ProDev

Description of Services (Click any for details) Lawn Care and Garden Services Paramount’s crews are experts at maintaining your yard to your ideal specifications. We are quick, efficient and hard working teammates that are trained in the best practices advocated by industry leaders, such as Landscape Ontario. We strive to stay on schedule each week so that you will always receive your property maintenance services calls on the same day, which allows for proper coordination with your watering schedule etc. Obviously, heavy weather patterns can interfere with our schedule as we always try to limit utilizing our lawn mowers on wet turf to prevent any damage from occurring. Paramount offers full garden services in order to keep your gardens looking beautiful all year long. We start the season with a pruning and clean up of the garden of all debris. We than focus on esthetics of the garden, re-edging, mulching, re-planting or removal in order to beautify the garden in preparation of the coming growing season. For customers that are looking to have Paramount maintain their gardens each week throughout the summer, a full spring clean-up of the gardens is an absolute necessity. (See Spring and Fall Clean-Ups below) Once your gardens look has been established, our maintenance crews can efficiently maintain the aesthetics of your property as needed or as desired by you! Back To The Top Organic Fertilizer Unlike a wild meadow, which is self-sufficient, a lawn is a plant community that is subject to very difficult growing conditions: for one thing it is constantly mown and trampled. Moreover, we often tend to expect our lawns to be greener and lusher than the soil can support. In most cases, this means that we need to fertilize. A soil test will show exactly how much nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium should be applied. With this information, we will know how much fertilizing needs to be done and which products will be best for your property. Many of the synthetic fertilizers have extremely high Nitrogen content with a little bit of Phosphorus and Potassium, and that is all they offer. While the excess Nitrogen value will make your lawn grow quickly for a number of weeks, it does nothing for the general health of the turf and soil. Moreover, these fertilizers only provide 3 of the 6 major nutrients (and none of the minor nutrients) that turf needs for normal growth and development. These synthetic fertilizers can be thought of as steroids for your grass, it will do what you want it to do but not in a healthy way for the turf or the soil. If you ate nothing but steak all your life, how healthy would you be? The fertilizer products we use are 100% natural and have been designed to provide the balanced nutrition required by your lawn. They do not smell of manure and will not burn the lawn or irritate our skin. This means that your turf will not be damaged if it is not watered soon after application or if too much fertilizer is used, nor do we or our pets have to be kept off the lawn for 24-48 hrs after application due to health concerns. There are many benefits to fertilizing, including: • Fertilizing supplies nutrients needed during the high demands of the growing season. • A vigorous and healthy lawn resists weeds. • Proper nutrition protects your grass from pest infestations and helps it recover should one occur. • A thriving lawn is more resilient to traffic. • Nitrogen is supplied for leaf and shoot growth and a deep green color. • Phosphorous is provided for establishing seedlings and root growth. • Potassium is given for greater tolerance to hot and cold weather and against wear. • An application of fertilizer in the fall prepares your lawn for winter and speeds its recovery in the spring. • Fertilizing establishes new lawns and maintains established lawns. Back To The Top Paramount's Healthy Turf Program Paramount’s Healthy Turf Program contains 3 major arms that work hand in hand with proper property maintenance practices to achieve a beneficial, pesticide free and environmentally friendly outcome: a beautiful, lush and healthy lawn. With the new ban on cosmetic pesticides, we have developed this program as an eco-friendly alternative to the use of toxic chemicals and ‘band-aid’ fixes. The Healthy Turf Program has been designed to make your lawn full, lush and vigorous, which is the best way to stifle the spread of weeds and resist damage by insects and disease. The key to our Healthy Turf program begins with a Soil Test Analysis. This makes our program science-based, and tells us exactly what type of soil we are dealing with on your property, as well as the level of compaction, specific nutrient fertility and pH of the soil. After all, it is the soil that feeds the turf! So we feed and care for the soil to provide an ideal environment for your turf to flourish. With this information, we will create an Organic Fertilizing regime based on know how much fertilizing needs to be done and which fertilizer will be best for your property. The fertilizer products we use