Welcome to AMS Landscape Maintenance

AMS Blog

Yard Care in Phoenix and Glendale AZ

6 Common Landscaping Myths Phoenix Homeowners Should Know

6 Common Landscaping Myths Phoenix Homeowners Should Know

I’ve been a landscaper in Phoenix, AZ since 1999. On a weekly basis, we hear many common questions that may seem easy for us to answer, but are common misconceptions about the climate of our landscape here in the desert southwest. Over the years I have heard these so many times that I thought it would make a great video to share with our customers and followers.


Myth #1:

Turf grows well here in the desert since there is so much sun.  Why can’t I get the turf to look like the golf course or like the baseball stadium where the Arizona Diamondbacks play? 

Although it can be done, it usually takes a lot of time and money to keep those venues green at all times.  Golf courses have full time landscapers that mow the grass daily for their greens and are giving the turf the constant attention it needs to stay that way. 

You will still see lots of damage where there is lots of traffic and where the tee boxes are. Even Chase Field had trouble keeping their field green, as you can see in this image we took in July 2016 (see link below). 

That is why in 2019 you will see artificial turf inside the baseball stadium. Grass does grow here in Phoenix and it does best in full sun with low traffic. 

If you don’t have both of these, you will likely deal with imperfections and that is okay as long as you understand that we live in the hot desert.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHWAbXXhMFl/  (.22)

Myth #2:

When plants or trees freeze in the winter, they will immediately die. This comment comes up in the winter months where plants freeze back and clients want them replaced right away. 

We usually recommend waiting until March when things warm up to see if plants and trees are completely dead before replacing them.  (1.21)

Myth # 3:

Most plants grow here because of the amount of sun we get here in the Phoenix area. We usually get these questions when we have clients that have recently moved here and want to have the same oasis they had in California or Florida. 

Because our desert climate is so dry, it is difficult to get every plant to grow here consistently year round. Sometimes you can get good results with a non-native plant or tree but it usually is not consistent. 

Here is a link to native plants to our desert climate:
http://www.amwua.org/plants/   (2.25)

Myth # 4:

Weeds were sprayed so they should not come back for months. We usually treat weeds with a post-emergent that will kill the grass or weeds in granite areas within 7 days and we guarantee those results. 

However, if pre-emergent treatment is not added, we can’t guarantee that weeds won’t come back. Pre-emergent comes with a 6-month warranty against all broadleaf weeds.  (3.12)

Myth # 5:

Replacing artificial turf will decrease maintenance cost.  This is true if you had service every week or every 2 weeks and you are going to reduce service to once per month. 

The misconception here is that since we are not mowing all the time, lawn care maintenance decreases.  However, it takes nearly as much time to blow off the turf as it does to mow. 

So if the turf does not need blowing off, then we can reduce some cost but we usually find that if we skip cleaning the turf it usually becomes an issue with leaves and debris, which looks bad.  (4.01)

Myth # 6:

Mowing grass once per month will save me money.  We try and save money for our clients by servicing every 2 weeks instead of weekly, but if you go beyond that with real Bermuda grass or winter rye in the fall, it will have incurred tall grass fees that may cost more than if you had just had service every 2 weeks.  (5.27)

If you have any other questions or would like a more detailed list of exactly what’s included in our regular landscape or lawn care maintenance, please give us a call at (602) 944-0421 or check out our website, www.azlawns.com.

Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat at @azlawns.

Request a Same Day Estimate!

We Offer Premium Customer Service

Get Your FREE ESTIMATE
Use the form below or call us at
(602) 944-0421 today!