Author: Burkholder PHC

Corrective pruning is a technique meant to maintain or enhance a tree’s health by removing dead, diseased, weak, or otherwise unhealthy or unsafe branches. Corrective pruning can be beneficial to both the tree or shrub as well as the landscape as a whole.

The main benefit of corrective pruning is that your tree will be healthier and more attractive. You can also reshape your tree’s canopy if you have accidentally allowed the structure to become too dense or if you want to create a more open look.

Removing dead or diseased wood allows light and nutrients to reach healthy parts of the tree. Diseased wood can be treated with an appropriate fungicide if necessary. Pruning can also help thin out a canopy which is sometimes necessary to allow more sunlight and air circulation. One reason is that too many branches close together means more competition among branches for sunlight, and as can often happen, some limbs will get more sunlight at the expense of others. Overly dense branches can make it difficult for certain stems to properly absorb enough rainwater or air to circulate within the canopy.

Trees can be afflicted by many issues that weaken the structural integrity of the tree, which increases the risk of branches (or the entire tree in severe cases) falling or breaking off to damage whatever is below or beside them. For example, many tree species are prone to developing codominant stems, where a tree has two trunks that are similar in diameter. Think of a tree whose trunk splits and forms a Y-shape. In this instance, both codominant stems compete, creating a weak upper structure and likely breaking apart in harsh weather conditions.

Pruning back branches that are growing too low down on a trunk helps prevent damage from snow and ice, which can break off large portions of bark in winter storms if they are close enough to ground level. Vulnerable branches at any height can break off without warning and damage property or persons beneath.

In the case of codominant stems, a certified arborist can prune one of the stems, reducing or removing segments or entire branches, so any new growth occurs around a single, strong trunk. Arborists can selectively prune branches to create a more stable, safe, and healthier tree.

Reducing long limbs that are difficult to reach and eliminating unsightly growth at the base of a tree will enhance the beauty of your landscape.

Corrective pruning is a far more complex process than simply cutting off tree branches. Therefore hiring a professional certified arborist is recommended.

• The tools need to be adequately cleaned to prevent further spreading or introduction of new diseases.
• Specific tools are required to prune trees correctly.
• Pruning requires carefully examining branches and making exact, precise cuts to maintain a tree’s health as much as possible.

For the best results for your trees and to ensure safety, having a licensed and insured tree specialist perform the work is the best decision.

If you believe that your trees need corrective pruning, send us an email or give us a call. Burkholder PHC has a team of experienced, qualified arborists who will visit your property, conduct a plant health care evaluation, diagnose the problems, and inform you of the recommended treatment options. In addition, we provide a proactive approach, helping encourage and maintain your trees’ health and appearance. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Growth regulators are a group of chemicals used to modify the various growth processes in plants. These chemicals help with many issues in a plant’s lifecycle, including suppressing vegetative growth and stimulating flowering, controlling plant height, enhancing plant branching, and enabling plants to flower during short-day conditions (during late fall and winter). The chemicals used can be found inside plants already but are sometimes modified to improve or lower their efficiency and modify specific processes.

Plant growth regulators are sometimes referred to as plant hormones because the chemicals act similarly to human hormones. Hormones are chemical messengers that affect your body’s growth, metabolism, and more, the same role that regulators play for plants. Regulators are absorbed by plants via roots, foliage, or by absorption into sapwood and “tell” the plant when it is time for them to grow, flower, or enter a state of dormancy. These chemicals are slow-acting and can take weeks to affect a plant.

While growth regulators can be used to prevent plants or trees from growing, these hormones differ from herbicides. Herbicides quickly kill all the vegetation with which the substances come in contact. These regulators limit the number of nutrients a plant uses, so the plant grows slowly.

Plant growth regulators can be broken down into two main types, with specific chemicals falling under one or the other:

• Promoters enhance and stimulate cell division, plant cell enlargement, flowering, fruiting, and seed formation.
• Inhibitors prevent growth and promote dormancy and abscission (shedding) in plants.

Examples of promoters include auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins. An example of an inhibitor is abscisic acid. Each of these growth regulators affects specific processes within plants.

Auxins are hormones found in shoot and root tips that promote cell division and stem and root growth. This chemical is used to help stimulate cell elongation by increasing cell walls, thus helping promote the plant’s stem growth. Auxins can also drastically affect plant orientation by promoting cell division to one side of the plant in response to sunlight and gravity. Plants grow in the direction necessary to absorb the most sunlight possible, so if sunlight only shines on the western side of a plant, auxin will collect on the shady eastern side to promote growth.

