Some of Our Favorite Pennsylvania Trees
The State of Pennsylvania is a great place for trees. Even the name means “Penn’s woods.” According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, there are 134 native and 62 introduced species of trees found in the state. Living here, you see...
What’s Wrong with Your Turf?
This has been one of the rainiest summers on record in Pennsylvania. Turf diseases can always be an issue in the summertime, but typically timely fungicide applications and good cultural practices keep them at a minimum. This year, however, all that wet weather has...
Got a Plant Problem? Common Causes for Yellow Leaves
According to plants, green is "in". So, when you see that your tree, shrub or plant has some yellow leaves or maybe losing leaves (when they shouldn’t be), you might start to panic. Anyone would be concerned if their yard suddenly looks like fall has come early, with...
Fall is Coming and So are These Pests
As the long hot summer finally comes to an end, folks often think their battle with pests is as well. While certain pest populations do diminish with cooler weather, the fact is that many continue to thrive. So, as you are enjoying the change in seasons and gearing up...
Seven Reasons to Love Bees
Bees really are awesome! No doubt you have heard at least some ideas about why bees matter, but here is a list of seven reasons why bees are important and beneficial to our landscapes and our lives in general. Some of these reasons are well-known (but hey it doesn’t...
Our Best Mowing Tips
If you cut it, it will grow. But only if you mow it the correct way. Mowing seems simple enough, but each time you cut your grass you’re paving the way for your lawn’s success or failure. Mow correctly, and you’ll have turf that’s healthy and thick. Mow incorrectly,...
Identify Your Lawn Problem
Just when you think you’ve done everything right, suddenly there’s a brown patch of grass taunting you. Brown lawn patches are the most frustrating problems a homeowner can have with a lawn. There are a number of causes of brown spots in lawns, from insects to disease...
Summer Lawn Must-Do’s
Summertime and the livin’ should be easy… but you have a lawn. And it needs you. Summer is tough on grass, thanks to heat, drought, foot traffic, and insects. Hot weather may slow down grass growth, but there’s still work to be done – watering, mowing, weed-killing,...
Lace Bug: Pretty Pests That Make for Ugly Plants
Are the leaves on your plants looking less than desirable these days? A reddish-orange color on the undersides of the leaves on your trees and shrubs is a good sign that you are dealing with lace bugs. These tiny insects can ruin the appearance of your landscape once...
How to Bag Those Bagworms
A butterfly emerging from a cocoon is a magical sight. Witnessing it spread its wings, the beautiful colors stretching out in the sun for the first time, it’s mesmerizing. But, somehow that sense of awe doesn’t translate when a black, fuzzy moth emerges from its bag....
Get Your Lawn Summer Ready
Admit it—you have lawn envy. The green lawns of summer are beckoning to you and all you want is to carpe diem the blades of grass. Well, if a perfect summer lawn is your goal then this is the blog for you. A healthy summer lawn starts with pre-summer maintenance. Your...
Lawn Rust: What it Is and How to Fix It
Does your lawn look like a 1960’s astronaut had an accident with their powdered Tang packet? That is to say it looks as if it is coated with an orange or yellowish colored dust. Well it is probable that it is not an orange flavored drink mix, (nobody drinks that...
The Magic of Lawn Fertilization (When, Why, and How)
Shhh don’t tell anyone but getting a green lawn has nothing to do with magic. It is all about fertilization. Fertilization plays an important role in helping your lawn look good all year long, but knowing when, why and how can be tricky, so check out these tips!...
Everything You Need to Know about Lawn Aeration
You are probably familiar with the basics of a beautiful lawn: mowing, fertilizing and watering. But sometimes those basics can leave your lawn, well a little basic. To get the lush lawn of your homeowner dreams it is also important to ensure that nutrients can reach...
Answers to Your Top Tree Pruning Questions
The number one way to keep a tree healthy is by pruning. Pruning is the selective removal of parts of a tree in order to shape the tree, improve tree health, and reduce the risk of falling branches. Why is pruning important? Pruning provides both cosmetic and...
