PajaronianThetosupplementA THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF THE PAJARO VALLEY AUGUST 12, 2022 GARDENING P7 | FEATURED HOME P9 LEADING THE CHARGE The CEO of Watsonville’s K&D Landscaping, Justin White, has received national recognization as a “40 Under 40” entrepreneur. DesignLand K&D Landscaping CEO talks industry trends P4
Visit our Office / Visite Nuestra Oficina: 734 E. Lake Watsonville, Ca 95076 Visit us at: insurance-agency-inc-watsonville-ca.htmlhttps://agents.allstate.com/huizar-albor831-763-4626 Allstate Naomi Albor Weekly Digest 2 |202212,AUGUSTPAJAROVALLEYMAGAZINE 21 Brennan St, Suite 18, Watsonville, CA 95076 Phone: 831.761.7301 CEO & Executive Editor Dan Pulcrano Publisher Jeanie Johnson Ad Director Debra Whizin Editor Erik Chalhoub Contributing Writers Johanna Miller Tarmo Hannula Advertising Account Executives Lisa Buckley, Phil Garza Sue Lamothe, Kate Kauffman Ilana Packer, Tiffani Petrov Editorial Production Manager Phaedra Strecher Cover Photography Courtesy of K&D Landscaping Published by WatsNews, LLC, Watsonville, CA. Entire contents © 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form prohibited without publisher’s written permission. TO PLACE AN AD Email: sales@pajaronian.com Call: 831.761.7325 MAGAZINE 4 Cover Story 7 Gardening 8 Real Estate 9 Featured Home 10 Photo Gallery 4810
3 202212,AUGUST|MAGAZINEVALLEYPAJAROFor details contact your account representative at 831.458.1100 Support the Santa Cruz County Fair and promote your business at the same time. Reach over 20,000 readers in the Pajaronian’s Annual Fair Guide. Copies will be at the front gate all week long, and inserted into the September 9 edition of the Pajaronian. Publication date Friday, September 9 Reservation deadline Friday, August 12 The Pajaronian’s FairAnnualGuide2022 OPEN STUDIOS ART TOUR OFFICIAL GUIDE Publication date Wednesday, September 14 Space reservation deadline Friday, August 5, 3pm Electronic ad deadline Friday, August 19, 5pm For details contact your account representative at 831.458.1100 Stacy Frank, Artist #213 october 2-3 South County 9-10 North County 16-17 All County Hours 11am-5pm MAJOR SPONSORS welcome back! PRESENTING SPONSOR Open Studios Art tour 2021 | guide & mAp Free 01_Cover_OSAT2021Guide_F.indd 8/25/21 OS2021.indd 8/25/2021
4 |202212,AUGUSTPAJAROVALLEYMAGAZINE OCEANSIDEGroundControl Employees from K&D Landscaping work on a project for Aspire/Service Titan in Watsonville in March.
Employees are also looking for more incentives, White said. “Employees are looking to have an opportunity to grow within a company,” he said. “With the tight labor market, they can be more picky about who they work for and what they do. It’s important to talk to the team about their potential. Not just short term, but also five years down the road.”
As for the landscaping itself, trends seem to be heading away from manicured grass lawns and towards minimalist, desert-style landscaping with drought toler ant grasses and decomposed gran ite or gravel to help retain mois ture in the “Definitely,soil. people are mov ing away from real lawns,” White said. “That’s a big change—typi cally, 20-25% of landscape has just beenWithlawn.”the climate becoming drier every year, there is a major emphasis on irrigation and water management, he added. “Clients want to know where their money is going with this high bill they have to pay every month,” he said. “They’re tracking their water and irrigation use closely. Water has really entered the equa tion, when historically it hasn’t been a big Artificialissue.”turf is also making a big push.
W
NEW DIGS
hether it is due to shifting cli mates, labor challenges, ris ing material costs or simply new trends, the landscape industry is evolving. However, one thing that has not changed is high demand. “The demand for landscaping continues to climb with no real signs of slowing down,” said Jus tin White, CEO of K&D Landscap ing. “There are challenges from our point of view, but the industry itself is not slowing at all.”
