There is no El Nino or La Nina this winter so the weather should be "normal", right??
WRONG!! MORE  
  
  
 
Year after year, we see the same thing that boggles our mind. Most other landscapers pansies struggle through the winter while ours thrive. MORE  
  
  
  
 
Our wet fall and winter weather is perfect for moss growth and many properties have healthy thriving moss now. Left unchecked, moss can choke out grass. MORE
  
  
 As you probably know, we added in-house Plant Health Care capability last year. MORE  
  
  

  
 
We are often asked "What do you do in the winter?" Actually, a lot. In addition to cleaning up the remnants of leaves and storm related debris, winter is the optimal time to prune many plants. MORE  
  
  
  
 
There is no better enhancement that adds more impact to a landscape than rebarkdusting. Mulch breaks down and becomes less effective with age, causing many problems. MORE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Drought

 

 

ARCTIC BLAST, DROUGHT, SNOW...

ALL IMPACT LANDSCAPE ACTIVITIES

 

 

ANOTHER ARCTIC BLAST AND POSSIBLE SNOW KEEPS US ON ALERT 

  

 http://www.kgw.com/community/blogs/weather/Classic-Portland-snow-storm-may-set-up-243278331.html

 

We are closely monitoring the current weather forecasts as the coming weekend could be a bit messy. We will keep our snow and ice service customers up to date with our preparation. Forecasts are never 100% accurate so some level of judgment call always needs to be made. We plan to be prepared and will ask customers to help us make our formal decision the end of the week as what that preparedness means. We can pre-treat sites with deicer and may need to mobilize plow equipment if the snow forecast remains. Both of those result in cost regardless of the resulting weather. Stay tuned as we will need your input.

 


 

DRY WINTER LEADS TO DROUGHT FEARS
 
 

 

There is no El Nino or La Nina this winter so the weather should be "normal", right??

WRONG!! So far we are less than half of normal precipitation since October 1st. Mt Hood snowpack is even worse at 38% of normal. The entire west is suffering drought conditions. Concerning yes but a little too early to panic. We will be monitoring and keep you informed as to what is to come.

 

 

 

PUXSUTAWNEY PHIL SAYS 6 MORE WEEKS OF WINTER

Is winter over? The forecast for lows in the teens this week and the possibility of snow this weekend indicates Phil may be right. Only time will tell but the Oregon Department of Agriculture forecast says we will be wetter and colder than normal. Our weather is quite variable so we will monitor and keep you informed. As weather impacts unfold, we will advise you of the impact to your landscape and what needed service you should consider. 

  

 

 http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/NRD/docs/dlongrange.ppt

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pansies

OUR PANSIES ARE HEALTHY

(Others, Not So Much) 

 

 

 


Year after year, we see the same thing that boggles our mind. Most other landscapers pansies struggle through the winter while ours thrive. Despite the  variable winter weather, pansies can struggle if not properly cared for. As we drive around, it appears that many pansy planting that we don't maintain are declining and headed for total failure.

Why is there so much difference? Because our mild wet winters threaten otherwise hardy pansies due to disease pressure. We have studied and experimented with a variety of procedures, soils, fertilizers and fungicides to find the right recipe. We have designed a complicated but effective program and then adjust it as each winter is a little different. We add fresh potting soil and a custom designed fertilizer mix each fall when we plant and then treat our plantings throughout the winter with a variety of fungicide to prevent disease before it sets in. As we see other contractors struggle, we know it is mostly because they are reacting to problems instead of designing a program that prevents them. Most diseases are difficult to cure, thus a strong preventative program is important. In addition, we clean and weed our pansies throughout the winter to keep them looking as good as they can. The result is consistent success.

 

Now we aren't perfect and a few plantings have struggled but over 95% of our plantings are healthy and thriving. We believe the next month will again prove that our program yields the best, healthiest winter pansies. Seasonal color is expensive. Providing anything less is wasting your valuable resources. This is the time of year that we see the rewards of all of the extra effort we put into your pansies

 

http://www.pacscape.com/services/seasonal-color.php

 
 
 
 
 
 

 


Moss
MOSS THRIVING, CONTROL PLANNED
  

 

Our wet fall and winter weather is perfect for moss growth and many properties have healthy thriving moss now. Left unchecked, moss can choke out grass. Because of this, we have historically proposed moss control during the winter. The past few years we have recommended two applications, one in December/January and a second in March to control early and late growth in the winter season. Since moss control is relatively inexpensive, two applications are cost effective and provide optimal moss control. With our winter moss control application, we also treated for European Cranefly. In March we will treat again but this time for moss only.

