All plants need water. When to apply water and how much are decisions anyone growing ornamental plants or lawns must make. But how do we know when to water and how much? All soils have air spaces, and it is in the air spaces that water is stored. The rate at which water moves into the soil is called the infiltration rate. After rain or watering occurs, gravity pulls water out of the largest air spaces deeper into the soil….
Three common ground covers used in Michigan are pachysandra, vinca (aka myrtle or periwinkle), and English ivy. Although these ground cover plants are mostly problem-free, on occasion they can be subject to disease problems. In most instances of diseases on ground covers a fungicide program in combination with good cultural practices can eliminate the problem. Pachysandra. Volutella leaf and stem blight is the most common disease on pachysandra. The disease is usually promoted by excessive moisture for long periods of…
ISA Michigan, the local chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, and the Michigan Oak Wilt Coalition have designated May as Oak Wilt Awareness Month. Oak wilt is a vascular tree disease that can infect both forest oaks and oak trees in our landscapes. Over the last few years new “pockets” of oak wilt have been identified on landscapes throughout southeast Michigan, such as, Holly, Clarkston and Highland. Oak wilt is probably present in many other areas of southeast Michigan,…
We’re happy to welcome back Kayla Johnson to the Plant Health Care department. Kayla, a graduate of Almont High School, is starting her third year with the Plant Health Care department. Prior to joining Owen Tree Kayla worked at American Tree Nursery in Almont. Last spring Kayla earned a Technical Science Degree with a major in Landscape from Oakland Community College. Topics studied included: • Landscape design • Horticulture • Tree, shrub and annual plant identification • Plant biology •…
Pine needle scale is one of the most challenging and frustrating insect pest tree services have to deal with. These insects overwinter as reddish eggs beneath the white female scale covering. Fortunately, even when there is a light infestation of pine needle scale, it is easily recognized. The eggs will be hatching soon and the crawlers will move to new hosts or spread on existing hosts to feed and grow. The crawler stage of pine needle scale is reddish in…
David Scott has accepted the position of General Manager at Owen Tree Service. David, an ISA Certified Arborist, has worked for Owen Tree for six years as a Lawn Care technician, Plant Health Care technician and sales arborist. He has an Associates Degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Oakland Community College. Prior to joining Owen Tree David was a general manager for 17 years for Midwest Memorial Group, a collection of cemeteries in the metro Detroit area. Upon accepting these new…
Our congratulations go out to Owen Tree Service foreman Josh Cook who has become our most recent employee to become an ISA Certified Arborist. Josh was anxious enough to become an ISA Certified Arborist that he traveled to Kentucky back in January for the sole purpose of taking the examination. The consumer is becoming more educated, and they are demanding a way to make better choices when looking for professional services like tree care. Passing the ISA Certified Arborist examination…
Our Best Wishes go out to Jim Felgenauer who retired from Owen Tree at the end of last October. For more than 20 years one of the first signs of spring for some Owen Tree clients was a call or visit by Jim. An ISA Certified Arborist, Jim came to Owen Tree after working for TruGreen and Harrison Tree Service. Jim inspected trees for pruning needs, set up tree, shrub and lawn care maintenance programs and provided consulting services to…
You have spent a lot of money and time on your lawn. Your lawn looks beautiful and lush and your lawn is the talk of the neighborhood. Then one day you come home and there are mounds and tunnels going all through it. You have Moles! But why do you have Moles? Most of the time, people don’t even know they have moles until they see the damage. Here are some ways to identify moles and how to control them….
Under the directive of the Department of Homeland Security we are able to perform requested infrastructure work for MDOT and public utilities. All of our tree trimming / removal crews are still working during the Shelter In Place, Stay Safe order. We currently have crews working along I-696 for MDOT, in Kensington Metro Park for Consumers Energy and available for on-call work for safety-related tree services. At this time our lawn fertilization, tree spraying, tree fertilization and landscaping work is…