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Tree and Shrub Care

Tree and Shrub Care – Certified Plant Professionals

Pruning

We offer pruning services for shrubs and ornamental trees up to 12 feet. We look at pruning as an art. It takes experience, knowledge and skill to properly prune plants. One of the biggest things to remember when pruning is to prune plants at the proper time for them. We get many calls that someones Camelias, Gardenias, Azaleas or Hydrangeas didn’t bloom this year. As we ask questions into when they were pruned last we find out that the buds were pruned off of the plant which results in no flowers for the year. We can help put together a custom pruning plan for you.

Tree Treatments

One of the main reasons for us starting the business is because of our love for healthy trees & shrubs. We are one of only a few companies in the triangle that have both a Certified Arborist & a Certified Plant Professional on staff full time. We here the question regularly of “What’s wrong with my tree?” Or “What’s wrong with my shrubs?”

Some of the common issues with trees and shrubs can be answered via email with a picture of your plant and a description of what you are seeing. Other times may require one of our experts to come out and do an inspection to see what is going on.

Here are some of the most common tree & shrub problems that we deal with:

Gloomy Scale Treatments on Maple Trees

This bug has really been attacking Maples in our area. It is considered an armored scale and it reproduces very aggressively. If you have seen Maple trees with black trunks they are heavily infested. The growth of the tree become stunted and as the bug continues reproducing the tree will eventually start dying from the tips of the limbs down. We have had good success in treating this pest. We stay in contact with some of the lead researchers at NCSU to make sure that we are using the most effective treatments for the health of the tree.

Deep Root Liquid Fertilization

A liquid injection of slow release fertilizer directly into the ground at the depth of the feeder roots. This accomplishes multiple things. First it gives good nutrition directly where the feeder roots are. It also helps loosen the compaction of the soil so the roots can continue developing.

Bagworm Treatments

Bagworms are a huge problem on Evergreen trees and shrubs. They form an ornament shaped cocoon and typically hatch around June 1st in the Triangle. If left untreated they can eat all of the foliage of the Evergreen tree and if an Evergreen doesn’t have any green it dies. Treatment for this pest is best done right after they hatch when the bug is small and most susceptible.

Phytopthora Treatments

Phytophthora is a tough disease and our clay soils make it tougher. This is a fungal disease that literally causes the roots of the tree to rot.

Mites

This is another pest that can really mess up the landscape. There are multiple types and some of them are active in different seasons. Don’t worry we can help monitor your plants and treat as necessary.

Borers

Typically a secondary bug. Meaning your tree is usually stressed by something. Possibly drought stress, construction stress, a lightning strike or something else. The borers pick up on stress scents and attack a tree. They typically bore into a tree and make galleries which can cut through the vascular system of the tree.

Shrub Treatment

Our standard shrub program is a preventative one. Studies have shown if you keep a plant healthy through proper nutrition then it will stay healthy and be less succeptable to disease and insect problems. Our normal preventative program includes a granular, organic fertilization of the shrubs, a Compost Tea foliar treatment in May and a Compost Tea Soil drench in June or July.

Fungal Treatment

While Compost Tea foliar treatments can help minimize fungal activity sometimes you need a little extra help. There are many shrubs in the landscape that are known to have fungal issues and we can help with that.

Japanese Beetle Treatment

This is done on Roses, Crape Myrtles, Japanese Maples, Cherry trees and a few others that are prone to Japanese Beetle problems. This won’t eliminate the beetles, but it will help control them. (please don’t use the traps. That’s a bait that draws them to your property.)

Lace Wings, White Flies and Aphids

All are bugs that help suck the life out of your plants. There are different types of treatments that can really help with controlling the population.

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