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Tag Archives: Black

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Lawn Care Tip: Protect your tree during winter with black plastic

Fruit trees are very sensitive to cold weather and recently, some states such as Georgia and Florida experienced an unexpected frost that damaged much of the fruit. However,  lawn care professionals say there are ways to prevent extensive damage when the weather turns colder than what the trees can handle or are used to.

Sun scald is very damaging to all trees, but especially fruit trees. The direct sunlight causes the cells within the tree to unfreeze, but the drastic change in temperature once the sun goes down can crack or split the bark, if not cause it to fall of completely.

Lawn care experts say a great way to prevent sun scald from negatively affecting your fruit trees is by wrapping your trees in black plastic during the late fall months. Choose a sturdy black plastic (you may be able to find some at your local gardening outlet) and begin at the base of the tree, wrapping the plastic in an upward motion. You will probably have to overlap the layers in order to sufficiently cover the entire base of the tree. Fasten the plastic by using staples (staple the plastic NOT the tree) or using a powerful adhesive, taking care to avoid getting any on the tree itself. The tape could damage the bark.

Be sure to check on the wrap throughout the winter and early spring to make sure there are no gaps or places where the plastic wrap is coming undone. If you properly protect your tree during the winter months, you should have a healthy, vibrant tree once spring finally rolls around!

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Lawn Care Tip: Identifying Black Medic, Broadleaf Plantain & Curly Dock

Many homeowners confuse black medic with white clover because of its three leaflet clover-like leaves that make them appear very similar. Lawn care professionals say you are likely to see this weed in your lawn in the months between May and September. Unlike other weeds that stick out like a sore thumb, black medic is low-growing and generates bunches of tiny, vividly yellow flowers that are noticeable in the late spring and early summer. Lawn technicians say their stems are slightly hairy and they grow in dry soil that is high in phosphorous.

Another irritating weed that homeowners are likely to spot in the early spring and be hounded by until September without professional lawn care intervention is the broadleaf plantain. This weed is grayish-green in color and begins its lifecycle in mid-spring. The egg-shaped weed has wavy-edged leaves that grown near to the ground. In the early summer, lawn experts say the seed stalks will begin to rise and will last through early fall. Unfortunately for a lawn care professional without the right expertise and weed control program, broadleaf plantains can overtake desirable lawn grasses by suffocating them. They key to eliminating this bothersome weed is to eliminate the seeds; lawn care agents say this plant grows from seeds and re-sprouting roots.

Curly dock is another incessant weed that pops up in lawns. This weed has lance-shaped leaves which turn a reddish purple color in the summer and fall. A narrow spike emerges from the center of the plant where small greenish flowers occur. Lawn technicians say you are more likely to see this weed during bouts of hot, dry weather. As the grass suffers, curly dock thrives.

Don’t let weeds be a drain on your lawn; contact your local lawn care professionals for a rigid and effective weed control program.

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