Caring for the new citrus trees was a challenge; at first, they struggled and began to look droopy, losing an extensive amount of leaves. We were able to assess the cause of this promptly, and had the grower come out, look at the trees, and confirm what we had expected — the trees were not receiving consistent water. The landscape plans had the citrus trees planted on a slope, making it difficult for
the roots to retain water. We presented a solution to the developer board and the landscape architect for their approval, and made the necessary changes. Since then, the trees have made a remarkable recovery, and we are using them as a case study for future projects.
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Our maintenance services include:
• Plant maintenance
• Tree maintenance
• Water Management
• Weed Control
• Communication

Our Director of Maintenance guides and mentors our maintenance team through all community or commercial properties using a comprehensive landscaping plan. When receiving a proposal request, the first thing we want to see is what the overall picture looks like. Our team looks through the request for a proposal (RFP), then we drive the property and meet with the community manager, when possible, to determine the community’s current landscape maintenance expectations. The initial communication is important because it helps clarify what the client expects of us.

We will do a complete community landscape assessment: reporting issues we observe, some of which we may recommend immediately addressing, and others that can be taken care of in the future. This helps our clients understand the overall current condition of their biggest asset — landscaping — and what to expect in the future. We then prepare an outline with recommendations showing the scope of work to be provided, along with competitive pricing, for a clear and transparent partnership. At Agave, we feel that being open and communicative makes for good partnership for years to come.
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After we address these important parts of the plan, we work to understand what the client expects from our team. We address any pressing landscape maintenance priorities, such as dealing with diseased plants or trees, irrigation management, or getting weeds under control. Our team will communicate the progress of these items to the manager, board, or owners to keep everyone informed during the process.

Next, we design our longer-term plan around the other important community landscaping requirements. Critical parts of the landscaping picture include frequent communication, water management, weed control management, detail in high use areas, turf care, shrub care, and tree care. All of these aspects must be addressed together to successfully assemble a clean and beautiful
community.

One example of our holistic approach came up when we took over the maintenance of a community that was trying to reduce its overall water usage. The community recently had another contractor come in that removed the turf and did a substantial granite conversion, expecting to see a huge reduction of water usage. However, because the community was constantly dealing with leaks and old irrigation hardware, the water savings was less than members had anticipated, even though they had spent thousands of dollars to make this happen. When our maintenance team came on board , they immediately recognized the issue and brought it to the manager's attention. The previous contractor had turned off all of the turf valves at the clock, but did not eliminate them, or replace the old, leaky poly tubing that was still being used to water plants throughout the community. We were able to get our enhancement team to come in, cap the valves and replace all of the old polyline with PVC tubing, eliminating the leaks. We also upgraded the old irrigation hardware with new hardware to make the system efficient, saving the water the community had originally expected.

This is also an example of our expertise with water management, which has become an important part of landscaping in the last few years as historic drought conditions have made water an expensive commodity. Your community or property may benefit from new lines and upgraded controllers, but you need professionals like those at Agave to guide you in making these difficult and expensive decisions.

Agave has an experienced water management team that will guide you through the technology available and help you take the right steps to ensure your community or property water needs are met efficiently. We first assess your community or property to determine if you need an updated water management plan; if so, we will do a comprehensive education process with the manager, the board, or the owners to make sure you understand all the costs associated with any particular program currently available. It is not our goal like other companies to sell you a new set of technology that does not work for you or that does not make sense for your community or property. We will work as partners to determine what is the best fit financially and what makes the most sense, so you will be proud to show off your landscaping.