Leyland Cyprus trees are generally resilient to most insect infestations because they are coniferous trees. Many insects prefer to nest and feed off of deciduous trees, however not all of them. One such pest is the spider mite. Tree care experts say spider mites are one of the top tree pests that can have a serious and damaging effect on the Leyland Cyprus tree. Thankfully, with the help of professional Richmond tree care specialists, you can protect your tree from the negative effects of this insect.

According to Richmond tree care authorities, spider mites have proven, along with bagworms, to be one of the most difficult insects to control. Since spider mites have been an irritant for Leyland Cyprus trees for so long, they have developed an immunity to many of the different chemicals that had been used to eliminate these destructive insects. They negatively affect the Leyland Cyprus by piercing the tree with their mouths and sucking out the sap (which is essentially the life force of the tree), resulting in discolored needles. If spider mites are allowed to feed without interruption, the needles will ultimately turn brown, die and fall off.

Spider mites can be a death sentence to the Leyland Cyprus, so it is important to have qualified Richmond tree care experts help you get populations under control as soon as possible. Tree care authorities do not favor the use of insecticides because other beneficial bugs will also be killed when the insecticide is applied. It is important to allow spider mite predators such as ladybugs to remain on the tree and create a natural pest control solution. For this reason, miticides are the recommended solution to heavy spider mite infestations.

To learn more about keeping your Leyland Cyprus safe from unwanted pests, call your local Richmond tree care company.

Any recipe is only as good as its ingredients and that goes for Richmond lawn care too.  If you don’t have good flour and shortening (soil and pH level), it doesn’t matter how much frosting (or fertilizer) you add, your recipe (lawn) isn’t going to turn out well.  That’s why it’s important to get a soil test and start with a good foundation.

A soil test can measure many things like soil fertility.  Elements like phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, manganese, copper and zinc are removed from the soil to determine nutrient and contaminant content.  One of the most important things a soil test measures is pH.  Experts say if a soil is too acidic or too alkaline it can be toxic to plants.  The acidity in the soil can limit plant growth to such extremes that the plants won’t be able to utilize any fertilizer applied.  So, the soil test can help determine the best lime and fertilizer recommendations.  It’ll help save you money in the long run and help the environment by limiting the over-use of fertilizers.

Basically soils in moist climates tend to be acidic while those in dry climates are generally alkaline.  A soil pH lower than 7.0 is an acid soil, anything higher is alkaline.  The soil has to be adjusted to fit the needs of the particular plants planted in the area.

There are do-it-yourself testing kits available in many areas at reasonable prices or you can hire a company to do the testing for you.  Either way you’ll be getting important information that will help your Richmond lawn and garden grow and will make you look like the expert with the green thumb without all the effort.

It isn’t uncommon for trees to be the cause of extensive property damage that may end up costing you thousands of dollars in repair costs. In some severe cases, a falling tree can even cause serious bodily injuries or death. Here are some Richmond tree care tips to help you avoid the possibility of tree damage to your property.

The first step in preventing property damage from a tree falling is to call your local Richmond tree care company. These experts can help you identify weak spots of the trees and other indicators that the tree or trees on your property could be potentially dangerous. The easiest way to keep your home safe is to make sure your trees are healthy, which can be easily done with the help of Richmond tree care specialists.

Another problem to look for is dead trees. If a tree no longer has support, it is only a matter of time until the root structure completely gives way and allows the tree to collapse. Even if the tree itself isn’t dead, dead or dying tree branches are still a considerable hazard.

Another thing Richmond tree care experts look for is rotting tree parts. This signals that the tree is weak, which means it could break and cause damage. Any kind of split or cracks in the tree should be immediately inspected.

A good indicator that a tree is likely to cause damage is by assessing its lean. If a tree is leaning considerably in one direction, there is a possibility that one strong gust of wind can be all it takes to break the tree.

If your trees are exhibiting any of these characteristics, it is important to call your Richmond tree care company and get started on corrective action before your property is damaged or someone is hurt.

Mowing might seem like the simplest of Richmond lawn care tasks, but it is actually quite important to know how to properly mow your Richmond lawn to ensure the best results. Over-mowing or mowing at the wrong times or height can have detrimental effects on your Richmond lawn. Here are some Richmond lawn care tips on proper mowing procedures.

Most Richmond lawns are dormant during the winter months, so once spring rolls around, it is time to drag the mower out and get back into the routine. But when you should begin mowing? Lawn care technicians recommend keeping the mower stored away until the ground is thoroughly thawed. Once the ground is soft, that means that grass is growing and mowing it will not cause any damage to the crowns or the shoots.

