Hudson Valley Plant Care
For assistance expert plant care, please call us at 1.800.716.TREE [8733] or (845) 758-1498 or e-mail us at info@integraltreeandlandscape.com.
Our Plant Health Care division is made up of Certified Arborists and trained technicians who perform a range of treatments. Applications to the aboveground portions of landscape plants with chemical or organic materials by way of spraying or injecting may be one means of addressing a problem. Also sub-surface treatments may occur. These might include adding nutritive and biological amendments to the soil, and other times may be as extensive as performing soil replacement.
The founder of Integral Tree and Landscape has a deep connection with the early implementation of the principles of integrated pest management. Research and experimentation over the past 20 years by our staff has proven useful in developing a holistic approach to tree and shrub problems. When outbreaks of insect and disease occur, it is generally a sign of other complex features of the plants health or environment that need to be looked at. Years of trial and success have given us remedies that are lasting, and support practices that can prevent symptoms from occurring.
Chemical applications are used as tools for intervention once a pest has been established and is out of control, or when there are no better means of addressing a problem within economic constraints. Each year we aim to use less and less chemically based treatments. We do offer many organic solutions and persistently fine-tune our recommendations. Organic treatments require as much monitoring and intensive investigation to confirm results, and we are always keeping an eye out for new methods that will help improve the status of the plants under our care.
Our Plant Health Care Services Include:
Insect & Disease Control
Insects and disease damage plants in a variety of ways. When left unchecked for too long, plants may become weakened beyond the point of saving. Conversely, improper use of pesticides may make the problem worse by eradicating beneficial insects and microorganisms, which are helpful to the plant.
Fertilization
Plants require a complex mixture of various nutrients and minerals in order to function properly. Often, trees and shrubs growing outside of their native habitat are deficient in one or more ways. Although nature does an adequate job of providing these essential ingredients by processing and decomposing native flora and fauna, contemporary property management removes this revitalizing process. Additionally common fertilizers and pesticides used in lawn management can be harmful to the fine feeder roots of trees and shrubs. Properly applied fertilizer and soil amendments target a plants root system, providing a strong foundation by which the plants can resist stresses within their environment.
Soil Management
The health of the soil is the most often overlooked cause of tree problems. Microbial activity within the soil is essential for balanced tree heath, vigor and development.
A far too common cause of tree decline and death is a result of changes to the soil throughout the root system of a tree or shrub. Addition to, subtraction from, or compaction resulting from vehicle and pedestrian traffic cause significant changes in soil chemistry and soil profile. Although prevention is always the best course of action, Integral offers a variety of solutions to such problems.
Excess soil, which essentially buries the tree, can be removed using an Air-Spade™. This safe, effective and proven method utilizes air that has been accelerated to super-sonic speed to remove soil particles from even the finest of roots. When compacted soils are being corrected, the displaced soil is replaced with a mixture of composted topsoil, root stimulants and inoculants. The aim is to bring back the soil conditions that foster balanced microbial activity that allows trees to flourish.
Please feel free to contact us for additional information or to arrange for a personal consultation. Our service area includes Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Dutchess County and Columbia County.