All About Aphids
Aphids are soft-bodied insects that use their piercing sucking mouth-parts to feed on plant sap. As they feed, aphids secrete large amounts of a sticky fluid known as honeydew. This sweet syrup-like substance drips onto plants, attracting ants and promoting a black...
The Essentials of Weed Control
Weeds are the number one problem when it comes to keeping your lawn attractive. Unfortunately, there’s not one miracle cure for this common problem. Since every weed is different, different forms of treatment must be applied and underlying causes may need to be...
Your Trees VS. Power Lines
Our modern landscape, whether suburban, rural, or urban, is criss-crossed with power lines. They provide essential utilities for our homes and businesses and largely go unnoticed... until they’re touching the trees in our yards and creating a less than safe...
Preparing Your Trees for the Next Big Storm
In south-central PA, storms are inevitable, often unexpected, and unfortunately destructive. Whether it be a hurricane, thunderstorm, tornado, or snow and ice event, there is a significant risk of damage to the trees on your property if you’re not adequately prepared....
The Lowdown on Root Care
Roots have become a popular comparison for our heritage, our family structure, or where we’ve come from. We use metaphors to describe returning to a previous station in life by saying we are going back to our roots, or when we’ve planted ourselves somewhere new which...
Tree Preservation Tips During Construction
Building or renovating a home opens the door to exciting opportunities- the kitchen you’ve always dreamed of, the perfect master bathroom, an inviting front porch. Whether you’re breaking ground on new construction or adding on to your existing home, don’t forget to...
Soil Management: The Basics
When assessing the health of lawns and trees, our team gets pretty deep. That’s because we know that beautiful trees and lawns can only grow from healthy roots. We start with the basics- soil. When natural soil processes aren’t providing the nutrients and essential...
Everything You Need to Know About Soil Compaction
In healthy trees, roots radiate outward from the base, spreading horizontally through the top several inches of ground to achieve the best mix of essential nutrients, water, and oxygen. If unimpeded by soil limitations or other physical...
The Ins and Outs of a Proper Tree Evaluation
When it comes to the health of your trees and the safety of your property, proper evaluation is key. Too often, issues that could be easily resolved with proper maintenance and care result in tree death or property destruction when ignored. A tree evaluation from the...
Emerald Ash Borer: The Warning Signs
Good’s Tree and Lawn Care is on the frontline of protecting your trees from invasive species. One of the most dangerous pests found in local trees is the Emerald Ash Borer. The Emerald Ash Borer is an emerald green beetle that originates from Eastern Asia. It’s known...
A Guide to Deer Barriers and Repellents
South central Pennsylvania has a whitetail deer overpopulation problem. There is a decrease in the number of hunters going into to the woods each fall and continued development pressure is decreasing the area of natural areas for deer to subsist. Due to these...
Caring for your Tree, the Organic Way
Many gardeners have felt the tension between protecting the environment and maintaining a green, weed-free yard. With limited time to devote to our green space, containers of unpronounceable, often toxic chemicals offering quick fixes may seem like the easy way...
Snow, Ice and your Lawn
Snow fall is inevitable and you will have to remove it from the paved surfaces. To prevent damaging your lawn, simply stay within the lines. Avoid damaging the lawn at the edges of theses paved surfaces by simply staying off of them. Shovels, snow blowers and snow...
High Wind Advisories
As evidenced by the barrage of winter weather, including thunder snow, it’s no secret that Central PA has some volatile weather conditions. Sometimes, we have fair warning of these intense weather events, but often, they crop up out of nowhere and can do serious...
Brace Yourself: The Truth About Tree Stability
There are many features that go into the livelihood of tree species in our landscaping. They must have adequate soil, a supply of oxygen and nutrients, consistent pruning, and water to grow effectively. There is no guarantee when it comes to a tree’s survival rate,...