are 100% natural and have been designed to provide the balanced nutrition required by your lawn. They do not smell of manure and will not burn the lawn or irritate our skin. This means that your turf will not be damaged if it is not watered soon after application or if too much fertilizer is used, nor do we or our pets have to be kept off the lawn for 24 hrs after application due to health concerns. The soil test will provide information on the type and consistency of your soil. The Turf and Soil Structure Improvements we recommend will increase the loam in your soil, reduce soil compaction and fill out thinning lawns with high quality turf seed. Loam-based soils provide the optimal structure for the flow of air and nutrient availability to the root zone of your turf. These soils resist compaction, which can suffocate a lawn, thinning it out and allowing the influx of weeds. Aerating to reduce compaction not only alleviates compaction, but also reduces thatch build up and allows us to supply nutrients and organic matter directly to the root zone. Over-seeding after aeration is important, as the holes left are perfect places for grass seed to germinate since the seed and new seedlings are better protected. The aeration holes also hold moisture for better seed germination. Over-seeding is performed to keep your lawn thick and lush in order to out-compete weed growth. Finally, Soil Corrective Measures will also be identified to correct any underlying problems with the soil that all the water and fertilizer will not fix. This can include issues such as high salt content or improper pH balance. High salt is usually caused by pet urine or de-icing salt from the road ways transferring to your lawn and can noticeably affect the health of the turf. Turf, and most plants, prefer a neutral to slightly acidic pH. Outside of this small range, many nutrients become unavailable to the turf. Back To The Top Core Aeration Compaction is a physical process where the soil in which your grass grows becomes more and more compressed and occurs naturally over time or due to traffic. Compaction results in a reduction of the amount of oxygen contained in the soil and hinders or prevents movement of nutrients to the roots of the grass plant. The roots need oxygen, and as they grow they give off carbon dioxide. Eventually the lawn thins until, ultimately, the soil can no longer support any turf growth. Aerating involves making holes in your lawn with a tool that removes small plugs of soil to allow a better flow of air, water and nutrients to the roots. This stimulates root growth and prevents thatch build-up. Core aeration creates healthy roots and thicker, more beautiful lawns. Turf soil should be aerated at least once a year, especially if your soil is heavily compacted or consists of clay. Over-seeding after aeration is important, as the holes left are perfect places for grass seed to germinate since the seed and new seedlings are better protected. The aeration holes also hold moisture for better seed germination. This is the most important step you can take yearly to help keep your lawn healthy and looking beautiful. It improves you lawn by relieving compaction, breaking up thatch, providing free topsoil, drought protection, water savings, Insect and weed resistant, new turf growth, fertilizer absorption, and property value. This application is best done in early fall and if necessary can be done in the early spring. Back To The Top Top-dressing and Over-seeding Top Dressing – is applied to amend your soil and improve its structure. Top dressing consists of compost, top soil and fertilizers. Adding organic matter is an excellent way to improve soils, especially those soils high in clay or sand. Loam type soils are best at retaining the water and nutrients your turf needs. Adding top dressing in conjunction with aerating is always recommended as it will help get the material down into the soil and to the root zone of the turf. Over-seeding – is the term used to describe applying more seed to your already established lawn. Over-seeding is performed to keep your lawn thick and lush in order to out-compete weed growth. This is especially important for lawns that have been thinned out due to compaction or damage from insects and disease. We also use the highest quality grass seed mixtures that are native seeds to our area. Using native seeds is always recommended, as these seeds are already accustomed to our soil, rain and drought conditions. Over-seeding is best done in fall during aeration. Back To The Top Soil test and Nutrient balancing The key to our Healthy Turf program begins with a Soil Test Analysis. This makes our program science-based, and tells us exactly what type of soil we are dealing with on your property, as well as the level of compaction, specific nutrient fertility and pH of the soil. After all, it is the soil that feeds the turf! So we feed and care for the soil to provide an ideal environment for your turf to flourish. A soil test will show exactly how much nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium