Category: blog post

How Outdoor Lighting Can Brighten Your Business

Lighting along a walkway with palm trees in Orlando, FL

As a business owner, we understand you pay a lot of attention to your landscape. You’ve invested in flowers, shrubs, and trees. But your curb appeal shouldn’t end just because it’s nighttime. Outdoor lighting can illuminate your landscape, your walkways, and your business, giving your property a safe and inviting look during evening hours.

Create Focal Points

The parts of your business property that you want to highlight or are most proud of can become focal points at night. Think of your front doors or your business sign. Maybe you have a flower bed design or pathway.

Outdoor Lighting Adds Property Value

Landscaping experts say professional landscaping can increase the value of your property by at least 15%. Imagine the value that could be added when you make your landscaping illuminated year-round.

Outdoor Lighting Increases Security

Effective outdoor lighting will not only help deter potential thieves, but it can also help prevent injuries from slips and falls from stairs or cracks in pathways. Outdoor lighting will simply direct clients or customers right to your door in a way that’s warm and inviting.

Highlight Architectural Features

Every building has unique architectural features. Do you have an older building that has columns or scroll work or a modern building with sharp angles and clean lines? We have many types of outdoor lights that we can place appropriately to draw people’s eyes to the details of your building.

Experts in Landscape Lighting

There are a handful of ways outdoor lighting can help with your business. If you’re interested in taking your landscaping to the next level with landscape lighting, contact Grasshoppers. We serve commercial clients throughout the Orlando and Longwood FL areas.

Our landscaping contractors have extensive training in lighting and electrical work. We’ll work with you to choose the right lighting fixtures and design, then install them for you accordingly to best suit your goals. Learn more about our outdoor lighting services and contact us today for your personalized estimate!

Outdoor Lighting

How to Prevent Plant Diseases in Winter

Powdery mildew on a cucumber plant. Grasshoppers talks about ways to prevent plant diseases this winter in Orlando, FL

Bacteria, viruses, and fungi can all cause diseases in your plants. These diseases aren’t much of a problem during cold winters, but if you live in a warm climate like Florida where you have mild winters, you’ll want to take action. Plant diseases can cause significant damage to your landscaping.

Common Plant Diseases

Armillaria Root Rot: Armillaria root rot also called mushroom root rot infects the root of a plant, causing it to wilt and eventually die. Armillaria root rot can continue to live in the soil, so if you’re going to replant in the same area, consider finding a plant that is resistant to the fungi. Armillaria root rot attacks:
- Loquats
- Azaleas
- Ligustrum
- Oak trees
- Hickory trees
- And more
Powdery Mildew: Powdery mildew is a serious fungal disease. It causes plants to become distorted and stunted. It can attack a variety of plants including:
- Rose bushes
- Sycamores
- Crapemyrtles
- Squash
Sabal Palm Disease: Sabal Palm Disease also called, lethal bronzing is transmitted by a tiny winged pest called the American palm cixiid. This disease causes a palm’s leaves to turn brown and eventually die. Sabal palm disease is often difficult to diagnose because it shares similar characteristics as a tree that’s been over-fertilized. If you believe your palm has this disease contact your local landscaper or arborist. They may be able to save it with oxytetracycline injections.

Prevent Plant Diseases with Good Practices

Oftentimes people wait until their plants are already sick and/or dying when they decide to take action and by then it’s too late. The best way to cure a plant disease is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Below are some good practices to help keep your plant disease-free.

Remove leaves and debris from your lawn to prevent mold growth
Continue mowing your grass through the winter until it has stopped growing
Prune trees and shrubs during the dormant season. Pruning during the growing season causes sap to flow which attracts insects like bark beetles.
Winterize sensitive plants like roses and young trees with thin bark. Tender plants can be seriously damaged in the winter, putting them at risk for a secondary infection like canker fungi.
Keep an eye on stressed plants and water them to promote healthy root growth.

Keeping your lawn and plants well-fed, watered, and cared for is your best defense against plant diseases. When a plant is stressed, it is more vulnerable to diseases and is more likely to be affected by lawn pests.

At Grasshoppers, we understand these steps may be a lot which is why you may want to consider hiring a professional landscaper for your property. In addition to being knowledgeable about the plants native to Florida, we’re also familiar with plant diseases, including how to prevent them and treat them.

