General Articles

Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs

Just like any living thing, landscape plants require certain nutrients to make them flourish. Fertilizing trees and shrubs helps supply these necessary nutrients, supplementing those already provided by the soil. Well-fertilized ornamental plants grow more vigorously, look greener and healthier, and flower better. The challenge is selecting the correct fertilizers, applying them at the correct rate and at the proper time. Landscapes surrounding homes are typically planted in soils low in nutrients and organic matter because the nutrient-rich soils were removed or disturbed during construction. Fertilizers provide the nutrients to help these plants grow and adapt to the site. Fertilizing makes your landscape stronger and healthier. It helps older landscapes maintain their health and vigor against the stresses caused by disease, insects, winter damage and dry weather. Fertilizing landscape plants can be tricky, primarily because of the equipment necessary. You can use liquid fertilizer or dry, granular fertilizer. Depending on the type of soil, plant and climate, fertilizer can be applied to the surface of the soil or it can be injected into the ground. Generally, fertilizer should be applied under the spread of the branches (the drip-line), but not too close to the trunk. Liquid Fertilizer Liquid fertilizer is either injected into the plant’s root zone within the soil, or applied as a drench to the soil surface above the root zone. Where ornamental trees are growing in grassy areas, liquid fertilizer should be injected below the turfgrass root zone but within reach of the ornamental tree’s roots. This avoids over-stimulating or burning the turfgrass. Dry Fertilizer Non-turf areas, such as landscape plant beds, ground covers and natural wooded areas are better suited to using a dry, granular fertilizer. Use a walk-behind push type or handheld crank rotary type spreader. Avoid spreading fertilizer by hand because it is difficult to distribute it evenly or at a consistent rate. Not Enough Fertilizer An inadequate fertilizer application will not improve color or growth, nor will it bring out the full potential of the plant. Too Much Fertilizer Fertilizer applied at excess rates is detrimental to the plant. It can damage or kill the roots of the plants it was intended to help. Above the ground, excess fertilizer shows up as leaf scorch and even branch dieback. Unevenly Applied Fertilizer Fertilizer should be applied to cover as much of the root-growing zone under the plant canopy as possible. If it is misapplied to only a portion of the root zone, the fertilized area could respond differently and visibly from the unfertilized areas of the tree or shrub bed. Back to Top

Sod

The installation of sod is a popular way to establish a new lawn. Most of the sod purchased is a blend of different Kentucky bluegrass varieties or a mixture of other common turfgrass types (i.e., fine fescue, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue). When installed correctly on properly amended soil, in the appropriate sunlight conditions and where correct maintenance is provided, a sod lawn can be a valuable part of your landscape. Proper Time With proper irrigation sod can be installed almost anytime during the growing season when the ground is not frozen. It is desirable to plan ahead, however, and consider installing sod in the late summer to early fall. As with seeding, this time of the year is usually very conducive to the environmental conditions needed for rapid establishment. Although possible, it is best to avoid installing sod during very hot, dry and humid conditions of mid-summer. The frequent watering needed to establish new sod during this time may encourage diseases, which can be devastating to a lawn. Installing the Sod Make sure that the sod pieces are not dried out or wilted. Also be sure that the pieces are at least 1 inch thick. If the sod is not freshly cut and healthy do not accept it. Do not leave the sod stacked in piles. If you can not install it immediately lay the pieces out in a shady location. For best results the sod should be laid as soon after delivery as possible, preferably no more than 36 hours after it is cut. The soil should be flat and moderately moist. If needed, water the soil ahead of time very lightly. This improves the ability of the sod to survive and knit in faster. Lay the sod strips on the prepared soil tightly together, edge to edge, with staggered joints like bricks in a wall. Fill cracks with soil if necessary. Immediately soak the newly laid sod thoroughly. As soon as it is dry enough to walk on, lightly roll or tamp the sod to give a good contact with the soil beneath. This is necessary to remove any air pockets that will interfere with proper rooting. Watering Correct watering after installing the sod is critical to its survival. The idea is to keep the soil under the sod moist as well as the soil that comes with each sod piece. This does not mean constantly wet and soggy. Usually 1 inch of water every 2 to 3 days applied in the early part of the day will be sufficient to keep the soil moist. Measure 1 inch of water by placing several straight sided coffee cans in the sprinkler output pattern. Check on the moisture conditions from time to time by lifting the corners of the sod pieces. If the sod/soil seems excessively wet by the second day then delay watering until the third day. Water only as frequently as necessary to keep the soil/sod moist, not soggy and wet. It is most important that you do not over-water and avoid saturating the sod/soil since this will prevent the sod from re-rooting and cause the roots to rot. After the sod has knitted (rooted) to the soil (from 1 to 3 weeks) it is important to change the watering schedule. Watering should be done thoroughly to soak the root zone (top 4 to 5 inches of soil) but infrequently. Providing 1 inch of supplemental irrigation every 4 to 7 days (depending on soil, temperatures and rainfall) should be adequate for most lawns. There is no need for daily watering of a sod lawn. Mowing Normally a newly installed sod lawn will probably require mowing 4 to 7 days after it is installed. Avoid over-mowing; consider a length of approximately 2 inches for the lawn. Never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade when mowing the lawn. It is not necessary to remove or pick up grass clippings after mowing if you mow the lawn as frequently as is necessary. Grass clippings do not cause thatch layers. Fertilizing The lawn will probably require fertilizing approximately 4-6 weeks after it is installed. Apply a complete fertilizer with a ratio of 2-1-1 or 4-1-3 at the rate of 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet. Lightly water in the fertilizer after it is applied. Back to Top

Tree Wrapping

Weed Control in Hard Surface Cover

The best method of brick patio weed control is proper installation. Nevertheless, if your brick patio is already installed and are weeds still giving you a problem, here are some painless things you can do. One of the best ways to kill a vegetable of any kind is to cook it. Boiling water is a natural and very inexpensive way to wilt and kill most forms of annual weeds. It also kills or weakens many types of perennial weeds. Fill a teakettle with water and bring it to a boil. Cut the weeds down to their crowns, then pour the boiling water on the rest. This is a temporary fix, because more will return as soon as the soil cools. A powerful weed killer is vinegar. Most grocery store vinegar is normally a 5% solution and diluted so much that it is not effective to kill the weed. A 10% solution will kill most weeds and usually is found where canning and pickling supplies are sold. A 20% solution can kill really stubborn weeds, but can be more expensive. If you have weed problems on the lawn, we can help. Do not use these methods on home lawns without the risk of damaging the desirable grasses. Contact us about fertilizing solutions for your home lawn. Back to Top

Winter Bird Feeding

Winter Protection of Evergreens

Evergreens may be susceptible to winter damage. Leaves and needles will appear browned and burned. This problem is caused by both the sun and wind during the winter months. One method to protect your evergreen involves building a structure around the plant to keep the wind and sun off the plant. A simple structure made of wooden stakes and burlap will work in most cases. Another protection is to use an anti-transpirant. This type of product can be used on most evergreens and is used in the fall to seal the needles so that moisture cannot be taken out of the plant as quickly on cold, windy days. To protect the roots, mulch deeply around the base of the plant and out to the “drip line”, the tip of the branches. Oak leaves are best, but other lightweight mulches are fine. In late fall, as the ground begins to freeze, mulch leaves to a depth of eight to ten inches. Remove in the spring. Back to Top

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