Tree and Shrub Care
Integrated Pest Management
Horticultural Oil
Inspections
Deep Root Feeding
The new method for growing beautiful lawns, trees and
shrubs, or landscapes with less impact on the environment,
is called I.P.M. or Integrated Pest Management. I.P.M.
is a method of doing cultural practices like mowing, watering,
fertilizing, and compaction management, the right way. The
focus is to grow healthy plants that will be stronger and
better able to withstand invasion from diseases, weeds and
insects that could cause the plant's harm. Of course, pests
can and do many times invade plants to the point that some
controls may be necessary. Control of the pests would be determined
by first scouting the plants and making a determination as
to whether or not the number of pests warrant applying pest
controls. If it is determined that pest controls are needed,
they would then be applied only to the areas which need the
controls. The materials to be used would also be reviewed
to be certain that the product will cause little or no harm
to beneficial insects that may also be present.
I.P.M. has been used for many years now in agriculture
and ornamental horticulture. One Step Tree and Lawncare has
been a pioneer in this process. One Step began testing the
I.P.M. approach in the early 1980s and expanded this technique
into all of the services that they now offer. The process is a bit
more costly for smaller properties, mainly because the person who is
visiting the property requires more experience and training to be able
to know when and where to look for pests. Customers feel more secure
knowing that the pest controls are being used properly, only when and
where they are needed. One Step also adds; that on larger commercial
properties, I.P.M.
can actually save a customer money by not making blanket applications
where they are not needed. In these cases, the money saved
on the products which are not used, usually more than offsets
the cost for professional scouting and mapping of a property.
Visit the Cornell
University website and learn more about I.P.M.
If you need more help or information with this
topic or any other lawn or tree care questions, please contact
us.
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Our founding father truly knew what he was talking about.
And taking care of our trees and shrubs is no exception.
Horticultural oil sprays are the ideal way to prevent
tree and shrub damage and loss due to insects. Like most living
organisms, trees and shrubs are susceptible to a variety of
pests.
Horticultural oil sprays have proven to be extraordinary
pest management tools without the traditional concerns. Oil sprays
are derived through special refining processes from crude oils.
Oil sprays are recommended for both dormant and summer
pest control treatments. The oils can be used on most foliage plants,
trees and shrubs and they control a wide range of insects including
mites, aphids, leafhoppers, white flies and chewing insects.
So be sure to protect your treasured plants from the
ravages of harmful insects. If you think your landscape might be suffering
from a pest problem, consider using oil sprays. They are one of the
ways damage can be effectively minimized.
If you need more help or information with this
topic or any other lawn or tree care questions, please contact
us.
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The most common reason a tree owner calls an arborist
is concern that something is wrong with a tree. It may be
that some of the leaves are discolored, a branch has died,
or perhaps the entire tree has been dropping leaves. Sometimes
the cause of concern is a minor problem that is easily explained
and corrected. Other times the problem is more complex—with several
underlying causes and a remedy that requires treatments extending
over several years. Unfortunately, there are instances in
which the problem has gone undetected for so long that the
tree cannot be helped, and the only option is removal. If
an arborist had been called earlier, perhaps the tree could
have been saved.
Situations such as these led arborist to create Plant
Health Care (PHC) programs. The objective of PHC is to maintain
or improve the landscape's appearance, vitality and—in the case
of trees—safety, using the most cost-effective and environmentally
sensitive practices and treatments available. Plant Health
Care involves monitoring, using preventative treatments, and
adopting a strong commitment to working closely with you,
the tree owner.
Every home landscape is unique, so there is no standard
PHC program. Plant Health Care programs do have features in
common, however. First, PHC involves monitoring tree and shrub
health. This allows problems to be detected and managed before
they become serious. The monitoring may be as simple as annual
visits to check on a few special trees in your landscape,
or it may involve more frequent quarterly or monthly inspections
of all your trees and shrubs.
Second, if problems or potential problems are detected
or anticipated during a monitoring visit, your arborist will
develop solutions. The solution could be a simple change in
your lawn irrigation schedule—many trees are kept too moist—or
more detailed suggestions, such as pruning or spot applications
of pesticides.
Finally, PHC involves you, the client. Your arborist
will give you information about your trees and shrubs. This
ensures that decisions are made that address your concerns
and are appropriate to your landscape budget and goals. Information
may be provided through a variety of means. Obviously, discussions
and answering questions are important means of conveying information,
but many PHC programs include written recommendations after
each monitoring visit. Plant Health Care is a program tailored
to the needs of the client and his or her trees and shrubs.
Because ornamental trees and shrubs can quickly succumb
to problems, routine monitoring and timely treatments can
protect your landscape investment and reduce expenses. A monitoring
visit to your landscape might reveal 1) a hidden infestation
of tent caterpillars that may soon defoliate the ornamental
crabapples in your front yard, 2) a weakly attached branch
that may fail and damage the house, or 3) improperly pruned
shrubs that are not flowering as abundantly as they should.
At One Step, your specialist can recommend treatments
and changes in maintenance practices that can eliminate these
problems while maximizing the safety and aesthetic quality
of your landscape.
If you need more help or information with this
topic or any other lawn or tree care questions, please contact
us.
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Your trees and shrubs are a growing investment that should
increase in beauty and value with each passing season. But
often, landscape plants fail to flourish, and may even go
into decline due to lack of proper nourishment. Proper feeding
of your ornamentals offers many benefits, including improved
flowering, increased resistance to disease, and increased
ability to ward off insect attacks. Root feeding injects the
proper plant foods directly into the root zone of the plants, which
allows the fertilizer to be easily absorbed and quickly put to work.
Feeding helps compensate for poor soil or less than ideal planting
locations. Over time, poorly located plants may gradually decline if
not given proper care. Feeding your trees and shrubs at least once
per season is good preventative maintenance. The right diet helps to
reduce many types of stress that weaken plants. When your trees and
shrubs are in top health and are growing well, they’re
often strong enough to fight off many infectious diseases
or insect attacks without serious or permanent damage. Balanced
root feeding, scheduled on a regular basis, helps to improve
and protect your growing landscape investment.
Additional Tree Care services:
- Targeted Trunk Applications
- Completes Seasonal Program
- Targeted Soil Applications
- Winter Protection
If you are a current One Step customer and would
like a quote on deep root feeding, please fill out the form
below.
If you are not a One Step customer, we will need to send
someone to your house. Please use the Request an Estimate and Analysis
(click here).
If you need more help or information with this
topic or any other lawn or tree care questions, please contact
us.
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