Landscape Advice

Ask Craig: Is there anything we should do in December?

Snow Tips for Garden/ Planting Areas: So what do you do when snow piles up on your plating/garden beds? If possible, shovel or blow snow evenly across garden beds and around your foundation plantings. Try to avoid heaping roadside snow onto your street side planting areas because the snow plow most likely pushed some road salt onto your garden beds. When snow accumulates on trees and shrubs, remove it with gentle upsweeping motions.

Ice Tips: When ice forms on your tree and shrub branches, don’t try to break the ice off. By doing this, you’ll risk breaking the branches. It’s best to let the ice melt naturally. Also, don’t swing and hit your branches, especially frozen branches because they are more likely to snap and break.

When you use ice melt on your sidewalks and driveway, read the label carefully. Sodium chloride- and calcium chloride-based products damage plants more than potassium-based choices.

Instead of using ice melt, use wood ashes, sand, or non-clumping kitty litter.

Ask Craig: How Do I Protect My Trees and Shrubs during the Winter?

This is a good question and it is a question I get asked a lot. Here are some great tips that you or your landscaper can do to protect your trees and shrubs during the winter months.

• Apply mulch. It is important to mulch around your trees, plants, and shrubs to add extra protection for winter and to prevent the soil from heaving. Mulching is also an important control for erosion and loss of water. People think you don’t need to water your trees, plants and shrubs during the winter because they are dormant. This is not true, they still require some water. So, the rule of thumb is to lay 2-inches of mulch to reduce water loss and help maintain uniform soil temperature around the roots.
• Prune most plants in winter. People are surprised when I tell them that the best time to prune is during the late dormant season. Pruning in late winter, before spring growth begins, leaves fresh wounds exposed for only a short amount of time before new growth begins.
• Protect against water loss. Apply anti-transpirants to plants and trees, especially evergreens, to help reduce water loss from plant leaves. Burlap wrapping also may be used to shield valuable evergreens from salt spray and winter winds. This is important for people living on Great Neck, Little Neck, Argilla Road area, and Green’s Point area where you frequently get the high winds and salt water spray from the ocean.
• Take precautions against snow and ice. Tie branches together that may be susceptible to snow loads and to remove snow from low branches, gently brush it from the trees instead of shaking limbs which may cause them to break. It is a good idea to remove limbs that may break from snow or ice as damaged trees are more prone to disease.
• Apply wire mesh to the base of young trees.  This will protect against the gnawing teeth of some of our popular wildlife in Ipswich like mice, rabbits, squirrels, vole, etc..

Ask Craig: Is the Fall a good time to plant shrubs and trees?

Did you know that Fall is the best time of the year to plant because it’s the best growing season? A good thing to do in the fall is the planting of perennials, trees and shrubs.

The benefit of planting perrennials, shrubs or trees in the fall is the reduced amount of watering you will need to do.  When you plant something in the spring or early summer, the foliage and root system are actively growing.  This means your plants will need a large amount of water to keep them going and growing.  But when you plant in the Fall, perennials, trees and shrubs are just about dormant.  And, in the winter, the ground remains moist due to snow and rainfall, so it takes the watering labor away from you.

One important thing you can do if you decide to plant in the Fall, is to make sure to provide your plants with a good layer of mulch to help insulate the soil.  This practice helps reduce the chance of heaving from the alternating freezing and thawing of the ground. As written in an article by Missouri Botanical Gardens: “Cold-hardy perennials can be damaged by winter weather. Frost heaving is the usual culprit. Wide temperature fluctuations, with repeated cycles of freezing and thawing, cause the water in the soil to expand and contract. These repeated expansions and contractions push and turn plants and their roots. The result is heaving of the crowns. They are pushed up out of the soil breaking some roots and exposing other roots above soil level. The elevated crowns and roots are exposed to cold temperatures and drying winds. They may be seriously damaged, stunted or killed.“

References:

Missouri Botanical Gardens: “Frost Heaving”. Retrieved from web: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/environmental/winter-injury/frost-heaving.aspx.

Ask Craig: Fall Clean-Up

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Fall truly is one of the coolest times of year (no pun intended) – the leaves are vibrant with color, the weather is changing from sweltering hot to crisp and cool; and we are settling into a season of comfort. Fall also happens to be one of the most important times to keep up with lawn and landscape maintenance.

So, what should fall cleanups include?

Aeration. Whether your lawn is in seemingly good health or in obvious need of care, core aeration is an important aspect of routine lawn maintenance, and fall is a great time to do this! One of the most important fall maintenance jobs you can do for your lawn is core aeration. This encourages deep root growth, giving you a thick beautiful lawn in the springAeration also pairs nicely with over-seeding, so take advantage of the temperate fall weather while it’s here!

De-thatching. Unless you have been raking grass clipping (or mulching them) all summer long, thatch may have built up on your lawn. This can cause real problems if left untreated. Be sure that your lawn maintenance crew is dethatching to give your grass a good chance of thriving.

Fertilize. One of the last things on your landscaping crew’s to-do list should be a good fertilizing treatment right before the first frost. This will give your grass the nutrients it needs to survive the cold winter months ahead.

