About Grants Gardens. We are a fine landscaping company in Sarasota and approach all of our projects with sustainability and water management in mind. This presentation offers visitors a background of our team including our methods, education and examples. Thanks for visiting!

2. Who is Grant’s Gardens?
 Based in Sarasota and  We employ:
Manatee Counties.
 Horticulturists & Landscape
 We provide landscape services Designers
 Certified Arborists
to the greater Sarasota area
design, build, maintenance, low-  Certified Irrigation Contractors
voltage lighting and irrigation.  Certified Pest Control Operators
 FNGLA Certified Horticulture
Professionals
 Certified BMP Professionals

3. What is a Full Service Landscape Company?
 We provide:
 Design Services
 Installation
 Irrigation
 Softscapes & Hardscapes
 Lighting
 Water-Features (pools & ponds)
 Insect Misting Systems
 Maintenance
 Irrigation & Lighting
 General Turf, Trees & Shrubs
 Pest-Control & Fertilization
 Arboricultural
 Soil Conditioners

4. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
 Definition:
 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive
approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense
practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life
cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in
combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest
damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to
people, property, and the environment. (From EPA’s website)

5. How IPM Works
 This is not a single pest control method, but a series of pest management
evaluations, decisions and controls.
 Four Steps:
 Step 1: Set Action Thresholds
 Step 2: Monitor & Identify Pests
 Step 3: Prevention
 Step 4: Control

6. Plant Health Care
 I.S.A. Certified Arborist
 Definition: The Plant Health Care approach focuses primarily on
preventative measures - those that encourage plant vigor and maintain
healthy, balanced growth. Plant vitality is the best protection against pest
problems. The basic components of Plant Health Care are: Plant Selection,
Planting and Maintenance.

7. Three Components
of Plant Health are:
 Plant Selection: Right Plant / Right Placement
 Planting
 Soil pH
 Bed Preparation
 Planting Pit (width / depth)
 Backfill
 Staking / Guying
 Mulching
 Maintenance
 Plant Inventory / Map of Property
 Soil pH Monitoring
 Pruning / Mowing / Mulch
 Pest Management (IPM) Chemicals (Soaps & Oils)

8. Best Management Practices for
Protection of Water Resources in Fla.
 Properly managed turf grass & landscapes do not significantly contribute to
nonpoint source pollution.
 Pollution occurs when less-than adequate management techniques are
used.
 Developing low-risk irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticide programs, and
ensuring that these programs are administered and periodically reviewed,
reduces the possibility of nutrient movement off-site.
 Whenever possible, professionals should educate their clients on
landscape Best Management Practices (BMPs) that encourage water
conservation and pollution prevention.

9. Sarasota’s Fertilizer
and BMP Ordinance
 No chemical fertilizers from June 1 to Sept. 30. In addition to limiting the
amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen that can be applied per year, the
ordinance recommends the use of fertilizers which contain at least 50
percent slow-release nitrogen.
 Companies and residents in violation of the fertilizer rules will face
penalties that start with a warning notice and increase to a $500 fine for a
third offense.
 Fertilizer Free Zones: No fertilizer within 10’ of ponds, stream, water
course, lake, canal, or designated wetland and creates a voluntary "low
maintenance zone" within six feet of water bodies.
 It requires fertilizer application companies to create a training course.
 Sarasota County's fertilizer measure will go into effect in February 2008.

10. Grant’s Gardens BMP Lawn &
Ornamental Maintenance Program
 Lawn / Turf Management
 Turf managers face a growing challenge: Keeping fertilizer nutrients in the soil
and prevent leaching.
 Florikan Professional Landscape Fertilizers and other controlled release
fertilizers can help meet this challenge!

11. The Florikan Fertilizer Prill
 Wrapped in a dependable special resin coating that ensures success in
Florida’s high heat humidity and rainfall.
 Allows nutrients to become available at about the same rate they are needed
by turf and plants, before leaching occurs. Other synthetic fertilizers leach
because they dissolve easily and release nutrients faster than plants use them.
 Ensures nutrients are released evenly and consistently over a 6 month or 12
month period.
 Florikan fertilizers provide a sustainable approach to fertilizing, mimicking the
slow release characters of organic fertilizers.
 Improvements in plant color, growth, and health are long lasting.
 In sandy soil, Florikan fertilizers can improve nutrient and water holding
capacity, thereby reducing the need for excess watering.

