Winter Landscape Protection

Plants can be damaged over the winter by many factors.  These include direct injury from plant parts freezing, injury from desiccation, sunscald, ice, snow & wind breakage, salt injury, frost heaving and more.  Damaged plant parts dry out, die or become diseased; ultimately, the whole plant may die. Preventative health care goes a long way for plants in the landscape. Plants that are properly maintained throughout the year--and that means proper pruning, watering and fertilizing--should be better candidates for winter survival. Selecting plants that are appropriate for the site, recognizing plant hardiness and the site's conditions are also important factors to consider. Let's look at how these conditions affect plants and, most importantly, how you can protect your plants from winter's wrath.  Practice preventative health care for your plants, like an “apple a day”' philosophy.  Take care to pamper you plants this fall especially coming off a summer drought which has already stressed plants.  The best care and intentions cannot eliminate all injury, but it can be minimized.

Deep Root Fertilizations

Plants require essential soil nutrients and organisms to grow and thrive. Plants established in forests have access to sufficient amounts of these nutrients and organisms, while most landscape and urban trees and plants do not. The goal of our sustainable fertility and plant health care programs is to simulate a favorable soil environment for plants and beneficial organisms, assisting plants in obtaining moisture and nutrients, helping resist drought, and fight off a variety of pests including weeds, diseases, and insects.

Our Deep Root Fertilizations directly inject natural and organic based fertilizers into the root zone. Ongoing deep root fertilization programs improve the oxygen content, microbial activity, and nutrient levels within the soil, leading to improved environmental conditions around and within the root zone. This builds a healthy plant from the ground up, which is the backbone of our plant health care program. All fertilization is performed in accordance with ANSI (American National Standards Institute) parameters for the care and maintenance of plants.

Anti-desiccant Applications

Damage to evergreens and other plants from the winter months is caused by desiccation of the leaves and needles and death of leaf tissue results. In winter, bright sun, wind, and air temperatures above freezing coax water from leaves. Excessive salt causes widespread damage to trees, depositing on the stems, buds and roots of trees. This causes disfigured foliage, stunted growth and severe decline in tree health. Applying an anti-desiccant as a preventive measure creates a barrier over the pores in the leaf that allow the plant to breath but reduce water loss. An anti-desiccant applied to your trees, shrubs and sensitive plants in the fall & winter months will help prevent the damaging effects of winterkill and salt spray injury. This is also vital to newly installed shrubs that were not established prior to harsh winter conditions. Another use is when transplanting trees and shrubs to guard against transplant shock and sun scald. Even during the growing season, a plant might not be able to keep up with water lost through its leaves and could benefit from protection. Bare-rooted or balled and burlaped trees, for instance, lose roots during transplanting so they have trouble replacing water, even in moist soil.

Property Assessment and Care

We take a sustainable approach to Plant Health Care (PHC). Sustainable PHC is a holistic and comprehensive program, which considers the intertwined web of life. Any successful sustainable plant health care program includes the cultural practices of pruning, watering, mulching, soil and sanitation. These practices are vital to the health and development of your landscape. All aspects that influence the health of your landscape are taken into account before any program is initiated. Although plants are adapted to living in stressful conditions in nature, many times the stresses they experience in the landscape are more than they can handle and this makes them more susceptible to insects and diseases. In turn, your landscape aesthetics directly reflect on the plants health.

Soil Analysis, Reports and Recommendations

Before initiation of a Plant Health Care or Lawn Care program we highly encourage that soil samples be taken in each turf and planting area. This gives us a basis upon which to build upon. Soil analysis from acidity to nutrient content to microrganism activity are available. When plants and trees do not exhibit normal growth analysis can often be used to accurately diagnose the underlying condition.

Tree and Shrub Diagnostics

An expert arborist will make a diagnostic visit to your property to address problems observed and potentially damaging to your landscape. A report with our findings and specific recommendations will be submitted. This is especially useful when first acquiring a property, whether commercial or residential. Proper care is based on having knowledge of the highly varied conditions site to site. A diagnostic visit can be performed to stop problems before they start and to mitigate any problems observed.

