TREE & LAWN CARE BLOG
Weed Prevention In The Fall - Crabgrass
Spring has come and gone, bringing the flowers, tree blossoms, and unfortunately lots of weeds. Even though the season is over, the seedlings are still in your landscape waiting to germinate until next spring!
What is Crabgrass?
Crabgrass is a type of weed that infests your lawn in Bethlehem and sprouts in the warm months. In the summer months, the crabgrass can produce thousands and thousands of micro seeds, planted into your landscape becoming dormant through winter. As soon as the temperature rises, these seedlings sprout taking over more and more of your yard each year.
How do I prevent Crabgrass?
Preventing crab grass is a three step process starting in the fall of the year with a herbicide called a pre-emergent. Pre-emergents in Bethlehem are found at most of your home retail stores and are relatively safe to use. Of course, always follow the proper precations listed on the label. The three steps required to keep crabgrass away for good are:
Preventing next season bloom with pre-emergent.
Removing any blooms that might slip through the crack with a post- emergent.
Maintaining your lawn and landscape regularly to prevent further spread.
How do I use pre-emergents for prevention?
If crabgrass has taken over your landscape over the years, it might take all three of the steps listed above to permanently remove the crabgrass. However, starting with the pre-emergents in the fall is first. We have listed a coulple of basic guidelines for pre-emergents:
Make sure to time the pre-emergent right for proper reduction of seedlings. The pre-emergent (in Georgia) should be applied in the early fall of the year between August and November. This will prevent seedlings from popping back up next spring.
Make sure to distribute the pre-emergent evenly throughout your landscape. If there are bare or missing pieces, the crabgrass could still emerge.
Do not aerate your lawn after applying the herbicide as it could potentially break the chemical barrier you just made.
Do not re seed your lawn until 2-3 months after the herbicide has been applied.
Regular maintenance of your lawn and landscape is necessary to control future outbreaks. This means keeping your specific type of grass (each type has a different height requirement) at the right height, preventing the sun from reaching the underground weeds and encouraging growth.
If you still have questions about your landscape please feel free to use the link below to contact on of our tree and plant health care associates for more information!
Contact a Tree & Plant Health Care Associate
How & When To Start Apple Trees
Apple trees can be easy to care for once you are on a routine maintenance plan and learn to understand your tree and what works best for its specific characteristics. Apple trees hardiness zone is 7a-8b, if you are trying to grow your apple trees outside of this zone, it will be much more difficult and might require a temperature controlled building.
Size & habit
Apple trees can reach up to 35 feet height & width. There are semi dwarf varieties available that are smaller, 15-20 feet. They prefer full sun with well drained soil and will not survive wet feet or overwatering.
When should I plant apple trees?
Apple trees should be planted in fall after the first frost or early spring.
What kind of maintenance is necessary for an apple tree?
Routine proper pruning is necessary to train your apple trees. Along with other trees, apple trees need to be pruned in dormant season, fall/winter. This pruning will include dead branches, thinning the fruit to produce better quality apples, weak & nonproductive branches, vertical suckers, damaged branches and water sprouts. It is also important to keep the weeds out from the bottom of the tree by applying a thin layer of mulch, keeping it away from the trunk of the tree. Animals and wildlife are drawn to apple trees so it might be necessary to install a fence around them to keep them out.
How do I keep the pests away from my apple tree?
When it comes to fruit trees, pests will be a difficult thing to keep away without insecticide sprays. Routine fertilizations and insecticides are offered at North American Tree Service in Snellville and can help to ensure the growth and health of your apple trees in Snellville.
Still have questions? We are staffed with certified Arborists in Snellville ready to assist you with your next tree planting project! Use the link to call us below for your free esimate!
Call a Certified Arborist
Should I Grind My Stump Or Remove It?
After having your trees removed there is a large eyesore left in your yard. Stump grinding and removal have pros and cons and the decision is ultimately up to the homeowner which route they want to take.
Reasons to have your stumps ground
After the stump begins the slow decay process the stump can become a home for pests such as termites, boring insects, fungi and more. In this scenario, if you stump is in close contact with other trees or your home, it might be best to remove it.
There are a number of other reasons a homeowner might have their stumps ground such as:
Cosmetic preferences.
After the stump has rotten, sinkholes will be left behind, leaving a hazard in your yard.
Desire to plant a new specimen when the stump is still in the way.