Gibberellins affect many aspects and processes within a plant, such as germination, flowering, and flower development. One of the uses of gibberellins in plant health care is growth and germination control. Low hormone concentrations can increase the speed of germination and stimulate cell elongation, so plants grow taller.

Like auxins, cytokinins are chemicals that promote cell division and the formation of new leaves. Generally, cytokinins help initiate flower budding and encourage lateral growth so that a plant becomes “bushier,” or more expansive in size. In addition, if a plant has increased absorption of water and other minerals, then cytokinins can help stimulate the metabolism of young shoot cells, encouraging growth.

Unlike the plant growth regulators mentioned above, abscisic acid is an inhibitor, slowing down growth, metabolism, and seed germination. In addition, abscisic acid helps regulate dormancy and shedding, particularly as a response to environmental conditions and stresses, such as droughts or extreme temperatures. The chemical also plays a vital role in increasing stress tolerance and generally improving a plant’s ability to respond to stress.

While ethylene can inhibit plant growth, this chemical is sometimes used as a promoter. Like abscisic acid, ethylene promotes leaf and flower shedding but can also be used to break the dormancy of seeds and promote flower bloom.

As mentioned above, each of these plant growth regulators affects different aspects of plant growth and development, and each is needed in different amounts based on the conditions and issues a plant faces. For example, if a plant is too short, a certified arborist or plant health care expert can provide concentrations of gibberellins to promote growth and help make the plant taller. Likewise, if a flower needs help blooming, a plant health care specialist can use chemicals such as cytokinins or ethylene to encourage blooming. All of these hormones and chemicals can be used to help plants grow in a particular way while maintaining the plant’s overall health and biology.

If you want to keep your plants and trees healthy and vibrant, contact Burkholder PHC. We offer many plant health care services, such as plant growth regulators, pest control, and soil care. In addition, our team of specialists has years of experience maintaining landscapes in the Main Line area. For more information about our services, request a free consultation today.

Phytophthora root rot is a common fungal disease that afflicts many plants outdoors and indoors. The condition causes rotting within the plant stem and roots. Young plants are particularly prone to the adverse effects of the disease, but many plants, trees and shrubs can be affected. This article will focus on the causes, symptoms, and potential remedies that may help treat the root rot.

Phytophthora is a genus of parasitic microorganisms that cause a range of diseases in plants, particularly in the roots. The genus includes about 140 species. They are oomycetes, as are all water molds, and like other members of this group they have microscopic sporangia (spore capsules) that are produced in great numbers by germination of endospores. Certain conditions are more conducive to disease development, namely if the soil contains too much moisture and if the soil temperature is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. In these conditions, oospores germinate and produce additional spores. These spores then infect a plant’s root and rot the system over time. More spores form in the residue, and the entire cycle repeats, infecting other plants.

Some of the standard and most visible symptoms of Phytophthora root rot include the following:

• Leaves that turn dull green, yellow, or in some cases, red or purple
• Dark brown or black discoloration of the stem that extends up from the root/soil line
• General wilting of the leaves and branches

Other symptoms depend on the plant that is infected. Trees, for example, can have dark sap oozing from the trunk. Another symptom is reddish-brown streaks in the bark tissue. Signs of the disease can also appear on single leaves or branches of a tree and then spread to others.

Water and drainage are among the most important factors when managing or preventing Phytophthora root rot. First, plants need the correct amount of water, as overwatering (to the point of creating standing water around the base of trees or other plants) facilitates growth of this fungal disease. Second, proper drainage, which can be accomplished by breaking up compacted soil, is necessary to prevent excessive moisture in the soil.

Chemical controls can also be used in conjunction with water and drainage management. Fungicides need to be applied carefully and with professional guidance to maintain the health of other plants and the overall landscape. Another factor to consider is removing the infected plant. Removing an infected plant may be necessary to prevent the disease from spreading to other plants nearby. This is best done in winter since oospores prefer warm temperatures and are less likely to infect other plants.

