Maintenance

Maintenance is a very important part of any outdoor space. You wouldn’t buy a car and drive it until it broke, would you? No, at regular intervals you have the oil changed, the tires rotated, the brakes reworked, etc… Your property needs maintenance: some more than others. This is one area of business that people tend to flock to when the economy is slow; be wary of fly-by-night grass-cutting services. Much damage can be done to grass, shrubs, and trees very quickly, many times irreversible. Maintenance is not as simple as many make it out to be. Yahoos also dabble illegally into applying pesticides, performing tree surgery, and landscaping; all of these areas require permitting through the Alabama Department of Agriculture. Chris Francis Landscapes maintains all of the proper licenses for horticultural work.

Before hiring anyone to work on your property, check certifications, licenses, bonds, insurance, and workers compensation. Maintenance is much more than just cutting grass.

Lawn Maintenance
Basic lawn maintenance involves cutting grass at the appropriate heights, edging, trimming, removing leaves, and blowing. A plan can be tailored to your needs or you may request additional services as necessary. People often wonder about winter months; continual maintenance is recommended year-round because weeds, leaves, and debris turn ugly very quickly. Many times, year-round service actually costs less and looks better than interrupted service that warrants a spring clean-up.

Landscape Management
Bed services available include: pruning shrubs, removing weeds, pruning tree limbs, brush-cutting, removing old mulch, spreading mulch and pine straw, fertilization, and much more. Selective pruning methods are used where applicable to give plants a more natural look while accomplishing pruning objectives that limit excessive growth.

Tree Maintenance
Although taken care of by our tree care division, proactively maintaining tree health is extremely important. Simple maintenance procedures may be the difference between life and death of your trees. Undereducated groundscare workers are responsible for a great number of tree deaths by damaging the roots and trunks with mowers and string trimmers. Our trained professionals know how to help protect your valuable assets.

Pest Management
A pest is described as anything that is not wanted, or is causing harm to desirable plant material. The application of pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and insecticides) to treat pests (plants, fungi, rodents, and insects) is strictly enforced by local, state, and federal governments. All individuals or companies making recommendations or applying pesticides must be licensed to do so. Yes, even applications of Round-Up or ant killer are illegal if the applicator is not directly licensed or under the supervision of a licensee.

Prescriptive Fertilization
As with your doctor, prescription without diagnosis is malpractice. The same rules pertain to applications of lime and fertilizer. The only way to accurately treat is to know what to apply based on the results of investigation and testing. Soil sample testing is extremely accurate. Adding chemicals to soils that are not deficient is a waste of time and money, bad for the environment, and can actually harm the plants. Fertilizers should normally be applied in the form of slow-release. Ph adjustments must be made in stages.

Seasonal Services
Seasonal services include planting annuals and perennials, cleaning gutters, blowing roofs, pressure washing, changing holiday themes, mulching, and strawing beds.