Local Drought Conditions Test the Patience of HOA Communities

Moderate drought conditions in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties are testing us all. Some turf areas and plant beds may be showing showing signs of stress – even in HOA communities that use irrigation systems. ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design, headquartered in Venice, offers a few words of wisdom.

Irrigation a supplement to Mother Nature

Above all, remember that irrigation is just a supplement to Mother Nature and that no one can run their irrigation system long enough to replace the full benefits of rain. During times like these, you’ll likely see stressed turf and plants caused by heat and lack of rain. This also occurs as the water source levels that supply each community get lower and sediment/debris is pulled into the irrigation pumps – often leading to clogging of filters and slowing the irrigation pressure.

Servicing the source of your community’s water supply

While ArtisTree crews are working tirelessly to keep turf green, the above factors will come into play the longer we’re without substantial rain. We will do our best to keep filters cleared of debris, but please be aware of the fact that we do not control or service the source of a community’s water supply. Most of our communities receive their water supply from SWFTMUD which at times has to tightly manage water distribution levels due to any local drought conditions.

To bill or not to bill

If a homeowner in one of ArtisTree’s HOA communities calls and irrigation maintenance has been already been performed or is due soon, there will be a service-call fee if the system is found to be in proper working order when we arrive. If we respond and the timer is off, broken or affected by other issues not caused by our maintenance services, there could be a potential charge. Any irrigation or tree repairs made due to hurricane damage are a billable service and we will invoice the homeowner directly.

A little hand-watering will do a lot.

One other note: Dry spells are not atypical for this time of year in our area, which is why ArtisTree encourages hand watering if you are able to during our local drought conditions. Again, this is not a replacement for rain, but it will help to sustain plants and turf areas that are highly exposed to the sun and/or receive a lot of wind, which also encourages dry conditions.