Heritage Lawns and Irrigation

Birds need a drink in the winter too

Still no snow in Kansas City yet this year.  The weatherman is saying we are getting close to records for the latest ever,  which is sometime in March back in the dust bowl days of the early 30′s.  That ought to tell you something.  WE ARE GETTING DRY!  Especially the evergreens.  I took two calls this week from homeowners worried about boxwoods and hollies that were turning brown.  The cute birds I found in this picture aren’t the only ones that need water during these prolonged dry spells, hot or cold.  The warmer windy days aren’t helping.  Think of it this way.  The deciduous trees and shrubs that drop their leaves don’t transpire much water during the winter, but the evergreens still do.  So when we have warm windy days they need almost as much water as they do in the summer.  No snow, frozen ground, and windy days all make it hard on our evergreens like boxwood, holly, yews, azaleas, arbovitae, pines etc.

Here is a good article from Colorado State University on winter watering

A slow trickle from a garden hose in the middle of the day when temperatures are over 40 is pretty simple.  Don’t forget to unhook your hose and drain it so nothing freezes and breaks when the temps drop again.

We had a great get together at the Independence Center watching the Missouri Maverics hockey team.  Check out the funny video from the sprinkler guys.  It was great to get together with everyone.    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heritage-Lawns-Irrigation/106660604309

Merry Christmas everyone.

Medium and Small Bagworms

big and little bagworms

3 bagworms in a row

The bagworm attack is in full swing right now!  On some bushes they are still pretty small, perhaps 1/2 inch but there are some that have been feeding well and are over 1″ already.
Now is a good time to give your bushes a thorough inspection for insect pests.  Bagworms prefer evergreens like junipers and arbovitae but can be found anywhere.  They are voracious feeders and a heavy population cen denude a tree in a few short days.
If you don’t have too many you can pick them off the tree or shrub and throw them away.  Be sure to seal the trash bag or they will crawl out and be all over the garage.  If you have a bad infestation you will need to spray an insect contol to beat them back before they kill the bush.  If you need help we have a bagworm spray special for only $49 till the end of July.

We are receiving a few calls about birch trees dropping leaves.  It can be a little alarming as they can drop 50% of all their leaves pretty quickly.
But there is no need to worry since this is the birch tree’s natural self defence mechanism to deal with drought stress.  In an effort to reduce water loss the tree sheds excess leaves to minimize the amount of water lost through evapotranspiration ( through the leaf).
If we continue with a prolonged dry spell a deep soaking with a slow trickling garden hose once a week will help.

Here is a great short video from the folks over at K-State. Allen and his staff are a big help to us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OSE7Hp3JBs

What is a bagworm?

Bagworm on Arborvitae

June is bagworm season.  Many people don’t realize they have bagworms because they camouflage themselves.  They form a 1 ½ – 2-inch bag that hangs downward from the branches and is gray or brown colored.  Many people mistake them for small pine cones.  But inside that bag is the female bagworm and, depending on the time of year, all of the eggs she has laid.

Damage:  The bagworms attack both deciduous trees and evergreens, but their favorite plants are juniper, arborvitae, spruce, pine and cedar.  Bagworms wrap a strong piece of silk around the branch or twig to attach themselves.  This can girdle the branch and cause it to die.  Sometimes this damage doesn’t show up until the next season when the branch grows bigger and is strangled.  Bagworms also strip the plant of foliage as they eat.  To move from plant to plant, bagworms can either suspend themselves on silk and let the wind carry them or larger larvae can crawl short distances. 

Life Cycle:  By early fall, the larvae permanently suspend their bags.  Males emerge as furry black moths with clear wings about an inch wide.  The females don’t develop into moths, but remain worms and wait inside their bags.  They emit a strong scent to attract the males who mate through a hole in the bottom of the bag.  After she has laid several hundred eggs inside her bag, she dies.  The eggs will hatch the following May and crawl out of the end of the bag in search of food.  They use silk that they produce along with plant materials to make a small bag around their hind end.  This gives them the appearance of tiny ice cream cones.  As they feed and grow, they enlarge the bag and hide inside if disturbed. In fall, they form their bags and the cycle starts over. 

How to treat them:   Adult bagworms can be cut off with a knife or garden shears, but you must be sure to cut the silk band that holds them to the branch so it doesn’t remain and girdle the branch.  This works well with small infestations on smaller trees.  But many times, infestations can be widespread or occur on taller trees that make physical removal difficult.  Then, insecticides are your best choice.  The best time to use insecticides is June because the small larvae are more vulnerable to insecticides.  Call Heritage if you need help getting rid of bagworms or any insects on your trees, shrubs or lawn.  We can take care of it for you.

I don’t know if you caught the article in the KCH&G January/February issue, but it featured Todd and Donna Kunkel’s beautiful back yard.  I wanted to share some of the photos with you because they are just incredible.  Meandering paths invite you to follow and around every corner is an eye-catching surprise.  From urns exploding with color to the carefully chosen architectural elements to the enchanting patio, this back yard begs to be explored.  The Kunkel’s garden holds a breathtaking variety of flowers, bushes and trees.  From conical evergreens to sprawling and colorful tropical plants, it seems they have come together from different worlds to celebrate their diversity. We take care of the lawn and trees for the Kunkels making sure they’re just as perfect as the rest of their botanically abundant landscape.  We also maintain their sprinkler system.  We are all eagerly anticipating spring, so enjoy the photos and let them inspire you to create beautiful settings in your own back yard.

Snow is beautiful on trees and it makes for picture postcard views.  Like everything too much of a good thing is not a good thing.  If the snow builds up too much it can weigh down the branches and cause them to break.  This can be more of a problem on evergreens and multiple trunk trees and shrubs.  The best thing to do is to gently shake the snow off the plant but be careful not to break any branches.  If the snow becomes frozen and stuck to the plant just let it melt off on it’s own.  If you shake it too hard trying to remove ice and frozen on snow you run the risk of  breaking the branches.  So enjoy the view but if you notice the trees and shrubs bending to the ground a gentle shake can avoid future permanant damage.

With this cold snap and now a short warm up we will see some freeze and thaw and refreeze each day.  You need to be aware that your walks and driveways could become slippery again each morning and evening.  What to do?  The best thing is to keep the walk surfaces clear of snow and ice and manage your snow piles so that when they melt they don’t run back onto the walkways.  When that isn’t possible try to use products like sand or kitty litter to add traction to these areas when they are frozen.  Ice Melt products are great when used properly for loosening the ice and snow from the surface so it can be shoveled off but aren’t designed to be re applied over and over for a refreezing situation.   Ice Melt products are salts, and when the concentration gets too high they can burn the turf and plants around the hard surface you are treating.  Not to mention it can be hard on the concrete too.  What are other options you have tried?

Instead of just counting your blessings over your thanksgiving meal, make it a point to count your blessing once each day of the holiday weekend. Try not to count the same things twice and you will see how truly blessed you are.
Happy Thanksgiving