Keep Your Property Looking Perfect Through Winter

Palm trees with green lush lawn. Grasshoppers talks about ways to keep your Orlando FL commercial property looking perfect through winter.

While winters in Florida are mild, plants and trees still go dormant. But this doesn’t mean you should ignore your landscaping. There are several things you can do to keep your property looking perfect this winter.

Prune

We recommend you have your trees, shrubs, and plants pruned in late winter or early spring. Because they’re dormant during this time of year, this will help prevent any stress to your plants and it doesn’t disrupt fruiting, flowering or the growing cycle.

Mulch

After pruning you should have your flower beds fertilized and re-mulched. This new layer of mulch not only improves the look of your property but it will also help maintain moisture and ensure the fertilizer stays put.

Plant

Depending on your location, you may experience colder winters. If you do, you’ll want to plant annuals that are tolerant to cold weather. This includes amaryllis, petunias, pansies, and snapdragons. Just make sure your flower beds have a good layer of mulch for temperature protection. Adding these winter-hardy flowers to your landscape design will keep it looking beautiful and vibrant year-round.

If you have palm trees on your property, keep in mind they can suffer damage in cold weather. This includes sudden drops of temperature and frost. If you notice dead branches or leaf tissue, have them treated.

Add Hardscaping

Adding hardscaping during the winter is a great way to rejuvenate a dull or stale area. Hardscaping includes rock formations, pavers, sidewalks, water fountains, and retainer walls. Hardscaping not only adds curb appeal but it also provides functionality — whether it’s providing entertainment space or creating a path for visitors.

A great looking lawn and landscape design adds curb appeal and helps make your business more inviting. Fortunately with Florida’s climate, you don’t have to stop enhancing your commercial landscaping. These tips will help keep your property looking vibrant and well-kept through winter.

commercial landscaping commercial property landscape design landscaping

The Risks of DIY Landscaping Design

You’re interested in beautifying your property but you’re on a budget. While “do-it-yourself” methods are fun and make you feel more empowered, DIY is risky when it comes to landscape design. It’s not as simple as adding a few plants here and there. With landscaping, several variables come into play and if performed incorrectly your DIY landscaping may end up costing you more in both time and money.

Risk 1: Improper Planning

Planning is a big part of landscape design. Not only do you need to properly create a cohesive design, but you also need to have all the tools necessary and have time to do it. Oftentimes people will start a project and not see it through to completion. This can lead to an incomplete project or one that is just quickly thrown together, lacking beauty and continuity. Professional landscapers have creative minds. They’ll work with their clients, take their concept and create beautiful landscape architecture. At Grasshoppers we take it even further, creating a digital design prior. This ensures our final design goes off without a hitch.

Risk 2: Haphazard Planting

Plants, trees, and shrubs all perform differently under different circumstances. Some bloom all year-round while some need more shade. Professional landscape designers like us perform a full site analysis before curating a design. During this analysis, we look at soil quality, shade, your existing landscaping, the season, and more because not every plant will work.

Risk 3: Not Taking Function into Account

Great landscaping should incorporate function and form in its design. Professional landscapers will consider how the space is used and keep in mind irrigation, lighting, and traffic.

Risk 4: Neglecting Your Indoor View

With DIY landscaping, small details can often go forgotten. Sure your design looks great from afar, but what if a tree is placed right in front of your picture window or there is too much spacing in between plants? Landscape designers will address potential issues like this during the planning phase.

Risk 5: Going Over Budget

One problem with DIY landscape design is that if you mess up, you’ll spend more time and money trying to fix your mistakes. These costs can quickly add up, causing you to exceed your budget.

Contact a Landscaping Company

Why take the chance of ruining your property? Contact a professional landscape designer. They know high-end designs inside and out and will help impact your commercial property.

commercial landscaping landscape design

The Benefits of Hiring a Professional Landscaping Company for Your HOA

A well-kept landscape not only looks good, but it creates conformity, adds property value, and encourages homebuyers. If you’re part of a homeowner’s association board, you’ll want to consider hiring a professional landscaping company to provide your maintenance services. They’ll provide consistency and help cut down costs. Below are some more benefits of hiring a professional for your HOA landscape maintenance.