Plant Health Care Visits (Insect & Disease Control)

These are targeted applications of insecticides and fungicides to control or suppress specific insects and diseases. This is based on prior scouting and history of the property and plants. The timing of these applications is done in accordance with Cornell University’s Pest Management Guidelines. Damage and destruction caused by insects and diseases can severely limit the ability of the trees and shrubs in your landscape to manufacture the sugars and substances needed to remain healthy and beautiful. Our targeted Plant Health Care programs for trees and shrubs manage the spread of harmful insects and potentially devastating diseases. We use the safest materials possible while still protecting your precious landscape.

Tick Control

Tick control is important for protecting your family and pets from exposure to Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis disease infected ticks. On Long Island, we have two main species of ticks, the Deer Tick and the Lone Star tick. The Lone Star tick is more of a concern than Deer Ticks because it can detect a host, including humans, at a distance. We advocate deer tick control treatments in May and again in September as a minimum. However, ticks are carried into your landscape by animals such as small rodents and deer all season. Monthly treatments will further reduce the tick population and should be considered along high-risk areas and/or where children play. We have various techniques and materials, including organic solutions, at our disposal.

Mosquito Control

Mosquitoes transmit both Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus and West Nile virus (WNV); these cause human, equine and avian illness. Of course, their annoying presence and the resulting itchy skin reaction is enough to want to gain control. There is nothing worse than sitting outside on a beautiful night and being swarmed by mosquitoes. Our treatments provide immediate control of airborne adult mosquito populations. Treatments will not completely eliminate the pest population but they do dramatically reduce the numbers. Depending on your property usage, pest populations and weather conditions, application schedules can vary from once per month to weekly.  Mosquito treatments also generally control tick populations. There are both organic and synthetic control products available; we can tailor a program for your property and your needs.

Tree Microinjections

Microinjection is a technique that allows the direct introduction of materials, such as antibiotics, fungicides, insecticides and mineral nutrients into a tree without spraying. Microinjection is a type of trunk injection where small amounts of therapeutic chemicals, contained in sealed capsules, are injected into the trunk around the base of a tree. The injected chemicals are then distributed systemically by sap movement within the tree to the branches, leaves and even roots, within a few hours after injection. Tree microinjection sets a new standard for economical and environmentally safe tree health care. Microinjection provides a 21st century pest control alternative to foliar spraying. Spraying a tree canopy can be especially difficult in some conditions such as areas of high wind, very large trees or areas bordering water bodies. Microinjection offers the ability to treat trees where spraying is not practical. By injecting either a pest control product or nutrients directly into the tree's vascular system we can manage pest populations without spraying and fertilize trees without depending on root function. Certain diseases and pests are most effectively and safely applied with this technique. We are well qualified and specifically trained to perform these technical treatments. We will let you know when we think that this is the best solution for your trees.

Property Monitoring

We utilize Integrated pest management (IPM) as a basis for all our pest management.

One of its keys is monitoring; the regular inspection of trees and plants to detect the presence of damaging insects, diseases, or adverse abiotic conditions and it ensures early detection of problems. Our Certified Arborists and technicians are continuously trained in the diagnosis of damaging insects, diseases and deficiencies. Each monitoring visit to a client's property includes a site evaluation of landscape plantings. Treatments are applied by prescription only if needed and are timed to the period of greatest effectiveness. The client receives a report detailing findings and treatments.

All our treatments utilize the safest products to people, pets and the environment. We choose environmentally friendly, low toxicity products such as Horticultural Oils, Insecticidal Soaps, and Botanical Oils and materials that are designated by the US EPA as “reduced risk” products. These new, rigorously tested materials have very low toxicity and little environmental impact, while still being highly effective.