should be applied. Back To The Top Shrub, Bush, Hedge and Tree trimming Proper pruning enhances the beauty of almost any landscape tree and shrub, while improper pruning can ruin or greatly reduce its landscape potential. In most cases, it is better not to prune than to do it incorrectly. In nature, plants go years with little or no pruning, but man can ruin what nature has created. By using improper pruning methods healthy plants are often weakened or deformed. Pruning, like any other skill, requires proper training to achieve success. The old idea that anyone with a chain saw or a pruning saw can be a landscape pruner is far from the truth. More trees are killed or ruined each year from improper pruning than by pests. Remember that pruning is the removal or reduction of certain plant limbs that are not required, that are no longer effective, or that are of no use to the plant. It is done to supply additional energy for the development of flowers, fruits, and limbs that remain on the plant. Paramount's employees are trained by one of the best arborists in the country (see Arborist Services below) and consult with him on every new property to ensure all plant life is being cared for properly and that there are no major health or safety issues that should be resolved. Back To The Top Spring and fall clean-ups It is extremely important to understand that how your yard looks throughout the season is dependent on the initial clean up at the beginning of the season. This is because a maintenance service is designed to maintain the current state of your gardens and landscape in general. The spring clean-up sets the tone for the rest of the season and starts the growing season off right. Basic services performed in the clean-up include: debris removal, dethatching your lawn, garden prep (edging, weeding and cultivating or turning the mulch), pruning hedges, bushes or ornamental grasses (if required or not performed prior to the winter). Other services that can be performed might include some small construction items such as adding dirt or mulch to gardens, repairing grass turf damaged during the winter, tree pruning or removal, edging of your sidewalk or driveway. The main focus of our spring clean-ups is to prepare your yard for the growing season and to prepare it for the weekly maintenance we will be providing for you throughout the entirety of the season. Removing the debris both cleans up the yard and removes any decaying material that may be harboring pathogens and pests that may be harmful to your landscapes plant life. Dethatching your lawn removes the dead grass that does not break down and can suffocate your lawn. In the fall of the year, it is important to note that we will continue to mow your grass until it stops growing. As mentioned above, it is good to cut your lawn to a shorter height (2 inches) on the last cut of the season. This is because tall grass will become matted under the snow, which encourages mold growth that can be harmful to the health of your turf. The specific timing of the end of the mowing season is different each year and depends simply on when the weather turns cold, forcing the turf into a dormant, non-growing state. In the weeks subsequent to the last mowing and after the majority of your leaves have dropped, we will be conducting full clean-ups. The main focus of this clean-up is to clear lawns and gardens of debris and litter. The decomposing plant material can be a haven for insect eggs, fungi and plant diseases, allowing them to overwinter in your yard and attack your lawn and plants in the spring. In some areas, most of this material (fallen leaves etc.) can be left curbside for the City crews to pick up, thus saving you removal and disposal costs. Be sure to notify us well in advance of these pickup dates so we can perform your clean up immediately before hand if possible. Where requested, your fall clean-up can also include a final check of the gardens, removing weeds and dead perennials or annuals. A single weed pulled now can prevent hundreds of sprouting weeds in the spring. We can also prepare your trees and shrubs for winter conditions. These services can include pruning and removing dead twigs and branches as well as burlap wrapping as needed to prevent damage caused by heavy snow. Back To The Top Dethatching Thatch is the layer of living and dead organic material that lies on top of the soil and under the blades of grass. It is made up of surface roots, stems and crowns of grass plants. Every lawn has some thatch, but it is when a lawn has too much thatch that problems occur. When Thatches accumulates to over a half inch, it often becomes a home to various types of insects and fungus spores which can damage or kill your lawn. A thick layer of thatch will also prevent water, fertilizer and air from reaching the soil and grass roots, as well as prevent new grass seeds from germinating and adding to the density of your lawn. Thatch will naturally build up in small amounts each year, but improper mowing techniques, such