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In This Issue |
- A Banner Year for Bugs
- Canker Disease
- An Accident Waiting to Happen!
- Rose Rosette - Killer Virus
- The Green Thumb
- Gardener's Tips
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Rose Rosette - Killer Virus | |
Midwest area roses are under attack. Chad Gilliland, Arbor Masters Plant Care Manager has seen an increase in Rose Rosette, a potentially lethal virus that attacks ornamental roses and eventually kills them.
Symptoms include elongation of new shoots, shoots that appear deep red in color, small, distorted leaves and discolored flower petals. There is no cure for Rose Rosette once the plant is infected. However, a round of Miticide applications can reduce the potential spread to healthy roses in close proximity to the infected roses.
Click here to read more about Rose Rosette disease. |
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The Green Thumb | |
Water in the morning!
Save water and your plants by watering in the early morning hours. Mornings tend to be cooler so there is less wind and water loss due to evaporation. |
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Customer Feedback | |
Don't forget to tell us about a experience with Arbor Masters®! Post your positive comments on either Google, Yahoo, Yellow Pages, etc., and receive a $25.00 Home Depot or Kohl's gift card!
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A Banner Year for Bugs!
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This is the year of the bug! Due to the unusually warm winter, Spider Mites, Chiggers, Bagworms, Fleas and Ticks are out in full force! Spider Mites in particular, are appearing at least three weeks ahead of schedule. These invasive insects create a fine web on tree and shrub limbs. The spider mites then create damage by sucking out the chlorophyll (green pigmentation) from leaves and needles. This causes them to discolor and drop prematurely. Unless treated, these destructive insects can distress or even kill your trees and shrubs.
Bagworms are another insect invading landscapes earlier than normal this year. On pine trees, the Bagworms appear like cone-shaped sacs which can be mistaken for pine cones. These sacs contain the Bagworm eggs and once they hatch, they will feed on the tree branches and cause defoliation. Eventually they will kill the tree or shrub. Bagworms are known for attacking arborvitae, cedars, pines, junipers and spruce trees as well as a variety of shrubs.
Like Spider Mites, Bagworms should be treated with a miticide or insecticide to eliminate them. Contact the disease and insect control experts at Arbor Masters® to learn how to eradicate these destructive pests.
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Tree Cankers
Our Certified Arborists in both Wichita and Kansas City have noticed a rise in tree cankers in the area. Last summer's drought and the mild winter have produced environmental stress on trees making them more susceptible to suffer from cankers. Cankers are dead areas on trees caused either by a fungus, a bacterial infection or trauma. Additionally, the bark beetle can cause further damage to a tree already suffering from cankers, hastening the trees demise.
Cankers often appear as a depression in the bark or branch of a tree. Symptoms may include oozing sap around the infected area, spore growth which can look like mushrooms, or a foul, bitter smell around the canker area. 
In severe cases, the canker can cause a large cavity in the trunk or at the tree base creating a potentially hazardous weak spot that could eventually kill the tree.
Treatments may vary depending on the severity of the canker. An infected area can be treated with a process called bark tracing; however, this should only performed by experienced Certified Arborists trained to treat cankers. Preventative care begins by maintaining the health of the tree with annual fertilization treatments, regular watering and taking extra caution when mowing around the base of tree to prevent damage to the trunk and roots. In addition, a systemic insecticide injection can provide the tree additional protection from beetle damage.
If you suspect your tree may have cankers, make sure that the diagnosis and treatment are handled by a Certified Arborist.
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An Accident Waiting to Happen! | |
There are many projects around the house and yard that the average homeowner can tackle. Tree trimming or tree removal should never be one of them. These types or projects should always be handled by a Certified Arborist who is trained to safely trim and remove trees. Without the proper training and equipment, trimming or removing your own trees may have disastrous results. Don't be an accident waiting to happen! Let the tree care experts at Arbor Masters® do the work for you. |
- Remove flowering heads from your herbs to generate new growth.
- Add a 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch around your plants to retain moisture and reduce weeds.
- Change the water in your birdbath weekly to prevent algae build up and keep mosquitos away.
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Kansas City * Wichita * Oklahoma City * Tulsa * Fort Worth |
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