Updates and notes from Sunshine Landscaping

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    WINTERIZING EVERGREENS

Winter can be harsh on everyone however, it is extremely hard on newly planted evergreens. Since evergreens, both needle and broadleaf, maintain live foliage through the winter, the foliage continues to lose moisture even when frozen. Long, cold periods with drying winds can dehydrate these new plants. Plants in new subdivisions are even more prone to being dehydrated through the winter than those planted in neighborhoods with many mature plants.

Sudden warm spells when the ground is still frozen, can also be a problem. During these warm spells, the needles of evergreens respond to the warmth by opening their pores. This lets water evaporate, but the roots are only able to draw limited water from the frozen ground. When the roots cannot keep up with the demand, the needles will turn brown and die. Twigs and buds on the ends become brittle and snap easily when bent.

Winter kill or winter desiccation is the term most commonly used to describe plants that are killed or otherwise damaged during the winter months for no apparent reason and it is a common occurrence on plants, especially evergreens. This damage is generally not noticed until spring. The symptoms often include the needles browning either on part of the plant or even the whole plant. In severe cases the needles will turn reddish-brown, and the bark may split or crack, which ultimately leads to the death of the plant. If an evergreen has suffered winter injury, wait until mid-spring before pruning out injured foliage.

The cause of all of this unexpected damage is simply a result of a temperature/water imbalance. As we all know plants transpire water through their foliage and as this moisture leaves the plant, it is constantly being replenished by the roots, which take in water. During the winter months plants go dormant, neither taking in water nor transpiring it. However in the late winter/early spring months when the ground is still frozen and the days begin to become sunny and warm,

So what can we do this time of year to help protect our plants? There are several things that you can do to help your evergreens survive the winter weather. The first thing would be to consider applying an anti-desiccant/ anti-transpirant. These products come under several different names such as Wilt-pruf, Vapor Guard and Transfilm. They create a waxy coating on the foliage which reduces water loss during warm and windy winter days. This practice can help considerably if it is done properly.

The product can be sprayed in late winter/early spring when the temperatures allow it, generally 40 degrees. Since most of our winter-burn actually occurs in March when the temperatures are above freezing but the soil is still frozen, the product will need to be reapplied during our spring thaw. You will also want to make sure that both sides of the needle surface as well as the trunk and stems are covered thoroughly and that it is done early enough in the day, preferably a sunny day, so that the material can dry properly.

The use of this material will seal the plant and reduce excessive amounts of moisture from being lost due to transpiration on those warm, sunny winter days. Make sure that you read and follow the label recommendations when applying these chemicals. Some anti-desiccant/anti-transpirant can become phytotoxic and do more damage to the plant then winter-burn.

The second thing is to provide additional protection for your plants by screening them with some type of material such as burlap or lath fencing to break the winter winds. This can help immensely, but in many instances it can be rather unsightly looking, especially if it is done in a hodge-podge manner. Use sturdy stakes that are a couple of feet longer than the plant is high. Place the stakes in the ground before the ground freezes.

You can either use a ‘V'-shaped screen or a flat screen depending on how many evergreens were planted. To shield your plants, simply place stakes around the plant or plants (at least on the windward side) and nail, staple or tie material like burlap or wire fencing to the stakes. Both fencing and burlap can be purchased in rolls. Whatever you do, never use plastic. Plastic not only stops all air circulation around the plant, but on a warm, sunny day your plants may end up cooking.

Some evergreens such as arborvitae and Alberta dwarf spruce are very susceptible to winterburn and even winter-kill when exposed to winter sun and wind.  To prevent this desiccation injury, and splitting under heavy snow loading, these evergreens can be wrapped with burlap and tied with twine.  Obviously this does not lend itself to an attractive winter display but it does increase winter survival. The wrap should be removed in early April.

Don't forget about protecting your trees from rabbits and mice. Rabbits and mice may begin to nibble on newly planted trees and shrubs this time of year. Protect young trees by putting plastic tree guards around the bottom of their trunks. Make sure the tree guards go high enough - over the snow line. (I always remove them in the spring because it looks better and then I don't have the problem of the guards trapping moisture against the bark in the summer and attracting insects.)

