This client has done a great job in helping the root system of their trees not cook under our Idaho Perm-bark rock which is so common in planting beds.

Simply move the rock back, cut out the fabric which we are finding troubles with later as silt fills in the holes, and backfill with mulch.

Do not cover the trunk flare in what is commonly called "volcano mulching" because the moisture held on the trunk can actually cause rot and other issues.

These are the simple landscape changes any homeowner can do that can really affect the long term health of your trees.

Insects in my Trees

We often get calls with clients stating insects are attacking their trees and would we come spray them.

Before you have a chemical spray application done, make sure you really have insects...

August is a time when heat has had a lot of effect on the tree's ability to move water throughout the leaf canopy. Often the vascular system can not move enough water to support all the little individual cell membranes in that leaf. The result is the membrane dies and is blown out by the wind, creating an effect we call leaf tatter. This may look like insects are chewing on the leaves.

So before you spray, look for the actual insects at different times of day and inspect the actual damage for chew marks or the irregular shapes of individual cells.

TruGreen and your Trees

TruGreen and Trees

Recently we have had a half-dozen calls asking us for a second opinion on a clients Tree health because TruGreen had told them the trees were infested with insects and needed to be chemically sprayed.

I examined two properties and another ISA Certified Arborist went to two other locations and did thorough examinations. In each case, the maximum we found was one to two scale insects and older bore holes.

Chemical companies are supposed to be in compliance with what is called IPM or Integrated Pest Management. This is environmentally conscious application of not advising clients to kill everything in the yard but exercise discretion by setting a Pest Threshold; the amount of pest that actually present a problem. We are not trying to kill everything in the yard, that amount of chemical destroys beneficial insects and actually creates a situation of dependence on chemicals.

Scale is equivalent to a tree having a cold, one or two scale insects is barely a sneeze. Bore holes remain for years after the larvae is gone. Please be aware of this sales strategy that uses fear to try and manipulate people into doing what is not actually the best thing for our trees.

Raised Garden Bed Help

Raised Beds take more care and to truly get nutrition out of your vegetables you need to focus on soil and growing environment.

The Green Team Booklet on Tree Health and Growing Nutritious Gardens has a simple to understand help on building better soil biology for your plants to grow in.

I'll be teaching free classes on this during the spring so check on the blog for post of a class near you or if you want a personal evaluation and review of your garden it's $39 which includes the booklet.
We also have Soil Testing available.
email greenteam.ted@gmail.com

Next Raised Bed Garden Class: Evans Building Supply Eagle Idaho 10am Saturday April 15th

Idaho Gardening

I am very excited about this great solution to backyard gardening.

We've worked with many of you setting up garden programs with better quality soil. Getting that soil into backyards has often been very difficult. This new way of controlling garden soil is just what we've been looking for.
It's called the GARDENSOXX;
an elastic material with the toughness of landscape fabric, easy to fill with quality compost and a built-in drip system.

The SOXX can be any length. A three-foot section is simple to carry. Can be put anywhere, on top of your existing beds, in the lawn, on the patio, the options are limitless.

Weed control is essentially built in. The unit can be moved if needed as the sun changes angle at the end of the season.
Pricing is very affordable.
  

For more information email me at greenteam.ted@gmail

Idaho Trees and Clay Soil

The most overlooked problem in Idaho is how clay soil affects our trees. Trees roots need macropores or "air space" or you literally suffocate them. Clay is not "bad" soil, it's just too compact and needs organic matter to  create that air space.
Back East the Arborist effectively fix this with what is called an Air Spade; however Idaho has been slow to get this critical aeration tool working on our trees. Over eighty percent of the tree evaluations I am called out on have soil compaction that is creating the symptoms. Over compacted soil slowly suffocating a tree, and making it unhealthy, invites in other disease and pests that target sick plants. An uninformed Pest Control person will advise pesticides but what we really need to do is improve the environment the tree is in and make it healthy so it can fight off those issues.
So what do we do?
It is a simple process of using high-pressure air to break apart that soil without damaging the roots as shown in these two videos.
Part One showing the trenches for Air Spade Repair
Part Two Showing the Air Spade in Action

If you want healthy trees in heavy clay; you have to fix the problem. Fall is an ideal time on dormant decidua trees. Cost usually starts around $475 to get the equipment, people and materials on the first tree but then subsequent trees are $165 clear down to $50 for smaller trees.

Landscape fabric and tree health

Years ago we were told landscape fabric was the answer. But as we start to check trees showing health issues we are seeing more and more examples like this photo.

This was peeled back (just bark on top) at a client in Nampa who's property was just ten year old. Most of the tree roots were on the surface searching for water and oxygen. The fabric was NOT breathing but the little pores in it were clogged from the organic matter break down. Water was running off so the roots were getting almost none of the irrigation.

I have seen this all over the treasure valley. You need to dig around your trees and pull the fabric back. If this is happening; remove the fabric several feet past the drip line.

You'll find roots growing into the fabric as well, especially small feeder roots. Unfortunately a lot of this will have to be removed but if you don't do it now it will end up killing the tree.

In this case we did airspade work and used the high compressed air to separate the root growth from the fabric and then did trenches to help with the organic matter in the soil.