5 Reasons to Prune Your Trees In Winter
With winter’s cool – often inclement – weather, and shortened days, many property owners put their landscape ambitions on the back burner. But spring will be here before you know it!
De-icing Salts and Your Landscape
Our first winter weather event of the season turned out to be relatively mild. Icy conditions on roads, walkways, and parking areas did necessitate de-icing salts being spread for safety's sake. Road salt formulations work by lowering the freezing point of water. A...
Better Soil = Better Plants
The urban landscape has an earned reputation for poor soil quality. The standard development process involves stripping the original topsoil from the land; scraping, shaping, and compacting the subsoil during the building process; and top-dressing with a few inches of...
Lawn Fertilization Should be Left to the Experts
According to Penn State Agricultural Extension Service … fertilization does more to improve poor-quality turfgrass or maintain good quality turfgrass than any other management practice. Proper fertilization practices produce a dense, medium- to dark-green turf that...
Didn’t we just prune those shrubs?!
Whether you DIY or hire a professional, shrub pruning is a regular investment in your property. Time or money, take your pick. You’re investing in curb appeal and a positive aesthetic, but the dividends in late summer seem to only come in the form of more...
Why Does My Tree Have Yellow Leaves?
This time of year, we field a lot of calls about trees with yellow leaves. Drive around and you will see them scattered throughout the landscape. The bright yellow stands in contrast to the common shades of green of other trees. In the spring and early summer, the...
What are Brood X Periodical Cicadas Doing This Week?
Brood X (Roman numeral 10) of the 17-year cicada has been emerging in our region. For those of us who have been paying attention, it has felt like a process of fits and starts likely tied to the wild swings of temps and weather throughout the month of May. First...
Do You Have Spruce Spider Mites?
Photo Credit - Heather Zindash One of the earliest Tetranychid Mites to be active is the Spruce Spider Mite, Oligonychus ununguis. This mite overwinters by attaching its eggs to needles and should be hatching very soon. They may be hatching right now if you are in a...
Understanding the Plant Disease Triangle
Spots, blotches, holes on leaves, as well as early leaf and needle drop are all signs and symptoms of leaf and needle diseases on trees and shrubs. This is not a new phenomenon in our landscape, however due to several factors, these diseases appear to be more...
What You Need To Know About the 17-Year Cicada
Do you know which bug you can take to see an NC-17 movie? The 17-year cicada. It’s rocking much of the eastern United States this year. Wait what? A type of periodical cicada that emerges every 17 years will be here this summer. You guessed it, the last time they...
What are Overwintering Pests and How Do You Prevent Them?
It Begins in the Fall Once the weather starts to cool, the pests that hide in our yards receive the signal that winter is near. All of those bugs, beetles, and spiders start looking for a warmer place to settle down for the season. That place could be burrowed inside...
Is the Snow Damaging Your Trees and Plants?
Snow can be a good thing for our woody plants, providing insulation against cold temperatures and desiccating winds, anchoring root systems on trees with large sails, and with a little luck, providing the requisite levels of soil moisture come bud break. But this...
How to Avoid Winter Salt Damage to Your Landscape
Slipping and falling on ice hurts. We’ve all done it, and many of us dread going out in wintry weather for fear that it will happen again. In the US, we spread around 20 million tons of salt annually on roadways, parking lots, and walkways to keep us safe from ice. We...
Spotted Lanternfly Treatment-What You Can Do
The spotted lanternfly was accidentally introduced to the US from Asia in 2012 when egg casings were conveyed on imported stone. The larvae hatched that spring at a quarry business in Berks County. Although slow to establish, they have quickly spread to at least 26...
Is Spotted Lanternfly a Concern in the Fall?
Since they were first spotted in Berks County in 2014, Pennsylvania has been at war with the invasive species known as the Spotted Lanternfly. The lanternfly is native to parts of China, India, Vietnam, and eastern Asia where it’s kept in check by natural predators....