Landscaping Expertise

Professional landscapers don’t just cut lawns and prune shrubs. They are highly knowledgeable about all things related to landscaping. They know all about plants and trees native to your region including when they bloom, how much water they need, and where to plant them. Think about the cost it would add if a poorly chosen tree was planted near your hardscape and it uprooted a pathway or water feature.

Reliable

When you partner with a landscaping firm for your HOA properties, you no longer have to worry about when the grass will be cut or the trees pruned. Landscapers will work with you and develop a schedule, taking added stress off of you.

Bulk Cost Savings

Landscaping contractors purchase supplies and plants at discounted rates, helping lower costs for your HOA.

Improved Landscape Management

Some plants, despite your best efforts, may die. If a plant, tree or shrub needs to be replaced your landscape contractor will purchase new plants at a discounted cost and replace it, often with a guarantee in place.

No Equipment to Worry About

You don’t have to purchase landscaping equipment like commercial mowers, loppers, and edgers. And you don’t have to store or maintain them.

Reduced Liability

Landscape companies are insured and understand all environmental and safety regulations set in place. This helps reduce any liabilities on the board’s behalf.

Other perks: Irrigation, fertilization, weed control, Pest Management

Some landscape companies, like Grasshoppers are full-service. In addition to lawn and plant care, they also handle your irrigation, fertilize your lawn, provide weed control, and even provide pest control on your properties.

If you’re in charge of an HOA, you have a lot on your plate, with landscape maintenance being one of the top priorities. When you work with a landscape company, you can focus on what you do best and provide residents with a great living experience. If you have any questions about HOA landscape maintenance services feel free to contact us!

HOA landscape design lawn care

How Lighting Can Affect Your Business

Lights illuminating path at night. Grasshoppers talks about the benefits exterior lighting can add to your Orlando FL business

Lighting doesn’t just illuminate a room, it can make your business inviting, and even affect a person’s mood, completely changing your customer’s experience. In this blog post, we’ll discuss more ways lighting can help improve your business.

Attracts Customers

Customers like places that are well-lit. So if you have a dark storefront people will think your store is closed. Outdoor lighting shows people that your business is open and that you are ready to provide service. It also shows that you care about your company’s brand which is both beneficial to new and existing customers.

Increases Visibility

The way you have your lighting arranged can also help people find their way to your location. Whether your location is tucked away somewhere or it’s wintertime when the days are shorter and you want to make sure customers know you are open long after dusk, lighting helps increase your business’ visibility.

Creates Safety

If you’re open in the evening, there’s a high possibility a customer may come into your business after they get off work when it’s dark outside. You can make it more comfortable for them by installing exterior lighting. Whether you install lighting around the perimeter of your property or just near the entrance, the added light will provide your customers with some peace of mind.

A well-lit business can also help stave off potential criminals for your business. And surrounding businesses as well, creating an overall safer area.

Highlights Deals

If you have the right kind of lighting, you can also highlight deals and promotions you have going on in your business. The lights will attract people nearby and potentially send them into your store.

Provides a Luxury Experience

If you own a restaurant and would like to expand seating to your outdoor patio, you can with the help of exterior lights. Exterior lights can even be soft or dimmed down to set a mood providing an unforgettable experience to patrons.

How you light your property could help dramatically. It can attract more customers, make your business safer, and provide curb appeal. If you’re interested in professional exterior lighting on your commercial property, contact a professional. They’ll inspect your property, come up with a design and professional install exterior lighting that works with your needs and your budget! If you have any questions about commercial exterior lighting, contact us.

commercial landscaping commercial property lighting

4 Ways Hardscaping Can Improve Your Business

Beautiful paved walkway. Grasshoppers talks about the benefits of hardscaping for commercial properties in Orlando FL

You have a lush green lawn and colorful flowers accentuating your property, but what about hardscaping? Hardscaping like paved walkways, retaining walls, and water features can add curb appeal and bring more clientele to your business. Read more to learn how hardscaping can benefit your business.

Provides a Professional Appearance

The exterior of your building can be the determining factor whether a potential customer decides to walk in or not. So, make a good first impression with a welcoming hardscaping design. A well-groomed property inside and out will also leave a lasting impression on anyone who visits.

