Experts say the 2010 Hurricane Season will be Active

Let us all avoid tree damage from hurricane winds. The 2010 Hurricane Season in the Atlantic Ocean will begin on June 1, 2010 and end on November 30, 2010. Atlantic hurricanes affect the Eastern and Gulf Coasts of the U.S. and the Caribbean nations. For individuals in the paths of potential hurricanes, the key to minimize property damage is preparedness.

As homeowners in the Florida Keys, neglected trees, hedges, or shrubs in some situations have caused much damage to properties, utilities, cable lines and loss of vital services. Precautionary steps should have been taken to minimize or eliminate these damages. Before the beginning of the new hurricane season, homeowners should evaluate their trees, palms and shrubs to be trimmed by professional landscapers.

Here is some basic tree preparation before hurricane season: Trim Back Trees and Bushes, Make sure that any loose or dead limbs are cut back and removed from the property before a hurricane strikes. Also, trim back any trees or bushes that have branches close to any window in the house. Also, remove from trees and palms, any coconuts, fruits, and any fallen debris, which can fly through the air, and cause damage during a hurricane or tropical wind force. The trees that cause the most damage include: Australian pine tree, Mahogany, Ficus, Laurel Oak, Queen Palm and Tabebuia.

Unlike improper shrub pruning or hedge trimming, irresponsible tree service is something that can have serious ramifications for your property. Unless you have plenty of experience in the field, hiring a professional for tree service is generally a good idea. Not only do professional tree service companies have the right tools to trim large tree branches and the proper equipment to do it safely.

As a testament, here is a quote from the Atlanta Georgia, Center for Disease Control: “Each year, approximately 36,000 people are treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries from using chain saws. The potential risk of injury increases after hurricanes and other natural disasters, when chain saws are widely used to remove fallen or partially fallen trees and tree branches.” Correspondingly, being prepared and taking precautions is as important to hiring a tree service company. Locating a tree company, should be licensed, have insurance for any property damage, personal liability, workers compensation, and provide references.

Taking these precautions may help reduce property damage and keep your family safe. Even if the hurricane does not hit your area directly, consider this practice for the next big hurricane warning.

Additional Preparation Items

1. Secure Garbage Baskets and Covers
2. Take Down Patio Umbrellas & Secure tables and chairs
3. Close Window Awnings
4. Use Hurricane Shutters or Board Up Windows and Sliders
5. Secure Boats or Other Recreational Vehicles
6. Trim Trees, Palms & Shrubs on the Property

By Gilbert Hevia @ Reef Tropical Lawn

Save Money on Water in Key Largo

The cost of water in Key Largo is not as easy as saying, for example, "it is $70.00 per 10,000 gallons of usage" - the price changes. In fact, it gradually goes up as you increase your monthly usage from 1,000 to 12,000 to 30,000 to over 50,000 gallons. Actually, $70.00 is a good average cost of water for your consumption at your house for usage in sprinkler, pool and home. You could say $7.00 per 1,000 gallons or 70 cents per 100 gallons or 7 cents per 10 gallons or less than a penny per gallon. Easy right

The biggest waste in water usage is running toilets and irrigation misuse or malfunction, especially during the summer’s rainy season (less than 5 months), which produces an average of about 40" of rain for the whole season. Turning your irrigation system off when it rains consistently or having a working rain sensor can save you a significant amount of money! Yet, leaving the system off during the rainy season can be a problem because the 40" of rain is not evenly spread through the season and you can have weeks of sever temperatures of 90 degrees or above and hot sun that will dirty out and kill some turf and landscape material.


Consider going Xeroscape (low or no water landscaping) on some area or irrigation zones of your yard. Also consider having a property manager or landscape professional help you with a plan to monitor and curtain water usage. People often look to the swimming pool as a water consumption source. In fact, a well built, well maintained pool uses very little water, especially if you compare it to irrigation water on a property that has lush landscaping. An inch of water loss in a 15,000-gallon pool, which is the average size of a residential pool, is 300 gallons or $2.10 worth of water. Your time to refill and the possibility that you may waste water in the process of filling by leaving the water running, is much more of a relevant cost than the water used to top off a pool from evaporation. 


We suggest that you fix any pool leaks ASAP, as they are costly. It also sets a trap for the person refilling the pool and forgetting to turn off the water.

 Running toilets are all too common in old and even new toilets. Flush a toilet and go on vacation just once and see what that will do to your water bill. Fix any toilet that occasionally runs or you will find out the cost of water the hard way.

Building Business in South Florida

There are numerous happenings in South Florida and it is important that we stay up to date with all of these happenings. Reef Tropical will start blogging about the various services that we provide and the local economy or news from Key Largo, Homestead and Miami. Including but not limited to landscaping, pool maintenance, construction and stock market performance. Building and maintaining high end properties is a hobby, a way to build business and experience paradise in South Florida.