Updated: Apr 24, 2021
The first step to removing your turf, or grass, is identifying it and then deciding on a method to eliminate it and replacing it with something more water friendly for Southern California.
Depending on where in Southern California you live, there are rebates offered to help mitigate the cost. SoCalWaterSmart.com can be a good resource to find what is offered in your area.
Here are some helpful videos from BeWaterWise.com identifying the types of turf you may have and the removal methods that work best.
LAWN TYPES
SHEET MULCHING
SOLARIZATION
SOD REMOVAL
If you would like help with your turf replacement, contact us! Pacific Vista Landscape Services provides both commercial and residential landscape services and can help you transform your garden into a beautiful, low maintenance and low water paradise!
A Great Addition to Your California Landscape
Mulberry trees are native to the midwest and China, but do well in California too! There are fruitless and fruit-bearing mulberry trees, all of which are fast growing and do well in drought conditions.
Mulberry trees love lots of sun and can grow well from a cutting. It is a deciduous tree that starts to produce fruit at a young age and can live over 75 years. The fruitless variety is used to feed silk worms. They can get very large and can be as wide as they are tall. This makes them a great shade tree!
The fruit-bearing trees are special. Mulberries are high in antioxidants, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron, Fiber, Riboflavin, Magnesium, and Potassium. Dr. Oz calls the mulberries a “super-food” that also provides protein. The juicy berries can be white, red, and very dark purple, and look similar to blackberries. They are also great for attracting birds to your garden.
Keep in mind that since they are fast growing, they can damage hardscapes, like walkways, with their roots. Also, the fruit can be messy during the spring to summer yield, so another reason to plant them away from walkways.
At Pacific Vista Landscape Services, our professionals are experts not only with soft and hard landscapes, but trees of all kinds. We offer a tree maintenance program to keep your trees healthy for years!
Call us today at 1-661-222-7525
California's risk of wildfires is almost year round now. An important step property owners can take is to be proactive with their landscape and trees. Here’s what you can do seasonally to reduce your risk of wildfire.
Winter
Check property for dead trees, especially those infested with bark beetles, and remove those trees.
Clear dense undergrowth.
Trim up trees for vertical clearance as part of your home’s defensible space.
If you’re planting trees this spring, plan ahead now and plant locally native trees.
Spring
Prepare defensible space.
Remove any dead and bark beetle-infested trees.
Bark beetles are most active now and in summer—be careful not to damage remaining trees as fresh wood attracts beetles.
If possible, remove freshly cut wood. Otherwise, cover, lop or chip infested wood—and do not place near healthy trees.
Following an extended period of little to no rain, sparingly water high-value trees.
Now is the time to plant new trees, as long as irrigation is available.
Also consider planting fire resistant ground cover like ice plant and succulents.
Summer
Follow spring guidelines as beetles are very active in summer as well.
Be especially careful with power tools—one spark can start a wildfire. If planting trees in fall, plan ahead now and plant locally native trees.
Fall
If planting trees, wait until the weather cools and fall rains have increased soil moisture.
Now is one of the best times to remove dead and dying trees, and dense undergrowth.
Water high-value trees only if significantly less than average rainfall this season; otherwise, do not water.
New trees will need extra water until their roots are established.
Need help? Since 1998, our professional arborists and tree trimmers have been providing professional tree services to residential and commercial customers throughout Southern California. To see all of our services, click here.
