Can you believe that we are only 5 weeks away from Spring? Now is the time to start preparing for Spring. We are gearing up for the 2021 season. Are you ready for the beautiful color and coming beauty? Our landscaping teams are looking forward to providing you with the amazing services you have come to rely on. Our teams are currently focusing on training to provide you and even higher level of service.
Now is the Time to Protect your Plants with Oil!
That’s right, oil. The use of oil to kill insects and mites has been known to work since the 1700’s. In the early days the oils used to fight insects were not very refined and some times resulted in plant damage and thus were only used when the plant (usually fruit trees) was dormant. Hence the name “dormant oil“. However, oil refining techniques are so advanced that now all the harmful portions of the petroleum are taken out, and we can use these products year round without any injury to most plants. We now refer to them as “horticultural oils”.
Horticultural oils are often used in the winter to protect plants against scale, aphids, and spider mites. The greatest advantages of using horticultural oils, is that they are exceptionally safe to humans (the applicator as well as others), wildlife, and non-target insects in the environment such as ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and honey bees. There is no stinky smell, and they cost less than synthetic insecticides. Oils are not poisons. They kill the target insects by covering them with a thin film that blocks the air holes from which these insects breathe, causing them to suffocate. Only certain slow moving insects that breathe through the pores in their bodies are affected by the oils. That’s good for not injuring the beneficial insects, but also a disadvantage because the types of insects that oils will control are limited.
Also, there are some plants that do not take very well to being covered with oil, and it is recommended that horticultural oil not be used on these plants. Contact our office to determine if your plants qualify for horticultural oil applications. The key to an oil application is reaching and covering the pest with the oil. Many homeowners have tried spraying oils themselves with little effect. Insects cling to the underside of leaves and hide in cracks in the bark where they cannot be reached by low pressure spray bottles. The insects that escape continue to reproduce and cause damage. High pressure sprayers and complete coverage is essential. January and February is the time to protect your beloved camellias or fruit trees from overwintering insects. Look at your trees and shrubs soon for evidence of damaging pests such as scale or aphids. We want to help you protect your ornamental plants.
Our IPM (Integrated Pest Management) program utilizes horticultural oil as one of our many preventative maintenance applications. Call the office today to schedule an application
Flower of the Month
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February's Romantic Pick is: Hellebore.
February Chores
Spring Cleanup and Mulching
Irrigation Turn-on
Stump Grinding
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