Plant Something! Plant Idaho!
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Want to improve your quality of life? Get your hands dirty and plant something. That’s right, putting trees, flowers or shrubs in the ground doesn’t just provide you with beauty and shade, it can also improve your property value, lower your energy costs, clean the air and water—even lower your heart rate.Health. Value. Beauty. Efficiency. No wonder plants have been around so long. Put some green in the ground where you live, and experience the new life it brings to everything and everyone around it.
You can always check our listings for your local independent garden center or use the links tab above to find a landscape professional, arborist, irrigation or pest control company for whatever plant-related needs you have. We are here to help you Plant Something and brighten your world.
Red calls attention to itself and any objects near them. Yellow is great for caution areas. Blue is a soothing color, creates a feeling of peacefulness. Green is also a restful color so don’t ignore its value in the landscape. White is used to brighten areas at night or as a unifying color.
Plant Problems
Trees that suffer from any cultural or mechanical malpractice, or from climate changes, are more likely to experience problems from insects and diseases as they are not able to concentrate all of their energy in fighting off the insects and all the problems that they may bring, or fight off the disease pathogen. For example, if a tree is suffering simultaneously from lack of water and from an insect infestation the tree will experience more injury than it would if it were a healthy, vigorous tree, which can only be attained with proper care. Like humans, trees endure stress complexes, if a problem is not fixed it causes more problems which in turns causes more problems. The only way to circumvent detrimental insect infestations and diseases is to do everything we can to provide the best possible care for our trees.
Insects
The way in which insects eat plant parts should be known before the use of any chemical controls. Feeding habits can be discerned from seeing the damage caused by insects, or from seeing the insect itself. Symptoms and signs one should look for are as follows: when plant parts are missing this is usually caused by a chewing insect; when a leaf’s surface is damaged this may have been caused by a rasping insect; and when plant parts are stippled or distorted this may have been caused by a sucking insect.
Diseases
Realizing a plant has a disease and then diagnosing that disease is very difficult to do as most organisms that cause diseases are microscopic, and disease symptoms can be variable and subtle. There are three different pathogens that cause plant diseases: fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Identifying the pathogen is necessary if a control method is going to be used.
Take the worry out of diagnosing and treating and trust a professional to rid your yard of insects and diseases.
References
Plant Diseases in Vegetable Gardens
University of Maryland Plant Diagnosis
PennState Houseplant Problem Preventing, Diagnosing, and Correcting
Information provided by Gerry Bates, Idaho Community Forestry Assistant
The key to giving a tree a healthy start in the planting site is good planting procedures. Stress and physiological disorders can often be traced to poor planting practices. There is no one right way to plant a tree—there is only the method that works for you and the tree you’ve chosen. One point, however, that cannot be over-emphasized is the importance of matching the tree and its requirements to the planting site conditions. The best planting procedures known will not save a tree that is poorly suited for its site. The tree must be able to tolerate site conditions such as wet or dry soils, size limitations or shade. Selecting a tree that meets the site requirements is the single most important factor in influencing the success of the plant.
Trees are generally available from the nursery in one of three forms: bare root, balled and burlapped, or containerized. Each form has its advantages and disadvantages. Most importantly, select a tree that is healthy and vigorous. The condition of the plant, particular roots in the root ball, affects the chances for transplant success. New root growth is dependent on stored energy reserves inside the plant. Inspect the roots and aerial portions of the tree before planting. On containerized and balled and burlapped trees, new growth on the roots should be abundant and white. Brown or black non-woody roots indicate a health problem. For balled and burlapped trees, check to see that the ball is solid, with little or no movement at the trunk. Wounds on the trunk or branches of the tree may become sites of entry for insects or disease spores.
