Aluminum fences are durable, and having the right landscaping practices in place can help ensure your fence stays as sturdy and strong as they say you installed it.
All properties, homes, and businesses can benefit from the safety and security of aluminum fencing. Fencing of any kind can help safeguard your property from intruders and trespassers, drastically reducing the risk of burglary and break-ins, as well as dramatically increasing your property’s style and curb appeal.
However, even though aluminum fencing is designed to be long-lasting, poor landscaping decisions can impact the lifespan of your fencing, affecting its stability and the security it offers.
If it becomes worn enough, it can even impact the outward appearance of your property, as well as draw the attention of potential intruders who will assume your overall security is lax and easy to surmount.
It is for these reasons that this article will address some of the landscaping maintenance you should undertake to help protect the longevity of your aluminum fencing.
An Inherently Good Choice
You may or may not know that purchasing aluminum fencing is the best choice in the first place.
Unlike more traditional options such as wrought iron or steel, aluminum is incredibly rust and corrosion-resistant, meaning it requires very low maintenance.
Aluminum fencing also, while lightweight, is incredibly strong and durable. It is also relatively cheap, so you find a fence panel or post has become worn, replacement is affordable, and due to being lightweight, that problem panel can be removed quite easily.
Finally, aluminum fencing is also available in a range of stunning designs, which are guaranteed to add serious curb appeal to your property.
The Best Landscaping Strategy
While it may be affordable, replacing your fencing should be avoided where possible. this can largely be achieved by adhering to the simple landscaping suggestions listed below.
Tree Servicing: If your property has a yard with trees, then you should ensure that you schedule regular tree servicing. Fallen limbs and branches can occur if a tree is poorly maintained, and, if you live in an area with high winds or frequent storms, the likelihood of this can increase. If branches or limbs fall, they can cause damage to your fencing and can cause entire panels to need to be replaced.
You should also be aware of the root systems of the trees on your property, as these can destabilize the fence posts which are secured into the ground, compromising the security of your fencing. If you are unsure if this is an issue on your property, then discuss this with your landscaper.
Intrusive Plants: Avoid planting any ‘intrusive’ plants near to your fencing, such as those who develop extensive root systems. Like with trees, these roots can weaken the strength of your fence, and could even result in a fence post toppling over!
Instead, you should try to plant these types of shrubs and greenery a few feet away from your fencing.
Climbing Vines: In recent years it has become a popular landscaping decision to adorn aluminum fencing with climbing vines. While this does look great, this can affect the durability of your fencing, adding extra weight as well as moisture. Instead, use trellises for vines to cling to.
That way you’re still able to achieve a gorgeous look, but your fence stays strong too! You could even opt to do away with climbing vines entirely. A row of larger potted plants settled against your fencing can look just as great without any risk.
Sprinklers: While aluminum is inherently rust and corrosion resistant, given prolonged and excessive water exposure, even aluminum can become worn or damaged. Therefore, if you use sprinklers in your yard be sure to angle them away from your fencing to prevent increasing this risk.
Drainage: If you have uneven terrain on your property and live in an area with lots of rainfall, ensure your yard has correct drainage.
Water pooling around fence posts can not only weaken the ground that the posts are embedded in, causing them to potentially slip free, but given time and frequency, can also cause water damage to your fencing, resulting in repairs or replacement.
Be Storm Prepared: If you live in an area that is frequented by storms, high winds, or hurricanes/tornados, then ensure that you put away all lawn furniture and garden accessories before bad weather hits.
Given extreme enough whether, simple items left out in your yard can become dangerous projectiles which can impact upon your fence or property, causing extensive damage that is completely avoidable.
Low Maintenance
In general, many of the suggestions given above are likely things that you are probably already doing as part of good home-ownership without realizing that they benefit your fencing too.
However, if you’ve not considered some of the points on this list, it may be worth giving a little of your time to ensure these suggestions are followed to help guarantee the longevity of your aluminum fencing.
