Tag Archives: tree care new york

Branch Breakage

Start the new year on a safe note! Winter weather is here and that means it’s the season for branch breakage. Branch breakage happens during winter storms and can cause potential property damage. Stay safe with Westchester Tree Life!

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Branch Breakage: Understanding the Problem

Westchester’s winter storms can be abrasive. Minimize property damage and ensure your property is safe by taking the time to check your tree branches on a clear day. If you need help identifying branches which are susceptible to breaking, our professional arborists are more than happy to help.

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If you have deciduous trees planted on your property, take note that their wood hardens during the winter, making branches more apt to snap. Once ice and snow accumulate, the branches are further weighed down, causing potential branch breakage risks. Evergreen trees are also prone to branch breakage due to snow and ice accumulation.

Minimizing Branch Breakage

Routine tree maintenance is the best way to minimize tree branch breakage. Our tree care professionals offer concise plant health care plans tailored to the specific needs of your trees, plants and shrubs. Year-round tree maintenance is essential in protecting and preserving your trees, plants and shrubs.

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Prepare for next year by scheduling your tree maintenance, especially for fall 2017. Good fall tree maintenance is key; this is when we prune weak and vulnerable branches. Do you have a question or concern? Request a consultation with one of Westchester Tree Life’s arborists with our easy-to-use online form here.

Effects of Drought on Trees

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Westchester county has now had two dry summers in a row, resulting in a lot of stress in our urban forest. What are the effects of drought on trees? How can you help? Westchester county’s tree care experts, Westchester Tree Life are here to answer your questions!

tree care westchester

The Impact of Drought

Like most life forms, plants are reliant on water. Water instigates the chemical reactions inside a plant cell, urging growth and health. The impact of drought is the slowing of the metabolic processes which keep the plant healthy, including the vital process of photosynthesis.

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When there is a drought, water in the soil shrinks away. As the plant continues to lose water through the process of transpiration, the integrity of the plant’s cell membrane may be destroyed.

Symptoms of Drought

A California forest’s visible drought damage

The effects of drought on trees varies case to case. Factors including the zone the tree is rooted in, as well as other environmental issues play a major part in the resilience of the tree’s health. Immediate symptoms of drought include wilting, scorch, and defoliation due to a loss of turgor in plant cells as well as the irreversible shrinking of cell membranes.

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Long term symptoms of drought include a dieback of tree branches as well as death, as the plant’s capacity to absorb water is permanently damaged.

Westchester Tree Life

If you are unsure whether your plants, trees and shrubs are healthy, call Westchester Tree Life to assess your trees at (914) 238-0069 or e-mail us directly for a consultation here.

View all of our services here.

Best Trees for Fall Foliage

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The best way to personalize your home in Westchester county is by planting a garden, trees and shrubs. Add a splash of color to your landscape with trees that will produce vivid foliage during fall; here is the first part of our list of the best trees for fall foliage! Stay tuned for our complete list next week.

The Japanese Maple

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The Japanese Maple is a beautiful tree come autumn, due to the vibrancy of its leaves! This is a great ornamental tree to add to your pre-existing garden or walkway area.

The Sassafras Tree

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The Sassafras tree is interesting, if only for its strange leaf shape, which is softly rounded. A medium-to-fast growing tree, the sassafras can be trained to grow as a single-trunk tree or a dense and bushy thicket.

The Black Tupelo

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Scientifically known as the nyssa sylvatica, the black tupelo is a trademark autumn tree for its renowned fall color. In addition to its beauty, the black tupelo is an important late-spring food source for bees!

The Best Trees for Fall Foliage: Part Two

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Introduce vivid, eye-catching color to your autumn landscape with trees! In our last blog, The Best Trees for Fall Foliage, we shared some of our favorite trees to brighten up your Westchester lawn and garden. Today we are continuing the list with part two; which of these trees do you plan on planting this upcoming year?

The Red Maple

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The Red Maple produces a leaf so red it’s almost surreal! There are many variations of the maple tree, all which are lovely in varying ways but the red maple will always be a standard New England fall classic.

The Sugar Maple

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Right behind the classic red maple is the ever-so-sweet sugar maple! Known for producing a deliciously sweet sap, this tree’s burst of bright color will have you smiling as you rake your leaves.

The Sweetgum Tree

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Star shaped leaves and unusual fruit and trees are the key identifiers of a sweetgum tree. During fall time, the glossy once-green leaves of the sweetgum turn magnificent shades of red, orange and yellow!

Seasonal Maintenance

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Seasonal maintenance is a great way to keep up with the health of your plants, trees and shrubs! Westchester Tree Life offers tree care in New York, and has a full service menu.

Tree Care

Westchester Tree Life has been offering quality, affordable tree care in New York since 1985! Keep your trees healthy with our tree care services, including pruning, cabling, plant health care management and more! View services here.

Stump Grinding

Tree Stump Grinding New York Westchester Tree Life

Remove that unsightly tree stump from your property properly, with professional assistance from Westchester Tree Life! We also offer wood chipping services, if need be.

Tree & Shrub Planting

Considering planting a tree or shrub, but need help? Let us help select the perfect area for your new tree or shrub, properly plant it, and explain the ideal plant health care management plan so your new plant can thrive!

Request a Consultation

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Select the most convenient date for your Westchester Tree Life consultation and our staff would be happy to get back to you! Our ISA-certified team of professional arborists are trained in safety and precautionary tree care.

Planting a Late-Summer Vegetable Garden

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Put your green thumb to the test this autumn by planting a late-summer vegetable garden! There is nothing more rewarding than creating your own garden, especially if it yields produce you can cook with! Here are some great late-summer vegetable garden plants for you to add to your Westchester home.