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K&D CEO on shifting trends,
By JOHANNA MILLER
standards
Landscaping
K&D Landscaping is a full-ser vice construction, water manage ment and maintenance company headquartered in Watsonville, serving a variety of clients, from business parks to private resi dences. The company has been noted for their community out reach, hiring practices and imple mentation of new technologies. Throughout the pandemic, White says, landscape projects have increased—though clients are now looking for different things. “Since Covid … everyone wanted to remodel,” he said. “So contrac tors have been able to name their price. But I think clients are get ting a little tired of the constant high-price game that contractors are playing. They’re starting to put projects on hold, and shop around. Or find someone who’s providing a ton of extra value.”
GREENERY While landscapers have seen a gradual shift away from manicured lawns, plenty of homes and businesses still need regular mowings.
WIRED UP Irrigation systems continue to evolve, especially in dry regions like California.
RECOGNITION Recently, White was honored by the Silicon Valley Business Jour nal’s “40 Under 40” awards, along side other leaders from Google, SAP, and the San Francisco 49ers. The awards aim to honor individ uals who they say “are paving the way for the future of Silicon Valley.” White said it felt “amazing” to be recognized by his peers—especially at such a high level.
K&D as a company has been recognized for their community outreach, receiving several awards of excellence from the Califor nia Landscape Contractors Asso ciation. They were honored as the 2020 Business of the Year by the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and bestowed Volun teer Center Santa Cruz County’s Be the Difference Award in 2019. On Aug. 5, K&D was hard at work outside of Duncan Holbert School and the Pajaro Valley Uni fied School District’s Early Start program, removing dead grass and weeds and installing drought tol erant plants, shade trees, new irri gation and more. They had offered the school the enhancement free of charge, with help from Graniter ock, Davey Tree Expert Company and Zanker Recycling. White said it’s projects like Dun can Holbert that make his job worthwhile.“Forme, the thing that I enjoy the most about this job is the abil ity to impact other peoples’ lives in a positive manner,” he said.
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Most recently, White spoke at events in Texas, Arizona and Wash ington, D.C. “I go around and tell people about what K&D is doing,” he said. “We’re really trying to help elevate the industry–to treat our employ ees better, and just create a more professional environment for the landscape community.”
“The quality and recyclability of turf is increasing,” White said. “We’re seeing better quality, at a better price point, most of it being made of recycled products, which is awesome.”
“Silicon Valley is such a techheavy industry and community,” he said. “Being able to bring the land scaping into that world is some thing we’ve always driven to do. Our purpose at K&D is to raise the bar in the landscape industry. It feels like we’re living our purpose we set out to.” White took over his family’s business in 2015. In his six years at the company, he has transformed a small operation into a $12 million company, while serving on a num ber of local nonprofits’ boards. He also does frequent guest appear ances on business webinars and podcasts, speaking at schools and national conferences, and mentor ing other hopeful CEOs.
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Tarnished plant bugs Garden pests are a blight to plants By KATE RUSSELL identical to their western siblings, the Lygus bugs. Like their other relations, the capsid bugs and fourlined plant bugs, this group of gar den pests all have a distinctive tri angular or V-shape just behind the head and pronotum. This trian gular area is called the scutellum. Their wing tips often form a dia mond-shaped area at the rear end. Tarnished plant bugs are small, usually 1/4-inch long. They are brown with yellow, orange or red markings.Tarnished plant bugs overwin ter as adults in weeds and fruit trees. As temperatures begin to rise, females find mates. They prefer laying their eggs in cotton plants, but they will make do with what’s available. These eggs are laid in mid-spring and hatch by early summer. Populations tend to peak when eggs hatch and again in mid-autumn, so be on the lookout. While pesticides are commonly used against juvenile tarnished plant bugs in commercially grown crops, the effectiveness of those chemicals is decreasing. Research has shown that these pests are attracted to pink sticky paper, so that’s an easy organic control method. A strong spray from the hose can dislodge juveniles, who are often unable to find their way back to a host plant.