If you are considering planting new plants in your landscape, we advise you to choose plants resistant to Phytophthora root rot. Below are 3 plants that are resistant to the fungal disease and native to Pennsylvania:

• Summersweet (also known as “Tom’s Compact Summersweet) a compact variety of flowering shrub that produces upright, candle-like, 6-inch-long white flower spires in summer.
• Sweetspire – a rounded, spreading, fragrant shrub with drooping spires of fragrant white flowers.
• Eastern ninebark – a deciduous shrub that grows 6 to 10 feet tall and wide, with green leaves 1 to 3 inches long. Small, pink-white flowers bloom in spring and red fruits appear in fall.

By planting flowers that are resistant to this fungal disease, you can prevent your landscapes from ever being afflicted.

If your plants show symptoms of Phytophthora root rot or other diseases, contact Burkholder PHC. Our team of experienced, qualified plant health care experts will evaluate the health and condition of your plants, diagnose the problems, and provide you with the recommended treatment options to keep your plants healthy and vibrant. Our proactive and holistic approach helps encourage and maintain the conditions that are best for your landscape. Contact us today for a free consultation.

There is consensus among plant health care professionals that the complex of insect and disease pests in landscape plants is becoming more explosive, harder to predict, and more difficult to manage. As invasive pests like Asian longhorn beetle (1998), brown marmorated stink bug (1998), emerald ash borer (2002), and spotted lanternfly (2014) have been brought in through the back door of global trade, attention has been drawn away from many old-school native pest groups, allowing some to catch a foothold in landscape plants and become increasingly problematic. No landscape plant pests have expanded more in the past decade than scale insects, which have historically been kept in check by biological control agents (predators and parasites), kept at low levels by weather factors, or controlled by collateral effects of treatments targeting other pests. In fact, advances in the technology of pest control may be partially responsible for the increasing threat from this pest group, as fewer systemic and broad-spectrum chemicals are used for non-selective pest management in landscape plants.

Scale insects are an extremely broad and diverse group, made up of two basic subgroups: soft scale and hardshell scale (armored scale). Soft scales are fairly large (visible to the naked eye) and secrete sugary honeydew that forms black mold on the infested plant along with anything beneath. These insects may look like small bumps on twigs and stems and are most commonly located and identified because of the amount of mold that grows on their excrement, turning plants black. Armored scale are much smaller, often not visible to the naked eye, and generally shaped like tiny oysters. Armored scale are most commonly located and identified because of decline/dieback of individual limbs or white, waxy powder on interior stems. Scale insects do not move very much and spend most of their life securely attached to the plant like a tick or a barnacle. All species of scale insects feed on the vascular system of the plants, intercepting critical nutrients moving between leaves and roots, leading to rapid decline of the infested plant.

A majority of common landscape plant species have one or more species of scale insects that feed on them and can cause significant damage; in the 2021 field season, we identified and treated 18 species of scale on properties in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties.

So…what can be done about scale insects in landscape plants? As with all of our integrated pest management (IPM) programs:

1. Inspect and diagnose to determine which pest species is causing the problem.
2. Assess the extent of the damage.
3. Determine the need for intervention.
4. Apply least-damaging control measures.
5. Evaluate results and determine the need for follow-up treatment.

With scale insects, there are challenges at each of these steps, from identification of the pest responsible to recognizing an array of plant injury symptoms and from determining the need for intervention to understanding what management tactics will provide the greatest control at the time of application.

Although scale insects are a very odd and very primitive group of pests, their behavior and physiology can make them very hard to control, prone to explosive population growth, and very damaging to landscape plants. We would recommend a professional evaluation this winter and spring to determine if properties are currently infested with or at risk of infestation with scale or other pests. The evaluation is free…and proper treatments can bring back the health, vigor, and curb appeal of any landscape. If you are not happy with the appearance of your landscape plants, give us a call!

Homeowners approach us about plant health care, wondering precisely what services are involved and how those services benefit them. While the name sounds simple at first, plant health care encapsulates a wide range of different landscape maintenance techniques and plant health maintenance methods. Homeowners benefit from plant health care services in numerous ways. We have gathered some FAQs about plant health care to help people understand what exactly plant health care is, what is involved, and how they benefit.

Plant health care (PHC) is a comprehensive, total care solution for evaluating, treating, and maintaining the health of all plant life on a property. More than simply making sure plants get enough water or fertilizer, plant health care takes a holistic approach to plant health. One of the duties of a landscape professional or plant health care specialist is to create a landscaping and care plan that ensures all plants have their needs met. Another objective of plant health care is to develop and maintain the proper growing environment for all plants so that landscaping professionals and specialists can prevent and more efficiently resolve health issues.