Reasons to have your stump removed
To remove your stump from the ground completely, in our opinion is the best way to ensure the stump is completely removed and no sinkholes in Stone Mountain will arise on your property. Removing a stump in Stone Mountain can be quite costly though due to the use of excavation services. When you have a stump plucked from your yard they bring in very heavy equipment out pull it, then will need a means to dispose of it (landfill$$), then will need to come behind the removal with a bobcat to push the dirt back into the remaining hole and smooth the surface back out.
Reasons to keep your stump
Some people might prefer to keep the stump in their yard as a form of yard art. Homeowners will put planted pots around it to make it a sort of plant stand for decoration. Keeping the stump also saves money, as stump grinding services can be an upwards of $100 depending on the size.
If you need stump grinding services, please give us a call today for a free estimate!
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How To Get Rid Of Above Ground Tree Roots
Large, beautiful trees sometimes come with a downside. Sometimes the roots of these large trees are forced upwards in order to find proper air and moisture. This usually occurs when the trees are planted in an area with heavily compacted or heavy clay soils. Above ground roots are not only an eye sore, they can begin to kill your grass, crack sidewalks and driveways, seep into your septic tank system while searching for water among many other problems.
So the question remains…
How can I get rid of these above ground roots without killing my tree?
There are a TON of factors that go into root pruning including:
Location of the tree
Health
Time of year
Age
And these are just a few factors that will determine how well your tree will take a root pruning. However, there is never a guarantee that pruning back roots wont harm or kill your tree eventually. It is best to have a certified Arborist in Grayson come out to your home and evaluate the health risk of your trees before getting started on root pruning in Grayson.
A few tips for root pruning your trees if you decide to try a DIY on a smaller project:
Never remove more than 20% of the roots as this will almost guarantee a decline.
Wait 2-3 years between root prunings for the tree to recover.
Spring/Winter are the best time of year to perform root pruning.
Never prune roots that are over 2 inches wide.
After performing a root pruning DIY, be sure to keep an eye on your tree for any yellow leaves, leaf drop, bark peel, fungus, etc. If you notice any sign of disease or tree decline in Grayson, give us a call immediately for an Arborist evaluation on your trees!
Get a free Arborist estimate!
Do Bagworm Caterpillars Harm My Trees?
Bagworm caterpillars are rarely seen but always leave behind these unappealing spindle shaped bags hanging from the twigs and limbs of your trees.
They are most often seen on specific specimens such as juniper, pine, cedar and arborvitae but they have been known to divert from those species from time to time.
The bags you see hold over 300 eggs in them throughout winter for a may hatch. This bag provides as protection as well as a means for feeding when the eggs are in this stage. As the eggs grow, the bag enlarges and tends to defoliate the surrounding leaves of your tree.
Do bagworms harm my tree?
The biggest question is while all this feeding and defoliation is occurring, how much damage is being done to your beloved trees? Well, the answer is more complex and varies due to the health of the tree they are infesting.
If your infested tree has any type of health issue like:
drought
dead limbs
extreme leaf drop
defoliation
This can be an indication that the tree will not be able to tolerate any more stress and might lead to its death unless consulted by a certified Arborist in Athens. If your trees are declining, to be sure it is always best to call a certified arborist to your property to assess the health of your trees.
How do I control a bagworm infestation?
If you have a small infestation of bagworms on your trees in Athens, you might find it easiest to hand pick the bagworms from the trees and dispose of them. If you have a larger issue, you will need a specific type of insecticide to get rid of the bagworms. Certified arborists in Athens are able to come to your home and spray your trees with the proper insecticide to save your trees!
Still have questions or need help with bugs and pests on your trees? Give us a call for a free estimate by a certified Arborist in Athens today!
Call and Arborist Now!
Are Tree Watering Bags Necessary?
https://www.amazon.com/Treegator-Original-Release-Watering-Trees/dp/B0006GT6C6
So you planted some new trees in your yard and are figuring out the watering schedule. In the heat of Georgia the soils might need to be drenched every day for new specimen, where others not so much. Some of us weren’t blessed with a green thumb and high maintenance just isn’t our thing when it comes to plants or trees. If this sounds like you, tree watering bags might help!
But do tree watering bags work?
Are they necessary to install on new trees?
With anything there are pros and cons. Let’s start with what the watering bags actually are and what they do.
