WINTER WONDERLAND

Sometimes we forget what a beautiful area we live in. However, who can forget that recent morning coming into work after some storms came through the basin draping the local ring of mountains encircling the basin in snow down to the 1500 foot level. It was a sight to behold. Even Saddleback peak was covered more than at anytime in recent memory. In fact the local skiing has been exceptional this year at times rivaling Mammoth for snow quantity and quality.

Actually, did you know on a clear day you could see more snow on the mountains here locally than you can ever see from downtown Denver? That is because the mountains here are of such close proximity to the metropolitan area we just don’t realize it as normally the haze and pollution which gets trapped in the basin obscures the view. Many times during the year you could be in Pasadena and not even know there are mountains literally minutes away! The good news is that the air over the last couple of decades has definitely improved significantly here. Let’s hope we can continue to improve the air so that we have more days where we can truly appreciate the very unique area we live in.

Aside from the recent weather capping our mountains in a blanket of white it will also be beneficial to the landscapes. With all the unexpected late rain we now have had enough rainfall to thoroughly soak the soil and leach out the salts that have accumulated in the root zones from normal fertilization and irrigation with domestic water. Those properties served by reclaimed water especially benefit as the reclaimed water has a much higher level of salts and chlorine than domestic water. At home I actually try to catch some of the rainwater, which I use for indoor plants as they don’t have the same opportunity to have the salts leached out from their soil as plants outside do.

Initially some plant material in poor draining soils (clay laden) may actually be harmed temporarily due to the anaerobic (lack of oxygen) conditions of saturated soil. That is one reason you may have seen our crews busily pumping water out of containers so that the plant material and/or seasonal color does not die from a lack of oxygen or in other words, drown. In most cases, however, the plant material just remains chlorotic (lack of Iron- yellowing of the leaves) for awhile until the soil dries out as the nutrients cannot be absorbed by the roots in saturated conditions. Once the soil dries out and the temperature in the root zones goes up, stimulating the roots, the plants will again take up the nutrients. At that point they will both ‘green up’ and grow more vigorously. We know this time as the beginning of the growing season or ‘Spring’.

Since plant material is in a state of semi-dormancy at this time, just like any gardener does with Rose bushes, we are busy cutting back both ground cover and most types of shrubbery to spur healthy, uniform, new growth in the spring. With hedging it is our opportunity to scale it back so that it does not overgrow its planter area. Scaling back the hedges now also allows us the ability to shear and shape the hedge throughout the rest of the year without having to hack it back or heavily trim them periodically. In March we will also start Spring fertilization of various plant materials, like palms, while the soil is still moist so that the nutrients will be in place when the root activity increases thereafter.

In our attempt at Terra Pacific to have a stable, knowledgeable, and well-trained work force we are always looking for new ways to retain our best workers and provide them with opportunity to advance themselves within our company. We have found that all of our best workers, our supervisors, irrigators, and foremen, etc., have come from within our own personnel. Most of these positions are filled with employees who have been with us for five, six, or seven years and more. This pays dividends to our clients as we therefore have a highly stable work force, which limits our mistakes and gives us the most productive crews in the industry. One of the measures we have had in effect since last fall to facilitate employee retention and advancement is an English class we provide on our own premises Tuesday and Thursday after work. They realize this is a chance for them to better themselves and as a consequence have had steady attendance of over twenty employees whom have been very dedicated to completing the class. They realize this is a chance for them to better themselves. Not only does this nurture our future managers but it also improves the ability of our work force to more effectively communicate with you. We hope to continue this class as long as we have employees who want to learn.

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