as mowing infrequently or mowing when the blades are too long, can significantly increase the thickness of your thatch in short order! Studies have shown that grass clippings left on the lawn do not increase thatch. Back To The Top Arborist Services Tree management and preservation has become a priority it the urban environment. We prune to meet your objectives in a way that works with the tree, elevating away from your house, thinning so sunlight reaches your deck, enhancing the aesthetics of your garden while enhancing the health, lifespan and safety of your tree. The best time to prune certain trees can be during the dormant season. But, regardless of season, trees can never recover from bad pruning. Our pruning is always spur-free and uses minimal heavy equipment to avoid soil compaction, root damage, and diesel-fuel pollution. Certified arborists are trained to look for structural compromise that may create hazards to the safety of persons or property. Back To The Top Driveway and Patio Interlocking Paramount’s construction crews are led by some of the most experienced foremen in the industry. All projects involving brick installation are fully customizable and are guaranteed to make your landscape completely unique. We are connected with multiple brick suppliers (Hanson, Unilock, Permacon, Techno-bloc, Stonelink) to give our customers a wide variety of choice in brick design, colour, texture and aesthetics. Once the main decisions have been made with regard to brick choice, size, pattern and layout, you will be extremely pleased with the prices and timing we are able to offer. We stand behind our products and quality of work, and can offer extremely competitive warrantees of 1 to 3 years, depending on the project. If a Landscape designer is needed to draw up the ultimate project design with or without an idea our design team has competitive rates to make your dreams come true. Back To The Top Retaining Wall Design and Construction A retaining wall is a structure that holds back soil or rock from a building, structure or area. Retaining walls prevent down slope movement or erosion and provide support for vertical or near-vertical grade changes. All of our suppliers have many different sizes, shapes and colours to choose from to fit all types of walls needed. Segmental retaining walls have gained favor over poured-in-place concrete walls or treated-timber walls. They are the most economical, easy to install and more environmentally sound. Check out the following links of our suppliers (Hanson, Unilock, Permacon, Techno-bloc, Stonelink) for more information. Back To The Top Ponds and Waterfall Construction Backyard Ponds and Waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes and make for emphatic, aesthetically pleasing and soothing focal points of a backyard landscape. When mulling over your design options, the main consideration is how to achieve the necessary height for the waterfall. Often, Paramount exploits a slope on the property, or (if the whole property is level ground) erects a berm (i.e., an artificial slope) to create such an area behind the pond. The one nice feature of a pond/waterfall is that they are all unique in shape and size and add a great focal point to any yard. The first step in building a pond/water is to install the liner material and any water pump and filtration systems. At Paramount we use extremely reputable suppliers which we have found to offer the most reliable products. Once the pond/waterfall system has been installed, landscaping around the area is handled in much the same way as adding a new garden to your property. Back To The Top Landscape Lighting A new service in 2010!!! Make your curb appeal last into the night and shed some new light on your landscaping features. Paramount can provide simple and elegant ground lighting effects to beautify your yard well beyond sundown. Back To The Top Fencing Paramount’s fencing contractors are certified fence professionals with over 15 years of experience in designing, building, installing and repairing fences of all types and materials. We can offer an assortment of products, anything from wood to chain link, rod iron and more! We offer a full 2 year workmanship guarantee and always finish on schedule! Back To The Top Garden Design Whether you are looking to add new gardens, or re-vamp an existing garden, Paramount will provide you with its expert experience and work with your own vision to make your new landscape become a reality. We will discuss your needs and decide on what type of plants and trees to add to your new garden, and which can be removed from existing gardens. Back To The Top Mulch Installation Mulch has many positive benefits, it keeps weeds down, conserves soil moisture, moderates soil temperature, helps prevent soil erosion, and gives your gardens a neat appearance. It is usually applied towards the beginning of the growing season, and may be reapplied as necessary. This allows early seeding and transplanting of certain crops, and encourages faster growth. As the season progresses, the