LANDSCAPE TIPS

• Deciduous trees can provide a passive solar solution, allowing the sun to warm a house in the winter while also providing light. Then, providing shade in the summer reducing the need for air conditioning.
• Good design discourages graffiti and crime.
• Amenities, i.e. spas, should be as close to the back door as possible to insure maximum use.
• Copper has an intrinsic antiseptic quality, therefore, it is idea for salt and pepper shakers, push plates, and hand rails.
• Copper pumps should be avoid when circulating water in a ponds with fish.  The copper has a pernicious effect on fish.
• Ideally, koi ponds should be deep and clean. Deep to avoid predation and to allow water to be cold.  Sand filters are best to avoid disease.
• It takes hundreds of feet of tall planting to conceal noise. A wooden fence or concrete block wall is better.
• New growth redwood lasts 5-10 years in the earth while Pressure Treated Douglas Fir (PTDF) lasts 40 years.
• Due to declining habitat, 10,000 species are dying every year of extinction. We ask you to plant California Native Plants which sustain local fauna, some exclusively. 
• CA Native Plants do not require fertilizer or soil amendment.
• It is best to plant CA natives in one gallon containers to avoid cramped root balls. This allows you to save money.
• Best time to plant all plants is in November, December and January taking advantage of rainfall.
• Decks should be stained every 18 months.
• Cabot stain can provide numerous colors to match your house.  Red is not the only color to stain a redwood deck.
• The State will pay up to $2,000 to have lawn in residential or commercial projects reduced and planted with drought tolerant shrubs.
• Parking strips are no longer allowed to overspray.  Today, they can be watered with a water mat that avoids overspray.
• Green wood should be stained to allow it to breath, painting green wood causes it to blister.
• To ripen a persimmon quickly, place its in the freezer overnight. Remove and thaw till room temperature. It will be both soft and sweet.
• To sweeten oranges that are sour purchase potash at your local nursery or discard the ashes from your charcoal briquets around the tree. Both solutions will make your oranges sweet and tasty.