The Homeowner's Guide to Landscaping & Lawn Care

NOVATO — One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make with landscape construction is cutting costs with quality. While this may save money in the short term, it often ends up costing more later when things need to be repaired or rebuilt. One area where this often occurs is materials. For example, when building a retaining wall, some homeowners opt for hollow concrete blocks to save money. However, since they aren’t solid concrete, these blocks often lack the weight to ensure structural stability. Most homeowners don’t realize that hollow concrete blocks aren’t intended for building structures higher than three feet tall, so when their five-foot retaining wall fails after a couple of years, it can be a rude awakening. Read more

CAMPBELL — Like any plant, trees require nutrients to grow and flourish. While trees typically derive nutrients from the soil, under certain circumstances they may not be able to get adequate nutrition, which can put them in a state of stress. This can occur when trees are situated near lawns or in areas of dense vegetation, where competition for water, nutrients and minerals is intensified. In cases of extreme nutrient deficiency, a good remedial measure is deep root fertilization. Deep root fertilization utilizes hydraulic injection to deliver nutrients directly into the soil at the tree’s root level. The nutrients are conveyed in the form of a liquefied solution, which makes it easier for the roots to absorb them. Read more

SAN JOSE — Porcelain tile has long been used for home interior design, but it has only recently been applied to the outdoors. Outdoor porcelain tile differs from its indoor counterparts with attributes like increased thickness (2 centimeters) and nonslip engineering for safety underfoot. This product is extremely durable and eye-catchingly beautiful. It can be finished to simulate different types of wood and natural stone, and manufacturers have even developed a screen printing technique that makes it look absolutely stunning in outdoor environments. Installation is a crucial consideration when it comes to outdoor porcelain tile. One option is to inlay the tiles on an existing concrete slab. Just make sure the slab is free of any major cracks—otherwise, Read more

SANTA ROSA — If you’ve decided to go with pavers for your new driveway, walkway or patio, congratulations—you’ve made a great choice! However, while you may have made one big decision, you now have a lot more of them ahead of you. There are nearly countless style and color options for pavers, and it will take a lot of perusing and careful consideration before you find the perfect one for your home, landscape, and budget. To aid you in this process, we recommend sitting down with your paving stone contractor, who will utilize their knowledge to steer you in the right direction. In addition to style and color, another option you should look into when choosing pavers is permeability. Read more

LIVERMORE — The upkeep of trees on a property is an important yet often overlooked aspect of home maintenance. In addition to having their health periodically assessed by a professional, you should keep your trees well-trimmed via regular pruning and periodic canopy thinning. Thinning the canopy of a tree typically consists of removing elements like deadwood, cross branches and excess growth. In addition to improving a tree’s ventilation (allowing wind to pass through the tree more freely), thinning results in weight reduction, which lessens the strain on a tree’s trunk and roots. Furthermore, thinning a tree’s canopy increases sunlight exposure to its interior branches and your overall property. When it comes to trees growing near your home, Read more