Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. has had the pleasure of managing and overseeing this Siesta Key property for ten years, and our Maintenance Division has cared for it since its beginning over four years ago. It has been a pleasure to watch each plant, each viewshed, and each outdoor space evolve. We have created a relationship with the client, the home, and the landscape at this extraordinary residence.

After the coldest and wettest winter I can remember in the almost thirty years that I have lived in Florida, it seems that milder spring weather is finally upon us.  Our maintenance crews have been working hard during the past month to take inventory of your landscapes and determine the extend of the cold damage they may have endured. A number of species of plants have had to be pruned back fairly aggressively to find 'green wood' that will reflush with new growth. Unfortunately, some plant and palm species didn't survive the winter. Lessons have been learned.

This March, I fed all of your trees and shrubs with Florikan 12-2-14 360-day fertilizer. You may already be seeing results from this excellent product. And in April, I fed all of your ' turf with Floridan 24-2-10 180-day turf fertilizer. Again, another great product that will carry your lawn through the summer fertilizer ban that ends October 1.

During the last weeks of April and into May, I will be applying an insecticide called Aloft to your turf. This product offers four-month chinchbug, grub and ant control. I think you will be pleased with the efficacy of this particular product.

With the flush of new tender growth on your plant material, I will be closely monitoring your landscape for insects such as aphids, mealybugs, scale and mites. Appropriate control measures will be taken as needed.

In springs past, March and April have typically been the two driest, windiest months of the year. Having had such a long winter, I can't begin to predict how long this moderate spring weather will hold before the stifling heat of summer is upon us, or if we will even experience a spring drought like we usually do. At this point, I would recommend irrigation systems be serviced, and controllers be set to run once per week. Turf rotors should run for 45 minutes, turf pop-ups for 25 minutes. All shrub risers and pop-ups will need no more than 20 minutes of water.

Spring has sprung--enjoy! Please contact us with any questions or concerns, as always.

--Ken G. Kiger, Licensed Horticulturalist / Pesticide Applicator

Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. Landscape Maintenance Division

Last week, Eric Ernst described a proposal in the legislature to nationalize regulations for fertilizer application ("Legislature wants to let foxes guard henhouse," Sarasota Herald-Tribune, April 14). Ernst explained that the legislation was being pushed through by national fertilizer distributors and not by horticulturalists.

As the managing operator of a local landscape architecture, contracting and maintenance company, I vehemently oppose such broad-sweeping regulation. Even in a community as seemingly small as Sarasota, our microclimate varies significantly from the coast to the highway. Our local commissioners have made steps in a positive direction with local legislation that takes into consideration this variance, as well as our seasonal rains, droughts, and effects of fertilization on our waterways. There are 26 ecosystems in Florida alone and 20 USDA Plant Hardiness Zones nationwide, not to mention the most basic difference in the needs of landscapes (decidious vs. evergreen, inland vs. coastal, etc.). A national standard for fertilizer application would increase pollution. Plants grow healthiest when allowed to seek nutrients on their own. In each microclimate there are times of year that fertilization would disallow this nutrient search and begin a dangerous cascade of supergrowth for plants. Regulations must take into account these needs for each specific microclimate.

Rather than lobby for legislation that would be harmful to plants, landscapes, and landscape professionals across the country, large fertilizer companies should instead reinvest in local communities. User-friendly, microclimate-appropriate fertilizer blends can be developed and sold to local distributors. Let's leave the regulation legislation to local scientists, horticultural professionals, and city and county commissions.

--Michael A. Gilkey, Jr., LA #6666774