For trees in particular you want to continue deep watering at least once a month. We recommend target watering half way between the trunk and the drip line (the outer area directly under the edges of the tree's branches) to a little ways past the dripline itself as the roots often extend far past the canopy. 

Pyracanthas
Also known as a Firethorn, Pyracantha are evergreen shrubs that are wonderful for year round interest and coverage to the landscape either as a hedge - height, width, and depth - or as an espalier (right) - just height and maybe some width against a supporting frame. They also produce little white flowers in the spring and red, orange or yellow berries in the cooler months, which makes them a magnet for birds and wildlife when food is scarce. 

Now, Pyracanthas are typically quite thorny which can make pruning a bit difficult for those who don't do it often and, if left for too long, the shrubs can become quite unruly and a possible hazard depending on their location. One of our customers had trimming on her list as she was experiencing this first hand as you can see in the pictures below. The shrubs were partially blocking her mailbox, her front gate and were growing out under her carport and towards any vehicles that might be parked there.

While it does take a little while to reach this point, it can be easily handled by trimming the plant to shape. If you want to  hard prune - when you really cut a plant back and/or down - the shrub, we recommend confining that to the Spring and the late Autumn, even though Pyracanthas are hardy enough that they can technically handle trimming at any time.

Gardening time!
​​Your garden should be ready by now and maybe even in use, but you can still grow more! 
​ • Plant raspberries, grapes, asparagus and other vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, (bush) beans, beets, carrots, celery, potatoes, cucumbers,  squash and melons.
​• Strawberries can be planted anytime during the month, and established ones will not be very affected by cold nights.
And of course,
​ • ​Continue planting seeds for the upcoming summer season! Doing this in the successive or staggered method means you are more likely to have continuous harvesting throughout the season. 

Happy Hummers!
Though to some it may seem early, if you haven't put out your hummingbird feeders out yet, you should probably do it now. To fill their feeders start with a 1 part white sugar to 4 part water solution, or a 1:3 solution if you want it really sweet.  Do Not Use artificial sweeteners, food coloring or honey in your recipe. Use warm or hot water to make sure all the sugar dissolves. Now just let it cool and put it in your feeder!  Make sure you change out the food every few days , especially in the warmer weather, and clean your feeder every time you fill it up with hot water or a weak vinegar solution. 

Here in New Mexico we actually get about 17 different species throughout the state. Many are migrating, and a few prefer the southern area of the state, but some species definitely stick around, especially in the summer. The Black-Chinned Hummingbird and the Broad-Tailed Hummingbirds are really the most common around Albuquerque, the Sandias, and Santa Fe. Other common species that hang around are the Calliope and Rufous Hummingbirds, but you won't really see them around until July.

Watering Changes
According to the Water Utility Authority's Water by the Numbers schedule, in April and May you can set lawns, trees, and plant beds to be watered two times per week. The days you water are up to you but the times to water with certain devices are specific.** Since the weather is warming up, it is doubly important to have a good watering schedule for your plants so they stay happy and healthy. 
**Please Note: Spray irrigation is NOT allowed between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. from April 1-Oct. 31 and is considered water waste.

​Dear Customers,
 
Like so many of you, we have spent the last several days and weeks learning about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it is impacting our world. For Quality Lawn Care, that means understanding how it affects our employees, customers, and communities, and then making the necessary adjustments to our work and operations.
 
Our priority at this time is keeping you and our employees safe and limit the possibility of anyone catching this virus. With this in mind, we have implemented some new practices in response to the threat of the coronavirus.
 
RESPONSES
 
We will be ensuring that each crew has their work orders for the day before they come in and limit their time in the office. They will also have a supply of hand cleaning gel and use it before and after interactions with customers and their property.
 
We have also implemented a no contact policy which includes no shaking customers hands, no entering their homes unless absolutely necessary, not touching high contact areas like doorknobs and doorbells, and using phone calls or text messaging to contact our customers upon arrival and for specific instructions.
 
For payment methods, we would prefer to take credit/debit card payments over the phone, online payments through the link attached to your emailed invoice, and/or e-checks. This helps us limit our trips to the post office and bank and thus contact with people and objects.
 
CDC GUIDELINES
 
We are closely following the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) guidelines and recommendations on the steps we can take to help prevent the spread of the virus. We have shared specific instructions with our employees on the importance of washing their hands and staying home if they feel sick or are returning from an area of the world identified as posing a coronavirus-related risk.
 
TRAVEL
 
Per CDC recommendations, we will ask employees who have traveled to high-risk locations or have been exposed to others who have traveled to such locations to self-quarantine for 14 days.
 
ONGOING SERVICES
 
While we are doing everything we can to ensure a smooth and safe transition during this stressful time we also ask you to be open to these changes as well. We are continuing services as long as we are safely able to. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to email us at [email protected]  or call our office 505-836-4000.
 
We will continue to closely and carefully monitor the situation and do all we can to protect you and our employees.
 
Thank you,
 
Vanessa Hairston
Office Manager

Cleanup and Trimming
Get your cleanups and trimming done now so you have a clean slate once the growing season starts. You really want to make sure your yard is clean as the weather and seasons change. This helps you keep an eye out for early weeds and problems in xeriscaped areas, like in the pictures below, and lawn areas and under trees and shrubs in particular. This also helps remove desirable hidey holes for undesirable pests. Trimming is also an important thing to consider not just for aesthetic purposes but also to encourage plant growth in the places and direction you want along with a healthy structure. Both of these are great ways to take stock of what your yard needs and where you might want to put some new things!

​Power Raking
Lawn maintenance is something you want to be vigilant with and it's a good time to check your lawn for excessive thatch. Thatch isn’t bad, it’s actually really good to have some, as long as it’s in moderation. Now, what is thatch? Thatch is a naturally accumulated layer of organic matter on your lawn that surrounds the base of the grass. This can mean pieces of leaves, dead and alive grass shoots, plant stems and even roots. You want your layer of thatch to be up to ¼ inch thick, this will help hold in moisture and buffer the roots from temperature extreme. Excessive thatch can block air, water, nutrients, and fertilizer from reaching the proper depth in the soil. It can also create insect havens, moisture buildup on the surface, fungal diseases, and even damage to the soil in the long run.

​Stuck inside?
Now that you've been able to think about what to do in the areas you can see from your window, what about the places you enjoy when you are outside? BBQ areas, sitting spaces, children play areas, and more are all great places to think about when making planting plans.​​ You can easily place later bloomers in outdoor activity and sitting areas to give yourself a pop of color to enjoy once its warmer and you can enjoy the outdoors. 

 Time to Trim!​  
​Another one of our Quality services we are ready to do for you right now is to trim and prune trees and shrubs. It's great to do it now while plants are dormant.
​
Keep in mind that you DO NOT want to prune spring flowering ornamentals, like forsythia, until after they bloom (this year’s flowers appear on last year’s growth). DO NOT prune grapes or roses yet to avoid risk of frost damage.

Prune honeysuckle and silverlace hard. Prune evergreens, pomegranate, wisteria, and summer-blooming spireas from now up through March. You can prune nandinas by cutting oldest stems to the ground as needed to keep plant bushy. Late in the month, you can begin pruning butterfly bushes back to active growth.