Advanced Irrigation Blog Posts

Don’t Neglect Your Lawn This Winter

advanced irrigation lawn care services bloomingtonJust because winter will be here in a few short weeks, it does not mean you can stop taking care of your grass, garden and landscaping. While you will not have as many yard-related chores to take care of during the cold winter months, there are still a few items you should keep on your To Do List. Here are a few tips on what to do from the professionals at our lawn care services near Bloomington.

  • Start thinking about your garden and landscaping plans for next spring. If you are planning on having new landscaping features installed, now is the time to start looking into landscaping and lawn care services in your area. You should start gathering estimates and looking at portfolios and galleries to see what each service is capable of doing.
  • After you have made up your mind about which of the lawn care services you want to hire, make sure you call them as soon as possible to be sure you can get on their schedule this spring. Lawn care services like Advanced Irrigation are happy to put you on our schedule and to answer all of your questions about our services, irrigation systems and more. We can even give you a free estimate so you know how much to budget for lawn care this spring and summer.
  • If you did not lay down grass seed during the fall, start thinking about laying it down in the spring. These two times of year are the best time to lay down seed since it will be easier for the grass to take root and grow. Fertilizer can be safely used with grass seed.
  • If you are not planning on laying down any grass seed, then you should use pre-emergent on your lawn during the winter so weeds and other pesky plants are unable to grow. However, do not use grass seed and pre-emergent together.
  • Keep an eye on your yard and continue to rake any leaves that fall on it. Do not allow your children or anyone else to leave toys, bikes or anything else on the grass. If these items are left on the grass, that could keep it from growing and thriving in the spring and summer. Make sure you remove any trash and other debris as well.

Are you interested in learning more about our lawn care services near Bloomington? Call us at Advanced Irrigation at 612-599-8675, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.

Planning a Landscape This Spring

landscaping companies maple grove advanced irrigationEven though winter is nearly upon us, it is never too early to start planning your landscape and garden for next spring. Advanced Irrigation is one of the best landscaping companies near Maple Grove, and we have several ideas for you and things you should keep in mind when making your plans. Here are a few suggestions.

  • Take a look at your garden as a whole. Do you want to use any flowers or plants in particular as a focal point? Or maybe you should call landscaping companies like ours to get a new patio or walkway installed. Either way, start considering what part of your garden or landscaping will become the central focal point. From there, you can start planning the rest of the space.
  • While formal English gardens are lovely to look at and visit, they are not practical for most homes. They take a lot of work to maintain and even when you plant exactly the same plants and flowers, they often grow at different rates. Unless you can care for your garden full-time, plan to plant flowers in groups instead of rows. That makes them easier to care for and maintain.
  • Planting flowers in groups instead of rows also makes them more interesting to look at. You can combine different flowers to create a beautiful and unique look. Think about when you plan an outfit to wear to a wedding. You don’t want every piece to match exactly because that doesn’t look quite right. So you want to go with colors that complement each other. The same goes for flowers and plants. Find plants that have a similar leaf shape, or maybe find plants that grow to be about the same size. Then put them all together in a group when you plant them.
  • Plants and flowers can be used to soften the harsh edges of your house. Consider planting evergreens near the corners of your home or along its foundation.
  • When talking to landscaping companies like ours about your new garden and landscape, we can give you advice on plants and flowers that will bloom year-round. Consider having those added so there is always something blooming in your garden, even when it’s cold and dreary out. That way, even if you can only look at your garden from the inside of your home because it’s too cold to go outside, there is still something pretty to look at.

For more information on landscaping companies in Maple Grove, call Advanced Irrigation at 612-599-8675, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.

Preparing Your Lawn for Winter

lawn care services minnetonka advanced irrigationNow that fall is here, it is time to start thinking about getting your lawn ready for the winter. This applies to commercial and residential properties because you always want your business or home to look its best. While you can rely on professional lawn care services to help with your Minnetonka landscaping, there are a few things you can do yourself to get your grass and plants ready for winter’s upcoming chill.

Mowing

You should continue to mow your grass for as long as it continues to grow, or our lawn care services can come to your home or business and continue to mow your grass until it stops grow and becomes dormant for the winter season. Grass blades should generally be trimmed to about 2 ½ inches, but sometimes that varies depending on the type of grass you have.

