Hello and welcome back to our blog post. I know in this heat gardening isn’t something that we are all to keen to get into but its vital we care for our gardens during times of stress. I wanted to give a few tips on how we can help reduce the stress to our landscapes during challenging times regardless if you are fortunate to live in Point Loma and are enjoying the slightly cooler temps or in Del Cerro where the temperature is much warmer.

For larger areas of the garden look to replace your older irrigation heads with ones that rotate such as Mp Rotators as the can reduce your water usage by up to 20 percent while improving coverage.

Adjust your irrigation, often longer but less frequent cycles help plants grow deeper roots which helps during drought stress.

If your lawn is beyond repair consider replacing it with low water use ground covers or if you must have a lawn take a look at UC Verde buffalo grass. This winter dormant fairly low growing grass will only use a quarter of the water a standard lawn would.

Trees need deep monthly waters during times of excessive heat. Water the trees from the trunk out to the drip line and let them dry out between. Adding mulch helps to hold in moisture while adding nutrients to the soil and suppressing weeds.

If you have a landscape design project please feel free to call Cleator Landscape Design at 619-917-3644 for to speak with our staff about transforming your landscape into something more drought tolerant.

I know that’s an odd way to start talking about soil health but hear me out. Our soils tend to be pretty poor and often lack enough Mycorrhiza to be beneficial to your plants. So we need to boost the levels of these beneficial fungi to aid in root development especially in new housing developments where the soil has been demolished. 

So why would you want to add Mycorrhiza and how do you incorporate them back into your soil. Mycorrhiza work by creating a symbiotic relationship between fungi and plant roots. This vast network of spores in the soil greatly enhances surface area of the roots which in turn results in improved nutrient acquisition and uptake by the plants. It also aids in reduced need for fertilizers, improved resistance to wilt, root rot and salt toxicity among a host of other beneficial side effects. The best way to get them into your soil is to incorporate Mycorrhizae into your backfill or directly applied to the roots of the planting. Direct root contact is essential for the best results, as it holds the best odds for colonization and success. I would also recommend adding a bit to the root ball itself during planting for that extra boost. For established gardens you can add Mycorrhiza to the drip line cover well with mulch. Mycorrhizae cannot survive when exposed to sunlight.

No matter if you leave in Point Loma or South Park adding Mycorrhiza to your garden will be an easy task with huge benefits so don’t wait and add some of these fungi today. 

If you have any additional questions or are interested in a landscape design please don’t hesitate to contract Cleator Landscape Design at 619 917 3644

When it comes to how to properly irrigate your landscape in San Diego it comes down to a few factors based on where you live such as Point Loma faces different challenges than Kensington. Today I wanted to discuss different in ground irrigation systems, hopefully in future post we can discuss the other factors that contribute to an overall effective irrigation system. 

In ground irrigation systems are the most common system for both new and existing landscape. They have many built in benefits such as the ability to be programmable, they can even be tied into the internet and receive relevant weather information and self adjust how much and how often water is applied. This also allows for a wide range of heads to be incorporated into one system, so you could have drip, pops ups, soakers and bubblers all on one system with only different zones separating them. In ground system have the aesthetic benefit of being hidden thus keeping the landscape tidy, however when they need repairs digging is typically required. 

A major part of modern in ground systems are drip systems. Drip lines emitters come in a wide array of GPH or gallons per hour allowing you to highly customize how much water is provided. When discussing drip systems the only brand to consider in my opinion is Netafim. They are an agriculture based product that is far superior to anything else on the market. The other common system for in ground systems would be pops up. Today we have a number of different choices from HE-VANS which allows for greater control of how far and wide the water is distributed to MP ROTATORS for large coverage areas to even products like Irrigreen that will deliver water to only a predetermined area limiting overspray. 

In ground irrigation systems might not be a “sexy” topic, but they are essential and with all the modern additions to the market they can be so highly customized that installing any type of landscape without one is foolish. If you would like to know more about irrigation systems please call Cleator Landscape Design at 619 917 3644.