T arnished plant bugs feed on more than half of our garden crops, using their piercing mouthparts to suck the life from beans, stone fruits, strawberries and other edi bles. While these pests were once only found east of the Rocky Moun tains, they now occur throughout NorthTarnishedAmerica.plant bugs (Lygus lin eolaris) eat all aboveground parts of a plant. They feed by injecting saliva into host plants. This saliva breaks down the pectin and plant tissues, making it possible to suck up their meal. As they feed, they cause distorted and discolored fruit and pod lesions. You may also see growing tips that are distorted, have lesions, or are dying. Affected flowers tend to be distorted, discol ored, or have signs of blight. Seeds may be distorted or shriveled. And the entire plant may show signs of dwarfing or rosetting due to tar nished plant bugs. These pests are also responsible for blossom drop of tomatoes and peppers. Tarnished plant bugs are nearly BauerScott
Tarnished plant bugs break down plant tissues with saliva.
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Curb appeal Your home's exterior is the first thing buyers see as they approach the house. Trim any trees or shrubs outside of your property, especially along walkways, for a well-man icured look. Inspect any trees around your home to make sure they aren't scraping shingles off of your roof or blocking gutters. Keep walkways and driveways free of clutter such as gardening tools or children's toys. Replace or repair any damaged screens or windows and make sure that any house numbers are visible. “A well maintained outdoor area that has been properly cared for is not only aesthetically pleasing but can also be a reflection of how well the home was cared for overall,” Lee said. —Brandpoint Content HOME PREP Before opening your home for tours, remove any large visual distractions such as large, distinct artwork or family photos.
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Tips to attract buyers when selling your home P reparing your home for sale may start with ideas for staging the house or spackling and painting over nail holes, however, it also requires a consid erable amount of planning and or ganization. Before opening your home to tours, either virtual or in person, be aware of what buyers might“Gettingnotice.your home ready for sale may seem like an overwhelm ing task, but it's important to make your home as attractive as possi ble,” said Bonnie Lee, vice presi dent of property claims at Mercury Insurance. “Not only does it give a favorable first impression, but it also shows that the home was well maintained and cared for. Most buyers expect to tour and eventu ally purchase a clean, well-cared forWalkhome.”through each room of your home and take note of what needs to be cleaned, repaired or replaced. Eliminate clutter For many homeowners the begin ning of the home selling process is the chance to clear out any unwanted items. Take this time to throw away, donate or sell items that are no longer purposeful. Remember that potential buyers are likely to open closet doors and built-in cabinet drawers to determine the amount of storage space available, meaning you won't be able to simply store unwanted items in a closet. Buyers want to visualize themselves and their belongings within the living space so depersonalize and remove any large visual distractions such as large, distinct artwork or family photos.Bulkier items such as furniture can change the perceived size of a room. Make sure buyers are able to walk around living spaces with out bumping into furniture. If you don't plan to take certain large items with you, check if your local municipality will pick them up. Deep clean your home
Before scheduling tours of your home, do a deep clean, especially in areas like the kitchen and bath rooms. Home buyers are savvy and can detect when candles or air fresheners are being used to mask unpleasant scents of a home. “A home that hasn't been cleaned can be perceived as need ing a lot of work or has underly ing serious problems like water or structural damage,” Lee said. “Keeping your home clean will boost that ever-important first impression and maximize the sell ing cost.” Make small repairs Wear and tear from everyday living is normal. However, fixing these small repairs before listing your home might be a slight inconve nience for you, but might be seen as part of a larger, underlying issue to a potential buyer. Thoroughly go through each room of your home and touch up any dings on base boards or doors. Make any minor repairs like filling in and repaint ing any holes left in the walls from hanging items. Check for leaking faucets or running toilets and replace any worn or damaged caulking around sinks, showers, bathtubs or windows.