mulch stabilizes temperature and moisture, and prevents sunlight from supporting germinated weed seed and acts as a barrier between new seeds and the underlying soil. Back To The Top Tree and Hedge Planting and Removal At Paramount, we can provide information on the most suitable tree for your location, taking account of soil type, drainage, wind and desired effect/functionality. We also take into consideration what features you are looking for, for example spring or summer flowering, stunning autumn colour or simply a wonderful winter structure. We purchase all of our trees from reputable nurseries only, so you can be sure of receiving a healthy and well maintained product. Back To The Top Sod Installation Sometimes, all the fertilizer and turf and soil improvements that we can offer, just aren’t going to cut it in terms of getting your lawn looking pristine, green and healthy. Sometimes it will be more cost effective to simply start over. We can remove your existing lawn, re-level your yard with new topsoil, and install high quality sod (Ontario Sod) quickly and efficiently. We will also provide you with the information you will need in order to care for your new lawn. We also do weekly checks of the lawn for the first 6 weeks to make sure it is growing and cared for properly. Back To The Top Synthetic Lawns Paramount's synthetic lawn contractors lead the synthetic grass industry in the areas of landscape, pet and dog areas, golf and playground applications. As the only vertically integrated manufacturer which designs, produces, distributes and installs the most advanced synthetic grass products on the market with the only manufacturer backed warranty in the industry (5-12 years). With property sizes getting smaller and spare time getting shorter this may be an option for you and your family. Back To The Top Irrigation and sprinkler system installation One of the simplest ways to make sure your lawn and gardens are getting the proper amount of water each day is to install an irrigation system. With the advances in technology over the last decade, these systems are now programmable, fully automated and perfect for hard working individuals and families that want a convenient way to keep your lawn green and healthy. Paramount’s irrigation technician can provide installation services as well as repairs and seasonal servicing, including spring openings and fall winterizing, to keep your irrigation system in good working order. Back To The Top Festive Season Lighting Paramount festive season lighting projects are program design based with a display of what your house will look like when it is finished allowing us to change shapes and colors before installation. We use top quality products that are specifically sized for your house in order to give it the perfect look. Our team will install these lights in mid to late November and remove them in January, weather permitting. We are capable of storing these lights for our home owners until the following year. Back To The Top Snow Maintenance Snow Plowing – Through the winter season, we provide snow plowing and de-icing services as part of an annual contract. The Paramount drivers are on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the season, which runs] from November 15th to April 15th inclusively. Our drivers will be out for each snowfall accumulating 5 cm (2 inches) or more and will clear all driveways, entrances, parking lots and walkways as required. With our 24 hour Snow Hotline (telephone or internet) updated regularly with weather and vehicle reports, you will always know what to expect in terms of current snow storm accumulation and projected completion times for your property. De-icing is an extremely important preventative safety measure to help ensure the safety of residents, patrons and pedestrian traffic visiting your property, reducing the likely-hood of accidental injury and potential insurance liability issues. With our new GO GREEN mentality for 2009, Paramount has researched new de-icing technologies developed as eco-friendly alternatives to standard bulk salt. For clients that prefer the use of salt, we use Ecosalt, which is both less corrosive and more effective at lower temperatures than bulk salt. However, with the frequent salt shortages occurring over the past few years, liquid de-icing is becoming a more reliable method of snow and ice control over sand/salt mixtures. Our liquid de-icing trucks are a new addition to the Paramount Fleet for 2009. The liquid de-icing solution has enhanced melting power, lowers freezing temperatures, is extremely consistent and is made with 100% organic and biodegradable additives. • More than 5 cm (2 inches) of snow - Snow plowing • Less than 5 cm (2 inches) of snow or freezing rain - De-icing and salting Snow Removal – With the heavy snow falls, parking lots quickly become over packed with large snow banks. Paramount also has bobcat snow removal services that can be arranged during non-snow days to remove the congestion making your property more accessible. Back To The Top