Heavy Growth Topples Trees

Day after day of rain has produced thick foliage and branch growth.

When heavy rains and strong winds hit, overgrown tree canopies become like a wall that wind can’t break through. Mix this wall of leaves and branches with waterlogged soil and heavy crowns and you have a recipe for uprooted trees, breakage and damage.

Frequent check-ups, reducing weight and lowering wind resistance is the best way to protect your trees.

Keep your trees off the storm casualty list. Schedule a free inspection with your Giroud Arborist to evaluate if your trees are overgrown and need pruning.

Heavy Rains Wash Nutrients From Soil

Heavy rains have diluted your soil's nutrients. Your trees and lawn depend on the soil to provide these vital elements to get through winter and emerge strong and healthy in the Spring. As we move into Fall, Giroud recommends injecting your trees with custom blend fertilizer which will provide the right combination of nutrients in a slow release formula that lasts for 12 months. Your lawn also needs fertilizer now. Giroud offers a special fall blend that helps your lawn establish strong root systems and prepare for winter stress and spring growth. Schedule your fall fertilizing treatments now!

Giroud Lawn Soil Testing and Aeration

A soil test and aeration are the first steps to building a healthy, green lawn. Giroud Arborist, Mike Taraborrelli, explains how a soil test reveals problems that impact your lawn's health and beauty. The next step is aeration which can benefit every lawn by fracturing the soil and allowing your lawn's roots to get air, water and nutrients.

Tree Spotlight: Franklinia

Discovered by the Bartram's in 1765, the Franklinia was named in honor of their friend, Benjamin Frankilin. A multi-stemmed tree with year-round interest, its creamy white fragrant flowers bloom from late July into September. The dark green leaves turn orange and red in the fall, often in combination with a few late flowers. Subtly striped branches and persistent seed capsules add winter interest. Sometimes this plant will try to grow as a shrub, but it can usually be trained into tree form.

Bartram's Garden recommends the following tips for planting and caring for your Franklinia:

• Proper site selection and pre-planting preparation are crucial.
• Plant a Franklinia in a site with excellent drainage, acidic soil enriched with organic matter with a pH between 5-6, and protection from strong winds.
• The Franklinia tolerates full sun as well as dense shade, but fares best in partial shade (about a half day of sunlight).
• Apply mulch lightly over entire root area and make sure it has adequate water in the summer, and through the fall when it still growing and flowering.

How to Stop Ticks!

Ticks spread Lyme Disease! These shade lovers are usually found around the fringes of your lawn in high grasses, underbrush, shrubs and woods. Deer are one of the primary ways that ticks are carried to your property.

In the video below, Scott Slousky, ISA Certified Arborist, explains how Giroud stops ticks by: cleaning up shady tick habitats, spreading wood chips and using monthly tick and deer repellent treatments.

If you're worried about ticks, ask your Giroud Arborist to inspect your property to determine the best ways to stop ticks from invading your property.

Giroud Evaluates Lawn Health

Learn how Giroud evaluates lawn health. ISA Certified Arborist, Mike Taraborrelli, explains the steps to develop a lawn care program that produces a healthy, thick, green lawn.

Tree Spotlight: Umbrella Pine

Handsome shape, rich, dark green color and unusual needle formation make the Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) a stand-out specimen tree. A slow grower at about 6 inches per year, it can achieve height of 25-30 feet tall in the urban landscape. The Umbrella Pine should be planted in moist, slightly acidic soil in a sunny location with good protection from the wind.

The bark of the umbrella pine is brown or grayish-brown, and peels off in long strips. The tree has two types of leaves. Small, triangular, scalelike leaves are scattered along the stems. At the ends of stems, radiating like the ribs of an umbrella, are narrow, glossy, dark green needles. Male cones form in dense clusters while the female cones grow individually at the tips of branches. Over a period of two years, the cones mature and change from green to brown.