It isn’t easy being a Flowering Dogwood, White Oak, or other native tree in Northern Virginia. There are many threats to trees in an urban/suburban environment, but one that is quickly becoming the most worrisome is also one that can be averted by taking quick action: the loss of trees to invasive non-native vines. In their native setting, vines are meant to grow on trees and are an important part of the ecosystem. When they are imported from other continents, though, they can take off out of control and kill trees. This is what we are now seeing everywhere we look.

Fall is a very busy season — one where most people like to have their trees pruned. Although trees in our region can be trimmed anytime, we do tend to be extra busy come fall. So what does that mean for us in the tree care industry and what does it mean for you? It means we will have a lot of phone calls and evaluations to make for our clients and our schedule gets full, so if you need tree care services, it’s best to plan ahead.

Have you noticed leaves on trees in your community turning yellow and dropping earlier than usual? Or maybe you’ve seen pine trees starting to lose needles? Depending on summer rainfall, sometimes trees end up experiencing a premature browning of the leaves and an earlier than expected leaf drop without the familiar display of fall colors. Learn more about this and other fall tree care issues in this month’s blog.

it’s the dog days of summer and it has been a hot one! That means it is time to pull out the hoses and water your trees, especially the newly planted ones and the old ones as well. During these dry times, the older trees should be watered weekly while trees that are 2 to 6 years old, should be watered 3 times a week. It is best to water early in the morning so that the root ball can be soaked.

Jim has been in the tree business for more than four decades and his passion for trees has never dulled. In recent years, he began to utilize a mapping system for trees, which has helped many residential and commercial properties in the area. This mapping system creates a Tree Inventory, allowing Jim to mark all the locations for the trees on a property using GIS and develop a timeline of work that every unique tree requires to be in the best health.

Following up on last month’s blog about ticks, we would like to share about about local company that we recommend using for deer and tick protection. NoVa Deer Shield was created 7 years ago when Founder Judy Loose moved back to Virginia and needed deer repellent to protect her yard. However, her customers soon began complaining about the ever-increasing number of ticks, inspiring the company to add an organic tick treatments to their services in 2018. The company now serves more than 200 customers offering natural deer repellent services every 2–3 weeks between March and October, a one-time winter deer repellent application (which lasts all winter long), and monthly organic tick treatments.

In Virginia, Lyme Disease cases are on the rise. To help keep your property free of pesky ticks, we recommend investing in beneficial nematodes.