22 December 2014
 Categories: , Articles

As a residential

property manager, one of the things you'll need to focus on is keeping the landscaping maintained. After all, severe storms can not only cause serious landscaping damage, but can also potentially damage the structure or injure a tenant. The condition that your landscaping comes out of storm season in will greatly depend on how well you manage the landscaping. Here are some tips to help you prepare your property's landscaping before the worst of the weather comes in.

Preventative Care for Trees

When the trees are pruned and maintained, their natural shape will hold up well against the weather. Trim the low-hanging branches and then get rid of any dead or weak branches, too. The more damaged material you can trim, the less risk you'll have of extra damage being caused by falling limbs.

One of the goals of the pruning and shaping is to make sure the weight of the limbs is balanced on all sides of the tree. You should also look for any limbs that might be encroaching on the structures on the property or around the power lines.

While you're pruning before the end of the warm weather season, you should also inspect the base of the tree for any signs of fungal growth. If you're seeing a coating of fungus, that's a sign the inside of the tree is potentially rotting.

Choose Landscaping Plants Carefully

When you live in an area prone to strong storms, consider the effects of the weather when you're choosing the landscaping for the property. The last thing your property owner is going to want is for you to invest landscaping money into plants that will just topple over at the first good gust of wind. Consider conifers, cypress and oak trees for durability.

Position Your Landscaping Strategically

Make sure any large bushes, heavy trees and other safety concerns are planted as far from the structures and power lines on the property as possible. This will help protect the whole property from serious damage in the event something happens in a heavy storm. Plant your trees and bushes in groups, too, because that allows them to provide some support to each other in the event of a heavy storm. Put smaller plants and bushes along the edge of the building and in other high-risk areas. Keep them pruned well to enjoy the benefit of the landscaping without the overrun foliage and ground cover.

Consider Additional Support

When you get ready to add landscaping to the property, add support from the soil up. Make sure you expose the roots at the bottom of the root ball slightly so they can grasp the soil below quickly and easily. Create a mixture of soil and potting mix to encourage root growth, because strong roots are key to stability for most any growing plant.

When you plant young trees, you should stake them until they are strong enough to stand on their own against Mother Nature's heavy push. When you stake them, think strong enough to bend. Make your supports a bit flexible so the tree isn't trying to take a solid stand, but instead able to wave a bit with the wind. Too much tension on the stake and the plant may cause it to snap and break against the wind.

Since the property owner will look to you for both safety and smart investments, following the tips here will allow you to create a landscaping look that fits the property without risking the plants that you've spent the money to put in place. Work with a landscaper if you need professional guidance, and you'll be sure to create a look that will last through the storms.

Check out sites like http://www.northstarpropertyservice.com for more information.