Tag: Irrigation

Ways to Conserve Water With Your Irrigation System

Close up on a running sprinkler in lawn in Orlando, FL

It takes a lot of water to keep your landscaping looking lush and green all summer long, which can become a challenge as we enter the dry season here in Florida. Using a lot of water during the dry season not only increases your utility bills, but it can also lead to water shortages – especially during a drought.

Reducing the amount of water you use to maintain your garden can help your wallet and your community. And, thankfully, you don’t have to sacrifice your beautiful greenery if you want to cut down on your water consumption! There are a few methods you can use to keep your grass green while conserving water:

Adjust Your Irrigation Settings Seasonally

Perhaps the easiest and most effective way to conserve water year-round is to adjust your irrigation settings each season. Doing so will ensure that you aren’t using more water than is necessary. If you aren’t sure how to optimize your irrigation system for the season, a local expert can help you configure the settings properly to set you up for success.

Use Weather and Moisture Sensors

Many new irrigation systems have special features that are designed to decrease your water consumption while keeping your landscape happy and healthy. Two excellent features to look for are weather and moisture sensors, which will automatically adjust the irrigation settings based on how much water is in the environment. It will increase water flow on very hot and dry days and decrease it when it’s more humid or rainy out.

Use Landscape-Based Controllers

From the types of plants and soil that you have to the amount of sun your space gets, there are many factors that impact how much water your landscape needs to thrive. It can be challenging to take all of these factors into consideration when creating your watering schedule, especially during the dry season when it’s harder to calculate just how much water your plants need. That’s where landscape-based controllers can come in handy. These advanced irrigation devices will analyze every aspect of your landscape and choose the optimal way to water it.

Contact the Experts at Grasshoppers

It can be challenging to keep your lawn green and lush, even without the added challenge of water conservation. If you want to keep your grass looking great while cutting back on your water usage, turn to your local experts at Grasshoppers! Our team has proudly served the Orlando FL area for over 19 years, so we have plenty of experience navigating the weather patterns and landscaping needs of this area. To get started, give us a call today!

Why Does Your Lawn Have Dead Patches?

Lawn with patches of dead grass in Orlando, FL

Have you been struggling year after year to keep your lawn in tip-top condition? Here at Grasshopper, we know how frustrating it is when unforeseen and inconspicuous conditions cause our lawns to slowly wither away before us. There are multiple reasons why your lawn might be developing scattered dead patches, so it’s important to be aware of all of the potential contributors in order to protect your yard properly. Read on for insight and advice from Grasshoppers’ lawn care team!

Top Reasons for Dead Patches in Grass

The same weather conditions that allow for fruitful plant growth around Orlando FL also create opportunities for pests, fungus, and more. If you are dealing with patches of dead grass on your lawn, it is probably for one of the following reasons:

Fungus: Fungal growth will usually occur in a lawn after an extended period of rainy weather. If you find dead patches in shaded areas of your lawn after a storm, fungus is a likely culprit. You can identify established fungal outbreaks by the rings of dead grass that they leave around a small recovered area.
Grubs: Grubs are beetle larvae that feed on the roots of many kinds of grasses here in Florida. Their damage will show up in small scattered spots that eventually conglomerate into large patches of dead grass.
Wear from people and pets: A lawn that sees too much human or dog activity is sure to develop dead patches. If you have a dog that you let out on your lawn every day, your dead patches might have been caused by urine burns or toys that were left out.
Thatch: Thatch is an accumulation of dead and decaying plant material that develops above the surface when grass is not watered properly. Grass roots will begin to develop in the thatch, but the material won’t hold enough moisture to sustain long-term growth, so the new grass will die and appear brown and withered.

How to Get Rid of Brown Patches in Your Lawn

It’s difficult to revive dead grass without an accurate assessment of the issue behind the decay. This is why we recommend diligent lawn care strategies to our customers. Staying on top of the health of your lawn is the best preventative measure that you can take. However, we understand wanting to quickly restore your lawn.

Raking away any thatch or dead grass that you find in your lawn can allow your grass more access to the nutrients it needs to survive. Paired with the use of certain store-bought lawn care products, it is possible to restore your lawn to full health on your own. But how can you be sure you’re making the right assessment?