Watering bags are the pouches you see placed at the bottom of newly planted trees in a circle shape. They have tiny needle sized holes in the bottom of the bags that provides a slow drip irrigation system that you only have to refill every 5-7 days.
So lets start with the pros of tree watering bags:
Extremely easy to use
Less maintenance, only fill up once a week
Save water! Less water is wasted and all of it goes to the roots!
Helps prevent underwatering or over watering - both pose a real threat to newly planted trees!
They prevent drought from striking heat sensitive trees
Now for the cons:
Short term
Costly, if you need a bulk of them
Can cause girdling roots or root rot from too much water sitting on the surface for long periods of time
Sometimes the bags wont hold enough water in extreme heat locations
Tree watering bags can provide an easy way to maintain your newly planted trees but no good thing comes without a downfall as mentioned. It is your job to weigh the pros and the cons of the tree watering bags to decide if it is worth while.
North American Tree Service in Monroe advises for all trees planted in Georgia to be given a deep root watering once a day for a couple months while the tree is still maturing and especially through summer. It is important to keep the roots hydrated to ensure optimum new tree growth.
If you still have questions about how to care for your newly planted trees or if the tree watering bags are a good choice for you, feel free to reach out to us using the link below to speak with a certified Arborist in Monroe!
Call an Arborist now!
How To Get Rid Of Ticks In Your Yard
Tick season is usually a year round problem in the Southeast. The number of tick diseases such as Lyme disease has tripled in the past 15 years.
So how can we control the tick problem in our yards?
There are some environmental changes we can make to our landscapes to make it a less desirable place to live.
Cleaning out your yard debris
This is first and foremost when dealing with a tick problem. Start by cutting your grass short and frequently since ticks tend to like tall grass with more moisture content.
In the fall, its best to remove all the leaves in your yard because they provide the ideal environment for ticks to thrive. By trimming these back, they allow enough sunlight to enter and dry out the area, preventing the ticks from having a warm, moist place to live.
Spray your lawn
This might sound like an obvious thing to do but spraying your landscape in Statham with the proper insecticide will help eliminate the problem.
This is especially important if you have inside animals that go out side to play and bring the junk back into the house with them. There are professional grade insecticides available for purchase online.
Get rid of the other pests
Having other pests in your yard such as rodents or wildlife doubles your chances of getting a tick infestation because these animal are hosts to the ticks. Call your local pest and rodent team to help eliminate the rodent issue to cut back on ticks in your yard in Statham.
Trim back trees
More often than not, the ticks like to live up in the bushy parts of the trees, especially in heavily wooded areas.
If your trees have overgrown and need tree trimming in Statham, call North American Tree Service for a free estimate on tree trimming and tree pruning to help lower the tick population in your yard.
If you still have questions, feel free to reach out to us at North American Tree Service, we are fully staffed with certified arborist’s in Statham ready to assist you with your next tree trimming or tree removal project!
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What Are The Most Common Tree Pests?
The suns out and so are all the critters! You may have seen them foraging through the bark on your trees or crawling up and down the branches. We have put together a list of the most commonly seen tree insects listed below:
Tent Caterpillars
If you have noticed large webbings full of caterpillars and some leaf defoliation, your trees have been infested with the common Eastern Tent Caterpillar species. They are most commonly found on cherry, maple, plum and peach trees and sometimes other unnamed species. Where these caterpillars wont necessarily kill your tree they can be an eyesore. Call your Certified Abrorists in Monroe to help with the tree caterpillar problems!
Emerald Ash Borer
This insects is a deadly one, killing millions of ash trees each year. This jewel beetle can be hard to identify until the problem turns for the worst. After the initial infestation, it can take less than two years for the tree to die. Call your local arborist in Monroe immediately if you suspect ash boring insects have gotten to your trees!
Aphids
Aphids will eat all the sap out of the leaves on your trees leaving behind sticky substances. Aphids can cause your trees growth to stunt and yellowing of the leaves. Turning over your leaves to inspect regularly can identify and prevent this problem
Spruce Budworm
If you have noticed a large amount of dead branches on your spruce and fir trees, they may have a budworm infestation. Spruce budworms are known as one of the most destructive and deadly insects because of their potential to defoliate and kill in record time. Prevention of this spruce budworm include proper pruning regularly. Call your certified Abrorist for a free estimate on tree pruning in monroe.
If you have questions about insects on your trees in Monroe, Ga. Call North American Tree Service to get a free estimate on your trees by a certified arborist today!