the aggregate and sand holding your pavers together and create movement.
Pavers
To keep your Pavers looking fresh and new, they must be clear of dirt, dust, and leaves. Periodically sweep or blow your pavers with a leaf blower to keep dust, dirt, and leaves at bay. Each spring, sweep your pavers with a coarse-bristle “stable” broom and some water to keep them looking new.
Remember that some weeds can shift pavers apart if not addressed over time. As part of your yard maintenance routine, apply a weed preventative between joints periodically.
Your Pavers should be periodically swept and blown by a leaf blower to keep dust, dirt, and leaves at bay. Leaves left on pavers will often stain them. Periodic hosing with very low pressure will help keep your pavers looking fresh—too high pressure will move the aggregate and sand holding your pavers together and create movement.
Sunscreens for Turf Burn
If you have installed Artificial Turf for your landscape, you must invest in sunscreens for your windows to protect your turf investment. Windows, just like a magnifying glass, will reflect and magnify the sun’s rays and have the potential to burn and melt your turf. It is your responsibility as the homeowner to ensure that the windows and sliding glass doors that could cause burn have sunscreens to prevent damage.
Artificial turf also needs to be protected from BBQs, fire pits, cigarette butts, etc. any excessive heat or fire will cause the turf to melt.
Artificial Turf Cleaning & Maintenance
Maintaining your turf and keeping it clean is essential to the life of your turf. Routinely blowing debris, leaves, and dust off the turf will help keep it looking fresh. If you have pets that use the turf, keeping it free of excrement is essential to keep odor and bacteria at bay. We suggest periodically hosing down your turf to remove any set-in pet mess. We also recommend using a turf cleaning company a few times a year to keep your turf looking and smelling fresh and sanitary, especially when you have pets and children. DO NOT Powerwash your artificial turf, as this will damage the fibers and cause the infill to be displaced – Doing so will void ALL warranties.
Water Feature Maintenance
Maintaining clean and clear water in a water feature will prolong the life of your water pump and allow your water feature to continue providing the ambiance and beauty it was designed for. To do this, you will need to do some periodic maintenance.
- Cleaning the pump regularly ensures that no leaves and debris are blocking it or making it work harder. Unfortunately, living in Arizona comes with hard water, so check if the pump has any hard water buildup. You can use 50/50 water and distilled white vinegar to soak the pump and a clean rag to wipe away the softened minerals.
- Keep the water in the feature clean. If the water is too dirty or has turned green, it is time to replace it with fresh water. If algae are recurring, add an enzymatic water cleaner to your water mixture to prevent mineral buildup and algae growth.
- Fountec is a product used in water features to keep algae at bay.
- Be sure to use a non-toxic algaecide to avoid creating a toxic environment for birds, dogs, people, children, lizards, etc.
- NEVER under any circumstance should you use chlorine tablets or bleach in a water feature – doing so will cause damage to the feature as well as cause harm to birds, dogs, people, children, lizards, etc.
Hard water on Water Feature
Periodically, you may notice white spots and hard water build-up around your water feature. Unfortunately, this is common due to the hard water that we have here in Arizona. This can be dealt with to ensure your water feature stays beautiful and functional for years. We suggest that you do your research based on the material used for the best ways to rid your property of the mineral deposits. Always wear proper gloves and eye protection if you plan to use any solution, and be careful not to use anything too acidic or rough.
Pests (Bugs)
If you find some of your plants are suddenly being eaten or look dead, but you’ve been following the watering schedule, don’t freak out just yet! Periodically, even here in Arizona, you will find bugs and pests that get hungry and will nibble on your bogonvillas, orange jubilees, yellow bells, and other shrubs/bushes. Long and short…
- Prune the affected areas and dispose of them in garbage, not compost piles.
- If the shrub is still being eaten, use a biological pesticide containing BT (Bacillus thuringiensis)—this and other products can be found at your local home improvement store.
Generally, if you follow these steps, your plants may look a little sad or close to dead for a bit, but they will typically come back if you can rid your yard of the pests in time. Please do not rush to rip them out until you give them some time to heal. Also, it should be noted that your warranty does not cover plants eaten by pests.
Plants eaten by Javalinas, Bunnies, and other Critters
Another thing we need to keep in mind while living here in the desert is that javelinas, rabbits, and other creatures love to eat our plants. If you find your plants with significant bite marks or wholly ripped from the ground, you likely have been a victim of a hungry Javalina. Unfortunately, there is very little that we can do to prevent this. Some residents have successfully used coffee grounds, garlic water, and red pepper flakes around these plants. Please do your research before applying any product to your plants. With rabbits and other critters, you can protect the plant with a metal wire barrier. This will ensure the plant has time to mature fully; by that point, the cute little cotton tails should not be an issue. Also, it should be noted that your warranty does not cover plants eaten by animals.
Effervescence
Effervescence is a white, chalky substance that may appear on the surface of natural stone, clay brick, concrete pavers, or any other porous building material. Naturally occurring minerals in soil, water, sand, gravel, and cement are dissolved by rain and groundwater and come through the paver/concrete/etc. and will leave a white appearance. This is not damage but natural and will happen with any porous material.
Removing effervescence from concrete, pavers, and brick
There are different solutions depending on how hard you want to work. Sometimes, the stains can be removed by simply washing and brushing them away with water. However, if they are stubborn, mix a solution of one part vinegar with five parts water before scrubbing it off with a broom. You may also use a power washer to remove stubborn stains that water alone did not wash away. However, if you go this route, do NOT exceed 1,000 psi and take great care not to blast away the sand holding the pavers in place (the sand between the pavers acts as grout, and that sand is needed to keep your patio in place). Excessive power washing will void your warranty.