Lawn Care Experts in Orlando FL

At Grasshoppers, our team of lawn care technicians have years of experience diagnosing lawn care issues and quickly restoring customers’ lawns using the latest lawn care technology. Don’t wait until your lawn is beyond repair to get a professional opinion and detailed care. Give us a call today to get started!

hardscaping Irrigation lawn care Lawn Irrigation

Why is Lawn Irrigation Important?

A single sprinkler watering grass by a sidewalk in Orlando, FL

Keeping your lawn green and lush is important, especially during the long warm days of spring and summer. Even when owning property in areas where the rainfall amount is much higher than the national average, your lawn will still face many days without rain aiding its growth. You must always keep in mind the fact that the sun is trying to cook your lawn, and pulling out a hose daily to spray your lawn unevenly will probably not protect it. With a lawn irrigation system, you eliminate having to manually water your grass, and having an embarrassingly yellow yard.

Benefits of Lawn Irrigation Systems

An irrigation system helps control the supply of water to your lawn so that it’s always well watered. Here are just a few of the benefits of an irrigation system.

Saves time: irrigation systems run automatically so you don’t need to continually move a sprinkler around. This will save you valuable time and comes in handy when you’re traveling away from home.
Saves water: It’s nearly impossible to manage how much water you’ve used with a hose. Not only can overwatering be damaging to your lawn, but it can also increase your water bill.
Saves money: because you can control how much water you’re using, you can control how much you’re spending on water usage.
The system is customizable: you can set your irrigation system to water early in the morning and at dusk when lawn watering is best. This will minimize evaporation and oversaturation.

Professional Irrigation Installation Services

Keeping your lawn healthy is essential for a number of reasons, ranging from value to aesthetics. However, maintaining a lush green lawn year-round can be difficult without the help of a lawn irrigation system. If you’re ready to restore your dried-out lawn, Grasshoppers is the company for you! At Grasshoppers, we strive to refurbish your property with an effective irrigation system made to aid growth in times of drought. Our landscaping technicians are proficient in placing convenient sprinkler systems designed to evenly distribute water across your whole lawn, without overwatering it! If you’re in need of a beneficial irrigation system, contact us today!

Irrigation Lawn Irrigation

The Importance of Maintaining Your Irrigation

Irrigation sprinklers watering lawn. Grasshoppers Landscaping serving Orlando FL talks about the importance of maintaining your irrigation. in Orlando, FL

A lush, beautiful yard adds curb appeal to your property, and to keep it looking pristine, you need to water it. Most commercial properties use underground sprinklers because they’re efficient but as with any other piece of equipment, you’ll need to maintain your irrigation system to keep it properly working.

Inspect Your Sprinklers

Your sprinkler system is comprised of many different parts. You have sprinkler heads, pipes, nozzles, and valves. Although they’re designed to withstand normal wear and tear, the environment, time, dogs, and people can cause them to move or break. You should inspect your sprinklers monthly and seasonally to ensure they’re where they should be and working properly.

Types of monthly checks include:

Sprinkler spray adjustments
Time adjustments
Mainline filter cleaning

Types of seasonal checks include:

Filter cleanings
Sprinkler head cleanings
Valve inspections

Adapt Your Sprinklers to the Changing Season

The seasons change and so should your irrigation system’s schedule. Each season has different weather patterns and temperatures that will affect your lawn and landscaping, especially during the summer. You don’t want brown patches on your lawn!

You’ll want to adjust your irrigation system seasonally to ensure your property is being well-watered–never underwatered or overwatered.

Service Your Irrigation System When Necessary

While routine maintenance helps keep your irrigation system in good working order, it’s still important to perform repairs when needed. For example, leaks and clogs are issues you’ll want to fix immediately before they become worse and damage your entire irrigation system.

Experts in Irrigation

Your irrigation system is constantly being put to the test, especially in Florida’s hot summer months as it works hard to hydrate your lawn, plants, gardens, and shrubs with just the right amount of water. We understand that it can be easy to overlook your irrigation system, especially when it’s working as it should. But in time it may start experiencing issues like line clogs which only get worse as time goes on. If your Florida irrigation system is in need of maintenance or repairs, Grasshoppers is here for you. Give us a call today for an estimate!

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Irrigation

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