Have you ever thought about what landscaping needs to be done in the spring and early summer? The answer is: a lot!
As the days get warmer and longer, we start to spend more time outside and to pay attention to our landscape. This is a great time to evaluate the condition of your trees, shrubs, and other plant material.
Evaluate Conditions
It’s especially a good time to evaluate damage done over the winter that needs attention. This includes, of course, broken limbs and toppled trees, but extends to a list of additional plant health concerns from winter weather.
Temperature fluctuations cause stress and injury to woody plants, such as frost cracks in the trunk of trees. In general, low temperatures are much less damaging than wide and rapid variations in temperature. Frost cracks can form suddenly and are often combined with a loud cracking sound.
The combined salt damage from multiple de-icing salt treatments of walkways and driveways can harm nearby plants.
Reducing deer damage is always a hot topic in our area where you might find them browsing and trampling plants. The male deer will also damage or shred the bark of small trees and shrubs by rubbing their antlers to remove the velvet during the fall breeding season or rut.
Did you know that plants dehydrate both externally and internally? Winter desiccation, or dehydration, is a common type of winter injury known as “winter burn” that occurs when the amount of water lost by the foliage exceeds the amount picked up by the roots. All trees lose water during normal metabolic processes, even in winter. Summer droughts like we had last year will add to this.
What You Can Do
Sponsor T&T Tree Service has some great tips — large and small — to keep your landscaping health and happy.
Fertilize: All affected plants will benefit from and recover more quickly if they are given the appropriate fertilizers in spring and fall. We strongly recommend this treatment as it will promote the general well-being of your plants.
Prune: There are some easy ways to prevent deer damage from occurring, both by preventative tree work and pruning, and by plant health care. A Certified Arborist and Licensed Tree Expert, such as T&T Tree Service, can offer advice and come up with solutions.
Winterize: T&T offers a “winterization” treatment to reduce transpiration and minimize damage to the foliage. In our area, narrow-leafed evergreen plants such as arborvitae and hemlock, and broad-leaved evergreens, such as boxwood, rhododendron, skip laurel and magnolia all need extra protection.
Ongoing Plant Problems
Do you have trouble with plants declining and/or not growing? T&T Tree Service believes in the motto: “Right Plant, Right Place.” The conditions of your site influence what will be able to grow there. Light, water, exposure, soil type, soil pH and hardiness zone are a few things to keep in mind when selecting landscape plants. Ignoring this guideline may lead to increased maintenance, a failure of plants to thrive, and sometimes death of installed plant material.
TIP! When selecting woody ornamentals, make sure to consider insect and disease resistance. If two plants have similar form, function, and aesthetic qualities but one has an insect or disease problem and the other has none, it makes sense to choose the resistant species.
With over 30 years of experience in tree service and landscape maintenance, T&T Tree Service is able to offer you expert advice as to what plants you should plant where. Avoid costly mistakes and increase the value of your property!
During your free consultation with our Certified Arborists and Licensed Tree Experts, you will receive a comprehensive analysis, tailored to your needs with appropriate recommendations for treatment against insects and diseases to improve the overall health of your trees and shrubs.
For more information, please visit: https://ttservices.com or call 609-397-2700 for your free consultation.
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