TREE & LAWN CARE BLOG
The Benefits of Aerating Your Lawn
Over time it’s very common to see your lawns vibrancy fade away, being replaced with bare spots, burnt spots and weeds. Without proper maintenance, a thick, lush lawn can diminish quickly. A few most common reasons for a dull lawn are:
Soil compaction
Heavy traffic
Lack of fertilization or watering schedule
High temperatures
Drought
So how do you get your lawn to thrive again?
The first step to a healthy lawn is healthy soil. This is the base component all things above ground feed off of, so it is important to maintain proper soil nutrients to get good results. Most suburban lawns fall victim to soil compaction from heavy traffic and everyday activities which strips your lawn from one of its main components - oxygen.
Aeration is a technique our lawn care specialists use to pull small soil cores out, breaking up the compaction and allowing oxygen to enter and organic matter from the cores to be spread throughout your lawn.
Aerating your soil before over-seeding can provide substantial growth. Our machines place small pockets all over your lawn, giving the grass seed optimal soil contact, boosting germination results and preventing wash outs.
If you have brown spots, burnt spots or trouble with weeds on your lawn, click the link below to be connected with one of our lawn care specialists now!
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Are Lace Bugs Damaging My Azaleas?
Azalea bushes are a very popular specimen for a number of reasons such as their wide variety of colors, low maintenance nature and vibrant seasonal blooms. However, they are very susceptible to a few different pests and diseases; one being the azalea lace bug.
What is the azalea lace bug?
The azalea lace bug is one of the most commonly reported landscape pests. They are named after the lace appearance on their wings. They tend to live and feed on the chlorophyll on the underside of leaves, though they are very hard to see, measuring at only 1/8 inch long.
What are the signs of the lace bug?
Since the azalea lace bug is so small, it is usually identified by the damage left behind. The most common symptoms of lace bug damage on azaleas are:
Sticky, black or rust colored substance on leaves
Bleached out or silvery looking leaves
How do I treat it?
As always, the best treatment is first prevention. Proper planting is especially important for azaleas as one getting too much sun or drought can naturally attract the lace bugs. A routine pruning maintenance and fertilization plant, customized by a lawn care specialist is recommended.
Once an azalea lace bug infestation is identified by a lawn care specialist, an insecticide will be applied. The technician will either apply the insecticide directly into the soil, spray the plant above ground, or both. The area of application will depend greatly on the severity of the infestation and the technicians recommendation. If you have lace bugs damaging your azalea bushes, click the link below to be connected with one of our plant health care specialists now!
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Do I Have A White Pine Weevil Infestation?
The eastern white pine tree is characterized by its blue-green needles. It grows best in zones 3-8 and is a valuable hardy tree. Easy to grow and maintain, the eastern white pine is known for its adaptability to grow in many different conditions. However, it is susceptible to the white pine weevil.
What is the white pine weevil?
The white pine weevil is considered one of the most destructive tree pests in the U.S. It primarily feeds on the white pine but has been known to favor a few other species such as the spruce and fir. This insect is extremely small in size, averaging at 7mm in its adult cycle. They tend to gather in the leaf debris at the base of your trees in winter, to emerge in spring and attack its hosts. The damage from a white pine weevil is extensive and can escalate extremely fast. If you suspect white pine weevils on your trees, it’s important to get a tree care estimate by a certified arborist immediately.
What are the signs of white pine weevil?
Presence of adult weevils on bark
Pin sized holes
Spongy or softened areas under the bark
Wilting or drooping
How do I get rid of the white pine weevil?
Unfortunately we cannot recommend any at home treatment for this pest, as it is so destructive and must be maintained properly. An application of insecticide should be applied by a tree care specialist between March and April when drops of resin are first detected. Depending on the extent of the damage, the remaining infected portions of branches should be removed and burned to prevent further outbreak.
We recommend a regular tree health inspection by an ISA certified arborist to prevent pests and decay from taking over. Click the link below to set up a free estimate with one of our arborists and start your tree pest prevention plan today!
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Why Are There Tree Shoots All Over My Lawn?
Have you noticed a large amount of tree shoots and sprouts all over your lawn? There are a number of reasons this could be happening. While some trees are notorious for this, others might be under stress and it is best to have an ISA certified arborist come out to take a look and identify the issue.
What types of trees cause shoots to show up in my lawn?
The most common types of trees known to generate sprouts are ash & honey locust trees. Ash trees will generate shoots in your lawn when infested with the emerald ash borer while the honey locust is notorious for growing suckers.
How can I prevent tree suckers and sprouts on my lawn?
Since this usually happens when the tree is under stress and essentially trying to re-generate itself, the best practice would be having an ISA certified arborist or tree care professional come out to assess the health of your trees first. Alternatively, though it can be time consuming, you can manually remove the sprouts by using hand pruners. There are also sucker stopper products at most home improvement stores, however these can be very dangerous if used improperly and risk damaging your trees.
Before planting trees its best to consult with an arborist to identify low maintenance trees so you don’t run into this issue when it comes to the specimen. Getting your trees on a proper pruning maintenance plan ensures their health for years to come and can eliminate the risk of shoots in your lawn. If you have questions about your trees health, or any other concerns about tree care, click the link below to be connected with one of our arborists now!
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Is This Warm Winter Bad For My Trees?
We have all been soaking up the 62 degree sunshine in Georgia the past few days. But it makes you wonder if this prolonged warm period affects your trees and plants. The drastic high to low shifts in temperature can bring about a big problem for your trees.
How does a warm winter affect my trees?
Our trees have yearly cycles, going dormant in the fall/winter time and awaiting the warmer weather to start budding out and blooming for spring. So if the weather is consistently warm for a period of time in winter, it will prompt your trees to start blooming. When the weather then shifts back to a cooler temperature, the buds on your trees can die off.
In addition to bud die off, there is a higher risk for injury to your trees in the changing weather. Your trees naturally will expand and contract as they freeze and thaw in winter. When this becomes and every other week occurrence of thawing and freezing, it can result in vertical cracking of the bark opening your trees up to decay, pests or fungus to enter.
What can I do?
Mulching the base of your trees provides a sort of barrier for the roots to keep them insulated and somewhat protected from the harsh conditions.
A healthy watering schedule can also help to reduce the risk of decline in your trees in winter.
For more tips or information on protecting your trees in winter time, click the link below to be connected with one of our ISA certified arborists now!
Call an arborist
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!