Lace bug continues to be a problem for azaleas, rhododendron, sycamore and broad leafed evergreens, especially andromeda. The first signs of lace bugs are yellow spots on leaves, similar to mite damage, only much larger.  As lace bugs feed, they produce brown varnish-like droppings that spot the underside of the leaves. Advanced damage from lace bugs results in a gray blotched appearance on leaves or leaves turning completely brown.

Plants should be treated in mid-May to early June when lace bugs are active. Using merit (imidacloprid) in the fall will help protect susceptable plants the following season. This can eliminate timing and weather related issues the following spring. While not lethal, lace bug injury inhibits the plants ability to produce chlorophyl which can allow the plant to become vulnerable to more damaging insects and disease. Heavy lace bug activity will also reduce a plants value aesthetically. To  have your plants inspected for lace bug, contact a Tree Tech certified arborist today.

Tree Tech offers the most comprehensive insect control and complete tree service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. For more information on Tree Tech’s tree care services please visit www.treetechinc.net or call 888-873-3832 to speak to an arborist or click here to request a site visit today.

Property owners would consider these plants to be unsalvageable and without knowing alternatives, remove them from their landscape. Depending on the type and the degree of damage or neglect, many trees and shrubs can be rejuvenated or restored by a skilled or knowledgeable Arborist. This method of landscape management known as restoration pruning can save $1000’s in terms of replacement costs. In addition, it may be preserving valuable plant material that is more in scale with the house and grounds.

How do you determine whether this type of pruning makes sense? First and foremost is to have an experienced Arborist. Will the rejuvenated plant be aesthetically pleasing soon after the work is done? Will any structural or hazardous conditions be minimized enough? Are you willing to follow up with routine tree pruning maintenance to see it through and prevent the same outcome?

There are other items to consider when choosing this approach. A good Arborist is always looking toward the future and what impact that tree or shrub will have on the landscape. It is certainly something to consider before you break out the chainsaws and your wallet.

Tree Tech is a full service MA tree care company providing tree trimming and pruning services through Massachusetts and Rhode Island since 1986. If you need assistance from a certified arborists, please call to schedule a complimentary site visit www.treetechinc.net today or call 888-873-3832.

Invasive plant species are plants that are not native or naturally from an area. An invasive plant will out-compete native species for habitat and food. Invasive plants are problematic because they can grow rapidly, spread quickly, and flower or set seed over a long period of time. Many are difficult to control. There are over sixty invasive plant species found in Massachusetts. Some of the most common include:

•           Swamp milkweed

•           Japanese Knotweed

•           Norway maple

•           Blue giant hyssop

•           Oriental Bittersweet

•           Fothergilla

•           Chokeberry

•           Burning Bush

•           Sweet Pepper Bush

•           Goutweed

•           Bayberry

•           Purple Loosestrife

Conservation biologists recommend not planting these species. Unfortunately, many aggressive plant species continue to be introduced into gardens as ornamentals. Driving along our highways it is disturbing to see bittersweet choking and over shading valuable woods and forest vegetation.  One needs only to look at the un-managed side of our roads to see the migration and invasion of Japanese knotweed, a very difficult plant to control once established.  Hopefully the D.O.T. and municipalities will do more to control these menacing plants.

There are three ways to manage and control invasive plants: mechanical, chemical, and biological. Mechanical means to physically remove plants through cutting or pulling. Chemical plant control uses herbicides to kill plants and inhibit re-growth. Biological refers to plant diseases or insect predators, typically from the targeted species’ home range.

If you are having problems controlling invasive plants in your landscape, call the tree and shrub care experts at Tree Tech. Our certified arborists are trained to identify and properly treat or remove invasive plants that can threaten your landscape. Call 888-873-3832 or click here to request a site visit today.

Tree Tech Inc. announced last week that they took over managing green waste for the town of Foxboro.  This privatization is mutually beneficial.  The Town will save over $50,000 per year and for provide Tree Tech with more space to expand operations.  In addition, the location will enable the company to manage its by-products ½ mile away versus 7 miles – saving considerably on fuel and travel time.

###

Tree Tech is a full service tree care company serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island since 1986 with offices in Foxboro, Wellesley and Fall River.  Members in good standing of the Tree Care Industry Association, Massachusetts Tree Warden Association, Massachusetts Arborist Association, and the ISA. For more information call 1-888-873-3832 or visit www.treetechinc.net

Earlier this month, Tree Tech’s expert tree removal staff was on hand at the Southwick  Zoo to remove declining trees that could not be saved.  It was decided that much of the main tree trunks and limbs could be used to assemble a new Jungle Jim in the chimpanzee exhibit.  With the use of our crane, we assisted zoo employees with the construction and erection of logs and branches.

The new chimpanzee exhibit turned out so well that two Tree Tech employees have decided to cohabitate with the chimps in hopes of improving their climbing skills!

For more information about large tree removal in Massachusetts, call the experts at Tree Tech today 888-873-3832. We’ve been providing year round tree service in MA & RI since 1986. Click here to request a site visit from a certified arborist.

Last spring more than 200 Massachusetts Arborist Association members took part in a new volunteer program called Arbor Day of Service. Forty five communities across Massachusetts received an estimated $325,000 in professional arboriculture services from MAA members.  Projects included tree planting, ornamental pruning and hazard tree removal at sites including town parks, elementary schools, community libraries, and playgrounds across the state. An estimated 2,200 volunteer hours were recorded that day.

