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Fall is just around the corner. You may be looking forward to cooler nights and bug-free days. Finally, you’re free of worrying about getting bitten by ticks, right? Unfortunately, that’s wrong. As long as the temperature is above freezing tick bites are still possible. Some species of ticks, such as the American Dog Tick and the Lone Star Tick, go dormant in winter months. However, the Deer Tick—which transmits the most tick-borne diseases, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme, Babesiosis, and Ehrlichiosis—will survive the wintertime unless the temperature drops below freezing.

Even worse, ticks are notoriously small. Due to their life cycles, Deer Ticks are smallest in spring and summer, however, they are active as adults all the way from fall to spring. This means that ticks can, and do, transmit diseases year-round.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best ways to control ticks in your yard and avoid infectious diseases are either to create a tick-safe zone, or treat your yard with insect repellant or pesticide.

This includes:

• Removing leaf litter from your yard and not letting leaves build-up
• Clearing tall grass and brush around your house and at the edge of your lawn
• Placing a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas
• Mowing the lawn frequently
• Stacking wood neatly and in a dry area (to discourage rodents that carry ticks and spread disease)
• Keeping playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees
• Discouraging unwelcome animals (such as deer, raccoons, and stray dogs) from entering your yard by constructing fences
• Removing old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide

By following these tips you can keep your family safe all year-round. If you’d like to find out about having your yard treated for ticks so that your family can better enjoy it during the fall, call Organically Green Horticultural Service today.

While many people think of spring as the perfect time for planting, what you may not realize is that the growing season extends well into the fall for much of the United States. Is planting in August the best time?

Plenty of vegetables and flowers thrive in the cool season, and planting during August is the best way to have a bountiful fall garden. Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are three plants that do very well when their seedlings are transplanted outdoors in August. Make note that planting them from seed in August will not give them enough time to develop before the cold weather, so it’s best to start them from seed in June or to buy seedlings to plant in August. Kale and lettuce are two more cold-hardy plants, and should be planted in August. Moreover, carrots, beets, and spinach are great vegetables to grow in August.

August isn’t only a time for vegetables. Marigolds, Alyssum, and Snapdragons are great flowers to plant in August so you’ll have color in your yard through the fall. Pre-planted annuals can also add color to your yard and prepare the fall mood. You can also plant container-grown perennials in August and they’ll have a more bountiful spring.

Something to consider if planting in August is the coming spring. If you have iris plants August is the perfect time to divide and replant them so they have time to develop strong roots before the cold sets in. August is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs such as crocus, tulips, daffodils, and grape hyacinth, as well as plant flowers like peonies.

With more than 8 weeks to go before the first frost, don’t discount August for planting! You’ll get more enjoyment and more produce out of your garden than you ever realized was possible.

Most people don’t consider trees for what they are, plants that occasionally need care. But in some seasons, particularly spring and summer, your trees can often use tree maintenance and a helping hand to keep themselves strong and healthy.

In the hot months of summertime, young trees, in particular, may need help maintaining moisture. Whereas mature trees may have an easier time in drought conditions,  a younger tree retains water to a lesser degree, and will likely need a good soaking at least once a week in very dry weather.

When it comes to specific tree maintenance such as tree pruning, while most trees and shrubs should be trimmed during the dormant season, there are a few that can and should be tamed during the summer months. Lilacs, and flowering trees, for example, should only be trimmed right after they bloom, so as not to remove the next year’s blossoms.

Summer is also prime storm season, and thunderstorms and hurricanes can cause more damage if there are dead branches on your trees, which, in some instances, can only be seen after all of the leaves have opened. Proper pruning means removing dead or diseased branches as soon as they are noticed, and will benefit the overall health of the tree. In addition to taking the time to remove dead branches, you’ll want to check to make sure that branches are not intertwined with utility lines. If this is the case, or if in routine pruning you find a very large branch that needs to be trimmed, you should call a professional such as Organically Green Horticultural Services who are licensed and insured and can safely remove oversized branches.

Another reason you may need to provide tree maintenance is in the case of pests. Pests and diseases such as bagworms, Japanese beetles and blight can cause tremendous damage to a tree, even to the point of killing it. Worse yet, they may spread to other, neighboring trees if not addressed properly. When encountering pests and disease, it’s often better to call a professional rather than try to handle the problem yourself. Chopping away at affected portions of the tree without a care for the natural form can leave you with a weakened tree that looks lopsided and unattractive. While most tree care can be handled yourself, it is sometimes worth it to hire a professional for the health and good looks of your little patch of forest.