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Animals: Feeding on our landscapes
Jan 30, 2012 02:26 PM
As homeowners, we try to create a landscape that we can spend time with and enjoy. A well-kept landscape may also attract unwanted animals which feed on our shrubs and trees. Some of the most common pests are voles (see blog on voles), squirrels, rabbits, deer, and porcupines.
Squirrels
These animals damage ornamental plants because they regularly gnaw, clip stems and branches, consume buds, and strip bark from trees. Your lawn can be littered with large numbers of twigs that have been nipped off of the trees. To help protect your trees and shrubs from feeding, encircling the tree with a 2-foot- wide collar of metal located 6" off ground should help. You can trap them and take them 5 miles away from the area but where they may cause problems for someone else. Shooting them is an effective method of immediate eliminating a problem ((limited to those so inclined and where legal).
Rabbits
During the fall and winter months, rabbits damage and kill valuable woody plants by gnawing bark or clipping off branches, stems, and buds. When snow covers the ground for a long time they often severely damage some plants by clipping branches off at snow height and larger trees and shrubs might be completely girdled. Damage can be identified by the characteristic appearance of gnawing on older woody growth and the clean-cut angled clipping of young stems. To protect plants, put up a fence, which does not have to be tall or especially sturdy ( the bottom tight to the ground or buried a few inches is sufficient). You can trap, as long the population is not too dense. Shooting is a quick, easy and effective method of control (again where permitted).
Deer
Deer are important game animals with the additional aesthetic value to landowners and vacationers. Over the past decade, deer have become a significant pest. They damage a variety of trees and ornamental plantings. Young trees and shrubs are also damaged when deer rub their antlers on trunks and limbs. A few twigs nibbled on a tree or shrub during the winter by deer will result in little more than a bushier plant or in heavy feeding can cause great plant disfiguration. Feeding damage usually reveals leaves that have jagged or torn surface on twigs or stems. Fences used tp protect trees should be at least 8 feet high and be close to the ground because deer may also slink under a fence. It is possible to spray a thiram-based spray, which make the plants taste bad to the deer. Poisoning deer with any product for any reason is illegal and is unlikely to be tolerated by the public.
Porcupine
Porcupine's teeth grow constantly therefore, they have a great need to gnaw in order to keep their teeth ground to a short enough length. They eat plants, inner tree bark, leaves and twigs. They prefer aspen, willow, cottonwood and ponderosa pine. Their chewing can expose tree roots, girdle and clip trees. Porcupines can climb trees and they will clip branches or even the trunk of the tree to eat them. Winter is often the worst time for porcupine tree damage. Reduce tree damage by banding individual trees with a 2-3" high metal cylinder placed 3’ off the ground to prevent porcupines from climbing. Repellents with capsaisin base chemicals can discourage gnawing on objects. Trapping is an excellent control method and a simple raccoon trap is sufficient.
Pest management is a constant battle for the homeowners. New products are always becoming available don’t give up if one method of control doesn’t work. Keep fighting for the landscape of your dreams.
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Honeybees: Our valuable friends
Jan 30, 2012 02:17 PM
Honeybees are the most economically valuable pollinators of agricultural crops worldwide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said honeybees pollinate about one-third of the U.S. diet. One-third of the estimated value of commercial honey bee pollination is alfalfa, mostly alfalfa hay and 10% for apples, 6-7% for almonds, citrus, cotton and soybeans. More than 2 million bee colonies are rented for pollination, the Dakotas accounted for a combined 27% of all bee colonies, with California at 14%, and Florida at 7%, and about 4% -5% is accounted in Idaho. About half of the nation’s honeybee colonies (an estimated 1.3 million colonies) are used to pollinate California’s current 550,000 acres of almond trees.
Honeybees are not just used for pollination. Doctors use the honeybee’s stings to help relief arthritis. In ancient Egypt, they used honey for medicine. They helped pollinate farms in the Dark Ages as well. Honeybees have been around longer than humans. Bee pollen has also been used for other health benefits.
As the demand for bees increases, the colonies have been decreasing. In 2006, scientists coined a new term, Colony Collapse Disorder, to report number of bee colony losses and die-off. Beekeepers in 35 states have reported losses. The National Research Council literature reports losses due to bee pesticide, parasites, pathogens and disease.
Since we are a pesticide company, we have regulations to help protect the bees and their colonies. Those regulations are written on the labels of the chemicals we use. One of the regulations is not to spray flowering trees while in bloom.
As homeowners, we also have a responsibility to protect the bees and their colonies. Read your labels and understand the chemicals you use. And if you have any neighbors that have colonies, let them know before you spray so they can help protect them.
If we use the right chemical at the right time, we are insuring that the bees will be around to continue benefiting mankind by pollinating our crops and serving in other useful ways.
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Plant Health Care: Pruning Practices
Jan 30, 2012 01:45 PM
Many things have changed over the last 25 years in caring for trees. The focus has changed from an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to more of a Plant Health Care (PHC) Management. Integrated Pest Management focuses more on the pest of the trees and symptoms than the overall health of the tree. Plant Health Care looks at every part of the tree from the soil it is planted in, planting techniques (see our blog on tree planting) to the canopy and development of leaves and the pests that feed on them.
With Plant Health Care, more focus on improving pruning practices has been established. These standards are recommended through the ANSI A300 Standards:
- Do not top trees anymore because it exposes the tree to decay and causes weak new shoot develop just below the cut.
- Recommend not to seal the pruning cuts because it interferes with the natural wound closure, which is part of tree "compartmentalization".
- Recommended to use a 3-step cut technique to remove large branches. To do this is to cut 1st under the branch, 2nd cut on top of the branch and an inch or two above the bottom cut which causes the branch to drop. The 3rd and final cut is performed near the connecting branch just outside the branch collar. The branch collar is the swollen area where the branch meets the trunk or larger branch.
