Problems To Look For As Summer Winds Down
As the heat and humidity persist over the next few weeks, the landscape will be under a lot of additional stress. Due to the mild winter last year and excessive rainfall this spring, both insect pests and weeds have posed a maintenance problem. And now drought. Turf will be under attack from grubs, chinch bugs, and other pests. Trees may show infestations of borers, and summer tent caterpillars. Shrubs will host most of the old standbys, lacebug, bagworms, spider mites, scale and aphids, just to name a few. Our crews and managers are trained to look for insect pest infestations and then take corrective action. If you or the residence see any evidence of problems, such as plant yellowing, defoliation or insect activity, please don't hesitate to bring it to our attention. The more folks looking for problems the better chance we have of finding a solution. Residents and on-site staff can also help alleviate some of the stress by watering turf and plant material.

Turf Enhancements: Aeration, Over Seeding, Liming, and Soil Amendments
During the upcoming months, turf services will occur on most sites in our area. Many residents don't understand why these services are part of a maintenance contract or why they happen every year. Aeration helps relieve compaction in the dense clay soils in this region, the reduction in compaction allows for better root development. Liming neutralizes the soil acidity and balances the pH to allow for more nutrient availability for plant growth. Typical fall overseeding is basically an "assistant" to mother nature. Seed broadcast on thin and bare areas that have been properly aerated will find there way into the "plugs" or holes and germinate given the right conditions. To establish a lawn in a poor soil or compacted area, rototilling and soil amendments will be required to attain the desired result. Quality services are imperative given the climatic challenges we have endured in recent years. A follow up to this will be in our September newsletter.

Requesting Services From Community Landscape Services
It is now easier than ever to request proposals from Community Landscape Services.. You can do it on this site; however, a phone call or letter will work as well.

Mulch Re-education: Excessive mulching around tree rings can cause many problems.

The benefits of using mulch include not only aesthetic value but also the reduction in weed populations, reduction in summertime water loss, and reducing soil temperature fluctuations. Unfortunately, we are still seeing overmulching on many sites that are not being maintained by Community Landscape Services. This "volcano" mulching provides no benefit to the trees and only creates problems by placing mulch against the tree trunk which holds moisture against the bark. This is an ideal environment for pests and fungi to exist and attack the tree. Mulch should be between 2 to 4 inches deep and should not come into contact with the tree trunk. Close observation of many trees that appear to be overmulched reveals that often these trees are planted almost entirely above ground. While planting a tree with a raised root ball is suggested for sites with poor drainage, there is no reason to plant more than 1/3 of the root ball above ground level. Mulch should be added annually as the mulch decomposes and in some cases, complete removal and replacement of the mulch may be appropriate.