Blooming On Kauai

With July being Smart Irrigation Month — and to coincide with the steadily rising summer temps — we think there’s no better time than now to talk water use and how to make the most of it throughout the grounds of your property (aka not waste it).

And while we’ve already touched on new landscape irrigation technology and shared some tips for smarter watering in past blog posts, we also think it’s equally important to know how to spot the signs of a failing irrigation system … before things get out of hand and cause serious damage to your property.

Four questions for you:

1. When is the last time you assessed your irrigation system for water efficiency?
2. Is it delivering moisture to the landscape when and how plants need it?
3. Does your commercial Kauai property have legacy fixed sprinkler heads?
4. How are landscape beds receiving water, anyway?

Depending on your answers, your Kauai property might be a candidate for drip irrigation.

The fragrant flowers, year-round green grass and characteristic coconut palms on Kauai landscapes provide that true tropical escape for snowbirds who enjoy their home-away-from-homes during winter— seeking refuge when the weather at their full-time home is cold and snowy.

For property owners who invest in second homes on Kauai, now is the time to soak in some Hawaiian bliss. The last thing you want is to arrive and find your property in lackluster condition.

But it happens, every year. We get phone calls from property owners who need some “rescue landscape maintenance” on their vacation properties because they were not properly maintained.

On Kauai, there are no breaks from landscape maintenance; our growing season is year-round.  

Now while you are on the island is the perfect time to assess your property, identify any potential problems, and enlist in a reputable landscape maintenance provider who you can trust to care for your grounds while you are gone. That way, when you travel to Kauai to stay for the winter months, your landscape will be in tip-top shape.

Here are five landscape maintenance essentials for your winter home on Kauai.

What’s always “in” on Kauai: lush landscaping and outdoor spaces where guests can soak in the garden isle environment. Anything commercial property owners do to enhance their landscaping and make it safer, healthier, more sustainable and visually appealing is not just a trend—but a must, if you ask us.

It’s a matter of reinvesting in your Kauai property to increase its value and improve the experience for guests.

That’s why we love when landscape upgrades work double-time, improving a commercial property’s visual appeal and function. For example:

• fire pits that create ambiance plus more seating
• grass that’s more sustainable and healthy
• irrigation systems that are safer for pedestrians and more efficient to run

It’s all about maximizing your budget while improving your property each season. Even the minor landscape upgrades can make a big impact, like changing out tired plants or reinventing an entryway bed.

With Kauai tourism on the incline and the island’s positive economy, now’s the time to explore what’s new for your commercial landscape so you can attract (and entertain) visitors. Here are the top five commercial landscaping trends on Kauai that will help achieve those goals in 2016.

Smart irrigation is important for every Kauai commercial property because water-saving technologies help us conserve a finite resource. Saving water is environmentally and financially responsible.

Beyond this double benefit, smart controllers provide tools that are not available on basic controllers and legacy irrigation systems.

For example, older irrigation systems were not configured with rain sensors and weather stations that figure in climate, soil type, plant varieties and precipitation into watering patterns.

Basically, smart controllers are high-tech brains behind an irrigation operation—and they take human error out of the watering process.

Let’s talk about how smart irrigation controllers work, what it takes to retrofit an existing commercial irrigation system, and what features they offer that might be beneficial for your Hawaii property.   

Maintaining your commercial property’s landscape is a critical part of creating a great lasting impression for visitors, who will return to your site if they enjoy the experience.

So mowing, edging, pruning, cleaning up rubbish and overall upkeep is job one. But “extras” add a layer of luxury: a fire pit gathering space, a warm and colorful entryway, walkways that improve access.

Landscape enhancements are items that go above and beyond the maintenance contract. They can include design-build projects such as adding a hardscaped space (patio, walkways); or infrastructural improvements to your Kauai property, such as an updated irrigation system that takes into account water conservation.

Landscape enhancements are not included in your service contract, but as you think ahead to 2016, now is the time to consider some of the landscape projects that could improve your commercial property and figure those into the budget.

Here are three commercial landscape enhancements to consider for next year along with some budgeting tips so you can make these projects a reality.  

As we ease into the heat of summer, when Kauai’s commercial landscapes tend to get dry and thirsty, the irrigation systems may be operating on a spring schedule—and that means less watering because most sides of Kauai get more rainfall in March vs. July.

Maybe you notice some signs that your grounds need a revamped, more rigorous watering schedule:

• dry spots

• weed infestations

• general burnout

Now is an ideal time to re-evaluate the irrigation schedule for your commercial irrigation system and tune it up for summer weather conditions.