Davey Tree Flipbooks

A BREAK FROM THE HEAT Help your plants rebound from severe drought conditions and prepare them for the impending New England winter with subsurface watering and fall fertilization with Arbor Green Pro®! This year, Massachusetts was blindsided by severe drought. Dry weather in previous years, coupled with below average snowfall in winter and a lack of rain during the spring and summer months left residents hurrying for hoses and scrambling for sprinklers in an attempt to save their plants. Lush landscapes fell victim to wilt, scorch, early fall color and premature leaf drop. Plants were forced to cope with water from irrigation systems as their singular source, insufficiently limping to the finish line at the end of summer. In urban environments, radiant heat from asphalt and concrete scorched city blocks, producing foliage that was crispy and torched. Trees of all varieties stuffed into man made planters, surrounded by impermeable materials that reflected the already extreme heat, were crying out for relief. A drive down Interstate 95 in August had the feel of early October with splashes of fall color and defoliated canopies abound. A: It means they are stressed out! In short, a lack of soil moisture for an extended period of time results in cell death, an absence of fine root development, and in some cases a total shutdown of the photosynthetic process. When a plant shuts down photosynthesis in any capacity it steals energy from reserves in the roots and also from the shoots. Signs of reserve energy depletion may not be evident for one or even several years, which is the inherent danger with severe drought. Plants may appear fine the next season, but really the internal stress and struggle continue, creating an increased susceptibility to other biotic factors. Attacks by lethal insects like borers and What exactly does this prolonged lack of water mean for your trees and shrubs? Q: deadly diseases such as root rot are a common occurrence after severe stress. Another danger is the upcoming New England winter which frequently brings death, damage, and desiccation during normal years to healthy plants. What does your arborist recommend? Q: A: Subsurface watering and fall fertilization with Arbor Green Pro ® . Give your trees the water they desperately need for survival and deliver it directly to the soil profile where roots absorb water. Hartney Greymont performs subsurface watering with probes inserted into the root zone of your desired plant. We can get through competing turf and layers of mulch to deliver the water right where your trees need it most. A surfactant is added to our water which breaks surface tension and allows quick penetration through the various soil layers, reaching the maximum amount of roots with the smallest amount of water, relieving stress and creating a higher probability of plant success through the winter. When plants are sufficiently watered, continue to boost their health in the final weeks of the growing season, and even into next spring, with a fall application of Arbor Green Pro ® fertilizer. Return the vigor that was stolen away from your trees and shrubs by drought conditions that disrupted the photosynthetic process. This effective fertilizer is specifically designed to become available only when your plants are actively growing, which will help invigorate your trees now and continue to provide nutrients when your plants are ready to grow again next season.

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