Posted by San Diego Landscaper on Wednesday, 16 November , 2022
Organic gardening practices are usually best, but what happens when the climate or other factors work against you in trying to use these practices in your own yard?
Traditionally, organic gardening works with the weather, soil, natural water and other factors to produce healthy, hearty plants. This is often the best way to ensure your plants will thrive because you are not using artificial measures in your gardening methods. By avoiding the application of chemical pesticides, for example, you avoid the problem of possibly killing off beneficial insect species that could help your plants and remove harmful pests.
However, there are times that traditional organic practices do not work because of unforeseen circumstances or those which are simply out of your control. Here are a few examples of situations in which the gardener may not be able to employ the most common organic methods due to other factors:
Changes in weather patterns. With shifts in weather patterns that occur every few years, such as La Niña and El Niño, wind and rainfall levels can change somewhat dramatically. For example, in San Diego, La Niña conditions often bring about cooler average temperatures and drier conditions. These changes may make it difficult to rely on regular rainfall to water certain parts of a yard or garden. On the other hand, the hotter and wetter seasons spawned by El Niño could result in an overwatered yard if the gardener has not prepared for it.
Changes in invasive species. Periodically, an invasive species of plant, animal or insect will be introduced into an area. Invasive species are those for which there are currently no natural controls or deterrents. These species often cause significant damage to plants because they are hard to control with natural means until nature restores the balance.
Diseases in the environment. There are many diseases that can strike plants, and sometimes these diseases will break out in “pandemic” form. After some time, the diseases usually die down or become endemic, but before they do, they can create big problems for the organic gardener.
So, what can you do if you are faced with irregular circumstances but still want to maintain a healthy yard with organic methods? There are actually several steps you can take, including:
Utilize slightly different methods. Often, taking on invasive species means introducing new types of plants or insects to your yard. Doing a bit of research and finding out what species will control the invader may help you keep your outdoor spaces organic while still fighting the pests.
Look into organic options for watering and fertilizing. Changing weather does not have to mean abandoning your plants to the mercy of the climate. Instead, think about environmentally-friendly ways you can change your watering and fertilizing habits to benefit your plants, no matter what the weather.
Change your outdoor space. It may be that some plants simply do not thrive in your current conditions. Perhaps they do not like your soil, or they are suffering in the weather in your area. Instead of fighting the conditions, why not work with them? Choosing slightly different plants could allow you to have a beautiful, vibrant yard without all the hard work of continually battling the elements.
If you want help in designing your yard to be weather- and pest-proof, Juniper Landscape Company is here to help! Our designers can help you choose the right plants and additions to make your yard easy to maintain and keep it beautiful all year. Give us a call today!
Juniper Landscape Company is a provider of professional landscaping services in San Diego, we strive to make San Diego a beautiful place by doing business with integrity and creativity.
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Juniper Landscape Company is great. I have used them for landscape design, and they have transformed my yard into a garden retreat. Now they keep it up every week, and it looks gorgeous. They are the best San Diego landscapers! I would highly recommend Juniper Landscape Company if you are looking to landscape your... Read More
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Our commercial property is located at 5150-5250 Murphy Canyon Road (the corner of Clairemont Mesa Blvd and Murphy Canyon Road).
Please be advised that we have maintained a landscaping contract with Joe Cryns for 16 years. Also, he was the landscaper for our property before the Chou’s purchased it. We have found Joe and his... Read More
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I must say that Juniper Landscape Company exceeded my expectations, completing the job in a timely fashion and for a fair price which we negotiated ahead of time, and which did not change even though there were difficulties with the terrain around my home in Stonebridge Estates (Scripps Ranch). Juniper Landscape Company was on-time,... Read More
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Thanks to the entire team at Juniper Landscape Company for a Great Job!!! It was a pleasure working with everyone…and Gabe did a great job leading the activities on-site. We were very satisfied with how the whole project progressed. The service was great...and we love the finished product! We wish everything could have gone... Read More
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I had my front and back yards fully redone and wanted them ready for a party at my house. They worked long days and sent big crews to make sure they finished in time. The results were spectacular, and I highly recommend Juniper Landscape Company!!!... Read More
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Jesse and Gabe did a fantastic job in the design and installation of our new backyard! They completed the job on budget and on time. Would highly recommend them to all!!... Read More
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I have a side strip of yard which is on the street. The original landscaping was VERY high maintenance and not attractive. I was always out there cleaning up the leaf litter or be fined by the HOA. I hired Juniper Landscape Company. They came out and actually listened to what I wanted. They... Read More
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Juniper Landscape Company has been fantastic. Before them, we ran through three or four other lawn and landscape maintenance companies who did spotty and sometimes outright poor work, were not always reliable and who ended up creating problems for us in a variety of ways. That experience led us to subscribe to Angie's List... Read More
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Jesse & Gabe,
I want to extend my thanks to you and your crew for participating in the Yard Crashers project the past few days. I know we are all exhausted due to the demands of filming and the logistics of the project with so many people involved.
One of the positive elements I found in... Read More