No, Dogwoods don‟t get tired of looking at other trees and shrubs in your land-scape! I‟m talking about dogwood „borers,‟ Synanthedon scitula. These are the most destructive insect pests that attack flowering dogwood, Cornus florida in Ten-nessee. Wounded trees are the most vul-nerable since the larva gain access through wounds or scars. The adult is a clearwing moth that looks like a wasp. An early symptom is sloughing of loose bark from areas that have been attacked. More ad-vanced symptoms are crown dieback and adventitious shoot growth along the trunk and scaffold branches.

The adult moth is about 1/2” long and has a blue-black body with yellow bands and clear wings. It generally begins to emerge in late April to early May. The females lay eggs on or near wounds or in the crotches of scaffold branches. The larva feed on the cambium and remain in their tunnels throughout their develop-ment. The larva overwinters in the feed-ing tunnel and begins feeding again for a short time in the spring before pupating. There is usually only one generation per year.

The following measures can be taken to manage this pest:

1) Prune out and destroy infected branches.

2) Avoid unnecessary wounding, i.e., string trimmer damage to the base of the tree.

3) Preventive spray applications of per-metherin should be applied to the trunk, root collar and main branches during late April and mid-July.

4) Promote the vitality of the tree by maintaining soil fertility and applying water during dry periods.

Following this plant health care regime should give you many years of enjoyment from your flowering dogwoods.■

Kim Cross

Even our most faithful turf management customers have problems with their lawns dur-ing this time of year. You may recognize some of the follow-ing most asked questions dur-ing July and August:

Have you heard about the West Nile Virus? Read up! It‟s interesting . . . .

Who’s Most at Risk

 People over age 50

 Anyone with a weakened immune system

Symptoms

Incubation period (time from infection to onset of symptoms) is usually 3 to 15 days.

 Fever

 Headache and body aches

 Skin rash & swollen lymph nodes

More severe infections:

 Disorientation/Stupor

 Tremors & convulsions

 Muscle weakness or paralysis

 Coma

Prevention Tips

 Get rid of buckets, unused plastic pools, flowerpots, or other water-holding items

 Clean out rain gutters and clear flat roofs of standing water

 Eliminate puddles around your air conditioner or septic tank

 Check tarps on boats or pools to make sure they aren‟t holding water

 Use insect repellents—ones containing DEET and permethrin are most effective, according to Consumer Reports. DEET does not kill bugs, but the vapors discourage them from landing or climbing on you. These products are considered safe for adults and children age 2 months and older.■

Do You Have a Mosquito Problem?

Did You Know that We Can Treat Your Lawn, Shrubs &

Dense Brushy Areas to Reduce Populations?

Call for More Details!

Ruel Jones

In most cases tree failure is directly linked to some kind of decay, either in the root system or above ground in the frame of the tree. Losing a tree to these problems is more acceptable but to lose a

perfectly healthy tree due to a structural weakness is saddening. Not only do you lose a tree, the clean air it provides and the money or time to clean it up, you also lose all the years it takes to get another tree that size. And to add salt to the wound in most cases these trees could have been protected by bracing with cables and or bolts.

Structural weaknesses are usually easily spotted, it just takes a few minutes to walk the property and visually inspect the trees for sharp angled crotches. Look at the picture, if your trees have crotches that look similar to this you might need to have us come out and take a second look. There is no charge for doing a walk through inspection and even if you can’t take care of the problem immediately at least you have information to address it when you can.

By: Ruel Jones

• Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

• The average person will spend two weeks over their lifetime waiting for the traffic light to change.

• Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of   Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.

• No piece of normal size paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.

• You will weigh less if you weigh yourself when the moon is full.

• A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night.

• A sneeze travels out of your mouth at over 100 m.p.h.

• Roosters cannot crow if they cannot extend their necks.

• A sneeze travels out of your mouth at over 100 m.p.h.

In the fall of 2004 I was called to the site of a customer in Franklin whose home had tragically burned. The fire had been so hot that many of the surrounding trees were severely damaged by heat. One of which was a large Pawlonia tree, an introduced Asian tree species whose seedling were sprouting up all over  the footprint of the soon to be rebuilt home. I used what I could to wrestle a small one from the earth and took it home and planted it near the street by my

driveway.  It sent up a shoot the

following spring which my wife broke off thinking it was a weed. Fearing the worst, I waited and watched until in early June a new shoot emerged.