Increases Safety

Adding hardscape features like retaining walls and paved walkways to your commercial property add beauty and provide a function. Walkways, for example, level the ground, reducing the risk of people tripping. They also help direct traffic. Retaining walls can help protect areas from unauthorized people– which helps show a company’s commitment to defining boundaries from employees and customers.

Provides Landscape Management

If you don’t have a professional landscaping company taking care of your property, you may find that parts of your current landscape are not cooperating as well as others, whether it be from sunlight or vegetation. Adding hardscape features to your property can help. They help eliminate soil erosion, they’re naturally low maintenance, and they complement your organic landscaping perfectly.

Helps Increase Property Value

Whether you plan on staying at your current property or are relocating in the near future, adding hardscaping to your property will help improve your property value and the surrounding area as well.

Whether you’re adding to your existing landscaping or have a new property, there are a variety of hardscaping features to choose from including water fountains, patios, walkways, boulder features, and retaining walls.

In order to make your new hardscaping feature seamless, it’s important to work with a licensed professional, like Grasshoppers. Most landscaping contractors will look at your existing property, provide you with some ideas, and install your new hardscaping making it beautiful and functional.

commercial property hardscape hardscaping landscaping

Lawn-Damaging Insects in Florida

Patches of brown on lawn. Grasshoppers talks about common lawn-damaging insects in the Orlando, Fl area

Does your lawn have dead patches despite all the care you provide it? You may have insects calling your lawn, “home.” In this blog, we’ll talk about lawn-damaging insects and the signs you may have them.

Insects That Damage Your Lawn

Billbugs

Billbugs have become more of a problem in recent years for Floridians with the most damage occurring during the spring and fall seasons. Billbugs lay their eggs in lawns during spring. Then when their grubs hatch, they’ll feed on your grass, hollowing out the stems. They might also eat the grass roots. It is often difficult for a homeowner to determine whether or not they have a billbug problem. Grubs are extremely small and live deep in the thatch layer of your lawn.

Southern Chinch Bug

These tiny pests live in the thatch layer of your lawn. Chinch Bugs feed in groups and will suck fluids from your grass’ stolons, stems, and crowns creating widespread damage to your lawn. People in Florida often see damage from Chinch Bugs anywhere from March to November.

Fall Armyworms and Cutworms

These pests are big caterpillars that love to feed on blades of grass. They are not typically a big problem unless you have a high population of them. This is because they feed at the same location at the same time. These pests are most common during the spring, summer, and fall. You’ll be able to determine if you have these insects if you have dead, circular spots of grass or depressed spots on your lawn.

Tropical Sod Webworm

When larvae, these pests will come out at night and feed on your lawn. While these pests are highly destructive during the warm, summer months, their damage is often not noticed until winter, when the grass is dormant.

White Grubs

White Grubs are the larvae of scarab beetles. These pests lay their eggs in the spring and when they hatch, the larvae feed on grass roots through the rest of fall. Their feeding cuts off the ability for your grass to soak up water from the soil, so it eventually dies. You’ll be able to determine if you have these insects if your lawn has brown patches or pulls up easily like a rug.

Other common insects in Florida lawns include Fire Ants, Grasshoppers, Ground Pearls, Mole Crickets, and Spittlebugs.

Hire a Professional for Lawn Pests Control

You work hard to keep your lawn lush and green, don’t let a small insect ruin all that hard work. Your first instinct may be to apply a pesticide on your lawn, but that will just kill it. So if you have an insect infestation on your property, you may want to contact a professional landscaping company. They have contractors who are knowledgable about all things “lawn care.” They’ll be able to identify which type of insect problem you have and properly take care of it without ruining your grass.

landscaping Lawn Pest Control

What You Need to Know About Lawn Fertilizer

Beautiful grass and plants. Grasshoppers provides professional fertilizing services to homes and businesses in Orlando, FL

Want a beautiful, green, lush lawn and fewer weeds? Consider adding fertilizer to it! Just like you need nutrients and water, so does your lawn. Read more to learn how fertilizer can bring back life to your lawn.

What is Fertilizer?

