Winter Spray for a Great Spring Lawn

Posted November 8, 2018

How a pre-winter spray can give you a great looking spring!

If your shrubs and trees had a hard spring and summer—whether it was from pests and diseases, such as fungal diseases, or burrowing insects that damaged fruit trees and other garden plants—you may want to consider dormant winter spray treatments.

Dormant spray is an umbrella term that covers treatments such as horticultural oil, which smother hibernating insects—such as aphids, mites, scale—as well as their eggs.

Another type of dormant spray uses either synthetic fungicides or copper and to treat fruit and flower bearing trees and shrubs. This treatment gives your plants a head start into spring.

Sometimes, liquid lime-sulfur will be used on smaller fruit plants such as blueberries or blackberries to kill fungus and bacteria.

Dormant spray application should be after the growing season, but before the weather drops below 40 degrees. While a pre-winter treatment will suppress spring pests, it may not fully control them. Schedule regular treatments throughout the year may be necessary for the optimal health of your plants.

Common sprays may include:

A fixed copper fungicide containing elemental copper, such as tribasic copper sulfate, copper oxychloride sulfate or cupric hydroxide

Neem oil from the seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica )

Lime-sulfur is a mixture of hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) and sulfur

An important step to secure the health of their trees and shrubs that may be forgotten by homeowners, whether or not they choose to treat with a dormant spray is maintaining good housekeeping of their plants.

Remove fallen leaves from the base of plants to prevent pests from laying eggs, or hibernating for the winter. The leaves can contaminate adjacent plants, thus hampering success in disease control efforts.

An important step to securing the health of your trees and shrubs that is often forgotten—whether or not you choose to treat with a dormant spray—is maintaining good housekeeping of your plants.

Tree Trimming: When is the Best Time?

Posted October 15, 2018

Without tree trimming falling tree branches can cause serious injuries

A tall tree without proper tree trimming can actually cause a lot of damage!

While tree trimming is important for the look and health of your trees, knowing when to trim is important too.

Both shrubs and trees require regular trimming to maintain their looks and health. In addition, practicing regular tree trimming can help prevent problems during inclement weather. During a storm, weak or damaged limbs can break off and damage your home, or even injure someone.

High and large branches require a professional tree trimming service. These tasks can be extremely dangerous and can result in damage to, or even death of, the tree. A reputable company such as Aronica Plant Healthcare will have professional arborists on staff; who will consult with you about which sections we can safely remove from the tree.

While professionals are definitely necessary for heavy tree work, there are a few jobs you can do on your own. As long as you do them at the right time of the year.

Evergreen Tree Trimming

You, or an Aronica specialist, can prune evergreens, non-blooming trees, and shrubs in late winter while they are fully dormant. If you require smaller shaping, you can do that any time of year. For larger cuttings, waiting for winter is best.

Summer Blooming Trees

Summer blooming trees and hedges should be pruned in late winter, and spring blooming plants should be pruned right after they’re finished blooming. Otherwise, you risk losing buds they are setting for the next year, as they set those immediately following their blooming cycle.

The trimming of small branches (those that can be cut with a hand lopper) or the shaping of hedges can be a year-round activity. Most importantly, for those of us who live on Long Island, removing weakened branches—during early spring before hurricane season and late autumn before winter storm season—is important. Removing weakened branches before the whole tree suffers an injury in a summer or winter storm could be vital to the survival of the tree.

For more information or for a professional consultation with Aronica please visit our website’s contact page: https://aronicaplanthealthcare.com/contact-us.php or call 631.928.9000

Should I Spray My Yard for Ticks to Stop Lyme Disease?

Posted September 26, 2018

Ticks can be a danger to you and your family. Stay safe from Lyme Disease

The tick population across suburban areas of Long Island has exploded this year. Many residents are wondering why there are so many ticks, and what they should do about it.

To find out where the ticks are coming from, take a look on the ground.

In addition to the abundance of ticks, you’ve probably noticed an abundance of nuts and acorns. Well, those nuts are great news for small mammals like squirrels, mice, and rats. Those animals are where ticks get most of their meals.

Rather than deer, small rodents are actually one of the biggest issues when it comes to disease-spreading ticks, and it’s those smaller animals that bring the ticks onto your property. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more tick-borne illnesses in New York since 2004 than in almost any other state in the U.S.

