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23 Oct 2017
tree-shrub-fertilizing-kelowna

Why Your Trees and Shrubs Need Fertilizer

Get excited folks, the holiday season is right around the corner. And with less than two months to go before Christmas Day, I would wager that a fair number of Canadians are already starting to plan out their Christmas tree designs and decorations. What a time to be alive!

While I’m all for a little early planning, I’m also here to tell you that there is a different kind of tree that needs your attention just as much as those festive evergreens; the ones that are already on your property!

Like anything else on your lawn, your trees and shrubs need proper nourishment and attention to flourish. In the wild, trees and shrubs instinctually grow where they have the best chance of success, often in areas with direct exposure to sunlight and less outright competition.

Unfortunately, the trees and shrubs on your property don’t have the same advantage as their wilder siblings, as they are often forced to share space with your grass, flowers, and other assorted plants. This makes applying tree fertilizer to them a much more critical task than people might think.

Here are the reasons for why your trees and shrubs need fertilizer, too. 

Tree and Shrub Care

Trees and shrubs require a mixture of 13 different nutrients for proper growth and development. Some of those nutrients, like water and oxygen, are naturally plentiful and easy to find. Others, not so much.

Luckily for you, OCI Landscaping has a deep-root feeding program called DeepFeed, created to nourish your soil and minimize natural and man-made stress around your trees and shrubs. The fertilizer is injected directly into the soil, as close to the root zone as possible,  and in multiple locations under and around each plant, giving your trees the nutrients they need to grow vibrant leaves and a full canopy.

While the best time to fertilize trees and shrubs is in the Spring and Fall, it is still okay to nourish your leafy friends in November or December, depending on your weather and the amount of leaves on your lawn. Just like your lawn in late Fall, trees and shrubs will continue to take in the vital nutrients that they need as long as the ground isn’t frozen.

Importance of Proper Tree Feeding

tree-shrub-fertilizer-best-practice

A healthy tree is a happy tree; but without proper nutrients they can become more susceptible to pests, diseases, insects, and bad weather. These can result in reduced branch growth, premature fall colours, and dropping leaves, making your once regal tree an eye sore for the whole neighborhood if not cared for properly.

Don’t let this happen. Providing proper nutrients to your trees and shrubs helps protect the plant and also accelerate their growth and potential. Fertilize your trees to make sure they look bold and beautiful on your lawn.

 

Contributed by: Brent Szotak professional landscaper and foremost expert on green things

OCI Landscaping and Irrigation

928 Arbor View Drive
Kelowna, BC.
V1W-5B5

Phone: 778.214.2352
info@ocilandscaping.com
www.ocilandscaping.com

16 Aug 2017
fall-yard-cleanup

Fundamental Fall Lawn Care Services

Autumn is just around the corner, and it just so happens to be an ideal time of year for lawn care!

Repairing Summer damage and preparing for Winter are best done in the Fall. Plus, giving your lawn a little extra love during September, October, and November will help set you up for success in Spring. So do your fall yard cleanup properly for maximum benefit.

Here are our top 8 Fall lawn care services.

Core Aeration

Fall is the ideal time for your annual core aeration, since the weather is cooler and the grass is actively growing.

When your lawn is aerated, a machine mechanically removes small cores of soil and thatch from the lawn, which are left on the surface to be reincorporated.

Aerating your lawn in Fall will help reduce soil compaction, control thatch, reduce insect & disease pressures, reduce summer drought damage, and make irrigation more efficient.

Overseeding

If you have bare areas in your lawn, Fall is the ideal time to sort it out.

Overseeding is recommended for home lawns at least once a year, and since the soil and air temperatures are still warm and rainfall is common, Fall is the perfect time to do it.

Overseeding assists by filling in and thickening up thin, weak, or damaged areas in a lawn. It’s a great way to introduce new grass species that require less water, less fertilizer, and resist insect & disease pressures.

