Retired

05/11/2012

"Caveat emptor". Let the buyer beware. Good advice for the landscape/arboricultural business. Talking to an entire neighborhood where all the street trees are Ashes, and ALL have EAB damage. One of the people I talked to literally told me, "My arborist told me these trees are fine." Really? Exit holes, canopy dieback, woodpecker bark damage. It was a no brainer, but apparently her "arborist" knew better. The industry is filled with the untrained who pass themselves off as trained professionals. This guy was even doing tree injections for other trees on her property! I'm dubious. Don't know if I'll get the job, but her other "arborist" may have some serious questions to answer. My work here is complete...

11/02/2011

Just a thought as I was out doing some pruning and trimming today. Came across some deer tracks in a lawn. It's hooves sunk 2, 2 1/2 inches into the soil! The ground may be at or near 'field capacity' (a term used to describe total water saturation) until next summer. I'm serious. If we have another wet spring, it's not out of the question. Might want to waterproof those boots again...

10/23/2011

Since it's going to be a nice Fall day, enjoy the colorful display. If you've ever wondered, the reason the leaves change color is due to a slowing of photosynthetic activity (due to less sunlight, colder temps), and a breaking down of the green pigment (Chlorophyll) along with an increase in accumulated sugars. That allows other pigments in the leaves (carotenoids, anthocyanins) to be seen. If the whole "tree nerd" thing doesn't do it for you, just enjoy the pretty colors. =)

10/21/2011

Well, sadly it's official. This is the wettest year in recorded history...and we're not even done with October! Although you probably see landscapers still working in this weather, it's very risky. I prefer to limit work and limit damage. I know customers hate waiting, but I don't like repairing damage I've created. Patience is a virtue. And the amount of water soluble nitrogen in the soil has got to be unbelievable!

10/15/2011

Part 3. Not a big fan of straw or as pictured here, straw mat, but with a hillside to deal with and the threat of rain for a week, I wanted to make sure the grass seed didn't end up in the storm sewer. This project turned out nicely. A stump was removed, a steeper hillside was turned into this gently grade. We should see grass in about a week. Can't wait.

10/15/2011

Part 2 of the lawn renovation project. Proper rototilling makes the soil look good, but it adds a lot of 'space' that will need to be compacted. Grass seed does not need soil to be 'fluffy' in order to germinate. It needs the proper balance of space in the soil for both air and water.

10/12/2011

Here's the hard way to renovate a lawn. Rototilling. Not recommended. I took over this project for a client. Here's how it started. I'll share updated pictures as we go.

10/04/2011

Although it might be hard to see, take a look at the lighter images in this picture. This customer had a large low spot in her lawn. I dug up the sod in order to level it. I found large chunks of decaying wood from an old tree stump. The tree company ground out the stump but left wood chips mixed with soil. Over time the wood decays and takes up less space, thus the low spot. But, this tree was taken out 12 years ago! If you leave wood chips and large roots, this will be your fate. It may take some time, but it will happen. Beware.

10/02/2011

Well, you don't just have to take their word for it. The stories I could tell...

Stubborn clouds that have spread across Greater Cleveland have made athletic fields unplayable, muddied golf courses, flooded basements and uprooted trees.

10/01/2011

Some lawn customers get annoyed when grass gets too long because of rain. For me, I prefer to use caution. Damage to a lawn can be significant when the ground is saturated. Here's what happens when workers throw caution to the wind and race around trying to get their mowing in. This occurred in an adjacent lawn to one of my customers, but they did damage to her lawn because of their negligence. So, do I charge my customer for the repairs, or do I trust the same guys to do a proper repair? I'm not sure I'd trust them to pour me a lemonade...

09/26/2011

Thanks again to FB for changing things. Now, the view counter on this page has disappeared so I don't have any idea how many people are viewing my posts. Great...

09/23/2011

Removing the stump of a 15 foot blue spruce that got too big for a customer. Little did I know what was waiting for me. My thanks to the previous company who planted the young tree with the wire basket still intact. That is the improper thing to do. I wanted to use a stump grinder to quickly remove the stump, but with the wire basket still there, I couldn't. It's a safety hazard. So, I spent about 75 minutes digging it out with a mattax, axe and shovel. Proper planting techniques will make things easier for both growing things and future owners/workers.