 

http://www.pacscape.com/services/seasonal.php

 
  
  
   
  
  
  

In addition, we can also treat moss in your parking lots and on sidewalks. Moss there is dangerous and unsightly. We can treat to kill the moss as well as pressure wash it once controlled. If you are interested, let us know and we can give you an estimate.

 

 

 

 

  
  
  
  

 

Plant

 PLANT HEALTH CARE UNDERWAY

 

As you probably know, we added in-house Plant Health Care capability last year. This move will help us control the costs of this service to you and ensure we are providing the best, most cost effective, and most environmentally sensitive programs available. Listed below are the specific Plant Health Care services recommended for this spring.

 

Plant health care involves an integrated approach to beautifying and managing landscapes. It focuses on the strengthening of plant health and nutrition as a primary defense against insects and diseases. Plant health care far surpasses other approaches to pest management that involve harmful "kill-all" pesticides. It uses environmentally safe products that fortify plants against invaders and beautify landscapes. These services will include soil nutritional management, bio-stimulants and soil microbes, and integrated pest management.

  

 

Deep Root Fertilization:Deep Root Fertilization is a soil injection of a mixture of beneficial nutrients and organisms. It is geared towards boosting plants that are lacking in vigor and nutrition. It is a combination of a soluble fertilizer with many micronutrients and beneficial soil microorganisms called mycorrhizae. These applications are most effective when applied in the early spring, but can be made any time throughout the year.

 

 

 

 

  
 

Azalea Lace Bug: The azalea lace bug is a new invasive pest that has come into our landscapes and begun to attack azaleas. The azalea lace bug pierces into the leaf and rapidly removes its nutrients. This continues throughout the azalea and leaves it with a near-death bleached appearance. After consecutive attacks, the azalea is not able to recover from the damage and it dies. We will be performing the Azalea Lace Bug Control treatments in June.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Aphid Control: Aphids are the most common plant pest. Although they may not kill the plant, they often become a nuisance pest and a safety concern due to their sticky secretion over sidewalks and parking lots. The most common susceptible tree species are Oak, Maple, Linden, Sweetgum, Beech and Birch. The best control is with a preventative soil injection between February and April.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bronze Birch Borer: Bronze Birch Borer (BBB) is a very destructive pest to Birch trees. Even healthy Birches are at high risk for attack. BBB carries a disease that quickly blocks nutrient flow and kills the tree. Once BBB is found in the tree, it is too late. The best control option is with a preventative soil injection between February and March.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flowering Tree & Shrub Disease: This service consists of three foliar treatments to control a wide range of spring diseases that occur on flowering trees and shrubs. It helps to limit injections and prevents the spread of certain bacterial and fungal diseases like Fire Blight, Brown Rot, Leaf Curl, Powdery Mildew and Shot Hole. This allows the tree and shrub to fight off disease and provide its valuable and beautiful spring time color during March and

April.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sycamore Anthracnose: Sycamore Anthracnose is the most serious disease of Sycamore trees. It can lead to full defoliation, improper branching patterns, and overall dieback. Although it may not be fatal to the tree, it will often defoliate the tree and cause unsightly aesthetic concerns. This treatment occurs during March.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.pacscape.com/services/plant-health.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Pruning 
WINTER PRUNING & BED PREPARATION ONGOING
 
 
We are often asked "What do you do in the winter?" Actually, a lot. In addition to cleaning up the remnants of leaves and storm related debris, winter is the optimal time to prune many plants. We spend a great deal of time pruning shrubs and groundcover. Winter is the best time of year to do comprehensive pruning as plants are dormant. Some of the pruning we do may appear a bit severe but it is appropriate and beneficial. To only superficially prune or shear will leave many plants weak and unhealthy. Some plants we even rejuvenate or cut back hard to encourage re-growth from the base. When we do this, we will communicate the specific timing and reasoning so that our customers are not shocked or surprised. As we prune we also thoroughly clean your shrub beds in preparation for our pre-emergence weed control application and barkdust application. All the work we do this time of year pays off all spring and summer.
 
 
 
 
 
 

   

Barkdust  IT IS TIME TO REBARKDUST

 

 

  

 

There is no better enhancement that adds more impact to a landscape than rebarkdusting. Mulch breaks down and becomes less effective with age, causing many problems. Lack of mulch reduces weed control and increases moss build-up as well as increasing evaporative water loss during the summer. In addition, rebarkdusting is the simplest way to make your property look refreshed and at its best. We recommend rebarkdusting every other year at the end of winter or early spring. As a follow up to our budget proposal last fall, properties that we recommend rebarkdusting this spring should have received an updated proposal last month. If you have questions, please call you account manager.

 

http://www.pacscape.com/services/seasonal.php

 

 

 

   
   

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