Higher Rates: 30-yr fixed rates at 3% aren’t coming back anytime soon. Over the last 50 years, interest rates have averaged over 7% so get used to it and know that if they come down again, you can always refi.
PAID ADVERTORIAL Tom Brezsny Tom Brezsny’s Real Estate of Mind Realtor® DRE #01063297 getreal@sereno.com831-818-1431
PAID ADVERTORIAL Provoking thought since 1990 Ore resciis nobitium qui utam estrum que inimint invent ati ut fugiasp ienihil igentotatem auda quamus molupta Luptasquiat. di berisqui andi simi, quo essinulpa nimillaciam que molorem. Vel est, quibercima si dus. Am rerore, si volorio. Nemod quistrum resequu ntiberum quid quas volorenet fuga. Et res sitatus andentem. Cabo. Nobitatia volorero illor rem volest que vendus restis senistota sam hitatur aditiur? Qui dolorro ipsundit occupti busdae necaectium et plam dunt am sim verit quis minum, consenis re sinienim qui aut iur modis as etur? Torisquosae repuditas unt ut facia doloribus, utatetur? Cerrume nienimi ligenducient verum fugitatem im inimus, voluptur? Quiberu Cepudandamptatur? quam si bea endusant. Pudis sim quis maiorrovitem corrum alit, cusam ium quo comniatiur aut im facepra verspel laciae suntem ipsamus, quam sed es es maximus asse volorerfero tem quod quo voluptaquos ex et is eic te lit volupti dolum iumquiatio exces erion nihit aut lat quam quis rem fugita consedi niet, eos eost alit late verum que coressin Voloreca turionsedit quo etur? Qui odit quisciis mo optatur? Quaspit aut volore doluptiis inus si qui voluptas nos modi Iqueilibus.nulparum faccus, is a conestr Aliqueuptat. ma enisi quatet am, audipsa piciaec usandite latur aut dicia quia pa ipsant magnihicid quiate re ad que delibusam ut et ut odicidebit, siment dem quae pori dolorro vitatia quia illatur? Voluptat aspernatum, serupta ecesci res eum restium nonsedipsum eum que dolorem nos dolum lam, etur, cust a duntusdae lam dolorpo rempeliquid modis aut ataerror re volorest optatio dempor aut aut explabo. Nem que recuste posapel Tom Brezsny Tom Brezsny’s Real Estate of Mind Realtor® DRE #01063297 getreal@sereno.com831-818-1431 PAID ADVERTORIAL Provoking thought since 1990 Ore resciis nobitium qui utam estrum que inimint invent ati ut fugiasp ienihil igentotatem auda quamus molupta Luptasquiat. di berisqui andi simi, quo essinulpa nimillaciam que molorem. Vel est, quibercima si dus. Am rerore, si volorio. Nemod quistrum resequu ntiberum quid quas volorenet fuga. Et res sitatus andentem. Cabo. Nobitatia volorero illor rem volest que vendus restis senistota sam hitatur aditiur? Qui dolorro ipsundit occupti busdae necaectium et plam dunt am sim verit quis minum, consenis re sinienim qui aut iur modis as etur? Torisquosae repuditas unt ut facia doloribus, utatetur? Cerrume nienimi ligenducient verum fugitatem im inimus, voluptur? Quiberu Cepudandamptatur? quam si bea endusant. Pudis sim quis maiorrovitem corrum alit, cusam ium quo comniatiur aut im facepra verspel laciae suntem ipsamus, quam sed es es maximus asse volorerfero tem quod quo voluptaquos ex et is eic te lit volupti dolum iumquiatio exces erion nihit aut lat quam quis rem fugita consedi niet, eos eost alit late verum que coressin Voloreca turionsedit quo etur? Qui odit quisciis mo optatur? Quaspit aut volore doluptiis inus si qui voluptas nos modi Iqueilibus.nulparum faccus, is a conestr Aliqueuptat. ma enisi quatet am, audipsa piciaec usandite latur aut dicia quia pa ipsant magnihicid quiate re ad que delibusam ut et ut odicidebit, siment dem quae pori dolorro vitatia quia illatur? Voluptat aspernatum, serupta ecesci res eum restium nonsedipsum eum que dolorem nos dolum lam, etur, cust a duntusdae lam dolorpo rempeliquid modis aut ataerror re volorest optatio dempor aut aut explabo. Nem que recuste posapel Continuing the conversation…we’re in the early stages of a shift, the first in more than a decade and one that was arguably long overdue. Since most people have never experienced or can’t remember anything BUT a market driven by multiple offers and a crazy-fast pace, lots of adjustments are going to have to be made on the fly in the weeks and months to come.