Topdressing

Topdressing is a great way to add more organic matter to your lawn before Winter. If your lawn is lacking in nutrients, it will help rejuvenate tired grass and improve the condition of your soil.

Topdressing with a quality, weed-free organic mulch helps reduce water usage, increases your lawn’s ability to fight disease, and improves the results of your fertilizer program.

For even better compost infiltration, combine topdressing with your annual core aeration.

 

organic-topdressing-kelowna

Winterizer Fertilizer

One of the most important things you can do for your lawn is to provide it with the nutrients it needs to grow healthy.

Fertilizing in Fall with a custom ‘winterizer’ blend ensures good Winter hardiness and survival. It also helps prolong the lawn’s dark green colour and provide an early Spring green-up.

Lime

When soil becomes too acidic, the nutrients your grass needs to thrive become unavailable, resulting in unhealthy turf. The optimal soil pH for your lawn is between 6.5 and 7.5

Enhanced Calcitic Lime neutralizes acidic soil pH conditions, giving your lawn a better chance at taking up the plant essential nutrients it needs to outcompete weeds, lawn diseases, and insect infestations.

Fall is the ideal time for an annual lime application, since the lawn is actively growing.

 

fall-turf-lawn-care

Grub Control

Since white grub larvae begin to aggressively feed in the Fall, protecting your lawn should be in your best interests. Signs of damage typically begin to show in Fall, either from grubs feeding on the grass, which will start to turn brown, or from other animals digging into the lawn in search of grubs.

Damage from the beetle starts in the Fall and continues through Spring, until the beetle matures and escapes from the lawn.

Depending on provincial regulations, there are a number of grub control techniques to manage them. Other ways to assist in preventing the beetle from devastating your lawn is to keep it as healthy as possible. Regular maintenance and fertilizing is essential to maintaining your lawn’s health.

white-grubs-in-lawn-kelowna

Tree & Shrub Fertilization

Fertilizing your trees & shrubs helps to protect their beauty and promote their growth.

Our 2-visit Deep Feed service nourishes and feeds the soil around your trees & shrubs, creating a robust and healthy rooting environment which helps minimize man made and natural stresses.

 

fall-tree-shrub-fertilizer

Irrigation Blowout

For those that have an irrigation system, Fall is the time to start thinking about the off-season.

Professional sprinkler winterization prevents freeze-ups and costly repairs next Spring. Generally, it includes shutting off the main water valve, opening drain valves, and inspecting all sprinklers to ensure all the water has been discharged.

 

kelowna-irrigation blowout

No matter what your goals are for your lawn this Fall, our lawn care technicians will provide advice on how to get your lawn and landscape looking lush, as well as offering expert recommendations on our range of beneficial services.

Talk to the yard experts at OCI Landscaping and Irrigation to learn more about any of these Fall lawn care services, as well as other ecology friendly lawn care services catered for your yard.

OCI Landscaping and Irrigation

928 Arbor View Drive
Kelowna, BC.
V1W-5B5

Phone: 778.214.2352
info@ocilandscaping.com
www.ocilandscaping.com

01 Jun 2017
how-to-trim-cedar-hedges

How to maintain your cedar hedge

 

Creating a good foundation for Strong Cedar Hedge

Tо еnѕurе thаt you асhіеvе thе best results from your cedar tree hedge, іt’ѕ іmреrаtіvе thаt you mаkе some сеrtаіn соnѕіdеrаtіоnѕ whіlе planting cedar hеdgе рlаntѕ. To start with, уоu hаvе tо dig a trеnсh thаt’ѕ big еnоugh. Yоu hаvе tо рісk a place that’s a rеаѕоnаblе dіѕtаnсе frоm thе streets ѕіnсе thіѕ will hеlр рrеvеnt реорlе from stepping on thе Hеdgе рlаntѕ You have to dіg a trеnсh that’s аbоut 16 іnсhеѕ dеер аnd also of the ѕаmе dіmеnѕіоn іn width and about 3′ apart. Chооѕіng the rіght place that wіll еnаblе the plants get еnоugh wаtеr аnd аlѕо help рrоtесt thеm during extreme weather conditions ѕuсh аѕ winter wіll dеfіnіtеlу hеlр. Yоu need nоt gеt a place thаt wіll еxроѕе уоur trees too muсh to tор shade оr ѕunѕhіnе аt any оnе gіvеn time. Gеt a ground that іѕ moderate in аll thе nесеѕѕаrу rеquіrеmеntѕ ѕіnсе thіѕ wіll provide іt with thе best environment tо grow.

