We provide residential maintenance in the Grand Prairie, South Arlington, and Mansfield Texas area's. Irrigation and Commercial services provided through out the Dallas Fort Worth Area.



In the first picture you can see the utility pipes stubbed up out the ground and the heavy equipment in the distance. Click on the photos for a larger version. First they bring in the large earthmovers to grade the land. Next the roads and utilities are put in place. Most of the topsoil has been removed and compacted at this stage. In our area we often see this heavy compact black clay. The clay is very dense and water does not soak in very well. The goal of the heavy equipment operator is to level off the site and compact the soil as much as possible to make ready for construction.

In the second picture you can see a vacant lot next to a finished home. Large equipment is run over each inch of the home lot during the construction phase. This lot has already had the slab foundation forms put in place however the mounds of dirt that exist in what will be the front yard. During construction much debris is scattered and trampled into the dirt by hundreds of workers. When the home is completed the yard is leveled with construction sand covering all types of debris such as broken bricks, chunks of mortar, scrap lumber, sheet rock, soda cans and trash.

In the last picture the home is practically done and just days away from the landscaping to begin. Notice the tread marks of the heavy equipment in this picture. Large debris will be picked up however a very significant amount of smaller materials will be left behind. After the "yard" is leveled it will be top-dressed with construction sand. A sod grass yard is applied with basically one inch of good soil attached to the roots. However, most sod growers recommend laying the grass over approximately 6" inches of prepared soil.

There is hope, core aeration and applications of crushed lava sand and a blended product with dried molasses will develop the dirt into thriving soil. The core aeration punches holes in the soil and provides oxygen contact. This is similar to the farmer turning and plowing the field except the grass is not damaged. We use a 3" core aeration machine to reach fairly deep and pull approximately 1/4" diameter plug. The openings also help introduce applied amendments into the soil. The Lava Sand supplies trace minerals, improves water-holding capacity and helps break up the clay. Dried molasses stimulates microbiological activity in the soil and promotes earthworms. The other items in the blended products provide organic materials and nutrients. This may need to be done for the first couple of years but after a while the earthworms and beneficial microbes with do the aeration for you in a healthy lawn. Aeration can be done at any time of year but we recommend that it be done as a part of the late winter or early spring lawn preparation program.

Click on pictures to see a larger image.


ELS Landscape LLC
3727 South Great SouthWest Parkway
Grand Prairie, Texas 75052
Phone 817-675-8791



Irrigation in Texas is regulated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) (MC-178), P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. TCEQ's web site is: www.tceq.state.tx.us. Our Irrigation License Number is LI 0013365

Texas Department of Agriculture Commercial Pest Control License No. 0389853

Texas Department of Agriculture Commercial Floral Client No. 00318089

Copyright & copy 2004-2009 ELS Landscape LLC Grand Prairie, Dallas County Texas.