The Worst Fall Pests in Pennsylvania
Fall in Pennsylvania can be magical. The foliage, the apples, the apple cider, the apple cider donuts, the apple dumplings. Sorry, we just really like apples around here. What’s also magical? Enjoying the great outdoors without constantly swatting at mosquitoes. But...
Beware of Improper Pruning!
One of the best ways to keep a tree healthy is by pruning. Pruning is the selective removal of parts of a tree to shape the tree, improve tree health, and reduce the risk of falling branches. It has permanent consequences that affects a tree for its entire life. So,...
The Proper Way to Plant a Tree
It’s no secret that at Good’s Tree and Lawn Care, we love trees. We love working with trees. We love posting about trees. And we love blogging about trees. We have written blogs about how to identify your tree and how to care for your tree. But so far, we haven’t...
Get Happy, With Trees!
Pennsylvanians have 2.2 million reasons to be happy! That's how many acres of state forest land we have in this great state. The trees that fill those forests offer us unparalleled scenic beauty and biological diversity to our state, but not only that they make us...
Quick Facts about Lawn Care
There are a lot of so-called “facts” about lawn care floating around on the internet. Weeding through them can be the biggest lawn care chore of all! That’s why we’re here to help. These quick facts about lawn care, along with regular maintenance can go a long way in...
Identifying Your Pennsylvania Tree
Pennsylvania is the place for tree lovers. In fact, the state’s name means “Penn’s Woods.” Trees are essential to the lives of Pennsylvanians (and everyone else for that matter). They act as living filters, cleaning the air we breathe and the water we drink. They help...
The Latest on the Pennsylvania Spotted Lanternfly Invasion
The Spotted Lanternfly, also known as lycorma delicatula, was first spotted in Pennsylvania back in 2014. It's been six years and the spotted lanternfly continues to present a significant threat to Pennsylvania trees and the agricultural industry. But together we can...
Lawn Care Myths You Probably Believe
Many people depend on reliable information to care for their lawns. But discerning what information is reliable can be hard. There are a lot of so-called “facts” about lawn care floating around out there. Some of it is true and some of it is not. Following bad advice...
When Should You Aerate Your Pennsylvania Grass?
Simple, regular maintenance tasks can go a long way in creating a thicker, healthier lawn. Jobs typically reserved for once a year can also play a significant role in supporting those smaller steps taken across the months. For many Pennsylvania homeowners, aerating...
What to Do with Your Lawn in the Fall
We all know a healthy lawn requires some maintenance. But do you know that maintenance is year-round? While you may think your lawn doesn’t need much in the fall, we are here to prove you wrong. Fall is an important time for lawn care. Your fall maintenance to-do list...
The Best Pennsylvania Trees for Fall Colors
There’s something magical about fall in Pennsylvania. The weather is crisp, waterfalls are flowing, and the changing leaves are some of the most colorful you’ll find anywhere in the northeast. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural...
Let’s Get to the Root of Root Rot
Got root rot? It’s not an easy question to answer... It’s not like you can just take a quick peek at all those roots buried deep within the earth. And although there are some above ground symptoms, including dying leaves, it’s difficult for homeowners to discern the...
Everything You (N)Ever Wanted to Know about Bleeding Canker
The name “Bleeding Canker” will most likely evoke gory images. But while this disease isn’t anything us humans have to worry about, it can certainly become a horror to your backyard trees. Here is everything you need to know about bleeding canker. What is it?...
Is Your Tree Dead?
One of the joys of spring is watching the winter-bare deciduous trees fill out with soft, new leafy foliage. If your tree doesn’t leaf out on schedule, you may start wondering, “is my tree dead?” It’s important to know the difference between a dead and a declining...
Is Red Thread Threatening Your Lawn?
At first, all you may notice is a little tinge of red in your lawn. You may think it’s just the way the light from the sun is hitting it. But on closer inspection, you notice that something is not right…That something could be red thread disease. So, how do you know...