Fall Treatment Round-Up
Ahhh…. the dog days of summer are here and soon the leaves on the trees will be turning beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red. For those of us in the plant health care field or landscape industry, it will be time to put our heads down and finish up all those projects and services to bring in the year. As the days turn cooler we will be thankful that we aren’t wringing wet with sweat when we finish our days! We are also pleased that we have time enough to protect the plants on the properties we care for and provide services that will help our landscapes thrive.
Let’s focus on a couple of important issues you may be dealing with and think about what productive treatments we can make this fall to key plants on the landscape:
Emerald Ash Borer
We know that EAB is the most damaging forest insect pest in North American history. It will eventually affect more than 10 billion ash trees on our continent. EAB will kill most of them if they are not protected. Fortunately, the family of TREE-age products are extremely effective at protecting our ash trees. The city of Milwaukee has treated 28,000 trees over the last decade and never lost a single tree to EAB. Talk about effective! Late summer and early fall is a great time to finish up those EAB treatments. Keeping ash trees protected for two years. Good soil moisture is key. Ask your clients to water the base of the tree the day before you treat. As the leaves begin to fall, treatments slow down and it will be time to move on to other services.
Chlorosis
Fall is the BEST time to treat for micro-nutrient deficiencies in trees. We all know those sickly looking chlorotic trees by the yellow leaves with green veins. Trunk injecting our new Mn-jet Fe product in the fall will produce a lush green canopy next spring. We improved this formulation by adding higher concentrations of iron and Manganese which results in longer lasting effects from this treatment. In the Fall you can go ahead and utilize the highest label rates and not be as concerned with high temperatures affecting the treatment. Make sure you snap a pic of the tree right now in its chlorotic state, so you can compare the much greener canopy next summer. My favorite treatment! Customers see the results and will never forget what you did for their tree!
Conifer Beetles
There are several insects that affect Pine and Spruce and we have all experienced the slower injection uptake that resinous conifers exhibit from time to time. Well, in the Fall the resin pressure is reduced so your treatments will go much quicker than in the Spring. Whether you are protecting trees from Western Pine Beetle, Southern Pine Beetle, Ips beetle, Pine Wilt Nematode or a similar pest you will find that the TREE-age family of products provides extremely long-lasting control and this time of the year is the best time to complete those treatments so get them scheduled!
One Last Thing
We noticed a lot of winter injury on trees and shrubs from last year’s rough Midwest winter. We wish we could change the weather, but I’ve never met anyone who could, so we are focused on fixing the landscape up each spring after Mother Nature has her way with the plants in our care. There are steps you can take to help reduce the damage. Utilize the Hydretain technology to coat the roots and help plants utilize moisture that would not otherwise be available to the plant which will help reduce winter desiccation. A simple soil drench or injection around trees and shrubs will provide long lasting results and help plants through the winter. Especially, those evergreens that lose water all winter long! This is a great application to apply to new turf seed as you plan you fall seeding projects as well.
Well, is that enough to keep you busy this Fall! As the days get shorter I hope your business and the plants you protect are thriving! Keep up the good work!
If you have any questions, contact us!