Because of worries about diseases such as Lyme, Babesiosis, Chikungunya…etc people often ask us whether spraying for ticks is an effective solution and whether it can help stop Lyme Disease.

The good news is, yes, they are!

Aronica Plant Healthcare offers a spray that is not only safe for your family and pets but also has no harmful effects on beneficial insects such as bees.

For effective tick prevention, have your property treated every 6-8 weeks from early spring to late fall. Ticks remain active all the way through the first hard freeze, so it’s important to keep up with treatments—particularly since deer and small mammals are very active all the way through fall. Call today to get your yard sprayed for ticks, so you can rest easier when you play in your yard tomorrow!

Watering your plants is an art. Are you doing it right?

Posted July 30, 2018

Farmer’s hand watering a young plant

Everyone loves a deep green lawn, and big, colorful blooms on their flowers but if you’re not watering just the right way, you could end up with a brown lawn and drooping flowers.

If you’re ready to have the best-looking yard on the block, just follow these temperature related watering tips, and your plants will reward you with a beautiful view!

When the weather is from 65-75 degrees:

General lawn care:

During mild temperatures, your lawn needs about 1 to 1 1/4 inches of water a week. During the spring, if there are several days of above average temperatures with no rain, this means that your irrigation system should be turned on for at least once a day for a half hour to 45 minutes.

(Remember, this is only a general irrigation guide. If your lawn has more areas of shade, or if you have clay soil where drainage is poor, you should visually monitor the turf and adjust your watering accordingly.)

Watering when the weather is from 75° to 85°

If there hasn’t been any significant rainfall, irrigation should consist of 1 to 1.5 hours of watering, twice a week.

Temperatures 85° and above

If there hasn’t been any significant rainfall, irrigation should consist of 1 to 1.5 hours of watering twice a week, plus daily syringing. Syringing is when you give the lawn an extra soak for 15 minutes during the hottest portion of the day. These short watering sessions will help the grass cool itself and maintain its vigor.

No matter the weather, trees, shrubs, and gardens also have a few rules.

For newly planted trees/shrubs: Smaller trees and shrubs should receive a few inches of water every two weeks for the first three years as their roots grow, and they adjust to their new environments. Bigger and more established trees will fine with just natural rainfall (larger more established trees will make do with rainfall).

Garden beds (trees, shrubs, perennials): Need one inch of water a week.

Vegetable gardens: Need one and a half to two inches of water a week (in extremely hot weather, check for drooping and give a bit of extra water.)

Bagworms?

Posted June 21, 2018

It usually starts in the spring. One day, you’ll go outside and suddenly you’ll notice large, grey bags made of thick webbing hanging in your trees. If you’re lucky, it’s just one, but sometimes it’ll be dozens spread across your yard. If you look closely, you’ll see hundreds of wriggling caterpillars inside, just waiting to get out. They’re bagworms, and they can destroy your trees in a single season.

What exactly are bagworms? Bagworms are actually not worms, rather, they are caterpillars which will eventually grow into a moth. A female bagworm moth can lay up to a thousand eggs into the bag she has created. The eggs will remain in the bag until they hatch into caterpillars. After hatching, they will escape the bag, and begin eating anything they come across. On a windy day, the caterpillars can be blown to other trees and shrubs, which can spread the infestation. Eventually, they will grow into moths. Female bagworm moths cannot fly. They stay in place and weave a bag for the next generation, and males fly off to help spread the infestation.

Bagworms are ravenous eaters and can destroy trees, bushes, flowers, and even gardens. They eat almost any arborvitae but will also eat maple, boxelder, willow, black locust, poplar, oak, apple, cherry, persimmon and just about anything with green leafy leaves. While a single bagworm infestation may not kill a large and established tree, it can significantly weaken it, leaving it susceptible to disease and further bug infestations. For smaller shrubs and newly planted trees, a bagworm infestation can be a death sentence. Bagworms can do thousands of dollars in damage to your landscaping over just a few weeks.

Bagworms can be difficult to treat because in their pupae stage when most people first notice the infestation, they are not susceptible to treatment because their “bag” (actually a cocoon) protects them from chemical applications. However, catching them just when they emerge is tricky, and if you miss that moment, you’ll have a hard time ensuring that you’ve treated all of the caterpillars.

