Month: March 2017

Ping’s New Indianapolis Lawn Care Services

We understand the nearly universal desire to have a lush, green lawn.  A beautiful lawn gives you a place to enjoy time outdoors and also makes any property more attractive.  Yet often homeowners and commercial property owners find that the work required for that dream lawn can be a bit daunting.  This is where Ping’s can help.  We are now offering Indianapolis lawn care services, both with our pre-set 6-step program or with a customized program that meets your lawn’s individual needs.

Round 1: Stop Crabgrass Before It Even Gets Started

Ping’s starts the 6-step lawn program in the spring.  We apply pre-emergent crabgrass control early enough to block crabgrass growth before it even gets started.  Making a pre-emptive strike at the crabgrass gives us an advantage and a better chance to win the battle.  By minimizing crabgrass growth, the healthy desirable grass has an environment where it can thrive.

Rounds 2 to 5: Feed the Grass, Kill the Weeds

Once the growing season is in full swing, our lawn care strategy changes.  We will make 4 application, one during each the late spring, summer, late summer, and early fall.  These applications have a dual purpose.  With fertilization, we give lawns the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy throughout the season.  At the same time, we apply broadleaf weed control to minimize the proliferation of weeds.  Together these two components produce a yard that is uniformly green and luxurious.

Round 6: Get Your Yard Ready for Winter

As the growing season winds down and the weather starts to get colder, we will make our final application of the year.  This late-fall application gets your lawn ready for winter.   While through the summer the object of the treatments has been to keep grass looking lovely, now the main purpose shifts to strengthening the roots.  Additionally, this application will get grass ready for the early spring growth that follows the winter dormancy.

What Your Lawn Needs, When It Needs It

Ping’s lawn care program is structured to provide your lawn with what it needs just when it needs it.  Our lawn care experts know the strength of the fertilizer that is best for each season as well as the best time and the best way to apply it.  We will schedule these treatments with you at the right time so you don’t have to worry about it.  In addition to these application, we also offer other lawn services, including:

• Fungicide Treatments
• Grassy Weed Control Treatments
• Grub Worm Treatments
• Insect Control Treatments
• Lawn Core Aeration
• Overseeding with Starter Fertilization
• Slit Seeding with Starter Fertilization

If you are thinking about starting Ping’s lawn care program, now is the time to sign up.  New customers who act now will receive Round 6 for FREE.  Call us at 317-298-8482 or schedule online for a free estimate.

This post first appeared on https://pingstreeservice.com

Now that you have a beautiful newly planted tree it is time to master the steps of keeping it that way. The bad news is that for the first 2 years this will take some time and attention on your part, but the good news is that after those 2 years of work your tree should be happy and healthy and not require much more them some pruning and fertilization by your arborist every 3-5 years. Below is a description of each of the subjects regarding your new tree requiring your attention.

Water Management

Young trees need adequate water to become established. Although rainfall may be adequate in some areas and in some seasons, additional water may be needed, particularly after planting when root systems are limited. After the initial watering at planting, deciduous trees do not need additional water until the first leaves have reached full size, but then will need water 4-5 times per week and everyday during the plus 90 degree days of summer. We recommend using a water bag or ring (shown in the picture) during the dry seasons for the first 2 years. The water bag will only need to be filled semi weekly or 3 times a week during the hottest part of the summer eliminating the chore of daily watering. After 2 years, most trees can survive with only one or no irrigations, although they would probably do better with monthly applications during the dry season.

Soil Management

It is essential to maintain an area free of turf and weeds around tree trunks, because turf and weeds compete for water and nutrients, and some produce chemicals toxic to other plants. A small turf-free area around a tree also reduces the need for mowers to come close. This clear area must be at least one-foot in radius. Larger areas add little benefit. After four or five years, tree roots are extensive enough that other plants close to their trunks are not a problem, although mower operators should still exercise caution.

A three to four-inch-thick mulch, material placed on the soil surface, controls most weed seedlings. In addition, mulch protects the soil from compaction and erosion, conserves moisture, moderates soil temperatures, provides an all-weather surface for walking, and allows plants to root in the fertile and well-aerated surface soil. The mulch should not be added until 1 month after the tree has been planted so that it does not interfere with the root system obtaining oxygen. Keep mulches at least two inches away from the trunks of trees to minimize disease and rodent damage. A wide range of organic and inorganic materials can be used. If you purchased a watering bag from Urban Forest Pro mulch will be placed for you during the installation of the bag.