We’ll see some buyers running for the hills with fears about buying in a market that’s suddenly going down. We’ll see some sellers burying their heads in the sand, resisting the notion that there’s been any shift at all. And we’ll see some agents looking like deer in the headlights when they realize that success in a slower market requires a very different set of skills. Despite it all, homes will continue to sell since real estate revolves around big life transitions: marriage, children, job transfers, divorce, aging, health concerns and death, and people don’t stop living (or dying) just because the market slows down. There’s even an argument that real estate activity may increase as the market slows and balance
The Sky Isn’t Falling: This is not the Great Recession and there’s no wave of foreclosures coming. People have too much equity and their incomes support their mortgage payments. No one’s going to bail on their house just because prices drop.
That’s Your Amygdala Talking: Why are buyers more comfortable buying in a market moving away from them rather than in a market that’s dropping toward them? Does anyone really think the market will go up forever or down forever?
FEATURED HOME
Time Horizon: Don’t buy a home if you are a house-flipper. Anyone else who thinks they’ll live in their home for at least five years, relax, that’s plenty of time for the market to cycle back up again.
Close to the golf course T his home in Stone Ridge Estates is just a stone’s throw away from the Pajaro Valley Golf Club. Located at 211 Stone Ridge Drive in Royal Oaks, the 3,738-squarefoot home includes five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The Mediterranean-style home features an open floor plan, antique travertine, hardwood flooring, kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a large island with breakfast bar. The home’s main suite is equipped with a bathroom with double vanities, tub, stall shower and walk-in closet. The Great Room addition was recently completed with a fireplace, ADA bathroom with outside access, and an elevator.Outside, there is a hot tub with a deck, along with an orchard that has peach, plum, lemon trees and more.The home, built in 2017, is listed at $1,450,000 by Sotheby's International Realty—Capitola. For information, visit bit.ly/3Pf7vjg.
Quality of Life: Why buy a house in the first place? To make money or to create quality of life? Home is an investment in your future and in what matters most - not a lottery ticket.
Royal Oaks home features recent addition with outside access STONE RIDGE An orchard is among the outdoor features of this home.
Herereturns.are some things buyers will have to wrap their heads around: Careful What You Wished For: This is exactly the kind of market buyers have been hoping for, for at least five years. To all those buyers who pledged to stop looking until “next year” when the market slowed down: Guess what? Next year is here.
9 202212,AUGUST|MAGAZINEVALLEYPAJARO
RealtyInternationalSotheby's
HannulaTarmo
Travis Joralemon (left) teaches his son, Patrick, 12, how to strap down apple bins to a big rig on West Beach Street in Watsonville for a journey back to Washington. Ben Jensen of Watsonville’s work, “Painting of a Toucan, Macaw & Chameleon (left to right).”
HannulaTarmoJensenBen
10 |202212,AUGUSTPAJAROVALLEYMAGAZINE Have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to echalhoub@weeklys.com or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 18, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the name of the photographer. PHOTO GALLERY RUFFLING FEATHERS A great egret lands in the middle of a group of elegant terns at Corcoran Lagoon in Santa Cruz. MOMENTTEACHABLE
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