Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When should I turn on my irrigation in the spring?
A: This is a tricky question. In the spring, the best thing to do is keep your eye on the weather report. Wait till the nights warm up to above freezing. It's ok if the temp slightly dips below freezing, just beware of an extreme low, or a period of consistently low temps. The typical time this occurs is around April first, give or take a couple weeks.
Q: When should I turn my irrigation off for winter?
A: Also a tricky question. In Northern Nevada we can have some crazy weather heading into the winter, snowing in October, skiing in shorts in November. Once again keep your eye on the weather report. Same as the spring, it's ok to have the irrigation on if the temp occasionally dips a little below freezing, but beware if you see a cold spell forecasted in the near future. This weather pattern typically begins November 1st, give or take a couple weeks.
Q: When is the best time to plant?
A: Anytime Big Fish Landscaping is planting in your yard is the best time! But the educated answer is in the fall. If you plant in the fall, the plant will go into dormancy for the winter. When this occurs, the plant stops focusing it's energy on the foliage of the plant, and instead focuses it's energy on the root system. Therefore in the spring when the plant comes out of dormancy, it's root mass will be much larger than it's upward mass.
Q: Is my plant getting enough water?
A: It can be a little tricky to diagnose a plant when it looks like it's under stress. The problem most people have is, when they see any signs of brown, they immediately think it needs more water. In most cases, this can be true, but brown tips on foliage can mean the plant is getting too much water. There's only a slight difference between the foliage of a dry plant and the foliage of a plant that is over-watered. Typically if it is lacking water, the brown foliage will be dry and crack if touched. If the plant is over-watered, the brown foliage will actually have more of a rubber consistency.
Q: Does my evergreen need water because it's losing it's needles?
A: We get this question quite a bit. Many people are unaware that an evergreen loses it's needles, the same way a deciduous tree loses it's leaves in the fall. The difference is that an evergreen doesn't lose it's needles at a certain time of the year. It is actually shedding foliage from a previous years growth. If the evergreen's needles are turning brown from the inside out, then it is shedding. If the needles are brown at the tip, there may be a water, pest, or disease issue.
A: This is a tricky question. In the spring, the best thing to do is keep your eye on the weather report. Wait till the nights warm up to above freezing. It's ok if the temp slightly dips below freezing, just beware of an extreme low, or a period of consistently low temps. The typical time this occurs is around April first, give or take a couple weeks.
Q: When should I turn my irrigation off for winter?
A: Also a tricky question. In Northern Nevada we can have some crazy weather heading into the winter, snowing in October, skiing in shorts in November. Once again keep your eye on the weather report. Same as the spring, it's ok to have the irrigation on if the temp occasionally dips a little below freezing, but beware if you see a cold spell forecasted in the near future. This weather pattern typically begins November 1st, give or take a couple weeks.
Q: When is the best time to plant?
A: Anytime Big Fish Landscaping is planting in your yard is the best time! But the educated answer is in the fall. If you plant in the fall, the plant will go into dormancy for the winter. When this occurs, the plant stops focusing it's energy on the foliage of the plant, and instead focuses it's energy on the root system. Therefore in the spring when the plant comes out of dormancy, it's root mass will be much larger than it's upward mass.
Q: Is my plant getting enough water?
A: It can be a little tricky to diagnose a plant when it looks like it's under stress. The problem most people have is, when they see any signs of brown, they immediately think it needs more water. In most cases, this can be true, but brown tips on foliage can mean the plant is getting too much water. There's only a slight difference between the foliage of a dry plant and the foliage of a plant that is over-watered. Typically if it is lacking water, the brown foliage will be dry and crack if touched. If the plant is over-watered, the brown foliage will actually have more of a rubber consistency.
Q: Does my evergreen need water because it's losing it's needles?
A: We get this question quite a bit. Many people are unaware that an evergreen loses it's needles, the same way a deciduous tree loses it's leaves in the fall. The difference is that an evergreen doesn't lose it's needles at a certain time of the year. It is actually shedding foliage from a previous years growth. If the evergreen's needles are turning brown from the inside out, then it is shedding. If the needles are brown at the tip, there may be a water, pest, or disease issue.
