Frequently Asked Questions

Irrigation Plants Weed Spray

IRRIGATION

Please DON’T PANIC. All of our work is guaranteed. Please refer to the back of your contract.
If your system is not turning ON:
Check your PVB (the large copper devise near your front hose-bib). The shut off handles should be parallel to the copper pipes.
Check your timeclock. The switch at the bottom should be pushed to the far right (“run”).
If your system will not turn OFF:
When we plant new plants or grass, we will set your clock so it waters three times every day. It might look like it’s on all the time. If you’re not sure, turn the switch at the bottom of the timeclock to the far left (“off”) & the irrigation should stop (drips might take a few minutes to completely stop but they should slow immediately). If that worked, please now push the switch back to “run”! Your system is fine. If you feel that irrigation is coming on too much and we have not installed plants or grass within two weeks, feel free to adjust the time a little to suit your yard (every yard is different).
If the irrigation didn’t stop when you turned the timeclock to “off”, you almost certainly have a clogged or faulty valve. Please go to the PVB and turn a shut off handle to the off position (perpendicular to the copper pipe). Assuming you purchased your system from CYC within the past two years, please call and we’ll have an irrigation technician fix the problem.
Drip heads:
If you don’t see drip heads at the base of your mature tree – good! Trees should be watered near the edge of the canopy so please check there. You should see 4 green or blue drip heads.
Green or blue drips heads put out 2 gallons per hour are used on vines and a few other plants in addition to trees. All others are black and put out 1 gallon per hour.
If you notice that water isn’t coming out of one drip head but is coming out of others:
Most likely you have two or more zones. We recommend trees, bushes, cactus, flowers, and pots be on different lines so if water is coming out of a tree’s drip, but not a bushes, it’s normal.
Sometimes, however, a drip head gets clogged. With the water running, you can twist the little flag on the top of the head – it should now work fine. If water didn’t come out, most likely that zone isn’t on. If you are certain that the zone should be working and you purchased the system within 3 months, please call CYC so we can send out an irrigation technician.

PLANTS

Many plants look sad for a little while after planting due to the shock of handling and re-planting. The vast majority will be fine. Our Project Manager will check all plants two weeks after we install them and will replace as needed.
There are many varieties of tree that loose their leaves in the winter (deciduous). If you’re not sure whether a tree we installed is deciduous, feel free to call us or check online.
If a tree looks like it might be dead but you’re not sure, the best test is to scrape a little bark off the trunk (with your thumbnail or a key) – if under the bark is green, the tree is alive.
Some bushes (and a few trees) get damaged when there is a frost. Almost all will come back as the temperature warms up. Wait until warmer weather, then trim the dead branches back to where green leaves start showing. For trees, please do not cut the branches on top of the tree. If the plant is under warranty, we will wait until warmer weather to replace it (if it’s actually dead) so it’s best to just wait until spring to call. If your warranty is due to expire, call us & we’ll give you an extension until spring.
All plants must be fertilized in order to flourish. Since our soil is alkaline and our water is full of salts, the elements plants need most are Nitrogen (N), Iron (Fe), and Manganese (Mn) – in forms the plants can use. We recommend fertilizing twice a year around Labor day and Memorial day. Citrus should be fertilized February, April, and September.
Tree trimming is best in summer for native trees; in winter for deciduous and pine trees, and in early spring for citrus. Spring is the best time to severely prune a shrub.
Watering should generally be done to the schedule we provide (there’s a copy on CYCLandscaping.com), however since all yards are different you are encouraged to increase or decrease the amount of time or frequency if you notice a problem. Please be sure to change between winter and summer schedules – we recommend making the change as we get above (or below) 90 degrees.

WEED SPRAY

We have applied:

Spot Spray (Commercial grade Round-up with non-ionic surfactant)

Kills over 80% of green vegetation on which it is sprayed (nothing kills everything).
Bermuda or Nut Grasses generally require multiple applications. When we are converting a grass area to rock, we will use a landscape felt to help reduce the re-emergence of grass by up to 95%. CYC recommends using a yard maintenance service to eliminate grass in rock areas over time.
It does NOT prevent future weeds from appearing (pre-emergent will help with that).
The speed with which it kills depends on the type and size of the weed, and the ambient temperature. It generally kills in from 1-5 days.
The green color is a temporary dye. It will disappear over a few days or weeks.
It is safe for people and pets one hour after application (when it is dry).

Pre-Emergent (Barricade)

Stops approximately 80% of seeds from germinating.
Does not work for preventing grass.
Doesn’t affect living plants or seeds that have already germinated. Not effective on seeds that germinate more than 4 inches below the soil (such as Russian Thistle).
Effective for about six months.
It is safe for people and pets after 24 hours.

Fusilade

Kills 80% of grasses growing in a bush. It doesn’t affect broadleaf weeds.
Will not harm the bush (unless it is a grass such as burgundy fountain grass).
Safe for people and pets after 24 hours.

Mec-amine D

Kills 80% of broadleaf weeds growing in a lawn. Does not affect grasses (such as nut grass).
Only effective if the temperature is below 85 degrees.