Plant health care is essential for a few reasons. One reason is that keeping your plants healthy maintains their beauty, making your landscape more attractive, more usable, and more enjoyable to use and admire. Another reason is that by improving or sustaining the health of every plant in a landscape, the beauty and value of said landscape remain consistently high, which is essential if you are interested in keeping high property values. Plant health care also emphasizes preventing any issues with your plants, which means fewer landscaping problems for you in the future.

Your landscape is an investment as much as a place for your family to use and enjoy. Fixing or remediating any issues that arise with your plants’ health is more costly than preventive care. With plant health care, you are protecting a valuable investment.

One of the common FAQs about plant health care that we hear is “what is involved in plant health care?” As stated before, plant health care is a comprehensive, holistic approach, and each landscape is unique. Therefore, the specific services within a plant health care plan differ for each homeowner. Some homeowners may have severe pest or plant disease issues, while others might have problems with their soil. At Burkholder PHC, we offer many different plant health care services that can resolve whichever issues your landscape is facing.

These services include the following:

• Pest Management
• Soil Care
• Cultural Management
• Weed Management
• Biological Control
• Growth Regulation
• Deer Browse Deterrents
• Diagnostics

Each of these services has its own services or actions covering a broad range of issues homeowners and their landscapes may face.

If you have any other FAQs about plant health care that you want the answers for, contact Burkholder PHC. Our team has up-to-date knowledge of the latest and best practices for plant health and landscape design. The passionate and experienced specialists at Burkholder will work with you to create a beautiful and healthy landscape. For a free consultation or more information about our services, contact us today.

As homeowners continue to look for ways to keep their landscapes beautiful, one particular solution has been growing in recent years: beneficial insect release. Beneficial insect release is when plant health care experts use insects rather than chemicals to control and manage pest populations. Pests can cause significant damage to a landscape, and releasing certain insects is an effective means of reducing pest populations (and their subsequent damage to trees and plants) while minimizing chemicals. Here is an explanation of what beneficial insects are and when they are used.

As stated above, beneficial insect release is a biological control method based on using insects rather than other substances like chemicals. The idea is to target pest populations by releasing their natural predators within a landscape to control the specific pest population, minimizing the harm done to your plants. Certain insects are also either neutral or beneficial to particular ecosystems, which is part of what makes releasing beneficial insects work.

For example, praying mantises are harmless to plants and people and feed on aphids: small, sap-sucking insects that can damage plants and leaves. So a homeowner can have praying mantises released in their landscapes to protect their gardens from aphids.

Beneficial insect release is an augmentative biological control, meaning that helpful insects are often used as part of a more extensive plant health care program rather than the sole method for pest control. In terms of populations, low to mid-level populations of pests can be controlled by beneficial insects. Below are a few examples of beneficial insects and the pests these insects target.

• Green lacewing: Aphids, Whitefly, Leafhoppers, Mealybugs
• Ladybug: Aphids, Mealybugs, Soft Scale, Whitefly
• Praying mantis: Caterpillars, Flies, Grasshoppers, Aphids

Releasing beneficial insects is often used in landscapes with plants prone to injury from mites and aphids. Beneficial insects are also used for plants or landscapes sensitive to potentially harmful pesticides or those who prefer organic, natural methods of maintaining their landscapes.

The timing of a beneficial insect release is also crucial to its effectiveness. Praying mantises, for instance, need to be released via egg mass in March, as early spring is when the mantises will start to hatch and can begin feeding on pests. Other insects can be released as adults, but the timing is just as important. Other factors include the pests damaging a landscape and the surrounding plants and the environment’s overall conditions. Overall, beneficial insects should be part of a larger plan to help balance your landscape’s ecosystem and maintain its beauty and health.

If you want to keep your landscape free of harmful pests or are interested in beneficial insect release, contact Burkholder Brothers for a consultation. Our team of highly qualified, passionate landscape professionals has up-to-date knowledge of the latest and best plant health care practices. Our specialists and account managers will work with you to maintain your landscape’s beauty and value. For more information on our services, contact us today.

The most efficient approach to protecting your landscape and plant health is through consistent maintenance and care. Our experts are offering some Plant Care 101 -information about preventive measures and building resiliency within plants. Plant care is also comprehensive and includes several different areas of landscaping and horticulture.