In the last post we talked about how to reduce the stress your plants face during a heatwave. However today I wanted to quickly touch on how to design a landscape for a warming climate. As we all know the climate is heating up and along with that comes rainfall uncertainty, so how does one have a beautiful garden is an ever-changing world. It does not matter if your property is in La Jolla or South Park it’s prudent to consider how the landscape will respond in a hotter than typically environment. 

When designing a landscape here in San Diego I always recommend a client take into considerations the sites microclimate. This is a good starting off point to figuring our what types of plants can potentially grow where. Along with that it’s vital to consider water use, with limited water becoming available as well as the ever risen cost of said water it’s important to use it wisely. It’s also critical to capture any rainfall we do receive as this can be a great resource during the hot dry summer months. 

Another factor to consider when designing a landscape is how best to use shade in your garden. This can reduce evaporation and cool your home thus reducing cooling cost. A beautiful shade tree not only looks amazing it can greatly affect how the outdoor space is used during the hotter times of the year. Along with shade it’s essential to consider how different hardscape elements respond to wild swings in temperature. Some hardscape products especially synthetic can heat up to a point that they become unusable. 

These tips along with selecting plants that can handle the warmer climate is a good starting point when considering how to design a landscape here in San Diego. If you would like to learn more please contact Cleator Landscape Design at 619-917-3644

As we are all aware San Diego is dealing with yet another heatwave and the effects of continued higher than normal temperature can play havoc in your garden. It doesn’t matter if you are in Point Loma, Pacific Beach, Del Cerro or North Park the higher temps effect us all. 

Today I wanted to discuss a few ways we can reduce the stress our gardens face during times of higher than normal temperatures. In a future post I will also discuss ways we can design gardens to handle a warming planet. 

When a heatwave strikes we need to be mindful of how these higher temps and often drying winds effect our gardens. One way to help relieve some plant stress is to water your garden in the morning when temperatures haven’t risen yet. This allows the water to seep into the soil and cool the root zone before evaporation takes hold. Another effective strategy is to give you plants a quick cool shower in the middle of the day, this is less about watering the plant and more about lowering the surface temperature of the leaves to reduce internal water loss. 

Shade is another way to help reduce the stress plants face during times of extreme heat. Even if your plant is a full sun plant, higher than normal temps can still be difficult for the plant to handle. Moving the plant or adding supplemental shade can help the plant cope. Supplemental shade can come in all forms from simple umbrellas or sunshade/ sun cloth to more elaborate built structures. Not only do such measures help with the heat they can also shield them from the drying winds often associated with heatwaves. 

Try not to mow or prune plants during times of high stress, the additional leaf blade can help shade itself and the root zone aiding it ability to survive. Also be very careful about adding any type of growth fertilizer to your plants. Allowing the plant to focus its energy on deeper roots and over all stress survival is more important than the plant putting on additional growth. Some fertilizer and foliar sprays designed too improves the plants stress tolerance and the ability for the soil to retain water can be effective if applied prior to a heatwave, but that can be hard to plan for. 

If you would like additional information please call Cleator Landscape Design at 619 917 3644

When it comes to what is my recommendation for which kind of wood to use on San Diego decks my first choice is always Kebony. Haven’t heard of it you’re not alone, but it’s becoming more and more popular each year.

Kebony calls itself a modified natural wood product. Basically its real softwood that has been specially treated to act more like hardwood. The process of impregnation and curing the wood makes the cells walls 50 percent thicker and thus far more durable. This process is different from thermally treated wood which can leave the wood brittle over time. Also the use of sustainable managed forest makes Kebony far more environmental sustainable than using tropical hardwoods.

There are a number of reason why Kebony is my go to when I am designing a deck for a home all across San Diego from Point Loma to Del Mar and inland to South Park and Del Cerro. If you want more information check out the Kebony website as its full of great information and comparisons.

If you are looking for a deck design feel free to call 619-917-3644 for more information.

In the last blog post we spoke about using natural wood as a decking option for San Diego Landscapes. Today I wanted to discuss with you the pros and cons of Synthetics wood.