- Flush cutting branches off with the trunk exposes the trunk to decay and creates a risk of the branch ripping the bark of the trunk or larger connecting branch.
As we study and understand more about trees, the techniques of caring for trees may change. Our main goals are promoting the total health care for your trees as they are a valuable asset to your landscape.
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Animals: Feeding on our landscapes
Squirrels
These animals damage ornamental plants because they regularly gnaw, clip stems and branches, consume buds, and strip bark from trees. Your lawn can be littered with large numbers of twigs that have been nipped off of the trees. To help protect your trees and shrubs from feeding, encircling the tree with a 2-foot- wide collar of metal located 6" off ground should help. You can trap them and take them 5 miles away from the area but where they may cause problems for someone else. Shooting them is an effective method of immediate eliminating a problem ((limited to those so inclined and where legal).
Rabbits
During the fall and winter months, rabbits damage and kill valuable woody plants by gnawing bark or clipping off branches, stems, and buds. When snow covers the ground for a long time they often severely damage some plants by clipping branches off at snow height and larger trees and shrubs might be completely girdled. Damage can be identified by the characteristic appearance of gnawing on older woody growth and the clean-cut angled clipping of young stems. To protect plants, put up a fence, which does not have to be tall or especially sturdy ( the bottom tight to the ground or buried a few inches is sufficient). You can trap, as long the population is not too dense. Shooting is a quick, easy and effective method of control (again where permitted).
Deer
Deer are important game animals with the additional aesthetic value to landowners and vacationers. Over the past decade, deer have become a significant pest. They damage a variety of trees and ornamental plantings. Young trees and shrubs are also damaged when deer rub their antlers on trunks and limbs. A few twigs nibbled on a tree or shrub during the winter by deer will result in little more than a bushier plant or in heavy feeding can cause great plant disfiguration. Feeding damage usually reveals leaves that have jagged or torn surface on twigs or stems. Fences used tp protect trees should be at least 8 feet high and be close to the ground because deer may also slink under a fence. It is possible to spray a thiram-based spray, which make the plants taste bad to the deer. Poisoning deer with any product for any reason is illegal and is unlikely to be tolerated by the public.
Porcupine's teeth grow constantly therefore, they have a great need to gnaw in order to keep their teeth ground to a short enough length. They eat plants, inner tree bark, leaves and twigs. They prefer aspen, willow, cottonwood and ponderosa pine. Their chewing can expose tree roots, girdle and clip trees. Porcupines can climb trees and they will clip branches or even the trunk of the tree to eat them. Winter is often the worst time for porcupine tree damage. Reduce tree damage by banding individual trees with a 2-3" high metal cylinder placed 3’ off the ground to prevent porcupines from climbing. Repellents with capsaisin base chemicals can discourage gnawing on objects. Trapping is an excellent control method and a simple raccoon trap is sufficient.
Pest management is a constant battle for the homeowners. New products are always becoming available don’t give up if one method of control doesn’t work. Keep fighting for the landscape of your dreams.
Honeybees: Our valuable friends
Honeybees are the most economically valuable pollinators of agricultural crops worldwide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said honeybees pollinate about one-third of the U.S. diet. One-third of the estimated value of commercial honey bee pollination is alfalfa, mostly alfalfa hay and 10% for apples, 6-7% for almonds, citrus, cotton and soybeans. More than 2 million bee colonies are rented for pollination, the Dakotas accounted for a combined 27% of all bee colonies, with California at 14%, and Florida at 7%, and about 4% -5% is accounted in Idaho. About half of the nation’s honeybee colonies (an estimated 1.3 million colonies) are used to pollinate California’s current 550,000 acres of almond trees.Honeybees are not just used for pollination. Doctors use the honeybee’s stings to help relief arthritis. In ancient Egypt, they used honey for medicine. They helped pollinate farms in the Dark Ages as well. Honeybees have been around longer than humans. Bee pollen has also been used for other health benefits.
As the demand for bees increases, the colonies have been decreasing. In 2006, scientists coined a new term, Colony Collapse Disorder, to report number of bee colony losses and die-off. Beekeepers in 35 states have reported losses. The National Research Council literature reports losses due to bee pesticide, parasites, pathogens and disease.
Since we are a pesticide company, we have regulations to help protect the bees and their colonies. Those regulations are written on the labels of the chemicals we use. One of the regulations is not to spray flowering trees while in bloom.
As homeowners, we also have a responsibility to protect the bees and their colonies. Read your labels and understand the chemicals you use. And if you have any neighbors that have colonies, let them know before you spray so they can help protect them.
Plant Health Care: Pruning Practices
Many things have changed over the last 25 years in caring for trees. The focus has changed from an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to more of a Plant Health Care (PHC) Management. Integrated Pest Management focuses more on the pest of the trees and symptoms than the overall health of the tree. Plant Health Care looks at every part of the tree from the soil it is planted in, planting techniques (see our blog on tree planting) to the canopy and development of leaves and the pests that feed on them.- Do not top trees anymore because it exposes the tree to decay and causes weak new shoot develop just below the cut.
- Recommend not to seal the pruning cuts because it interferes with the natural wound closure, which is part of tree "compartmentalization".
- Recommended to use a 3-step cut technique to remove large branches. To do this is to cut 1st under the branch, 2nd cut on top of the branch and an inch or two above the bottom cut which causes the branch to drop. The 3rd and final cut is performed near the connecting branch just outside the branch collar. The branch collar is the swollen area where the branch meets the trunk or larger branch.
- Flush cutting branches off with the trunk exposes the trunk to decay and creates a risk of the branch ripping the bark of the trunk or larger connecting branch.