THE ARBOR DOCTOR

We have all heard the lawn care ad with the tag line, “feed your lawn.  Feed it!”  Perhaps this is a technicality, but good luck with that!

You see, we don’t feed plants.  They feed themselves!  Plants produce their own food through photosynthesis.  Fertilizers provide some nutrients which can be utilized in the process.  Improper types or amounts of fertilizer, particularly the chemical fertilizers this company promotes, can sometimes increase the plant susceptibility to insects and disease, and weaken the grass plant overall.  That is why Arbor Doctor utilizes an organic fertilization approach which aids root development, increases plant cell wall thicknesses, and does not push growth.

To further complicate the picture, the lawn care company’s ads say lawns are “starving” this time of year and need to be fertilized.  Really?  Research shows the optimal time to provide fertilizer to lawns in our area is fall.  If lawns are starving this time of year, it is more because they haven’t been photosynthesizing so much, not that I think they are starving!  This does not mean you should turn your lawn care company away.

There are legitimate lawn care functions this time of year, including weed control, pre-emergents, and mild amounts of fertilizer.  However, be wary of any lawn care company promoting multiple springtime fertilizations and high nitrogen in the spring.  Low inputs and attention to good cultural practices is the most environmentally friendly approach to good lawn and landscape care.  Our partner, Turfman Lawn Care, does a good job at this balanced approach.

The presence of either moss or lichen does not affect the health of plants. Lichen is especially sensitive to pollutants and prefers areas with clean air, so its presence is always a good sign!  Read more here>>>

March 1 is the first day of meteorological spring.  While the calender says spring starts later in March, average temperatures and plan t behavior are actually becoming more spring like now. 

Here at Arbor Doctor, we are already busy taking care of landscapes.  We have spent the winter at conferences gathering as much information as possible to help make your landscapes healthier and your life easier!  Ron met with another arborist specializing in organic plant health care and continues to work to modify and improve our one of a kind, organically based and green friendly plant health care program.  Organics, good for nature and good for you!

You will likely be seeing us shortly if you haven’t already.  Don’t hesitate to call or contact us with any questions in the meantime.

As we head into winter, Arbor Doctor is already making plans for 2013.  As you plan for next year, you may be contacted by other companies with tree and shrub care programs.  It is important to know what they offer, and what you are getting with Arbor Doctor:

Arbor Doctor                                                                                        Other companies

Hybrid organic program, natural, safe                                     Rarely offered and if offered, pretty basic

Foliar organic nutrients each visit                                             Nothing

Annual organic fertilization-comprehensive                            Basic chemical fertilization

Diagnostic evaluation by experienced personnel                  Evaluation as time permits by hectic schedule

Targeted pesticides to diagnosis                                             Blanket and random applications

Ongoing training, decades of experience                                Training varies, much in house, limited experience

Can address all tree and shrub needs                                    Often limited to ornamentals under 20 feet tall

ISA Certified Arborist on staff                                                      NA

ISA Certified Tree risk Assessor on staff                                  NA

There is an old adage that one should water everything real well one last time around Thanksgiving to avoid wintertime dessication. 

According to Iowa State University extension, “To prevent winter desiccation, it is important to maintain adequate soil moisture by watering evergreens once a week (during dry periods) to allow them to growth vigorously throughout summer and into fall. Deep watering in fall is especially important if rainfall in late summer and fall is well below normal. Another practice that may reduce the risk of winter injury is to apply a 3 to 4 inch layer of wood chips or shredded bark around the base of evergeens. This will help conserve soil moisture and prevent deep freezing of the soil in winter.”

Summer drought reached very high levels this summer, peaking around August 28 with extreme drought in parts of the area.  The remnants of hurricane Isaac eased the drought Labor Day weekend, with total September well above normal.  However, the drought never totally ended and November rainfall has thus far been less than one inch. 

We are finding dry, cracked ground in many landscapes right now.  Evergreens stressed by the summer heat and drought are now facing a winter with a dried out root system.  The straw which breaks the camel’s back may be at hand. 

What can you do?

• Water each tree and shrub one last time, about one to two inches.

• Be certain trees and shrubs have 2-3 inches of bark mulch.  Keep it back from the trunk or plant base a few inches.

• Consider root sytem improvement.  We aerate our lawns, why not our trees?  Research and experience shows the single most beneficial treatment to improve tree health is root systam aeration and improvement through basal tilling and radial trenching or vertical mulching.  For more information, click here>>>

• Consider adding trees, or replacing those which are too far gone.  It’s by no means too late to plant.  Click here for more details>>>

•  Contact us for more information on any service or with any questions.

This article from Michigan State is no less applicable to Cincinnati.  We are seeing quite a few problems in clients’ landscapes described and addressed in this article.

The summer of 2012 has been one for the record books in terms of heat and drought. Most observers agree that we’d have to go back to 1988 to find a comparable year in terms of hot temperatures and lack of rainfall. Not surprisingly, this summer’s extreme weather has taken a toll on many landscape plants, especially shade trees and conifers.  Read more here>>>

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.  Read more here>>>

After several years of heat waves and droughts, record rainfall in 2011, and now severe to extreme drought and heat this year, we are seeing a disturbing number of plant problems and losses.  Many non-native evergreens are suffering and in some cases dying.  In many cases, this is despite watering. 

There are a couple reasons for this.  Heat can harm plants as much as drought.  Watering eases the stress but the heat still may be too much.  Many people water too much and too often.  In clay soils, plants NEED to dry out in between watering.  Watering every day, every other day, or even every third day does not allow adequate drying in clay soils.  It works just fine in Florida sand but we are not in Florida! 

Unless your plants are native to swamps, their roots will be killed by continuously wet soils.  Turn off the water for several days, let it dry out, water deeply and infrequently and save on your water bills and your plant’s health!

It’s been yet another week of drought west of I-71 and north of the Ohio River. 

While scattered rains have helped things out in southern Ohio east of Cincinnati and in northern Kentucky, the drought beat goes on in Hamilton and Butler counties of southwest Ohio, as well as large parts of Indiana.  Incredibly, one local meteorologist has declared that most areas are drought free!  I guess he hasn’t seen the local drought monitor for this week.  Western Butler and northwestern Hamilton Counties remain in extreme drought.  Most of the rest of Butler County is in severe drought, while there is a rapid gradation over Hamilton County from extreme drought in the northwest to no drought in the extreme southeast. 

Critical stresses are being observed in trees and landscapes in the drought areas.  Severe summertime heat has combined with the drought to cause weakening of plants and mounting deaths.  Studies by the US Forest Service show that tree mortality rates increase for a decade after a drought.  We are still in the decade shadow of the droughts of 2007 and 2008.  This drought will only serve to compound the problem.

 by Mark Halcomb, UT Extension Area Nursery Specialist

 (Revised 06-13-03)