The Blue Ring Gives Back Program

At Blue Ring Residential Services, we care about our local community and the people who live in it. In the spirit of philanthropy, we started the Blue Ring Gives Back program in 2014, to help those in need with their yard work and landscaping

We have had the honor and privilege of helping two families by taking the yard work chore off their plates.

This fall, Blue Ring Residential participated in a community-wide effort to help a struggling elderly couple reclaim their property from overgrown landscaping. The couple’s failing health and physical limitations made it difficult for them to maintain their yard, and their house had become hidden by thick trees, weeds and brush.

Several local businesses came together on October 24 to work on the yard, and Blue Ring was among them.

Blue Ring Gives Back donated a truck, a chipper and two landscapers to assist the group with cutting down trees, hauling away debris, and general landscape work.  It was a team effort by many businesses in the local community, and what a difference it made. Blue Ring Residential Services is proud to have been a part of this project.

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In May of 2014, the Blue Ring Gives Back program responded to a nomination from one of its customers about a local family in need. A 47-year-old husband and father of two was suffering from ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. His wife was working full time, taking care of him and their children, and yard work was the last thing on her mind. Through the Blue Ring Gives Back program, Blue Ring Residential services donated equipment and landscapers to trim trees, clean out landscaping beds, plant new bushes, and add mulch. 

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Blue Ring Residential Services is committed to donating one project per year through the Blue Ring Gives Back program. Here are the types of services we are prepared to donate:

•   Spring clean-up

•   Brush clearing/debris removal

•   Trimming of shrubs, small trees

•   Weeding, pruning of landscaping beds

•   Landscaping restoration

•   Other services available upon request

For more information about the Blue Ring Gives Back program or the services provided by Blue Ring Residential Services, visit our website or contact us at 614-633-6770.

Why You Need to Winterize Your Irrigation System

As the cooler weather approaches, you’ll need to begin preparing your yard for winter.

In addition to the tree trimming, lawnmower maintenance and fall clean-up chores that come with this time of year, you also need to make sure your irrigation system is dried out and protected for the winter. This is called winterizing your irrigation system.

Winterizing your irrigation system involves completely removing the water from the pipes, valves and sprinkler heads. Although you may have drained all the water out of the system, it is not completely dried out.

Even the smallest amount of water can freeze, causing your pipes, pipefittings and valves to expand or crack, and your anti-siphon device – the most expensive part – can also be damaged. Additionally, if the water freezes in the backflow assembly, it can damage the internal components and crack the brass body.

Winterizing Techniques

Blue Ring Residential Services recommends three techniques to winterize your irrigation system:

Manual drain – This is where you shut off the irrigation system and open the valves, drain valves, drain cap and test cocks on the backflow device.

Automatic drain – Automatic drains open and drain water if the pressure in the piping is less than 10 PSI. You’ll need to shut off the irrigation system’s water supply and activate a station.

Blow Out Method – This method uses an air compressor to push excess water out of the system.

Why You Should Winterize Your Irrigation System

Here are other reasons why you should add winterizing your irrigation system to your fall to-do list:

• It protects your system from the cold winter weather
• It extends the life of your irrigation system
• Your irrigation system is an investment, and winterizing it is part of protecting that investment
• It saves you money on repairs for broken pipes
• It protects your backflow device, which keeps water in your irrigation system from backing into your house
• It protects your system’s bonnet and poppet assembly, located outside, which can break or crack, causing water to flow continuously until it is manually shut off.

For safety reasons, Blue Ring Residential Services strongly recommends hiring a professional to perform your system’s winterization. If you have an irrigation system, let us help you prepare for winter, safeguard your system, and protect your home. Call us today to schedule an appointment at (614) 633-6770.

Tips on Planting Perennials in the Fall

Fall is approaching and the mornings are beginning with cooler weather. Despite the impending winter, it’s not too late to give your landscaping beds a fall facelift and jumpstart your efforts for the upcoming spring.

Fall is an ideal time to plant perennials.

What are Perennials?

Perennials are plants, bushes, trees and flowers that have more than one growing season. Unlike their counterpart, the annuals, perennials typically live at least two years and some live for thousands of years.

While perennials can be planted in the spring or the fall, there are a number of reasons to consider planting them in the fall:

• The weather is less intense – the air temperature is cooler, and the sun is not as hot
• There are usually less weeds to deal with in the fall
• The plants get a head start on the spring plants, allowing the roots to establish
• With typically less rain in the forecast, there are more opportunities for yard work
• Pest and disease problems are less prevalent in the Fall

Fall Perennial Planting Tips

If you are considering planting perennials in your yard this fall, here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Be sure to buy strong, quality, substantial plants
• Check the tags on the plants when you buy them, and note how much sun they need and how tall they will get
• Handle them with care, and gently loosen the roots slightly
• Dig a hole that is twice as wide as the plant pot, and a little deeper
• Use mulch to warm the soil around the plant, which is especially helpful as the colder air approaches
• Plant before the first frost. This gives the roots time to get established before the ground freezes
• Save your fertilizer for the spring. Perennials will go dormant for the winter, and you want to encourage root growth, not flower growth
• Add a moderate amount of water, but don’t drown your plant. Perennials typically need water once a day for the first week, then every other day for the second week

What to Plant in the Fall

Choosing a perennial to plant in the fall depends on many factors: the region you are in, the typical weather you have, the landscaping bed you’d like to plant in, and other plants around it.

Various trees, shrubs, and bulbs such as tulips and daffodils are popular choices.

At Blue Ring Residential Services, we can help you choose the right perennials for your yard, plant them for you, and advise you on how to take care of them. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Blue Ring Residential Services at (614) 633-6770.

What is Fall Clean-Up?

Summer is winding to a close, and soon we’ll be faced with cooler air, falling leaves, and preparing our yard for winter. Fall general means less mowing required, but unfortunately that’s replaced with more raking and clearing of leaves. And for those who have lots of trees in their yards, keeping up with the falling leaves is an endless, futile chore.

However, it is important to make sure that all of the leaves, debris and branches are cleared from your yard before winter sets in. That’s why most landscaping companies offer a service called Fall Clean-Up.

The Benefits of Fall Clean-Up

Fall Clean-Up is the removal of fallen leaves, branches, fruit, logs and other debris that have collected in your yard, landscaping beds, sidewalks and driveways over the spring and summer months. It’s an important part of preparing your lawn and landscaping for the cooler fall and winter weather.

You’ll want to remove these leaves and other debris prior to the first snow for the following reasons:

• It prevents your grass from “suffocating” under all the debris and winter snow.
• When you remove the debris, you are also removing disease organisms, mold, mosquito and bug larvae and any other disease problems that are breeding in it.
• It preserves the hard work and care you’ve spent on your lawn and landscaping all year long.
• It reduces the number of plants you will have to replace in the spring.
• Fall Clean-Up also includes trimming perennials, pulling weeds and removing the annuals you planted in the spring.

Other Fall Season Reminders:

• Don’t forget to clean, sterilize and sharpen your garden and landscaping tools
• Make repairs to your lawnmower so it is ready to go in the spring

If you’d like to schedule a Fall Clean-Up service for your yard, or other seasonal preparations for winter, please contact Blue Ring Residential Services at 614-633-6770, or visit our website at www.blueringresidential.com.

Photo license:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Jack Zalium, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/kaiban/8156574402