Monday, April 2, 2007

Townhome Association Spring Lawn Care

Townhome Association YOUR LANDSCAPE – WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW COULD KILL MILLIONS

That’s right. As a homeowner, you’re responsible for millions of living organisms. You’re the “Jack Bauer” of the show “24” protecting millions of innocent lives!Grass plants, ornamentals, trees, annual flowers and shrubs. Your decisions also affect insect and biotic populations. Most importantly, you’re in control of how your landscape affects you and your family personally. The best way to make the most of your living investment is knowledge and of course, action!

Let’s get started!
“Da Lawn”
We’ll start with the lawn. It’s very important to have a thick, healthy lawn. Why? My daughter plays soccer and I shudder everytime she gets knocked down. (I never cheer when she knocks someone else down.) When kids play on your lawn, or when elderly residents walk in it, a thick lawn protects their skin and joints. A thick lawn also prevents weeds from coming up, reducing the need for pesticides. So, what can we do in the spring to get there?
First, write down your thoughts about last years’ turf. What improvements would you like to have seen? Then “spring” into action. If you have a lawn contractor, discuss fertilization options with him/her. Are they applying 2-3 pounds of Nitrogen per year? Nitrogen has a direct relationship to the color of the lawn. If the lawn isn’t thick and green, ask them to do a soil test, or you can do one using the easy instuctions on the website. (Cost $15.00 plus postage) Do they use slow release or fast release fertilizer? Quick release fertilizers give the lawn a quick greenup and are cheaper, but they lose their color after 2-4 weeks. If you’re getting 3 applications per year, with normal release fert, you get 4 weeks of food and rapid growth followed by 4 weeks of partial starvation. Using slow release feeds gradually, and keeps the lawn growing at a more regular pace. Ask your contractor if he likes double cutting and bagging grass clippings, if he says yes, I owe you a $5.00 gift certificate to Caribou Coffee. When he says no, tell him that using slow release will cut down on rapid flush growth, and cut down the need for a lot of extra labor. Everybody wins!
There is bound to be some winter salt or plow damage too. These areas need to be seeded or sodded right away. I recommend bringing black dirt in if needed and if using seed, use blends, such as kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye for sunny areas, and fine fescue, perennial rye and bluegrass for shady areas. If seeding, expect weeds. Crabgrass control can’t be applied to these areas unless you use Siduron (Tupersan), but broadleaf controls can be used after the seeded area is mowed twice. Seed or Sod, water a couple of times per day for short periods of time.
“Da Shrubs”
Shrubs need little care in the spring, but make sure that the leaves left over the winter are removed. If you had roses in your own garden, and did the “Minnesota Tip” , make sure the leaves and covering are removed so the plants don’t heat up under their protection.
Clear any areas where bulbs might’ve been planted.

“Da Garden” If you have a personal garden, ‘tis the season to till it up. Consider doing a soil test yourself for best results. Here’s a little secret: Why does Miracle Grow grow 700 pound pumpkins? I know you don’t actually want a 700 pound pumpkin this fall, but if you want to give your garden every chance of providing pleasure or juicy tomatoes, then the secret is this: Most fertilizers carry 3 ingredients. Even if you ask the U of M, they’ll say. “Buy a 10-10-10”! This is the standard response for anyone in the industry, and it usually works Ok. BUT, there are 16 minerals needed for every plant to survive. Miracle Grow provides all 16! They might not be needed, but if just 1 or 2 are missing or weak your plants will suffer.
“Da Trees” Make sure that the tree wrap is removed from trees, look for split trunks or damage that might’ve happened from the early snow storm or from wind damage. If you know you have Ash Trees, which almost everyone has, there is a terrible menace out there this year. The Emerald Ash Borer. Once it’s on a property, can kill all the ash trees on a property in 1-3 years. There are links on www.Townhome.Pro.
“Da Water” Irrigation system startups need to include replacing broken heads, and resetting the direction of heads so they cover the lawn, making sure they don’t blow over the freshly washed car and into the bedroom window. If you don’t have a system, I would be happy to recommend a professional, or design one myself..
Finally, work with your contractor. It’s in his/her best interest to have a wonderful, living landscape too. If your association does a lot of work itself, or if you’re just curious, call or write a Master Gardener volunteer. This article written by Steve Hoogenakker of Taylor Made Landscape.He has 20 years experience in landscaping. He can be reached by email at Steve@Landscape.Pro or http://www.landscape.pro

2 comments:

Gregg said...

Does MN statue control what Townhome boards can do to home owners when it comes to enforcing rules. I recently received a violation letter which said "Alterations were made to the exterior of your home without approval. You have excessive number bird houses on the trees located on the common areas of the Association. Please remove them with the next ten days." The section of our governing Documents refers to exterior improvements to a unit. These bird houses are less than ten and have been in the woods for at least 7 to 10 years. I did have verbal approval from the builder who was the "board" during the development period of the association. I have asked for my "day in court" before the board to appeal it. What I find interesting is the date of the letter corresponds to date I expressed my opinion that our account manager from Community Development Inc was incompetent. So my question is can a board do anything they want and can they selectively enforce rules? We have a number of current board members that have made exterior modifications without getting approval.

dutchhook said...

Hi Gregg, I don't have a specific answer to your question, but boards have some leeway on what rules they enforce to any "common areas" of the property.
I am not a property manager, but I'm pretty sure they have the right to request the removal. I feel for you though, especially if the bird houses have been up for a long time and long before this board was probably even elected!

There is a good radio show on Sunday mornings on 1280 am at 10:00 It's called "Where you live" with Gene and Toni. It's 100% about townhome living and they always discuss controversial issues around boards. Gene is the owner of a very large association management company so he will tend to be supportive of the board, but he's a great guy and you might want to call in to get a specific answer.
Last week Gene was talking about a very large trampoline that someone put up. The board said he had to remove it, but Gene said he didn't know what/or if the board could remove it if the homeowner didn't voluntarily do it.
Hope this helps

Steve