Pruning and Training

In years past, severe pruning after planting was thought to be necessary. However, newly planted trees grow quite well if they are pruned lightly or not at all. The key to pruning is to encourage the growth of several large permanent branches, called “scaffold branches,” that will ultimately form the basic structure of the mature tree. If your tree needed pruning directly from the nursery it has already been done by a certified arborist. The young tree will need an initial pruning at 3 years to encourage those structural branches. 2nd to watering your tree this initial pruning is the most important thing you can do for your young tree’s health. Urban Forest Pro provides these prunings at a reduced cost to our planting customers and we will contact you are year 3 to set this up. The pruning also includes a fertilization.

Pest Management

Most trees get off to a good start, but serious problems can be avoided or minimized if the trees are periodically inspected. Inspect trees for the beginnings of insect and disease damage. At the same time, take care of any staking problems, check on tree moisture status, and identify any other problems. The inspection should take only a few minutes per tree, but prompt action on any problems encountered will pay big dividends in healthier, stronger trees.

If your tree was planted by Urban Forest Pro and you think it may have an issue please email pictures to [email protected] or text them to 503-567-1733. We may need a call or an email to let us know you texted the photos as we don’t check that text message line daily.

Looking for large tree planting services near you? Contact our team of ISA-certified arborists who are here to assist you every step of the way.

This post first appeared on https://www.urbanforestprofessionals.com

Most of us understand how important it is to eat a healthy diet.  We carefully choose the foods we eat in order to consume a balance of the nutrients we need.  Making healthy food choices is important to us because we know that our bodies need a variety of nutrients to function correctly.  This truth is a reality for all living creatures, including plants.  Just like humans, trees have nutritional requirements which must be met for healthy growth.  Read on to learn more about the nutritional needs of trees.

What Nutrients Do Trees Need?

You are probably familiar with the dietary needs of people, but what do you know about the nutrients trees need?  There are three categories of nutrients used by trees: macro nutrients, secondary nutrients, and micro nutrients.  Macro nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.  Trees need a substantial amount of these nutrients.  For this reason, these are the main nutrients contained in fertilizers.  Trees do not need as much of the secondary nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.  Finally, trees need very little of the micro nutrients, including iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and boron.

How Do Trees Get These Nutrients?

Trees are generally very self-sufficient.  Many trees survive without any help from anyone.  The incredible design of trees allows them to get the nutrients they need from their environment.  They create food for themselves from sunlight through the amazing process of photosynthesis.  Using their expansive root system, trees are also able to draw nutrients out of the soil.  When left undisturbed, nature provides much of what trees need.  Sometimes, however, our human intervention can cause deficiencies for trees.  In suburban neighborhoods, common practices, such as stripping off top soil and removing leaves in the fall, can upset the delicate balance of nature.

What Happens When Trees Are Deficient of Nutrients?

A tree is dependent on the soil in which it is planted for much of its nutrition.  It is hard to know what nutrients are contained in the soil of a particular area.  Thus, it is also difficult to discern whether a tree is getting what it needs.  It is important to look for outward signs that might indicate a deficiency.  Some of these signs include slower growth than expected; wilting, yellow, or discolored leaves; and sparse foliage.  While these symptoms are noticeable, there are other problems that are not so visible.  Trees that do not get the right nutrients will gradually become weaker.  When weakness occurs in a tree, that tree will become more susceptible to disease, pests, and even damage from weather events.

You may be wondering what role the application of fertilizer plays in correcting nutrient deficiencies.  It is true that the appropriate application of fertilizer will replace the nutrients that are missing in the soil.  However, care should be taken to evaluate what trees are actually missing before applying fertilizer.  Trees can also be harmed by an excessive amount of some nutrients too.  If you suspect your trees may be nutrient deficient, it is always a good idea to get the opinion of an experienced arborist.  The arborists at Ping’s are always available to conduct a thorough inspection of your trees.  We can then make recommendations or apply the needed fertilizer.  As experts in the science of tree care, we have the know-how to take care of all your tree needs.  Call us today at 317-298-8482 to set up an appointment or schedule online.

This post first appeared on https://pingstreeservice.com