| Arborist Tips of the Month March 2008 |
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Greetings!
Total Tree Care arborists are delighted to have this opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with you every month. |
 
Geoff Harris Tip of the Month
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With Spring Comes Nature's Beauty
As my favorite time of year approaches, an enjoyable pastime is looking for the first signs of spring such as the flowering maple. Take some time to look closely as the Red Maple begins its season. There is a tiny red flower on all the twig ends.
Sugar, Silver and Norway Maples are differentiated by their pale yellow flowers.
All along your local brook you'll notice skunk cabbage leafs emerging through the boggy soil. Snow drops, daffodils and crocuses slowly nudging above garden soil will soon be the first color alongside the browns of winter.
Before you know it, the first of the woody shrubs will bloom. Cornell Azaleas, with their lavender and purple flowers, and of course the yellow flowers of the Forsythias burst forth. So, look around as the sun climbs in the sky and let its heat warm your face. It won't be long now. |
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Spring is Here, So Here Come the Ticks
Hello Everyone - Spring is here and I'd like to share some information that I think will be of interest to you. I recently had a discussion regarding ticks and Lyme disease with Dr. Jeffrey S. Ward, Chief Scientist of the Department of Forestry & Horticulture at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. He informed me of a study that he and other scientists had done concerning control of the invasive Japanese Barberry plant and its relation to higher tick populations. I was aware that one of the major hosts for deer ticks are mice and other rodents but I was not aware of their relationship to the barberry plant. Because barberry grows and spreads very thickly and has thorns, it protects mice from ground predators such as fox and coyotes, and air predators such as hawks and owls. In addition, the fruit/seeds of barberry plants provide a food source for mice.
So, to help control the tick population you may want to consider eliminating/controlling Japanese Barberry around your property as an integrated pest management (IPM) tool. We'd be glad to help with your project, just give us a call!
Be Well - Mike Kennedy
Click here to search our website for articles related to ticks and other areas of interest.
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Caring for Soil and Roots is Vital for Tree Health
High Volume Sub Surface Liquid Root Fertilization and Soil Aeration is an important procedure for your valuable trees.
Since lawn and landscape trees are out of their natural forested environment, they are unable to benefit from the natural ecological processes that maintain a healthy root system. While forest soils remain loose and aerated, and nutrients are constantly recycled back into the soil by decomposition of organic ground cover, lawn soils on the other hand become very compacted over time. Most rain water just runs off, and recycling of nutrients does not occur when grass clipping are removed.
Our single step process addresses this problem by re-invigorating the soil through a of pressurized injection of all nutrient requirements including beneficial mycorrizhae fungi while simultaneously aerating the root zone.
Click here to read a success story involving deep root fertilization |
 Complementary Partnerships Benefit our Customers
Total Tree Care partners provide a variety of high quality services that complement our tree care specialty. We designed the partnership program to add value for our customers. Complementary services include lawn maintenance, landscaping, deck repairs, masonry, irrigation, gutters, driveway paving, concrete work and many others.
Our large base of partnerships is continuously evolving. When a customer asks for a referral, we put them in touch with the right partner who serves their town. For example, we referred a partner when a customer's tree was invaded by nesting Monk Parakeets. These non-native birds can be a tremendous nuisance, but displacing them is a sensitive issue. We even needed to get an opinion from the Department of Environmental Protection before action was taken. Another partner's home energy audits have provided valuable information to homeowners who want to be as energy efficient as possible in addition to benefiting from shade trees in summer and wind barriers in winter.
So, don't just think trees when you think of Total Tree Care. We may be able to help you better handle a myriad of property challenges.
For more information on our partners, visit the Partners section of our website by clicking here. | |
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I hope you find this information useful as you care for your trees. Tell me about specific areas of interest that you'd like us to discuss in a future report. |
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Sincerely,
Mike Toth
Total Tree Care
203-718-1043 |
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