 

Snow Management Tips

 

While we enjoy the Indian Summer weather this November the winter weather will be here before long and being prepares is the key to successfully managing snow and ice events.  We received our first call for a new snowplowing contract back in August, so we have been working on our winter preparedness for several months now.  Once the snow starts falling our goal is to return our customers to black pavement and safe surfaces as quickly as possible.  This is easier when the sun cooperates and helps us out, otherwise we need to use chemicals to melt the slippery surfaces.  The biggest challenge is trying to decide how to manage the staff and equipment during the storm to best service each account.  Weather forecasts are difficult to predict for snowstorms and even tougher to predict what will happen when freezing rain is falling. 

While it is near impossible to figure out before the storm what will actually happen, once the storm ends, our crews work diligently to move the snow out of the way and make it easier to move around in the winter.  The number one goal is to move or scrap the snow out of the way.  Sometimes the snow is packed down by cars and foot traffic; this makes it much more difficult to scrap the snow off the surface once the bond forms between the snow and pavement.  We use a variety of chemicals to melt the packed snow and as it turns to liquid it runs off or if there is a lot of slush it will need to be plowed for best results.  Each storm requires a different mix of chemicals and physically removing the snow in order to get the job done.

With over twenty years of snow removal experience, I recommend property owners first try to plow, shovel or scrap off the snow before it is compacted.  Physically removing the snow is the best method for returning surfaces to safe conditions. Sleet and ice storms are much more difficult to clean-up after as they are difficult to shovel.  Having  a supply of salt stored on site to use at their discretion is a good idea to de-ice the pavement and melt slippery surfaces as needed.  Be careful not to overuse these chemicals as they will get tracked into the home, damage the lawn or get into storm water drains when they are over applied.

Snow Plowing and Snow and Ice Management Services

 

 

 

Late Summer Lawn Care Tips for the Rainy 2009 Worcester Season

 

 

Summer usually means heat and drought stress here in the Central Worcester area.  Over 10 inches of rain in July of 2009 changed the stress factors affecting lawns.  Irrigation hasn't been a problem; it has been getting the lawn to drain this summer that is more important.  Fungus problems occur when the lawn is wet for more than 6-8 hours.  This has been ideal weather for diseases like Red Thread, Pink Patch and Leaf Spot.  Fortunately these diseases do not affect the crown of the turf plant; it is just the leaves that turn brown.  Therefore, with favorable weather changes the grass starts growing again and the lawn recovers.  As the August temperatures are forecast to be above 80 degrees, the recommendation for treating Red Thread disease is to spoon feed the lawn with fertilizer to help the lawn outgrow the symptoms of the disease.  Turf managers who decide to treat Red Thread can use fungicides such as Prostar or Hertiage, which have proven to be far better in UMass field tests.

Lawn Care Tips for mowing and maintaining summer turf.

Raising the height of cut during the summer helps the grass plant have more leaf area to produce food, helps the roots system grow deeper into the soil and helps shade the soil which can reduce the amount of weeds that are able to germinate.  Mowing heights between 3-4 inches are recommended in the Summer especially for non-irrigated turf.   Having a sharp blade on the mower effects the overall quality of the turf and makes it easier for the mower, saving wear and tear.  Dull blades can rip and shred the leaf, leaving a larger surface area for diseases to enter the turf plant.  Sharp blades do a better job of mulching the clippings and returning them to the soil where they are able to compost in the lawn.

Consider Seeding and Liming. 

If you aren't happy with your lawn's appearance this summer, plan now to seed around Labor Day.  Late summer is the best time of year to seed since the soil is still warm and temperatures are cooler. More frequent rainfall usually occurs and the grass and roots develop during the Fall and Spring growing seasons before it has to go through the heat of the summer.  Consider introducing new grass varieties to your lawn that will have more disease resistance.  Using several different varieties will mix up the turf in your lawn so if one type is not doing well the others should be performing better.  Remember to use lime when seeding as grass does better when the pH is optimum, in the 6.5 range.

 

Enjoy your summer now that the rain appears to have let up a bit.

Grub Control: Are Skunks Feeding on the Grubs in Your Yard?