That year this Pawlonia tree grew 12 feet tall with leaves larger than a lunch room tray! The freeze of 2007 was a set back but it soon picked up growing again.

In 2010 it promises to bloom for the first time. You can see the flower buds it has set for the coming spring. They have a

beautiful light purple color. As you look at it, remember it has only been growing in this place since June of 2005…So if you want a fast growing beautiful flowering tree, a Pawlonia may be an option to look for you!

By: Larry Loiseau

Been to any of our wonderful state parks recently? If not you are missing out on a great opportunity. Did you know that Tennessee recently won the “Best Parks in the Nation” award?  Imagine that, the best and cleanest parks in the nation right here in your own backyards. With fall almost here, it is the perfect time to enjoy a day out in the wilderness.

There are currently 53 parks in this state, each with something different and unique to offer. This means that everyone young and old can enjoy a visit. Canoeing the Narrows of the Harpeth River is a great family

adventure that is close to residents in the Nashville area. Or, if breathtaking views and great hikes are your thing, then Fall Creek Falls state park is a great choice. It offers over 34 miles of hiking trails, two of which are long distance overnight trails. There is also a scenic route, which can be driven, showing many gorgeous mountaintop vistas. The most popular stop on the scenic route is Buzzard’s Roost, which also has a place for rock climbing and rappelling. It should be noted that to rock climb or rappel, a ranger must be notified.

Unfortunately, there is not enough room in this article to highlight all of Tennessee’s state parks, but you can research different parks and find out what they offer at www.tennessee.gov/parks. There you can

reserve cabins, campsites, and get directions to whatever park you choose.

Author’s note: Though not mentioned above, my personal favorite place to go is Rock Island State Park.   Here is a picture; it is

about two hours southeast of Nashville.

By: Joe Giansante

Smothered and covered, like a really good hamburger that clogs up your arteries. Leaves that cover your turf are much the same way. They clog off sunlight, oxygen, and down right smother the grass.

Nobody has time to rake leaves on a daily basis nor is that needed. Simply once a week, or at least every other weekend rake, blow, or even mow the leaves. Remember, having leaves on the ground is going to happen and a few rarely damage anything! However, when they become so thick you can’t even see the grass you have a problem!

So please, enjoy the fall colors and remember the poor turf out there working to survive.

By: Jeff Stokes

Trees are much like a Company, each leaf is an employee of the company and each one makes money by means of photosynthesis, in short its making starches and sugars and sending them down to the company. The company in turn directs this energy we’ll call Money to where it’s needed most. There is also another group of employees under ground, these are the roots. Roots cannot live without support of the upper employees and the upper employees can’t live without the roots. These two groups work in a symbiotic relationship with each other. As the leaves are manufacturing sugars and starches and sweating like a horse they call for water and countless other nutrients from the roots. As the roots work profusely gathering up all these nutrients and water for their fellow companions they are calling for starches and sugars.The company (tree) is dealing with all kinds of other issues such as the chemical supply it uses to compartmentalize a wound or cavity. These wound areas harbor the most deadly enemy a tree has other than us humans, (funguses) a fungus will steadily eat away at the tree unless it is walled off by a chemical compound and the healthier a tree the more of this chemical it can make. Also the company is in charge of how much growth it puts on for the season and this is determined by how well the two groups of employees are doing making money. Not much money means not much growth, not to mention the fact that its defenses are low as well, making it more vulnerable for attack, not just by fungus but by insects as well. It’s not hard to see that by removing large numbers of employees on either side of the company can affect a tree dramatically. As in any large company there are slackers (I bet you have worked with a few) and branches that are not operating or growing in the best direction for the long term future of the company. This is one way large companies stay strong, they hire consultants to come in and evaluate the company and its employees and prune out the branches of employees that are slackers and hurting the overall long term growth.
Trees are extremely resilient and are able to tolerate unbelievable living conditions in most cases, although when we see a dead tree, basically what has happened, for what ever the reason, the company has gone bankrupt. Its savings account went empty and trees don’t operate on the welfare program, if you’re a tree you are all on your own.

Quality Tree Surgery, Inc.

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