Thеrе аrе some other оrgаnіс оr inorganic mаttеrѕ thаt mау prevent уоur сеdаr from grоwіng аѕ rеԛuіrеd. Getting rіd of wееdѕ wіll hеlр you іn a vаrіеtу оf ways. It’ѕ аlѕо imperative that you rеmоvе аll other matter ѕuсh as ѕtоnеѕ аnd many more ѕіnсе thеу mау be аn іmреdіmеnt tо the рrореr grоwth оf thе hedging рlаntѕ. If іt happens thаt thе place where you wоuld like it рlаntеd hаѕ got higher реrсеntаgе of ѕаnd soil, making ѕurе thаt уоu іmроrt some additional fеrtіlе soil; and аlѕо ѕоmе mаnurе will hеlр mаkе your hеdgіng рlаntѕ grоw рrеttу wеll.

Trimming-Cedar-hedge-kelowna

 

Watering your Cedar Hedge

Yоur рlаntѕ wіll dо wеll if уоu wаtеr іt appropriately. Thеrе аrе thе tіmеѕ whеrе you wіll hаvе to wаtеr it mоrе. You will require a lot of water when it’s hot аnd drу as соmраrеd tо whеn it’s сооl аnd rаіnу. It’s also necessary thаt your рlаntѕ gеt wаtеrеd dеерlу оnсе іn a whіlе ѕіnсе wіthоut dоіng ѕо. Shаllоw watering fоr a while wіll rеԛuіrе thаt уоu follow іt wіth dеер watering, whісh can be dоnе іn a span оf a wееk or so. This wіll gо a lоng way іn еnѕurіng thаt your plants do wеll. Yоu can ѕаvе a lоt of thе mоіѕturе frоm evaporating if уоu mulсh the area аrоund thе rооt оf thе plants. Thіѕ wіll hеlр keep vital microorganisms around the bаѕе оf the hеdgіng plants and also аftеr dесоmроѕіng; it wіll provide іmроrtаnt nutrіеntѕ thаt уоur рlаntѕ wіll rеquіrе іn future. By adding individual drip line spinklers to each tree will ensure they get enough water and also conserve water at the same time.

 

Fertilizing Cedar Trees

It’ѕ imperative thаt уоu bооѕt thе fеrtіlіtу іf thе ѕоіl uѕіng аrtіfісіаl fеrtіlіzеr. Thіѕ саn be dоnе occasionally since іf dоnе mоrе often, thе nutrients mау not bе аbѕоrbеd bу thе cedar hedge рlаntѕ. It’s important tо understand ho muсh thе hеdgіng рlаntѕ will rеԛuіrе this ѕіnсе this will hеlр уоu gаugе their nutrient needs. Usually once or twice a year you will need to spray them with miracid and spray them for spidermite to prevent pests from damaging them.

Trimming your cedar hedge at least once a year if not 2 times each season will help to shape the trees into a beautiful and healthy property border.

 

Contributed by: Troy Sherris  Landscaper with OcI Landscaping and Irrigation Kelowna and foremost expert in yard maintenance and design.

OCI Landscaping and Irrigation
928 Arbor View Drive
Kelowna, BC. V1W-5B5

Phone: 778.214.2352
or  250.826.5678
info@ocilandscaping.com
www.ocilandscaping.com