In 2011, Tree Tech Inc. and its staff of certified arborists, donated thousands of dollars in tree services to Habitat for Humanity project in Norton MM.  This year’s Arbor Day of Service will be held on Friday, April 27, 2012 and Tree Tech will once again be donating its arborist services to the Foxboro Common – one of the last and nicest traditional commons in New England.  The Tree Tech staff will also participate in the city of Boston’s Arbor Day Celebration by providing tree planting and tree trimming services throughout the local community.

For help with your trees and shrubs, contact the  tree service company in Massachusetts with over 25 years experience. Tree Tech has been providing year round, full service residential and commercial tree service since 1986. Call 888-873-3832 or visit www.TreeTechInc.net for arborist planting tips and more.

Even if you haven’t seen White Tail Deer on your property, you will know they’ve been there if the leaves or needles on the lower five feet of your ornamental shrubbery are missing.

Tree damage from White Tail Deer is becoming an increasing problem in our area. With their habitat becoming smaller in suburban areas, a lack of natural predators and an abundance of food in gardens and ornamental landscapes, has the White-tailed Deer populations thriving. Even “deer resistant” plants are fair game when the food is in short supply during the winter months. Why forage through the woods when they can easily enjoy the convenience of dining on your yews, arborvitaes, etc.?

Tree Tech offers a Deer Control Treatment. We use a contact repellent which is applied directly to the plant. It repels by taste and we have been successful in keeping our clients vulnerable trees and shrubs from becoming deer damaged.

If you are in need of this treatment one of our sales representatives, a certified Massachusetts arborist, would come evaluate your property for deer-susceptible plants at no charge. One treatment should keep the deer away or in the case of a bad winter at least may minimize damage. Call us today at 888-873-3832 or visit request a site visit today.

Tree Tech has been providing expert tree care and complete tree services throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island since 1986.  For more information, please visit www.TreeTechinc.net. Celebrating 25 Years of oustanding tree service.

Most tree and shrub diseases affecting plants are fungal in nature. Fungus emits spores that travel from plant to plant by vectors such as wind, rain and bees. Different fungus attack plant tissue in different ways. Some attack stems and trunks of plants, these are known as cankers. Canker is primarily found on the trunk of a tree. A canker will have missing bark or appear sunken in, as shown in the photo to the left. Other diseases attack the leaf area causing browning and often premature leaf drop. Many plants can live with infections, however the aesthetic implications may warrant treatment.

Tree diseases can be treated in a multitude of ways, the most common is the form of a spray that covers the leaf and stem areas. Most disease treatments of this kind require two to three applications to prevent infection throughout the susceptibility period. Injection of materials into the trunk or the soil allows the plant to absorb the product into its vascular system. This method can be very effective and offer longer residual than conventional spraying. However, it can be most costly and it is not that effective in dealing with certain pathogens and in some cases can injure the tree.

Tree Tech’s certified MA arborists are licensed to treat tree and shrub diseases. If you suspect that your trees or shrubs may be infected, please contact us for a site visit and diagnostic evaluation. For more information about our plant health services and tree disease diagnosis and treatment, visit www.TreeTechInc.net or call us at 888-873-3832.

Tree Tech has been providing year round residential and commercial tree care services throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Our ISA certified arborists are trained in the art and science of tree care and dedicated to the long term health of your trees and shrubs.  Arborists can access a plant’s health and provide a range of tree care services including the diagnosis of tree diseases, insect control and evaluating site problems that can affect good tree health.  Having your trees and shrubs inspected by a certified arborist will help prevent problems from occurring and keep your plants in good health.

Certified Arborists Can Provide The Following Diagnostic Services:
•Decay Detection
•Air Spading
•Root Crown Inspection
•Structural Assessments
•Insect and Disease Activity
•Cultural Problems (improper irrigation)
•Planting Depth & Location

For a free evaluation of your trees and shrubs by a certified arborist in Massachusetts or Rhode Island, contact Tree Tech for a site visit today. Call 888-873-3832 or visit www.treetechinc.net.

Tree Tech has been providing residential and commercial tree services through Massachusetts and Rhode Island since 1986.

Spring Insect Control Tips

At Tree Tech, we’re dedicated to providing you with the best tree service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including great advice from our staff of certified aborists. Here’s some insect control  tips for spring:

• April is a good time to schedule chemical tree treatments for winter moth and other plant damaging insects.
• Moisture is necessary for most plant and tree diseases to thrive. Target watering to turf and bed surfaces. Avoid wetting of foliage.
• Air movement and light penetration favor plant health and reduces pest problems. Conditions can be improved through proper plant spacing at planting and good pruning and trimming practices.
• Good sanitation reduces the source and habitat of insects and diseases and helps control outbreaks. Removal of leaves and debris beneath plants with known problems is beneficial. Heavy deposits of leaves on turf or groundcovers over the winter will cause damage.

Vigorous, healthy trees and shrubs with good reserves can fight off pests and resist environmental stress much better than those in a weakened condition.

To have your trees and shrubs evaluated by a certified arborist in MA call us today or click here to schedule a site visit. Tree Tech has been serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island with residential and commercial tree services since 1986. For more information about our services visit www.TreeTechinc.net or call 888-873-3832.