Bagworms can have up to two seasons per summer, depending on whether or not they were laid early enough in the spring, so multiple applications of treatment may be necessary throughout the season, particularly if you don’t have experience with this type of treatment.

Your best bet if you notice bagworms in your trees, or even close to your property, is to call in a professional to have the situation assessed and a treatment plan created that works specifically for you and the needs of your property. Certain landscape treatment companies, such as Aronica Plant Healthcare even offer organic options that can be used for bagworm treatment, but early treatment is key to the health of the plants in your yard.

If you suspect bagworm or any other insect infestation in your yard, give Aronica Plant Healthcare a call today. They’ll make sure your plants are protected from bagworms and other pests that can ruin your summer.

Ticks Are Here!

Posted May 30, 2018

If you’re online and on Facebook, you’ve seen the posts from your friends and neighbors about the severity of the tick problem this year. In most years, you don’t hear about ticks until June, but this year looks like ticks are an issue we’ll all have to deal with.

So, what can you do to keep your family safe from ticks, and the diseases they carry?

First, know your friends! If you see opossums in your yard, don’t chase them off, welcome them! Opossums are nature’s tick vacuums, eating thousands of ticks, and helping to keep your yard safer.

Likewise, owls, snakes, and frogs and foxes can also help, as they eat the small mammals that bring the ticks in.

Second, create a tick-safe landscape for your property. This includes:

•Getting rid of leaf litter, and ensuring that your grass is clipped short around your home.

•Utilize wood chips or gravel between your lawn and open or wooded area to restrict the migration of ticks between these zones.

•Maintain the area around bird feeders. Loose seed attracts rats and mice which are major carriers for ticks.

•Keep children’s play equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees, ticks can even drop down from branches!

You can also call a reputable landscape company to ensure that your landscape design is as friendly to people (and unfriendly to ticks!) as possible and to apply a tick-repellant spray to your yard.

The latest generation of tick-repellants is safe, effective, and environmentally friendly. For families with children and outdoor pets, a regular schedule of tick spraying can be a literal lifesaver.

If you’re interested in looking into tick-free landscaping options or setting up a tick spraying schedule for your property, call or visit Aronica Plant Healthcare today!

Spring Is The Best Time To Aerate

Posted April 25, 2018

Aeration is a crucial part of any lawn care regimen. It is important to aerate as spring begins so your grassroots can not only survive but thrive in the hot weather. If not properly aerated; water, grass seed—and even air—will have difficulty penetrating the soil. As time passes the ground becomes more compacted, limiting the space in which those vital nutrients can be absorbed. Organic debris beneath the topsoil can also limit the potential of your yard. The process of aeration requires poking holes in the ground to allow nutrients, air, and water to seep into the soil. The openings in the yard allow the roots to strengthen and grow.

Things to consider when asking if your yard should be aerated:

Does my lawn endure heavy use?

If your yard is a heavily trafficked area the soil compaction could be significant. Even small children or pets could have a large effect on your yard.

Does my lawn or garden feel spongy or dry out easily?

These symptoms, along with bare patches, might be a sign that your yard is suffering from excess thatch. Thatch is the accumulation of organic matter underneath the topsoil. Thatch could be formed by roots or stems of undesirable plants, like weeds. Thatch buildup could be caused by acidic soil, certain fungicides, or even over application of nitrogen-based fertilizers.

Are there large puddles forming when you water the lawn?

Puddles, large or small, could be a sign that your yard is in need of core aeration. If the water is unable to penetrate the soil it could leave your plants and grass malnourished.

Have you recently, or ever, aerated your yard before?

Over time your soil does begin to layer. Soil layering is when the finer soil is layered over the coarser soil. Our aeration equipment will reshuffle the compacted soil shifting and moving the particles so they may realign.

To make your yard the best it can be it is important to take the time necessary to care for it. We know it can be difficult to find the time with work and social commitments but we are here to help. The professionals at Aronica Plant Healthcare will bring your lawn back using our lawn maintenance expertise.