12. Soil Conditioners
 Gypsum, wetting agents & sometimes elemental Sulfur is added to soil in
order to improve turf and plant growth and health. Gypsum releases
nutrients and improves soil structure. Improving soil structure, improves
soil quality by loosening compacted soils to promote deep rooting and allow
better penetration of water and nutrients.

13. Plant & Palm Management
 Grant’s Gardens does not just focus on pests and diseases - Basic cultural
problems afflicting plants are considered.
 Half of all sick plants result from cultural and environmental factors such as
over watering, drought, planted too deep, poor drainage, stress, or winter
damage.

14. A Holistic Approach
 Steps to a Holistic Approach
 Step 1
 List all plants on a property. Typically there are key plants that are problem-
prone and likely to require monitoring.
 Step 2
 Determine key problems on a property.
 Biotic (living organisms such as insects, fungi, slugs, deer, rabbits,
nematodes, etc).
 Abiotic (non-living factors such as weather, fertility, irrigation, etc) are
problems that need to be identified and solutions recommended by our
Horticulturalists.
 Key problems are the ones most likely to impact plant health and require
attention.

15. A Holistic Approach (cont.)
 Steps to a Holistic Approach
 Step 3
 Study the landscape ecosystem.
 Landscapes have complex interrelationships among flora, fauna, soil,
weather, and other factors.
 Minimum temperatures, the amount of sun received by various parts of
your property, prevailing winds, and seasonal patterns of precipitation.
 Understanding soils and drainage patterns.
 This information is essential, because healthy landscapes are a result from
carefully matching plants to the habitats in your yard.

16. Reporting
 Evaluate soil and perform a soil analysis.
 Evaluate turf and specimen plants and perform tissue analysis.
 Evaluate primary water source for irrigation system. If well water is the
primary source of water, an analysis is required in order to determine water
quality and whether there might be salt intrusion in the well.
 Evaluate irrigation system in order to determine coverage patterns, and
whether irrigation zones are over or under watering.
 Identify all of the important plants on the property. A plant inventory report
will be generated.

17. Landscapes are Dynamic
 A key to any sustainable landscape program is frequent monitoring, at least
every two - three weeks during the growing season and perhaps once a
month during the winter. When monitoring, we pay particular attention to
signs of plant stress (yellow or wilted leaves, dead twigs, etc.), and be on
the lookout for developing pest problems.
 A healthy plant, planted correctly in the right location, is more likely to
remain healthy, being less susceptible to attack by disease or insects.
Selecting a plant is much more than choosing one that fits our hardiness
zone. It means selecting plants that we can maintain well. And it means
selecting plants, when possible, with inherent disease resistance, insect
resistance, and ability to withstand other stresses that may be present.

18. Specific Fertilizer / Plant
Enhancement Program
Once all reports have been obtained a specific fertilizer/plant enhancement
program will be formulated for your specific property. The turf and plant
program specified for your yard will contain one or all of the following
services.
 Grant’s Mahogany Blend Mulch:
 This landscape mulch has been specifically formulated.
 Works back into the planting medium and acts as an organic fertilizer to
enhance base soil conditions.
 Grant’s Blend features mulch processed from the “melaleuca” trees
and incorporates this wood as a method of protecting our unique
Florida habitat and contributing to an environmentally sensible solution
within Grant’s Gardens installation and maintenance procedures.
 Controlled release turf fertilizers, one application every six months.

19. Specific Fertilizer / Plant
Enhancement Program (cont.)
 Controlled release plant/palm fertilizers, one application every twelve
months.
 Controlled release Magnesium (Mg) fertilizers for turf and palms, in
situations where no nitrogen and/or phosphorous is required.
 Application of soil conditioners (gypsum and/or /wetting agents and/or
/elemental sulfur) to turf areas.
 Landscape pest control, using horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps.
 Irrigation monitoring and maintenance. Ensure that rain sensors are
operational and irrigation time clocks are set correctly.

20. Other Services We Provide
 Pruning and trimming of:  Tree and palm root feeding,
 Trees using the most up to date soil
 Palms injection technology.
 Shrubs & groundcovers.
 Vine trellising and training.  Seasonal color installation and
maintenance.
 Other turf management services
 Mowing & edging.  Containers, vessels, urns and
pot maintenance.
 Other forms of landscape pest
control and fertilization.

21. Thank you for your attention.
I look forward to our next adventure!