Growing and Maintaining Healthy Trees
If when the weather warms up in the coming spring and summer months your trees start raining on you, your car or your decking, your tree or trees could be infested with aphids. Despite their size, no more than 6mm in length, these tiny, slow-moving insects can secrete enough honeydew to leave your hair and clothes matted and sticky. Honeydew is what aphids produce (from their anus) after they have gorged themselves on tree sap. Read More»
Pruning, when done right, can extend the life of a tree whilst improving its appearance. Pruning may also be necessary when a tree has become dangerous to a nearby building or is too large for the space it occupies. However, when too much of a tree’s foliage is pruned or it is pruned incorrectly, its lifespan may be shortened and it could become easy prey for pests and bacterial infections. A further and more serious risk is that overzealous pruning weakens a tree’s structure, leaving it defenceless against high winds. Read More»
Ants are renowned for their ability to exist symbiotically with nature. Ants protect and farm aphids and receive sweet honey-dew in return, ants also create their own fungus gardens, and they protect trees from leaf-eating pests. However, some ants, such as the carpenter ant, can be quite destructive when they take advantage of a nearby natural resource. Silver maples, while able to provide shade relatively quickly, growing 3-7 feet a year, are prone to having weak and brittle branches. Read More»
Like any animal with nails, cats need a trim every now and then. Dogs have owners to trim theirs; humans have nail clippers, and cats, well, they pretty much use whatever they can get their claws into! Unfortunately, tree bark is of just the right texture and grain to give cats the claw sharpening they need. But cats don’t just use trees as sharpening posts. They also use them to mark their territory, and, sadly, this is also done via claw. Read More»
You have finished work on your lawn, and all that remains is the addition of plants. With climatic temperatures at an all time high, you need to be extremely careful when transporting plants from the wholesale nursery to your garden. Factors such as heat and direct sunlight are enemies to small plants; therefore, you need to consider carefully how the plants are going to reach your garden unharmed. While summer is not the best time to transport young plants over long distances, find out tips that will ensure their safety. Read More»