Leaf removal. Your yard needs a good amount of air and sunlight to maintain good health, so be sure to get the fallen leaves off your lawn. Getting leaves off of the grass before winter strikes is important. If leaves are allowed to remain on the ground, they will choke off the grass by reducing water evaporation. Plus, they can harbor mold and fungus, while also allowing insects to infiltrate the grass and ground. In some cases, diseases from the trees can also be transferred to the ground and grass roots, which can kill your lawn.

Weeding: fall is the perfect time to get rid of those weeds. Tackling weeds now will help make spring work much easier.

Trim up shrubs and trees. Diseased or old and brittle branches often don’t survive the winter, instead breaking off and falling onto your lawn. This can be dangerous for residents, and pose a potential risk to your home as well (especially roofs!). Pruning dead and diseased shrubs and trees will not only will it keep your shrubs and trees looking good, but it will also keep them healthier. Be sure you handle dead branches before a chill sets in, and if the job is too big or too dangerous for you, our experts can always help!

Do some mulching. Young greenery is at quite a bit of risk for the first couple winters they encounter. Laying down a fresh bed of mulch before the chill of winter sets in can insulate them against the cold, and to fight off soil erosion and water runoff problems throughout the season.

Planting spring bulbs. Fall is the perfect time to plant flowers like tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, daylilies, and dahlias.

A “last time” mow. When you’re sure your grass has finished growing for the year, give it one last good mow. This helps to keep your landscape free of catching fallen leaves, and makes the cleanup as the season progresses far easier. It also helps mitigate the risk of disease taking root in fall and contaminating your grass’ roots.

The Benefits of Fall Cleanups:

• Keep your yard looking nice.The landscaping around your home is important to you, and you want your investment to look nice year-round. Doing upkeep in the fall will help make sure your lawn doesn’t have dead patches and that your beds are ready to flourish when spring returns.
• Lessen your workload next spring.Sure, snow will eventually cover up leaves and debris, but it won’t remove them for you. All of that debris will still be there waiting for you next spring and if it has been sitting on your lawn all winter, dead spots can be expected.
• Eliminate the potential for harboring unwanted plant diseases.Fallen leaves and yard debris breed different bacteria and mold that are hard on plants. In addition, this debris can also contain and protect fungus spores and bacteria that can be harmful and potentially fatal to plants. Keeping your landscape and lawn clean will help maintain the quality of your yard for next year.
• Reduce the potential for harboring wintering insects and pests.Many kinds of invasive insects spend their winter underground and in the shelter of fallen leaves and debris that have collected at the base of plants. These piles of leaves and debris create a nice, warm place for them to hide, so doing fall clean ups helps slim down the chance of keeping unwanted pests around for next year.

 How do you get started?

Getting started with fall clean ups is easy!  Contact us and we can talk more about what you’re looking for specifically. We’ll do all the yard work so you can spend your time doing more of the things that you like to do.

Ask Craig: Your Plants During a Heat Wave

You look and see that the leaves on your plants are starting to curl.  You see this when temperatures begin to soar.  Luckily, plants have a natural defense mechanism to survive during a heat wave.  To defend itself and conserve energy, plants will start to fold upon itself.  Hence you see the leaves curling.  Then you see the loss of the plant’s “greenness.” The plant’s color starts to drain.  Then comes the drooping.  BUT, after that, well, there really is no “after that,” because the drooping, caused by an absence of water, means the plant is on its way out.

What Can You DO?

1. Watering: When a heat wave is predicted, deeply water every plant 24-48 hours before the onset. During a dry spell, water your garden either in the evening or first thing in the morning.  It is important not to water the garden in the middle of the day as this teaches the plants to expect moisture during the hottest point of the day.  This, in turn, could cause them to flop.  You also have the additional problem of a high evaporation rate during a heat wave.  Water is best utilized by plants in the early morning, before the sun and heat ramp up.  Watering in the early morning instead of the evening also allows time for foliage to dry, reduces loss to evaporation, and reduces the chance of fungal infections.
2. Mulch: Putting a layer of bark or compost mulch down throughout your borders will provide a damp layer of insulation that will lock in well-needed moisture. It is particularly important to cover any surface roots to stop them from burning. So, top off mulch around root zones to three inches, especially around new plants or transplants.  Remember: If plants and soil are dry going into the heat wave, they’ll have little chance of surviving.
3. Observe: Every day of the heat wave, watch for signs of stress. The first will be leaves curling as the plant begins to conserve water; next, the plant will start losing its green color as photosynthesis declines; then, the plant will begin to droop, as it has exhausted its energy reserves and is able to take up less and less water through its roots. The time between these phases will depend on the type of plant, the intensity of the daytime heat and how cool nights are.
4. Check the moisture in the soil every day:   Put your fingers into the area around the roots (you can also use a soil moisture meter for this).  If the soil feels wet the entire length of your finger, there’s no need to water.  If it’s damp or less, water right away.  Never let the soil dry out completely. Even with careful deep watering, the soil may be dry again the next day, because plants will use a remarkable amount of water just to survive 24 hours. You’re basically providing life support for the plants until the next significant rainfall or until the heat wave breaks.

Should I fertilize my plants to help them during a Heat Wave?

NO!  Never ever fertilize plants during a heat wave.  The lack of nutrients isn’t the pplant’s problem.  Your plants can’t absorb the fertilizer so the fertilizer either runs off or collects in the soil, which may burn the plant when it resumes its normal functions.