Trees: Once again, the weather this early spring has driven how we care for our landscapes. The first three months of 2017 have been very dry and much warmer than normal so we have been telling everyone to get outside and water their landscapes. Over the last two weeks we have begun to see the […]
Tree Top Times
Spring has Sprung!
March was mild and warm with Colorado Springs breaking several record high temperatures. Just today I saw flowering Forsythia, Plum and Crabapple trees. This is easily 3 weeks ahead of a normal year. The National Phenology Network tracks the start of spring, called the Spring Leaf Index, by measuring the appearance of leaves, blossoms and […]
Pine Wilt Disease found in Scotch and Austrian Pines
As winter approaches, dead Scotch and Austrian Pines have been appearing with more frequency in Colorado Springs. The culprit has been found to be the Pinewood nematode, a native to North America. It does not generally cause mortality in native Pines, but in exotic Pines it causes a fatal wilt disease. It can be deadly […]
Winter Watering – Put on your to-do list!
We may sound like a broken record when we talk about watering trees in the winter, but somehow this crucial practice remains one of the most overlooked tasks of caring for trees in Colorado. Maintaining adequate soil moisture helps to prevent unnecessary root loss due to desiccation. It is always our hope that Mother Nature […]
Fireblight – What to do?
Although this fall has been exceptionally warm, we know that the cold temperatures are right around the corner. The cold temperatures offer an opportunity to begin pruning trees and shrubs that are currently, or potentially, infected by various fungal and bacterial diseases. These diseases are less active in the dormant season, so the likelihood of […]
Be Prepared For Winter Mites
Winter mites are starting to appear as sprinkler systems are turned off and lawns dry out: The warm days and cold nights this October have caused mites to come out early. Lawn mite populations are already high, so damage is already starting in dry and sunny areas of lawns. As soon as the sprinkler systems […]
Fall is Here!
The leaves are beginning to change and Mother Nature is putting on a show. As the caretakers of our landscapes we can assist our trees and shrubs in order to put on the best display of fall color possible. The key is water, which in Colorado is no surprise. Our trees require water to go […]
Heat, pests, sprinklers and diseases!
The summer of 2016 is in full effect. We are racking up the 90 degree days, and our landscapes are beginning to suffer as a result. Insect populations are high with record numbers of Japanese Beetles, aphids, and mites showing up this season. The combination of insect damage and heat stress is enough to frustrate […]
Drought Stress and Damage Alert:
Drought Stress and Damage Alert: The July weather has hit lawns hard: Many lawns in the Denver area are showing heavy drought stress and insect damage. One of the first signs to look for beyond the brown spots in any stressed lawn is seeing if walking across it leaves easy to see footprints, or does […]
Summertime woes – Fireblight, Japanese Beetles and more.
It is only July, and 2016 has already been an interesting season. The cool and wet May has produced lots of foliar and vascular diseases. We have seen cedar-apple rust for the first time in a few years. Oak leaf blister has been evident all over the Denver Metro area. Fireblight in Apples, Crabapples, and […]