Helpful Tips

Read below for helpful landscape, pest prevention, and lake maintenance tips. Questions? Give us a call today!

Landscape Tips

Trimming & Pruning

Use clean, sharp pruning instruments to avoid injuring the plant or tree. The best time to prune is just prior to new growth, typically in the late winter or early spring.  Instruments should be cleaned with a sterilization solution containing either bleach (25% with 75% water) or pine oil (25% / 75% water) or alcohol (50% / 50% water) between trimming plants/trees to avoid the spread of disease. Palm trees should not be “Hurricane Cut” or pruned above the 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock outline. Removing green fronds reduces winter hardiness, weakens the canopy, and leads to nutrient deficiency.

Irrigation

This will vary depending on the type of plant or tree; however, many of our disease issues are attributed to overwatering practices, especially with palm trees. Roots that are saturated cannot pull nutrients from the soil and may even rot. Palm trees require only a minimum amount of water and perform best under dry conditions.

• Daylight Savings Time – ¾” per event, twice a week
• Standard Time – ¾” per event, once a week

Landscape According To Site Conditions

Plants and trees should be planted according to site conditions, including soil moisture, soil fertility, and amount of sunlight. Soil testing is recommended for sites with ongoing issues.

Be Proactive

Ask for an evaluation and treatment program for your high valued landscape investment before a problem occurs. Tree nutritional deficiencies may take a couple of injection seasons to correct. Also, disease treatments are preventative measures and provide no curative remedy.