by SUN SUN

Weed Control – Great Falls, VA

Weed control Great Falls and Northern Virginia landscaping

Weeds are invasive plants that at a minimum can disrupt the appearance of a well-maintained landscape and worst case can destroy or take over your landscape. Protecting your landscape from weeds not only maintains the beauty of your landscape, it also preserves the investment of time and money you may have put into your property. Sunrise Landscape and Design has over 30 years of experience in weed control in Great Falls and Northern Virginia and offers many services to protect your landscape.

Weed Control Services

Pre-emergent Weed Control with Fertilizer: When it comes to controlling weeds, it is always best to stop them before they sprout. Once they have sprouted, their roots are well established and are more difficult to remove. The timing of applying weed control is important. If applied too early, the weather may dilute the pre-emergent and the weeds will grow unencumbered. We apply our pre-emergent weed control with fertilizer twice a season, once in early spring and again in late spring. Combining pre-emergent with fertilizer will help prevent crabgrass and other weed seeds from germinating.

Broadleaf Weed Control: Dandelions and other broadleaf weeds are among the common weed problems in lawns. They are generally easier to treat, have wider leaves, and often flower. They include thistles, dandelions, spurge, and clovers. Most lawns are spot-treated to help reduce the chemicals introduced into the environment, however if the weeds are growing throughout the lawn, then the entire lawn will be treated. If more than 60 percent of a lawn is covered with weeds, then the lawn should be considered for a complete renovation.

Garden Visits: If the thought of maintaining your landscape and controlling weeds throughout the growing seasons is overwhelming, Sunrise offers a full-service landscape care program to take care of the work for you. Garden visits offer a high-level of attention to your landscape that only a professional can provide. We provide services bi-weekly April through October and includes weeding of all mulch beds, roadside gravel areas, and weeds that have grown in the cracks on hard surfaces. These areas may be weeded manually or with the aid of chemicals. In addition to controlling weeds, this service also provides deadheading perennials, separation of different species of plants, and prevention of plants from growing over lights and other structures.

The Best Defense is a Good Offense

Whether your lawn and garden has just a couple of weeds or is overrun, the best offense is a good defense. Weeds can be one of the most troublesome issues in preserving the look of a well-maintained landscape. They can be very persistent and will exploit every weakness in your lawn and garden. Sunrise Landscape and Design’s services will help you stay ahead in the game of weed control. We use natural weed killers that are safe for children and pets. Our lawn maintenance programs ensure that your turf gets the proper mowing and fertilizing it needs to grow thick and healthy. By staying on the offensive year-round, Sunrise can help you keep weeds in check and leave you with a vibrant landscape.

For our complete Great Falls and Northern Virginia spring package options, including weed control, mowing, seeding, and more, visit our Spring Services page, or contact us to schedule your free estimate.

by SUN SUN

Lawn Maintenance – Great Falls, VA

Lawn maintenance in Great Falls, Virginia

April is National Lawn Care Month! Now is the perfect time to bring life back to your Great Falls or Northern Virginia yard. If you want a lush, green lawn, it’s not necessarily as simple as mowing and watering. Lawn care can actually be very complicated. To help you out, here are our Seven Core Areas of Lawn Maintenance:

Soil testing

Sometimes the most important step is the one most often overlooked. Testing your soil for its pH level and nitrogen and phosphorus content will actually save you a lot of headaches in the long-run. Once you know your soil makeup, you’ll be able to figure out what types of fertilizers (and what quantities) your lawn really needs.

Fertilizing

At a minimum, you should fertilize every spring and fall. There’s ammonium sulfate and numerous all-purpose fertilizers to choose from. Make sure to use caution, though; too much fertilizer can burn your lawn, and ammonium sulfate only provides a short green boost to it. Your lawn needs a balanced diet of nutrients in order to stay green and healthy.

Watering

The frequency and amount of time you need to water your lawn is going to vary based upon your grass variety and location. Most of the time with the weather we see in Great Falls and Northern Virginia, watering deeply once a week will do the job. Deep watering encourages the grass to grow deeper roots, which helps the overall health of your lawn. If you step on your grass and it springs back up, you know that you’re on the right track moisture-wise.