Most people know that allowing the excess clippings to remain on the Richmond lawn is beneficial because as the clippings deteriorate, they become natural fertilizer for the soil below. However, for the first few cuts, attach the bag and gather the clippings. Allow your Richmond lawn to grow and breathe without the weight of clippings on top of it.

Lawn care professionals recommend mowing your Richmond lawn at a slightly shorter height than you may typically have your mower set. If you normally mow at three inches, take it down to two. This will allow your Richmond lawn better stimulation to get the season started off right.

If you have any questions about spring mowing, contact your local Richmond lawn care professionals.

Japanese Beetles are a common landscape pest, affecting both trees and Richmond lawns alike. While these pests cause issues for your Richmond lawn by laying eggs underneath the soil, the affect they have on trees comes from their own feeding. A perfectly healthy tree can be seriously damaged if corrective action isn’t taken by a professional tree care specialist.

Japanese Beetles are often found in clusters because their scent attracts more beetles to the area. So even if you see only a few beetles here and there at the beginning of the season, don’t be fooled; over time this population will rapidly increase.

Tree care experts say the best way to protect your ornamentals is by placing a fine netting material over the foliage. However, this obviously is not feasible when you are dealing with a larger tree. If this is the case, professional-grade insecticides need to be utilized to eliminate Japanese Beetle populations. Most tree care companies will employ insecticides that are injected into the soil around the tree in order to get the formula directly into the root system. This will cause the Japanese Beetles to die after they consume the treated foliage.

If Japanese Beetles are common to your area, it is important to implement preventative care to ensure your ornamentals remain protected. Call your local tree care company and have an expert give you the best tree care possible!

You have been noticing that your trees are not growing as fast as they should or perhaps they just do not appear as vibrant as they used to look. You may want to call your tree care company and ask them to perform a soil analysis. There could be several explanations as to why your trees aren’t thriving, but one reason may be that the pH level of your soil is not where it should be. If that is the case, your tree care specialist will more than likely suggest lime applications to correct the acidity level. However, wood ashes are an alternative to lime applications that with continual use can have the same level of effectiveness as lime.

The reason wood ashes are used to correct the pH level of soil is because the ashes contain small quantities of boron, potassium, phosphate and other elements pertinent to increasing the soil’s pH level. If you do decide to use wood ashes, you need to be vigilant about using them often and having your soil’s acidity tested annually. Wood ashes are particularly effective in sandy soils. Tree care experts recommend spreading a thin layer of the ashes over the soil in the winter, then mixing the ashes in with the soil again in the spring. Be aware of what other plants the ashes come into contact with, as they can cause damage to plant roots or seedlings that are in a state of germination.

If you aren’t sure about how much to use or how to correctly apply the wood ashes, call your tree care professional.

Fertilizing your own Richmond lawn can be quite an ordeal and usually requires (or should require) a fair amount of research. Many Richmond lawn care companies have fertilization programs that have been perfected over the years by experts in the Richmond lawn care industry. However, if you’re looking to take on the project yourself, you may want to explore the types of spreaders that are available to make your task easier.
When it comes to fertilizing your Richmond lawn, there are generally two types of spreaders you can use: broadcast and drop spreaders. Broadcast spreaders are a popular choice for Richmond lawn fertilization projects for a few reasons. One reason why many homeowners prefer to pay a Richmond lawn care company to fertilize their turf for them is because of the mundane, monotonous walking back and forth across the yard. This can be a particularly tedious task if you have a large area to fertilizer. However, the broadcast spreader is perfect for spreading fertilization over a large area because the granules fall down through the hopper and onto a rotating disc. This disc disseminates the fertilizer in every direction possible, allowing you to spread more fertilizer over a larger area of your Richmond lawn without walking back and forth as much.
While you may be fertilizing your Richmond lawn, the plants, trees and shrubs in your landscape will be getting fertilized as well, essentially killing two birds with one stone. Although this process sounds simple enough, you will still need to figure out how much fertilizer is needed and when it should be applied. You may find that the fertilizer you purchased at the store isn’t as effective as more professional-grade products. If you want to rid yourself of the burden of fertilizing your own Richmond lawn, contact your local Richmond lawn care company and have the pros provide you with perfect fertilization.

