Between rain showers, fruit trees in our care are receiving a light coat of Horticultural Oil as a spring “cleanup” spray to treat for over-wintering pests such as mites and scale insects.

As winter fades, you may see something unusual between the snow and turf, such as fungi like snow mold. Chemical controls are not necessary nor appropriate. Proper mowing and nutrition will help the turf be more resistant, while a good fall cleanup and snow fencing may help alleviate excessive snow and subsequent moisture. Fungi love it wet!

We're getting a lot of calls about them.  The classic "Blue Spruce" is a cultivar of the Colorado Spruce called Picea pungens glauca.  It is not a native tree (the national champion Colorado Spruce is in Utah), but has been used a great deal in landscapes across the country as a specimen evergreen.

Unfortunately this show-stealer has been over-used, and often on sites that are too wet and too shady.  Here in the Northeast, a stressed specimen often becomes vulnerable to diseases–especially a fungus called Cytospera kunzei.  Lower branches start to look bad, foliage thins…and a few years later our phone rings.

In this picture from the Morton Arboretum, you can see some of the classic signs.

The best defense?  Right Tree, Right Place (may we suggest in Colorado?).  Avoid stress:  Make sure the plant is mulched, fertilized, getting enough sun and water.  There are some sprays that can help a sick plant, but by the time things look this bad, it is often too late.

In the interest of decreasing CO2 emissions and improving air quality, we should all be decreasing the sizes of our lawns by converting them to meadows, groundcovers, wildflowers, and perennial gardens.  But for those areas left open for picnics and playing ball, choke out the weeds with happy, healthy grass!

Family-friendly, pet-safe lawns can be achieved with no synthetic fertilizers, weed killers or insecticides.  We topdress with compost, overseed, and fertilize with slow release organics.  

Core aeration is also a key component of lawn care, and is often done first so all of the above can easily be tickled in with a the stroke of a rake!

Here you can see the machine we use and one of the plugs it pulls out.

Please Don't Do This!

There are many challenges in planting urban, commercial sites, but here we focus on a strange new disease affecting landscapers: the installation of "The Mulch Volcano."

Please do not do this. Mulch should be 3-4" deep at the most, and zero at the trunk (bark is not meant to be underground). This odd practice promotes decay of the trunk flare, smothers roots, and welcomes bugs and microbes into unwanted locations.

Plus it just looks silly!

Water.

April precipitation numbers are in for the Southern Berkshires.  

It was the third straight April with no measurable snow, and while an average April sees 3.7 inches of precipitation, we had only 1.7 inches.  That's 45% of what our trees, shrubs and lawns are used to!  

That's a rough start for plants (how long could you get by on half the food and water you need?).  While no record temperatures were set here in April, the average temperature was the highest in 45 years.

Keep your plants watered properly, and mulched to help provide and retain that moisture!  Know your plants, their native habitats and needs, and use your instincts.

And when in doubt, don't hesitate to contact a professional!

May 5, 2010

Viburnum Leaf Beetle (or VLB) is active now in the Berkshires, and the window will be very small to do anything about it. The pest had not been seen in this area until 2008, so be aware of the potentially severe damage to Viburnums–especially V. Trilobum (American Cranberry) and V. Dentatum (Arrowwood).

Least toxic …materials (insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils) are most effective on the larvae just after they have hatched (i.e. immediately). Pyrethrins are effective also, but non-target beneficial insects such as ladybug larvae (a predator of VLB larvae) can be at risk. Contact a licensed Arborist and Pesticide Applicator for more information.

Photo:  Paul Weston, Cornell University