TREE & LAWN CARE BLOG
How Can I Make My Trees Healthy Again?
We’ve all been there. Schedules get full and the seemingly smaller things get forgotten about. Taking care of your trees and plants doesn’t have to be hard and we have come up with a few key things to focus on going into the new year with tree health care!
Soil Care
Healthy trees will not thrive in unhealth soil. If you have an area on your property where your trees aren’t thriving as usual? It might be a good idea to have a soil sample taken by yourself or an ISA certified arborist to check what your specific soil might be lacking.
Fall Fertilization
Deep root tree fertilization works wonders by improving soil aeration, rejuvenates and improves soil structure, reducing soil compaction and providing key nutrients essential to the health of your trees. This process is best performed in fall or winter, before the growth expands in the spring.
Replace Mulch
Mulching the base of your trees is great for a number of reasons including moisture retention, blocking weed competition, adding organic matter into the soil, preventing erosion, etc. However, as it decomposes, it will need to be replaced. We recommend once a year placing an additional thin layer of mulch to replace what has gone into the soil.
Tree Trimming
Having a regular tree trimming schedule is the best prevention method for avoiding damage, disease and decay in your trees.
Support Weak Tree With Cabling
Winter time can bring about environmental stress on trees that is potentially irreversible if they are already suffering from large cracks, lightening damage etc. Cabling and bracing is a procedure our tree care technicians perform to strengthen the tree without damage so it can withstand heavy winds poor conditions.
Inspect For Disease And Fungus
Sometimes disease and decay are on the inside and don’t show any prominent symptoms. In this case, an ISA certified arborist is needed to properly assess the tree and its condition. However, in most cases, there will be a number of warning signs such as poor growth, loss of foliage, yellowing of leaves, presence of pests or fungus, etc. If you spot any of these issues, its important to get in touch with an arborist as soon as possible to set up a treatment plan for your trees.
If you have questions about your trees or would like a free tree health care assessment by one of our ISA certified arborists, please click the link below to be connected!
Call An Arborist!
How To Winterize Fruit Trees
Prevention is key in caring for fruit trees. After your fruit trees have become infested with certain diseases such as peach leaf curl, brown rot, or pests, it can be much more costly to cure the problem rather than simple prevention.
If you haven’t yet planted your fruit trees yet, its a good idea to do some research on different varieties. There are many different specimens of fruit trees that are resistant to the bigger diseases and problems such as:
Pears
Plums
Cherries
How do I prepare my fruit trees for winter?
The first step in preparing your trees for winter time is doing a good old fashioned fall cleanup. This includes removing any rotten or dropped fruit on the ground and on the trees and raking up all the leaves around the base that could be a good hiding spot for particular pests.
Next, you will want to establish, if you haven’t already, a solid maintenance tree trimming plan with an ISA certified arborist. Tree trimming in winter is vital to removing all dead and diseased branches, allowing your trees to reach their full potential next season and ward off any threats of pests entering old wounds. Be sure you have your tree trimming done in winter time, their dormant season, unless otherwise deemed necessary by an ISA certified arborist.
Finally, you can choose to spray dormant oils, a non toxic prevention method that seems to work well for apple trees, plum trees and pear trees in winter. This can help to keep common pests like aphids and scale insects away.
If you have fruit trees that could use some attention or would like more tips and tricks to provide them with the best fruit tree care in Snellville, click the link below to be connected with one of our certified arborists now!
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After a Tree Removal, Can I Replant Another In The Same Spot?
If you have just had to remove a tree from your property that leaves a big open space, you may be wondering, when and where can I plant a new tree to take its place?
Replanting another specimen in your yard provides a substantial increase in property value as well as an overall increase in aesthetic nature.
Can I replant a new tree in the same spot as the other I removed?
Yes and no. Planting a new tree will ALWAYS do best in fresh soil, however there are a few things to keep in mind if you decided to stick with the same spot.
There could be some roots still in the area, preventing your new tree from reaching its full capacity until they disintegrate.
If you had stump grinding done, the sawdust left behind could change the components of the soil immensely.
If you had the previous tree removed due to disease or pests, its important to note that the pathogen that caused the disease could be lingering in the soil and attack the new tree as well.
Having the area assessed by an ISA certified Arborist is best to rule out any potential future issues for you and your new tree.
If you are ready to plant your new tree but still have some questions that you would like to be answered by a professional tree care associate from our team, click the link below to get connected now!
Connect me with an Arborist!
What is the green stuff growing on my trees?
Most of the time, in damp, shady areas you will spot a substance on the branches or trunk of a seemingly declining tree. This substance can be either lichen or moss.
What’s the difference between lichen and moss on trees?
Lichen
A combination of fungi and algae
Can be a range of colors including blue, green gray etc.
Appears in thin flaky patches
Moss
Always dark green
Coarse texture
Does moss or lichen harm my tree?
Lichen does not harm trees, though it might seem that way because they are usually found on declining specimen. Actually, lichen just tends to thrive on unhealthy trees because when they are under stress, there are usually less leaves and branches, allowing more light to shine on the trunk and creating the perfect environment for lichen to take over.
How can I get rid of moss or lichen on my trees?
There is no pressing need to rid the tree of moss or lichen as it does no harm to your trees and actually can be beneficial to the environment by providing a food source for many birds and other animals. However, if you would still like to get rid of it, a fungicide called copper sulfate can be applied by an ISA certified Arborist to kill it.