Our Plant care 101 covers several different aspects of plant health care. Plant health care is a comprehensive solution focused on maintaining plant health and beauty. Breaking it down into a few core ideas will help you better understand a plant health care program’s scope. Here are some aspects of plant care.

Pests cause numerous problems for your landscape, harming your plant life, curb appeal, and property values. Pest management helps mitigate pest populations and damage. Landscape professionals take different approaches to pest management.

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) uses pest control applications based on risk as determined by a plant health care professional, rather than general treatments at the time of year pests appear on home gardens or landscapes.
• Targeted Pest Management (TPM) is a pest control approach based on a specific pest’s timing and a particular plant/s susceptibility.

Other forms of pest management involve managing and removing invasive species (pests that affect human or animal health) and using organic control methods rather than chemicals.

Healthy soil care and management are fundamental aspects of plant care 101. The soil on your property provides your plants with water, nutrients, oxygen, and space for growth. As a result, plant care specialists and professionals need to properly analyze soil to learn the surrounding trees’ and plants’ exact needs.

Soil also needs the proper fertilizer based on the season (for example, soil needs a more potassium-based fertilizer in spring). Landscape professionals need to be keenly aware of the complexities of soil, and provide meticulous care and treatment to ensure a robust and healthy landscape.

Managing weeds on a property is another important aspect of plant care and includes different approaches to accomplish its goals. Pre-emergent weed control focuses on removing weeds before they have a chance to grow. This preventive approach to weed management is generally performed during the fall or winter before weeds have germinated.

Post-emergent weed control is the opposite approach: removing visible weeds during the spring or summer. Certain weeds are also invasive species and can be a significant problem to the native plant life.

Some other plant care 101 topics include the following:

• Biological Control: Using beneficial insects to target and control pests.
• Cultural Management: Tools or methods that modify a plant’s environment to suit the specific needs of the plant.
• Disease Management: Managing diseased trees and plants.

If you want more Plant Care 101 to keep your landscape healthy, contact Burkholder Brothers for a consultation. Our team of passionate landscape professionals has decades of experience maintaining refined landscapes in Main Line Philadelphia communities. The team has up-to-date knowledge of the most effective plant health care practices. We have specialists who will work with you to sustain your landscape’s beauty. For more information on our services, contact us today.

Malvern, PA – April 12, 2021 – Burkholder Brothers announces the opening of a new plant health care department called Burkholder PHC. This new department will work hand in hand with the Burkholder Landscape design, build and maintenance teams that have been servicing the Delaware valley for the past 30 years. New plant health care services will include all aspects of pest management, soil care, biological control, cultural management, deer browse deterrents, and growth regulation.

“Plant health care is a complex science. We have developed program options, field personnel and equipment to deliver science based, state of the art programs to manage the problems caused by challenging weather patterns and new invasive insects and diseases,” said owner, Barry Burkholder.

Starker Wright, the company’s new Plant Health Care Manager noted that “the environmental conditions of this year have made soil disease and pests a greater threat than usual.”

He also mentioned the cicada emergence that will occur in June for the first time in 17 years, warning, “this emergence alone is one of the most profound threats to landscape trees that any of us will experience.”

The company is currently offering free consultations. The offer encourages Main Line residents to learn about their services while receiving an accurate diagnosis of their landscape plant health issues and exploring the programs that will protect families and pets from insects that bite, sting and can spread illness.

Burkholder PHC is a new branch of Burkholder Brothers Landscaping. The company emphasizes proper diagnosis and precise treatment with state-of-the-art, research-backed methods and equipment. The specialists are educated, trained, experienced, and certified to manage all insect and disease pests, soil chemistry, and plant physiological problems to deliver genuine, lasting results. Burkholder PHC has the resources necessary to deliver the attention to detail and professional care that every resident’s landscape deserves.

Burkholder Brothers has been in business for 25 years and provides an “all inclusive” landscape business for Main Line Philadelphia residents. The company does all aspects of landscaping; from designing outdoor living areas, hardscapes and softscapes; to installing the various pieces of the design, such as patios, outdoor kitchens, and outdoor lighting; to finally maintaining the landscapes with comprehensive maintenance programs.

For more information regarding the new plant health care programs or Burkholder Landscape’s other services, call (610) 558-2678 or visit the Burkholder website: www.BurkholderLandscape.com.