Fertilizer is comprised of three nutrients:

Nitrogen (N): Nitrogen is a protein in every plant. Nitrogen helps your lawn grow and provides it with that lush green color.

Phosphorous (P): Phosphorous helps seeds sprout and stimulates root growth. If you have new grass, you may want a fertilizer high in phosphorous to stimulate growth.

Potassium (K): Potassium helps grass hold its color and shape. It keeps it healthy-looking. It also helps plants to resist drought and disease.

Fertilizers are all different. You can tell how much of a nutrient is in a bag of fertilizer by a code referred to as the fertilizer grade.

For example, if it says 24-8-16, 24 is the amount of Nitrogen it has, while 8 is the amount of Phosphorous, and 16, the amount of Potassium. They are always read in that order, (NPK).

Types of Lawn Fertilizer

There are an array of options when it comes to lawn fertilizer.

Organic: compost, manure
Water-soluble: provide quick release
Granular: are slow-releasing, you can wait longer between applications

What is the Best Fertilizer for My Lawn?

Here in Florida, we have warm-season grasses including Bermuda, Zoysia, Bahia, Buffalo, Centipede, and St. Augustine. These types of grass go dormant in the winter. If you live further up north, Bentgrass and Kentucky Bluegrass are common. These types of grasses typically remain green year-round and will grow up until winter.

When Should You Fertilize Your Lawn?

If you live in Florida where you have warm-season grass, we recommend having your lawn fertilized in early spring when your grass begins to grow, then again in late spring, and once more in late summer. People with cool-season grass are suggested to fertilize their lawn in the spring and twice during fall.

Can You Over Fertilize Your Lawn?

As with anything else, too much of a good thing can be bad. If too much fertilizer is applied to your lawn, the salt and nitrogen levels in your soil will increase and potentially kill or grass. This is called fertilizer burn. Below are the signs of fertilizer burn.

Patches of dead grass
Browning or yellowing of grass
Withering of grass

A lot of factors come into play when it comes to lawn fertilizer, but choosing the right one and applying it correctly will leave you with a beautiful, thick and green lawn that will have your neighbors green with envy. That’s why it’s important to hire a landscaping company to take care of it all for you. Landscaping contractors know grass, understand the local area, and have the equipment to properly apply your fertilizer. They will also work with you to come up with a schedule so you don’t have to remember when to fertilize your lawn again.

Fertilizer landscaping

Landscape Drainage: Do You Need a System in Place?

Gravel-filled trench in yard. Grasshoppers provides French drain installations in the Orlando, FL area

If you have a soggy lawn or water in your basement or crawlspace, you may benefit from having a drainage system on your property. French drains are the most common type of drain used in landscapes. In this blog post, we’ll talk more about French drains and why you may consider having one installed on your property.

What is a French Drain?

French drains go by many names including weeping tiles, drain tiles, and perimeter drains. A French drain is a trench with perforated pipes inside that is then covered with gravel to be apart of your landscape. When water seeps through the gravel, the pipes direct it down and away from your home to prevent flooding and water damage.

Types of French Drains

French drains can be installed outside of your home and inside of your home in your basement. They can also be shallow or deep, depending on your current water problem.

Shallow French Drain (curtain drain): If you’re just dealing with minor surface water, you may want to just have a shallow French drain installed. Curtain drains run about 2 feet deep, horizontally across your property, intercepting water.
Deep French Drain (footing drain): If you have water seeping into your crawlspace or basement a deep French drain will intercept the water and redirect it to a safe place away from your property. Footing drains are installed around the perimeter of your home. If your home is still in the process of being built, installing a footing drain is an easy and inexpensive process. If you’re adding it later, the installation process is much more extensive. Your landscaping, decks, and walkways may have to be torn apart, adding to the cost.

Signs You May Benefit From a French Drain

You have a soggy lawn
Stand water on your driveway
Water is getting into your basement or crawlspace
Soil erosion
Exposed roots

Improper drainage can lead to standing water which in turn leads to many damaging effects including flooding, water damage, and plant death. Standing water also attracts many insects. In fact, it serves as a breeding ground for mosquitos. If you need a French drain installed on your commercial or residential property, it’s best to hire a professional like Grasshoppers.

French Drain Irrigation