Mowing

Mowing is a calculated effort. The more thought and planning you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Make sure you remove any debris from your yard before you fire up your mower. Debris is not only a safety hazard, but sticks and rocks will dull your mower blades, making your mower less effective. During the spring and summer growing seasons, mow only the top third of your grass, keeping it between 3” to 3.5” tall. Taller grass develops a better root structure and blocks out weeds on its own. When the growing season stops this fall, you can cut it back down to a shorter height.

Weeding

Nothing cuts out weeds better than a healthy lawn. Herbicides can be used, but be careful about the chemicals they may contain. Another way to help choke out weeds is to mow often, cutting off the heads of weeds like dandelions before they are able to spread.

Aeration

Those little cylinders of dirt fight soil compaction. The holes allow nutrients, air, and water to penetrate your lawn, helping your grass grow deeper roots.

Seeding

Seeding is all about choosing the right grass – or the right mixture of grass – for what you need. There are literally hundreds of grass varieties to choose from. Depending on the situation, sod may be a better option, too.

Lawn maintenance is definitely more complex than it seems. That’s why companies like Sunrise exist; we’re here to help when you can’t tackle it all on your own. Visit our Spring Lawn Services page to pick the right lawn care maintenance package for your Great Falls or Northern Virginia home. Ready to get started? Contact us today to get a quote and take the first step to a beautiful lawn you can enjoy all summer long!

by SUN SUN

Spring Landscaping Tips – Great Falls and Northern Virginia

Baby Deer Smelling Spring Landscaping Flower Garden Great Falls

Even though we’re still thinking about snow, it’s a good time to start preparing your Great Falls or Northern Virginia spring landscaping to-do list. You can call it a spring cleanup or simply summer prep, but if you fail to take some action before blooms arrive in a few months, you’ll see that your landscape will quickly get out of control. The more work you get done now, the easier your lawn and garden will be to maintain the rest of the year. Sunrise Landscape and Design’s spring landscaping cleanup services will help prepare your landscape for the spring and summer months.

  1. Strategize.

    Before you move a muscle, you should decide how you want your landscape to look this year. If you need a little inspiration, the internet is full of beautiful and creative ideas. Do you want to make any significant changes to your landscape? If so, decide now so that you can avoid putting effort into areas that you’ll be transforming in a month or two anyway. If you need some assistance, Sunrise’s landscape design professionals are ready to help!

  2. Plan.

    We cannot emphasize enough the importance of planning. If you are adding annuals, new shrubs, or even trees to your yard this year, map out where you want them to go. Keep the size of the plant at its maturity in mind; no one wants a tree growing into the side of their house or a bush covering a beautiful front window. Also, think about plant textures, colors, and heights while plotting out your garden beds. Mixing things up will make your beds more attractive and balanced.

  3. Edge.

    Make your landscape look more polished and refined by creating a strong border between your garden beds and your lawn. It also helps keep grass out of your garden! Once the ground starts to thaw, dig down three inches at a 45-degree angle to establish a solid edge around your beds.

  4. Prune.

    Did you know that many plants can be pruned during the winter? Do a little research, but you may be able to knock out most of your pruning before spring is even in the air. Get rid of the three “D”s when cutting back your perennials: damaged, dead, and diseased. (Make sure you don’t cut off any of the buds that are waiting to blossom. They won’t grow back until next year.)

  5. Clean up.

    After you’ve pruned and edged, now it’s time to rake up all that debris to create a clean slate for spring. Don’t forget to look for toys that may have settled into your lawn over the fall and winter. If you have a compost pile, all those leaves and small branches will make an excellent addition.

  6. Block.

    Put a pre-emergent on your garden bed and lawn to stop weeds before they begin to germinate. However, if you are planning on seeding or installing sod in the spring, skip this step for your lawn. Otherwise, you can apply a pre-emergent up to three times per year to help prevent weed growth. If random weeds still pop up, try a homemade weed killer to wipe them out before they get a chance to spread.

