Dustin Wolff | Account Manager
Posted 9/23/2022
IPM is an abbreviation for Integrated Pest Management, which is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as, “an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices.” Pests are broadly defined as insects, plants, diseases and even animals that hinder the health and productivity of a plant. Humans often want to manage one or more pests in a particular setting to maximize our perception of health for that setting.
Cover Photo, Stock Photo
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Dustin Wolff | Account Manager
Posted 5/4/2022
It may be tempting to ignore crabgrass, especially since it has “grass” in its name, but crabgrass is among the most troublesome lawn weeds. It can invade poor turf and, if allowed to develop through its complete lifecycle, a single plant is capable of producing thousands of seeds before dying off in the fall. Crabgrass management can be intensive, but it is an important practice in maintaining a healthy lawn.
Cover Photo, Jake Louwsma
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Jake Louwsma CLP | Sales and Marketing Manager
Posted 4/14/2022
Pruning trees is a historic practice serving many purposes. These purposes include tree health, longevity, aesthetics, and safety.
However, some people wonder, “Trees are natural and alive, why do we need to prune them? Why don’t we leave them alone and let them do what they naturally do?”. It’s a matter of context. Yes, trees are alive and grow naturally, but the maintained landscapes we live in are far from natural. Maintained landscapes contain living and natural elements like grass, trees, and plants, but they are not in a natural context. In nature, a solitary tree would rarely be seen growing in the midst of a pristine field of Kentucky Blue Grass. In our maintained landscape spaces, natural things are put together in unnatural ways. This isn’t necessarily bad, it’s what we humans do, and it is important to understand these differences in contexts.
Cover Photo, Jake Louwsma
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BJ Holty | Account Manager
Posted 11/05/2021
Do you have a shrub that is disheveled or overgrown? You know it will be expensive to remove, replace, and put new mulch around a new one. Instead of replacement, your shrub may be a great candidate for rejuvenation pruning. Rejuvenation pruning is simply cutting the shrub down to approximately 6-8″ off the ground and removing the debris. The result of this pruning is that the shrub sends out new growth from the base, thereby “rejuvenating” the shrub, which gives it a fresh look as if it is brand new, or dare I say “rejuvenated.”
Cover Photo, Horticulture Services
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Catherine Nickelson | Arborist | Horticulturist
Posted 07/30/2021
Surface roots are the normal result of a shallow-rooted tree aging. The primary roots of many trees are within 8 inches of the soil surface. As these roots age they increase in circumference, just like a branch or trunk. The root does not reposition itself below the soil, so the thickening results in part of the root showing up in the turf.
Cover Photo, Catherine Nickelson
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Jeff Farrington | Account Manager
Posted 06/16/2021
For many people the idea of water conservation and lush turfgrass do not go together, but it is possible to be both responsible about water usage and maintain a healthy lawn. Minnesota is blessed with many lakes, rivers and streams, as a result, water use and conservation have been an afterthought. Although we don’t have the same water shortages in Minnesota as in other parts of the country, water conservation is an important practice to ensure that we continue to have a plentiful supply of water.
Cover Photo, Jeff Wilson
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Jake Louwsma CLP | Sales and Marketing Manager
Posted 05/04/2021
I see the irrigation system running at my home, but none of the water is reaching the plants in the foundation beds around my house. Is the irrigation system not adjusted correctly?
Cover Photo, Horticulture Services
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Jeff Farrington | Account Manager
Posted 4/14/2021
Turfgrass in Minnesota is dominated by cool season grasses including Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall Fescue, fine fescue, and some less common varieties. A significant benefit of turf is that it is relatively care-free, especially in situations where it can be kept healthy. However, in less-than-ideal situations, problems can occur. In this post, a few common problems and solutions are explored.
Cover Photo, Horticulture Services
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Brian Davis | Account Manager
Posted 4/13/2020
Minnesota winters present a number of challenges to our landscapes. Salt usage, deep snow piles, and the freeze/thaw cycle all contribute to one of these challenges called ‘winterkill’. Winterkill is used as a general term to describe grass (ie. turf grass, hereby referred to as “grass”) that has died over the winter, possibly due to the causes described above. Living in our climate, winterkill is an unfortunate and inevitable problem that we must tackle each spring to some degree. Over the years, Horticulture Services has tried a number of different methods for winterkill grass repairs, with the two main methods being sod and grass seeding.
Cover Photo, Horticulture Services
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Catherine Nickelson | Horticulturist | Arborist
Posted 03/11/2020
Winter weather in Minnesota is harsh. Sub-zero temperatures for days on end, sunless days and long nights, and the worst – stinging Arctic winds. Everything scurries for cover from these blasts. Even native Minnesotans hunch and bundle when the stinging winds hit. It feels as though warmth is sucked right out of the body. Not isolated to people and animals, this problem is very real for our beautiful evergreens; we call it winter desiccation.
Winter desiccation is the removal of water from leaves in winter. For deciduous trees and shrubs this is not an issue as they have long since dropped their leaves. Evergreens, however, keep their leaves or needles all winter. During these months, trees are not actively transpiring, moving water from the roots up to the leaves to replenish what was lost. Therefore, if the existing moisture is removed the leaves or needles are left brown and dead or at least dead-looking. Desiccation is at its worst on windy days; water is blown right out of the leaves.
Cover Photo, Catherine Nickelson
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