Plant Health Care

What is Plant Health Care?

Plant Health Care(PHC) is a holistic approach to plant care that focuses on the health and growth of plants. The objective of our PHC department is to maintain or improve the landscape’s appearance & vitality using the most cost-effective and environmentally sensitive practices available. Our whole Plant Health Care program is based on you, the client and your need for a healthy, vigorous landscape by noting actual or potential causes of plant stress; maintaining plant performance through proper cultural practices; investigating the landscape through monitoring; identifying and treating problems.

Do you practice IPM (Integrated Pest Management)?

All our programs use this as a basis for pest control. Integrated pest management (IPM) involves combining chemical treatments, cultural practices, and biological controls to manage pests at a level that will show indistinguishable damage and not impact the health of plants. We use a combination of scouting for pests, insect trapping, susceptibility of plants to insects and disease, and the use of Growing Degree Days (GDD). No matter how strange our weather is, these relationships among the plants/pests remain the same year to year. GDD is is a way of predicting when these events will be coming. This allows us to time our pest scouting and control treatments at the optimum timing and maximize our control.

My trees and shrubs just do not appear healthy, what do I do?

Just as in human medicine, proper treatment begins with diagnosis. Because of the complexity of these problems, professional help is recommended when trying to diagnose a plant health problem. It may be that some of the leaves are discolored, a branch has died, or perhaps the entire tree has been dropping leaves. Sometimes the cause of concern is a minor problem that is easily explained and corrected. Other times the problem is more complex, with several underlying causes and a remedy that requires treatments extending over a longer period.

My tree seems to be having a disease and/or insect problem. How do I know if it needs treatment?

Certain trees are susceptible to certain diseases and insect problems. Sometimes what appears to be a disease is actually caused by other problems such as construction damage. Sometimes the real problem is that the tree has been weakened and/or is in decline due to a number of causes. The disease or insect is merely taking advantage of an “easy mark” since the tree has weak defenses. In this case, the overall health of the tree must be addressed, otherwise infections and infestations will continue.

What will a Plant Health Care Program cost?

Because each program is individually designed to fit the needs of a particular landscape, no standard price can be given without a site visit and assessment. You may have an interest in developing a plan for a few key trees in your landscape or you may wish to have your entire landscape placed on a program. Plant Health Care programs can also be structured in different ways. For example, some programs charge a fee for each separate treatment. Other programs cover all monitoring visits for the season as well as many potential treatments. These more comprehensive programs provide the peace of mind in knowing that treatment for most potential problems are already covered by the program without additional charges. You will find that our arborist can design a Plant Health Care program that fits your goals and budget.

Should I fertilize my trees & shrubs?

Trees and shrubs often require fertilization at some point in their life span. Remember, most trees’ natural environment is the forest. There nutrients are continually recycled as leaves and other plant, and even animal material, fall and decompose on the forest ground. When you put a tree in a landscape setting it is usually deprived of these nutrients. Our program is naturally based containing both necessary nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. We utilize Deep Root Fertilization, a process where the materials are directly injected to the root zone, which also helps aerate and provide much needed oxygen to the root system.

Do you offer Organic Programs?

Yes, we do and we encourage this approach. We are a Certified Organic Landscaper by the Grassroots Healthy Lawn Program & have an Accredited Organic LandCare Professional on staff. Whatever approach you choose rest assured that we choose the safest options and materials; use the latest equipment and that all applicators on your property are certified by the NYS DEC.