 

In UMass's turf update, they revealed the connection between skunks on your lawn and grubs in your turf: 

What are the grubs doing? We were poking around on a couple golf courses yesterday and noticed a few white grubs nearing the root zone. The ones we saw were all about one or two inches beneath the thatch (and happened to be either Japanese beetles or oriental beetles). The soil temperature was about 46 degrees at a depth of four inches, so the soil was still pretty cool. All of the grubs appeared to be that creamy- yellow color that indicates they have not yet resumed feeding, but if we get some more days like we are enjoying today (2 April), I expect them to start feeding again very soon. Watch for new skunk or raccoon or crow activity as those grubs get back up toward the surface.

Is there anything we can do to discourage the skunks? My colleague at Ohio State, Dr. Dave Shetlar, reports that broadcast applications of Milorganite^TM have been shown to discourage skunk activity in some situations. Apparently there is something in the product that encourages the skunks to "move on" and bother somebody else. I am not sure of the rates, but for some of you it might be worth a try.

Do you have a grub control problem in your yard?

Tips for Healthy Lawn Care

 

  A good balanced nutritional lawn care program is only one essential part in the establishment and maintenance of a healthy lawn.  The other necessary factors regarding proper maintenance are proper watering, and frequent mowing with a sharp mower blade at 2" to 4" cutting height.  All of these are needed for optimum results to maintain a lush green lawn. Conserving water requires the intelligent use of this precious resource. Plan now to calibrate your irrigation system to ensure that water is evenly distributed to the lawn and avoid excessive run-off.  Timing watering for early morning will avoid the high evaporation that occurs during mid-day and disease can occur when lawns are watered and remain wet during the evening.

 We can also provide additional services to ensure the health of your lawn, such as: seeding, organic soil treatments, thatching or aerating and mowing, please call if you require any of these services. 

Recapping January Winter Storms 2009

 

The constant flow of winter weather through Central New England certainly tests our ability to deliver outstanding snow and ice management results for your property. There is still ice out there from the January 7th sleet and ice storm that took us many days to service. This leaves us little time to get properly prepared for the next storm. While we have back-up trucks and equipment to fill in as others need repair, it's a constant struggle to keep everything operating effectively and repaired between storms. This means we are always switching to plan B or plan C. The reality is that's what the snow business is about and dealing with the situation professionally is our responsibility.

I made the mistake of thinking that my cell phone would work in our time-share condo in Vermont but with the switch to digital service the signal was not as strong as the analog service was. I apologize for my message box being full during the week of the 18th. Now, I know to have my calls forwarded so you can get a live voice with concerns during the storm. I have a lot of time to fix that communication problem before next year's vacation.

Since every storm is different, it is challenging to plan the service for storms that don't want to behave the way the weather forecasters have predicted. Sometimes we get ready for a storm and nothing happens, other times a lot more comes than we are expecting. The rain-snow line adds an extremely challenging part to the decision making. On Wednesday the 28th, we got up at 3:00 am and nothing had happened, we checked again at 4:00 and 5:00 before we got an inch of snow and needed to get the commercial locationsgj on the route ready for the day. Freezing rain in the afternoon changed our direction, trying to leave the snow on the ground so the ice accretion would form on the snow and we could clean it up later. There was a small window that evening to get the slush up as temperatures dropped below freezing after the rain stopped. Everywhere I looked the surfaces have been icy this week.

The January 7th ice and sleet storm created similar problems, freezing quickly and being extremely heavy to shovel and get down to bare surfaces. Salt and calcium are the best tools for battling this kind of frozen slop. It is an exhausting challenge for the crews, often working all day, getting little sleep and being back at it the next day, as we try to get you the bare driveway and walkway surfaces you deserve. Then once the snow removal work is accomplished, the equipment needs cleaning and repair so we can be ready to do it again.

The weather forecast for early February is for warmer weather, a late January thaw? Once the jet stream changes the storms start going north or south of us, until the jet stream zeros in on us again, for another round of winter storms. The sun is getting higher in the sky and days are getting longer, sports casters are talking about two weeks until pitchers and catchers report, signs that spring is on the way.