  7. Feed.

    You want your plants to be as healthy and hardy as possible so that they can endure whatever Mother Nature throws at them this year. If you fertilized your lawn in the fall some of that fertilizer is probably still there. You can wait until late spring to apply a slow-release nitrogen to liven up your turf and make it greener.

  8. Mulch.

    After applying your pre-emergent,  add up to three inches of new mulch to your beds and around your trees. Mulch helps block weeds and holds in moisture, so it’s important to get a good layer on before the summer heat hits. If you have some old mulch, consider removing it completely before putting new mulch on top. Old mulch can hide insects and disease, so sometimes it’s best to discard it altogether.

  9. Examine.

    Even if you winterized your lawn mower, now is a good time to take it out and make sure that it’s in good working order. It’s an excellent idea to have your blades sharpened every spring just to make sure that you are cutting your grass shoots and not tearing them. Torn shoots brown at the tips, giving your lawn a sickly appearance. In addition to inspecting your blades, adjust your mower height to a minimum of two-and-a-half inches if you have cool-season grasses. If you have warm-season grasses, you can go as low as half an inch – depending on your variety.

  10. Manage.

    There’s nothing worse than planning the perfect landscape only to have it serve as a buffet to local wildlife. If pests are an issue in your area, implement wire mesh or fencing to make sure all your hard work doesn’t end up in Bambi’s belly. For more information on our special deer control services, visit our DeerPro page.

While you’re trapped inside, avoiding freezing rain or howling winter winds, close your eyes and imagine how you’d like your Great Falls or Northern Virginia landscape to look this year. With a little effort and planning, you can achieve the picture-perfect yard of your dreams in 2019. It’s only a to-do list away.

Contact Sunrise for help with your Great Falls and Northern Virginia spring landscaping tasks.  We can tailor a program that fits your budget and landscape. Preparing your landscape now allows you to enjoy its maximum growth and beauty in the spring and summer.

by SUN SUN

Benefits of Landscape Lighting in Great Falls

outdoor lighting on rock wall and walkway in great falls

As the long winter nights continue, now is the perfect time to consider installing landscape lighting. Sunrise has helped clients across Northern Virginia, particularly Great Falls, create a warm and welcoming home to come back to at the end of the day. Landscape lighting can fit any budget and makes a dramatic impact on your home at night. Take a look at some reasons to make your Great Falls home glow with landscape lighting from Sunrise:

1. Extend your living space.

Add patio lighting and a fire pit to enjoy your beautiful outdoor space year-round.

2. Spotlight your home’s best architectural features.

3. Focus on special decorative items, like fountains or statues.

4. Target a unique tree trunk or special garden feature.

We suggest using a bullet light, which is like a small spotlight.

5. Show some love to the details.

Bring focus to small landscape details, like your favorite little plants, by illuminating them overhead.

6. Beautify the functional.

Even structures like a retaining wall can become a focal point when glowing with light.

7. Be safer.

Simple pathway markers illuminate paths and direct your steps in the dark.

8. Protect your home.

A flood light is a great safety feature. Burglars stay away from well-lit homes.

9. No visible hardware required.

Well lights can be buried underground to light the underside of features with no hardware above ground.

10. Save effort.

Outdoor lighting systems are very low maintenance, just keep fixtures free of leaves and debris, and replace bulbs when needed.

11. Save money.

Even though they cost a little more, outdoor LED lights can last 40,000 hours (about 20 years) and reduce power usage by up to 20%.

12. Save time.

You can set your system to go on with an automatic timer.

13. Enjoy your efforts.

After putting so much work into making your Great Falls landscape beautiful, it only makes sense to appreciate it both day and night.

14. Increase your Great Falls home’s value.

Experts say that the value landscape lighting adds to your home is longer lasting than a kitchen upgrade or new flooring.

15. Stand out.

There’s not much better for curb appeal than a beautifully lit home.

If you are interested in adding value to your home, enhancing its security, and setting your house apart from the crowd – all with little to no maintenance – contact us today for a customized quote or visit our landscape lighting page for more information on our services in Great Falls and throughout Northern Virginia.