Lawn Care Info

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Weed Identification:

 A weed is any plant that is out of place. 

Two basic types of weeds are broad leaf and grassy.

Weeds interfere with the landscape by:

Competing with desired plants for resources such as space, food, water, and light. They become hosts for insects and vectors for pathogen. Providing food and shelter for undesirable animal pests. Some even irritate people and/or animals with their burs, thorns, toxins, and poisons. They are capable of damaging drain works, road surfaces, home foundations, and even waterways. 

Insects: 

Whats the difference in cute little caterpillar and destructive larvae? LIFE CYCLE - got to catch these predators in early life cycle.

Learn to recognize insects' feeding patterns: There are 3 types of insects categorized by 3 types of feeding patterns. 

1) Chewing Insects - Caterpillars (immature stages of moths and butterflies), Sawflies, Grasshoppers, Beetles, Snails, Slugs

- Chew holes in leaves, "skeletonizing" them and/or defoliating entirely. They may also tunnel into the petioles and stems. Leaf edges turn brown and die. - Tunnel through plant tissues - teasing, or separating, outer layers of leaves. (LeafMiner)

2) Rasping Insects - Thrips

- Feed by slicing ("rasping") open plant cells on the surface of leaves, buds, flowers, or fruits. Then they suck the contents out of the ruptured cells. If plant parts are mature, the rasping causes tiny, silvery streaks which are rows of empty, dead cells. If plant parts are still growing when attacked, damaged surface cells stop growing while undamaged cells continue to develop around them. This causes deformed plant parts.

3) Sucking Insects - Aphids, Mealybugs, Scales, Whiteflies

- They feed by puncturing plant parts with their long, straw-like mouthparts and removing sap. This causes the plant to stress and appear wilted. Damaged or dead leaf spots sometimes fall off the plant (making it look like it's been eaten by a chewing insect instead).

When these insects feed they remove sugar-rich fluids from the plants. When they poop, they excrete a sticky material (honeydew). SOOTY MOLD fungus quickly grows on the honeydew and further stresses the plant by blocking sunlight needed for photosynthesis.

A few common diseases of Landscape Ornamentals:

Plant disease is the invasion of a living organism that brings harm to their health.

Chlorosis: It is symptom of plant disease where the chlorophyll in green parts of host is destroyed due to infection. It results in appearance of yellow spots in green tissue giving a mosaic pattern. YELLOWING

Blight - rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death to the plant host.

Necrosis: It is also a symptom of plant disease where death of host tissue occurs due to infection. Drying of dead tissues results in appearance of brown spots called necrotic spots. DEATH OF CELLS/TISSUES

These are some proactive, practical steps to prevent the spread of disease:

1) Remove diseased sections

2) Water @ the base. (Investigate)

3) Mulch smothers weeds / stop splashing

4) Fertilization

5) Air circulation

6) Remove all dead debris 

7) Clean tools

8) Monitor plant materials

Hope this info helps with your future lawn care and landscaping services!