Organic Landscape Care

We understand and appreciate environmental concerns. We strive to insure that all the programs we use are safe and without negative effects, having instead positive ones. The basis of all our programs is holistic, taking all aspects of your landscape into consideration. Our organic programs can achieve a healthy, pest-free landscape using the latest scientific developments in organic agriculture and horticulture. Organic care is a system that does not use synthetic (i.e., artificially produced) pesticides or fertilizers and that emphasizes soil health and natural cycles. It is much more than just the spraying of natural products. More than on any other factor, it focuses on building healthy soil, filled with a diversity of living things as its basis, healthy soils equal healthy plants. When plants do need any treatments for pests, only naturally derived materials are used. We have extensive experience in organic, natural care ranging from initial design and planting, to maintenance practices, to pest management.

Orchard Care

Managing a home orchard at a high level takes experience and knowledge. We have gained a reputation for this by delivering both healthy, aesthetically beautiful trees and high quality edible fruits. Our orchard specialist has well over 10 years experience working with both large commercial farms and home orchards. Programs are individually designed based on your needs, types of fruits planted and situation. We will deliver beautiful trees and luscious fruit.

Bark Beetle Control

Black Turpentine Beetles have become a serious pest of Pine trees on Long Island. These Beetles attack Scots, Pitch and healthy Japanese Black Pine. The Black Turpentine Beetle adult bores through the tree bark and the tree rapidly declines in vigor and death of the tree occurring as early as 2 or 3 months after the initial attack. Weak trees are highly susceptible and Deep Root Fertilization is important in maintaining a healthy Pine. There are no curative treatments, only preventative. Besides fertilization, one is a specialized trunk spray and the other is a direct injection of material into the tree itself. If you have Pines, especially valued Black Pines, on your property they should be evaluated right away. Any freshly killed tree must be removed immediately from the site, stump and all, or the Beetle will quickly spread to previously unaffected trees.

Vole (Meadow and Pine Mouse) Control

Voles are active day and night, year-round. Meadow Voles are common in grassy areas including lawns. The voles girdle plants, chew-off vegetation and bark, and eat flower bulbs. The Pine Vole has extensive underground tunnel systems and damages roots of woody plants. High populations of these rodents can wreak havoc on a landscape. By properly locating baited stations out of view, and pinning them to the soil, voles can be effectively managed. We are often asked about using repellants for Voles, which have shown poor results at best. Vibrating, electromagnetic and ultrasonic devices have shown to be ineffective for Voles, Moles and Deer in many different University studies. The bait technique is the most effective way to manage vole infestations.

Mole Control

Mole activity can cause considerable damage to lawns. This damage is usually in the form of tunnels and mounds in lawn that can be unsightly, destroy root systems, and provides a tripping hazard. Most believe in remedies such as razor blades, mothballs, vibrators, ultrasonic devices, castor oil, and grain baits, but these have no value in controlling moles. Another example is trying to control lawn grubs to reduce mole activity. Our predominate mole species (Star-nosed mole’s), primary food source is earthworms, making this fail as well. Only two methods have been proven effective; Baiting and Trapping.  We use a bait system with a mole bait designed, developed and proven to kill moles.  Trapping is highly effective with careful placement and proper monitoring.  We will find the best method to control your mole problem.

Deer Repellents

Watching deer strolling along your property is one of natures more enjoyable scenes. Unfortunately, these beautiful and peaceful animals can cause irreparable damage to your trees, shrubs and flowerbeds. Many of the most popular landscaping plants are highly palatable for deer because of their highly nutritional value, accessibility, and the tender new growth they provide. Your most precious landscape can be severely damaged in a few days if not protected. Deer repellents can be an effective means of protecting your landscape without installing expensive, cumbersome and unsightly deer fencing. We offer multiple varieties of applications depending what your needs are and the surrounding deer population. These applications consist of both an odor and taste, which deters these animals from feeding.

Gypsy Moth/Cankerworm Control

These are carefully timed treatments using organic or “reduced risk” products and our specialized equipment allowing for reaching tops of tall trees. Gypsy Moths and Cankerworms can defoliate your trees in a short time, not to mention the annoying webbing and insect feces everywhere. We can stop these pests from both being a nuisance and damaging your trees.