When your lawn needs fertilized, the best solution is to contact your local lawn care company and have the professionals attend to the task. However, if you’re one of those do-it-yourselfers, then there is some research to be done on the subject. Not all fertilizers are the same, so you should decide which fertilizer is right for your lawn, how much should be applied, when it should be applied, as well as what to do to ensure the application is successful. If you’re using granule fertilizer, you will want to look into purchasing a spreader to disseminate the fertilizer evenly.

There are generally two types of spreaders: drop spreaders and broadcast spreaders. Broadcast spreaders are particularly advantageous for those who have a large lawn to cover. However, if the area you’re fertilizing is small, a drop spreader might be more ideal.

Whereas broadcast spreaders fling the fertilizer in every direction, drop spreaders are more focused, releasing the fertilizer directly underneath the device through the hopper. This means you have to make certain you have covered that area thoroughly, or else you could have some areas of your lawn growing wildly while other sections barely look alive. Another downfall to using a drop spreader is the risk of over-fertilizing your lawn; applying fertilizer is a very delicate balance and if you apply too much fertilizer, you run the risk of frying your lawn.

If this sounds like too much of a hassle or you’re not particularly good at staying within the lines, your best option is to contact your local professional lawn care company and leave the fertilizing to them. Sometimes having a beautiful, successful lawn means leaving it up to the pros!

If you have a landscape that is in the sun for the majority of the day, Virginia lawn care specialists will tell you that not just any type of grass will do. In order to have a successful landscape, you need to have a groundcover that can withstand the constant sunlight and the heat that accompanies long periods of sunlight.

Your Virginia lawn does not have to be the typical kind of groundcover most people have. Part of having a beautiful landscape is employing creative ideas that will give your property a distinctive appearance. Interspersed with your Virginia lawn should be groundcover that will thrive in the beating sun, such as thyme, anemone and stonecrop.

Thyme is a dense groundcover that will successfully survive in sunny or partially sunny areas of your landscape. This Virginia lawn care option offers a variety of colors when it comes to foliage, from bright green and bluish to a greyer green. Unlike your typical Virginia lawn, thyme yields a beautiful pink or lavender flowering carpet. Perhaps you won’t want to step foot on this beautiful landscape canvass, but if you do, thyme holds up exceptionally well under occasional foot traffic.

Anemone is perfect for soils that are finicky and have a hard time producing healthy Virginia lawns of the typical variety, according to Virginia lawn care professionals. Blooming in the late spring, anemone produces tall and exquisite flowers that are certain to add to your sophisticated landscape. What makes anemone even more ideal is its high tolerance for dry soil.

Stonecrop also offers beautiful foliage and is also a flowering groundcover. This ideal turf mat is tolerant of hot, dry weather, but also can withstand cold, harsh winter weather. Depending on the variety, some stonecrop grows close to the ground and is not impeded by foot traffic; however other species are more delicate and would require an area not frequented by feet.

If you aren’t sure what kind of groundcover would be best suited for your landscape, call your local Virginia lawn care company and have an expert help you decide what would be best to withstand the unvarying blazing and unforgiving heat of the sun.

When your Richmond lawn needs fertilized, the best solution is to contact your local Richmond lawn care company and have the professionals attend to the task. However, if you’re one of those do-it-yourselfers, then there is some research to be done on the subject. Not all fertilizers are the same, so you should decide which fertilizer is right for your Richmond lawn, how much should be applied, when it should be applied, as well as what to do to ensure the application is successful. If you’re using granule fertilizer, you will want to look into purchasing a spreader to disseminate the fertilizer evenly.
There are generally two types of spreaders: drop spreaders and broadcast spreaders. Broadcast spreaders are particularly advantageous for those who have a large Richmond lawn to cover. However, if the area you’re fertilizing is small, a drop spreader might be more ideal.
Whereas broadcast spreaders fling the fertilizer in every direction, drop spreaders are more focused, releasing the fertilizer directly underneath the device through the hopper. This means you have to make certain you have covered that area thoroughly, or else you could have some areas of your Richmond lawn growing wildly while other sections barely look alive. Another downfall to using a drop spreader is the risk of over-fertilizing your Richmond lawn; applying fertilizer is a very delicate balance and if you apply too much fertilizer, you run the risk of frying your Richmond lawn.
If this sounds like too much of a hassle or you’re not particularly good at staying within the lines, your best option is to contact your local professional Richmond lawn care company and leave the fertilizing to them. Sometimes having a beautiful, successful Richmond lawn means leaving it up to the pros!