If you have moss or lichen on your trees, it is best to have them assessed properly by one of our ISA certified Arborists to rule out any potential tree disease, tree decay or pests that could be causing stress on the tree to begin with. Use the link below to be connected with an ISA certified arborist today!
Connect me with an Arborist NOW!
Signs You Might Have A Bark Beetle Infestation
There are more than 600 different species of bark beetles and over 41.7 millions acres of land destroyed from them. They are becoming more common as time goes on and date back to 1996, when the first outbreak began in the U.S. Bark beetles usually go after the weaker trees, decayed or already taken over by some sort of fungus or bacteria. They kill the trees by cutting off their food and water transport abilities.
Symptoms of bark beetles include:
Pitch tubes, reddish brown in color on the outside of the bark
Sawdust substances around bark
Woodpecker holes could indicate there are bark beetles present
Leaves and needles turn from green to reddish brown
Tree decline
Unfortunately, once the symptoms of bark beetles are noticed, it usually is too late to apply a pesticide and the tree must be removed to prevent further spread in the area. If you notice the bark beetles early on in their cycle, a pesticide can be applied by a certified Arborist that kills the adults when they land on the tree. This will prevent them from entering, laying eggs and repeating the cycle.
When applying pesticides, make sure you use a certified arborist, as these chemicals can be dangerous and cause more harm to the good and helpful insects of the tree.
If you suspect bark beetles on your trees, it is important to contact your local ISA certified arborist immediately to remediate the situation before they take over.
Call An Arborist Now!
Most Common Crepe Myrtle Problems
Crepe myrtles can be a perfect selection for smaller landscapes or suburban areas. They are available in all different sizes and colors that are some of the most vibrant blooms of all the trees. From June to August its hard to miss these bright, beautiful blooms. However, they are susceptible to a few different types of diseases and pests:
Powdery Mildew
Powdery Mildew is the most common problems that crepe myrtles carry. The fungus, Erysiphe lagerstroemiae leaves patches of grayish white powder on the leaves and flowers of the tree. If there is enough of the fungi present, the flowers may fail to bloom. This is most common if the tree is in a dark, shady and damp location.
Japanese Beetles
Japanese beetles are about an inch long and are metallic in color. The essentially feed on the foliage and can multiply enough to destroy the entire tree. Eggs are laid in the soil from June through August for them to emerge and start the cycle all over again the following year.
Aphids
Aphids feed on crepe myrtles by sucking the plant sap out of the leaves. They leave behind a liquid called honeydew. If the infestation is large enough, it will cause yellow spots to appear on the leaves and sooty mold fungi to take over.
Cercospora Leaf Spot
The fungus Cercospora usually occurs during warm, humid weather. This fungus appears in yellow spots on the top of the leaves and a greyish color of fungi on the underside of the leaves. This can result in a loss of all the foliation on the trees.
If you have a crepe myrtle in your yard that looks to have Japanese beetles or other threatening insect infestation, give us a call as soon as possible to have one of our ISA certified Arborists out to perform an evaluation on your crepe myrtle problems!
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What Can We Learn From The Trees In Fall?
There is something special about fall time. The perfect weather, cool breeze with sun just warm enough to go out and enjoy without all those pesky mosquitoes. Most of all, the trees and watching their leaves change colors. Many people call fall a “second spring” where the leaves are all flowers blooming to drop again and return next season.
There are a multitude of life lessons the trees can teach us. We have listed just a few.
Embracing change
Most of us hate change, its scary and unpredictable. But every fall, the leaves show us that change can be a beautiful thing.
Learn to let go
Just as the trees let go of their leaves in fall, we must learn to let go of things that are no longer meant for us in order to grow stronger, healthier and return more beautiful next season.
Dark seasons are necessary
No rain, no flowers. Dark times are inevitable for all of us. It is important to remember that without dark times, we wouldn’t have the determination to be reborn and start again.
Nothing lasts forever
The bad news is that nothing lasts forever, the good news is also that nothing lasts forever. The changing of the seasons reminds us that no matter what, time will still be marching along. Take time to enjoy your life and live to the fullest everyday.
We hope these lessons give you a new way to look at the beauty in the trees that surround us!
How To Keep Your Christmas Tree From Dropping Needles
Christmas is right around the corner and its time to start thinking about which tree you will pick to light up your living room with some holiday spirit! Some might choose to go with a fake tree for easy cleanup and most of all NO MESS. However, there are some tips and tricks we can give you so you can enjoy your real Christmas tree and keep the droppings at a minimum. Because lets face it, there truly is nothing like a real Christmas tree.
So how can I keep the needles from dropping on my Christmas tree?
The fresher, the better.
Cutting your own tree is best because its hard to tell how long ago the trees on local tree farm were cut.
Give it a shake.
If you shake the tree around a bit, you shouldn’t notice a ton of needles falling off. If so, NEXT!
Water, water, water.
The most important part of keeping your Christmas tree thriving is making sure the water is full at all times.
If you can find a Christmas tree with a root ball that will be your absolute best bet on preventing large amounts of needle drop.
Keep the tree away from heating vents or fireplaces. Extreme hot and cold temperatures will likely cause needle drop.
These are just a few of our favorite tips to keep your Christmas tree healthy and glowing this season! Give us a call if you have any additional questions about tree care!