Might as well get this out in the open I am not a huge of synthetic wood for most landscape projects. The reason for this is they are fake, feel fake and on closer inspection look fake. Now some companies are doing better than others on making them look a bit more realistic but they are not gonna fool anyone when you get up close. They are also made up of plastics or are blended with plastics making them not the most environmental friendly option. This plastic formula heats up in warmer locations such as Del Cerro and can make walking on them barefoot in the heat of the day less than pleasurable, they are also not always the cheapest option. Enough with me bashing synthetic wood.

Now for the upsides, they are virtually maintenance free are nearly indestructible and can be used in locations other decking options would be challenging to work with.

So if you are looking for a durable material that will outlive us all, that will be located out of intense sun and can withstand lots of wear and tear then maybe synthetic woods are worth considering.

If you are looking for a deck for your San Diego landscape, please feel free to call us so we can discuss which decking option is right for you. 619-917-3644

When it comes to San Diego varied topography many homes could benefit from a deck. It doesn’t matter if you are in Pacific Beach or North Park it’s less about could I add a deck to my home its more a question of what kind of deck should I add. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/decking/21017499/decking-materials

Obviously real wood is a tried and true option but what kind of wood is best and what kind can I afford is a question we often get from clients considering a deck. Synthetic woods have been for a while and while there are some advantages there are also many drawbacks to this option. The third major group is treated or sometime called engineered wood. In the next few blog post I will hopefully begin to answer some of the common questions associated with each type of decking material.

Real wood is renowned for its beauty and design flexibility. But not all real wood is the same, lower end woods such as Pine or Fir are more affordable options but tend to have a limited useable life span. More expensive hardwoods like Ipe or Teak have a longer useable life but come with installation issues as well as environmental concerns. Cedar is a nice middle of the road option for those that want real wood, are comfortable with the maintenance required but can’t afford the more durable hardwoods. With the countless staining or painting options not to mention the varied ways the deck boards can be arranged real wood does allows for increased design options for the client.

If you are interested in a deck for your home please feel free to give us a call and speak with someone about the best option for your home. 619-917-3644

Well here we are in 2022, I know its been challenge for all of us just to get here but I wanted to thank everyone who has been so supportive of us during these trying times. We couldn’t have survived without each and every one of you. As we look forward to a new year lets all hope that it’s gonna be better than then the one we just said goodby too. 

To continue with the monthly series of what to do in your garden, let’s take a look at January. Avoid digging or trampling too much on damp soils as they can become compacted and disrupt root growth. In our colder communities even Del Cerro don’t trim off frost damage until temps warm back up as the damaged area offer some protection to the still healthy plant tissue below. Prune hybrid roses by 1/3 even if they still have some leaves on their branches, as always trim off any dead or damaged branches. Now is also a good time to plant bare root fruit tree. From Point Loma to Del Mar its time to fertilize citrus and do your twice annual pruning while you are at it. 

Hopefully these task will help you get back into your garden and allow for some much-needed stress relief and urge you to be hopefully for a happy and heathy 2022.

As we enter into fall here in San Diego its wise to check in on your landscape just to make sure everything is set for our winter weather, haha. Regardless of if you live in Point Loma or Del Cerro here are a few tips on how to get your landscape ready for what come next.

Plant strawberries now to allow for a bit of winter chill as this will help provide better fruit.

Set out winter vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, beets, carrots and turnips to name a few.

Treat stone fruit with a lime sulfur spray to control leaf curl.

Harvest persimmons as soon as they are fully colored.

Trim overly tall or dense shrubs, always follow proper pruning technique.

Cut back ornamental grass when they turn brown, check on variety to determine proper cutting height.

Be on the look out for upcoming rain storms, turn off irrigation to help save water before the storm arrives and depending on how much rain we receive you may be able to leave the irrigation off for a while.

Hope those tips were helpful and enjoy your garden and the cooler temps.

If you interest in more information please reach out to Cleator Landscape Design. 619-917-3644