Pest Prevention – The Green Way

Posted March 26, 2018

The East End of Long Island is lush and bucolic, which also makes it the perfect setting for pests. The twin forks abound with trees, grass, and plants, exactly where the dreaded tick and troublesome mosquito take up residence. Usually dormant – not dead – through the winter here on Long Island, deer ticks are rejuvenated come spring and will lay their eggs (anywhere from 1,500 – 3,000 each) through the end of April. Mosquitoes will also reappear with the commencement of the warmer weather.

These insects in particular pose serious health threats, carrying dangerous diseases and illnesses, such as Lyme, Zika, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and more. Initiating a comprehensive treatment plan now, at the beginning of spring, will help manage the population growth throughout the season.

But many of us, as much as we’re both frightened and annoyed by these insects, are concerned about how to eliminate them without harming anything around them. Conventional pesticides are toxic and are a tremendous health concern.

Aronica Plant Healthcare can treat tick and mosquito infestation naturally. We specialize in organic tick and tree spraying programs that are not only safe for people and pets, but are also harmless for tree and plant life. The compounds we use are non-toxic and pure – a “green” method that actually works.

In the meantime, aside from treating the outside of your property, there are preventive measures you can take as a family to reduce your risk of exposure to ticks and mosquitoes:

Wear light-colored, snug- fitting long pants and long-sleeved shirts when working or playing in the garden
Apply a citronella-based bug spray to your skin, which is all-natural
Check children’s heads and bodies after being outside
Inspect the family pet as often as possible – they are notorious for giving these pests a free ride into the home. And invest in a good tick collar…worth every penny.

For optimum prevention and peace of mind, call us today find out more about our organic tick and tree spraying service. Our team visit your property, explain the process, and recommend the best course of action.

Anti-desiccants to Protect Your Trees and Shrubs

Posted January 5, 2018

We started 2018 with a polar vortex and it seems like these frigid temperatures are here to stay until spring. With so many days below freezing your plants health might be at risk.

The main cause of winter damage to trees and shrubs is their drying out. When the ground freezes plant roots are unable to take up water from the soil, so they quickly begin to use up all the water stored in their leaves and stems. Though they are built for it, the winter is still a tough time for Evergreen plants and trees. Plants such as rhododendrons and hollies have thick waxy coverings on their leaves to try to prevent water loss. During these times if plants are exposed to harsh winds or harsh sunlight the plant responds by releasing water from its leaves. This biological response, combined with the unavailability of water, results in winter burn, which can ruin your plants and shrubs.

Anti-desiccants are products that can be applied to evergreen trees and shrubs to help create a protective barrier that holds in moisture through the winter. While two applications in December and one in February is ideal, it isn’t too late to protect your plants from drying out.

Which plants benefit from anti-desiccants?

Broadleaf evergreens such as Azalea, Boxwood, Holly, and Rhododendron.
Conifers such as Arborvitae, Cedar, Cypress, Juniper, and Pine.
Tender stems such as Rose Canes and Hydrangea Stems.

If you are worried about your trees and plants this winter call the plant health care experts at Aronica Plant Healthcare.

Tick Control in the Winter

Posted December 3, 2017

One of the few good things about winter is that the bugs that pester us in the summer go away, right? Well, unfortunately as winters on Long Island become milder, the tick population gets a chance to grow.

While mosquitoes are usually dormant until April for Long Island, deer ticks can remain active in their adult stage from fall to spring as long as the temperature is above freezing. As one of the most common ticks on Long Island, deer ticks are one of the most common hosts of Lyme Disease. A recent study found that around 60% of deer ticks in the North East of the United States are carriers of Lyme Disease. This means that there is still a chance of getting Lyme Disease if you are outside even in the winter time.

Ticks survive the winter months by going dormant hiding in the undergrowth and leaves in wooded areas which becomes more insulated after it snows.

While it is true you will see fewer active ticks during the winter, this doesn’t mean they are dead. Female ticks lay their eggs before the winter begins they can lay up to 3,000 eggs that will hatch in spring. Tick control measures can result in fewer egg-laying females come summer. By taking preventative measures, we can help prevent some of these eggs from hatching in places you don’t want them to, like your backyard.

So as you enjoy the winter don’t let the cold fool you. Continue to check your pets for ticks, not to mention yourself after being outdoors. Make sure your property is clear of debris and piles of sticks, brush or leaves so the ticks don’t have a place to go this winter. Continuing your tick control regimen can also keep tick populations down in your home.

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