Raking

While this is one of the most dreaded lawn care chores, it is also one of the most important. Stay on top of raking and don’t let too many leaves pile up on your grass. Leaves will keep the sun from shining on your grass, and your grass needs the sun to stay healthy. You can use a mower with a mulch setting and a leaf bag attachment or you can use a rake. Take the leaves you gather and use them as compost: they are great for gardens!

Aerating

Aerating is when small holes are poked into the soil of your lawn. It allows water and nutrients to reach the grass’ root system. If you do not have an aerator, our lawn care services can come out and take care of this for you. It is a relatively simple process that will not take long, depending on how big your lawn is.

Fertilizing

Did you know fall is the best time of year to fertilize your grass? It helps give your lawn a pre-winter nutrient boost and helps get it ready for the upcoming cold months. The type of fertilizer you need and how much to apply depends on the type of grass you have. Call our lawn care services so we can come out and take care of this for you.

Would you like to learn more about our lawn care services serving Minnetonka and the surrounding areas? Call us at Advanced Irrigation at 612-599-8675, or you can contact us to set up a Free Estimate.

The Importance of Winterizing Sprinkler Systems

With the cold winter months right around the corner, it is time to start thinking about scheduling winterization services for sprinkler systems. Lakeville residents should call Advanced Irrigation as soon as possible to make sure they can get on our schedule. But why is it so important for sprinkler systems to be prepped for winter? Can’t you just turn off the water and leave the rest of the system alone?

You could do that, but there is still going to be water in the irrigation system that could freeze and expand when it turns into ice. When it expands like that, it will be too much for the system and pipes, fittings, valves and other parts could crack open or burst. That means you could end up spending a lot of money to get those parts repaired or replaced when the spring time rolls around again.

When we winterize sprinkler systems, we will generally follow the same steps for each system. We will drain the system using the manual or automatic drain valves to get most of the water out. After that, we use compressed air to “blow out” the system, making sure there is no water left in there that could potentially freeze and damage the system. When we use this compressed air, we are very careful to use the right amount to ensure we do not accidentally damage the sprinkler systems and any of their parts.

Then we make sure the main valve is closed, which will keep the water from flowing into the system and freezing when the temperatures get below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

We will then make sure the timer or controller is turned off. This means that the system will not turn on during the winter months, but you will not lose any of the programming in the system either.

If your sprinkler system doesn’t already have one, consider having a rain and freeze sensor installed. This will monitor the outdoor air temperatures and rain fall. If the temperatures drop below freezing before sprinkler systems are winterized, the sensor will keep the irrigation systems from turning on.

This is just a general overview of what winterizing sprinkler systems entails. Call us and we can tell you even more.

If you would like more information on sprinkler systems in Lakeville, call Advanced Irrigation at 612-599-8675, or you can contact us to set up your Free Estimate.

Planning Practical Walkways for Your Landscape

When your home looks nice on the outside, it doesn’t just add curb appeal. It also makes your home more warm and welcoming for your guests, and it can also make your neighbors just a bit envious. Here are a few ideas for landscape design for your St Paul home from the experts here at Advanced Irrigation.

  • When you are laying out where walkways will go, follow your family’s natural path in and out of your home. Your landscape design needs to fit in with the everyday needs of your family and guests, so if there is a walkway installed where people already walk, you will not have to worry about your family walking through your rose bushes or your prized patch of chrysanthemums.
  • If the walkway does not have to curve or if it does not need steps, do not use them. You can save some money on landscape design, materials and labor if your walkways adhere to as straight of a path as possible.
  • However, if your walkway needs to slope more than 10%, that is a good time to consider a curve or some steps. A slope of 10% or more is probably too steep to walk on. You can put plants and other elements of landscaping by the curve or the steps to make them more interesting to look at.
  • Decorative concrete and decorative retaining walls are incredibly popular landscape design ideas these days. They are a great way to combine functionality with something that is eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing.
  • If you have any fences or shrubs that border your walkway, make sure they are no higher than two feet. This helps alleviate any feelings of crowding as people are walking on the walkway, and it also makes it easier to carry packages, groceries and other items in and out of your home.
  • Try to include plants in your landscape design that will offer year-round enjoyment, and try to place them in view of your new walkway. You should try to have a plant or two within your new landscaping or garden that grows and blooms during every season. That way, even in the dead of winter, you and your guests still have something pretty to look at.

These are just a few landscape design ideas for your home’s walkway! For even more, give us a call.

If you would like more information on landscape design in St Paul, call Advanced Irrigation at 612-599-8675, or you can contact us for a Free Estimate.