Root Vegetables

Root Vegetable Garden Westchester Tree Life

Root vegetables are best planted during the late summer, and come to maturity during the cooler fall months. This is the perfect time to plant radishes, turnips, beets and carrots. Bunching onions such as scallions and garlic chives are also wonderful additions to your garden, and will be perfect for winter soups and stews!

Roasted Radishes via kitchn

Get this Roasted Radishes recipe here.

Add Greens

Greens Westchester Tree Life

The health benefits of kale are very trendy right now! Make sure you get your serving of greens by adding some to your garden! Now is the perfect time to plant kale, broccoli, cabbage, collard greens and swiss chard!

Read how to freeze your extra greens here.

When to Plant What

Cool Season Vegetable Crop Guide This is a great guide for mapping out your late-summer garden! If you have missed any of the dates for your zone, simply bookmark this for next year!

Sudden Oak Death

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If you have beautiful oak trees on your property, maintaining their health also means checking for signs of Sudden Oak Death, also known as Phytophthora ramorum. Though this is not an endemic to the Northeast, trees can be made susceptible even if a single oak tree from a nursery is integrated into your landscape. Much of the tree loss attributed to Sudden Oak Death has effected California.

A hillside in Big Sur, California, devastated by sudden oak death
via wikipedia

What are the symptoms of Sudden Oak Death, and how can you check your oak tree properly? Symptoms of Sudden Oak Death include bleeding cankers on the tree’s trunk as well as a dieback of the tree’s foliage; this eventually results in the death of your tree.

Sudden Oak Death Westchester Tree Life

If you were to take a slice from the trunk of an infected oak tree, you would see the following:

via reddit

Sudden Oak Death Life Cycle Westchester Tree Life

If you suspect that your tree is suffering from Sudden Oak Death, contact our team of ISA-certified, professional arborists at Westchester Tree Life today: (914) 238-0069

Organic Gardening

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Organic gardening is a great way to add to your healthy lifestyle. Growing your own organic fruits, vegetables and herbs is easy with help from Westchester Tree Life! We offer organic fertilization to keep your garden happy and healthy.

Organic Fertilizer Westchester Tree Life

About Organic Fertilization

Non-organic fertilizers contain chemicals such as ammonia or is extracted from minerals. Introducing manmade chemicals into your soil not only effects your plants, it effects your soil! Organic fertilizers contain only the most natural of ingredients so you can feel at ease about what you’re introducing to your garden. For organic fertilization in Bedford, White Plains or other areas in Westchester County, New York, call Westchester Tree Life at (914) 238-0069!

Organic Vegetable Gardening

Organic Fertilization Westchester Tree Life

We offer organic fertilization in Westchester County!

Starting your own vegetable garden is a great way to monitor what goes into the veggies you’re eating! Organic vegetable gardening takes patience, maintenance and care, but the end-result is very gratifying. Before you start your organic vegetable garden, it’s important that you understand what kind of soil you have and how much sun your garden can provide. Read Better Homes and Gardens’ Tips for Growing an Organic Vegetable Garden for more tips and tricks here.

Call Westchester Tree Life today for organic fertilization!

Westchester Garden Guide

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Cultivating a beautiful garden is an art! Add property value with a well-manicured and lush, blooming yard this spring and summer. Westchester Tree Life’s professionals are here to assist you with a plant health care management program, tree and shrub maintenance and more! Our Westchester Garden Guide is a selection of our favorite perennials, shrubs and trees for your Westchester home!

Westchester Tree Life has provided quality, affordable care to Westchester County since 1985!

Trees & Shrubs

Before you begin shopping around for flowers, select your trees and shrubs! Selecting trees and shrubs give your garden or backyard structure. Consider how your trees and shrubs will develop through the seasons!

New York Tree Care Westchester Tree Life

A Dogwood produces pink, white and red flowers. via continentalchicago.wordpress.com

The Dogwood Tree – A Dogwood Tree will produce beautiful blooms during springtime, and have a great compact shape! The leaves turn an eye-catching reddish purple during fall time.

Shrub Care New York Westchester Tree Life

The Shadblow is a lovely garden addition year round. via plants.thegrowingspace.com

The Shadblow/Shad/Serviceberry Tree – Another beautiful flowering tree, the Shadblow tree is ideal for a partly-shady area of your yard. This tree yields apple-like early spring flowers, June fruit and a pinstripe bark.

Tree Shrub Care New York Westchester Tree Life

This Spicebush gives an excellent pop of color, especially during Autumn.
via Pinterest.com

The Spicebush – If you are looking to add a colorful understory shrub, consider adding a Spicebush (or two, or three . . .) to your Westchester garden!

Bright & Beautiful Perennials

Perennials return to your garden year after year, when cared for properly!

Delphinium Westchester Tree Life Landscaping New York

via delphinium.co.nz

Delphinium – Hummingbirds love these bright perennials, and so will you! Delphiniums require rich soil and cool summers.

via midwestliving.com

Little Bluestem – This native prairie grass has grey-green foliage which turns bold shades of purple, red and orange in fall. Plant this in full-sun, and it will reach heights of 2-3 feet tall, and a foot high.

Cicadas Arrive in Westchester County

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The sound of summer is coming back! Summer 2016 is going to be the first time in 17 years that cicadas arrive in Westchester County, New York and the rest of the Northeast. Though these creepy crawlers are alarming-looking up close, they pose no direct threat to humans. Here are some fun facts about cicadas.

via themarysue.com

Cicadas: FAQ

A cicada’s mating call can be alarming, especially when amplified from a large quantity. The cicadas which will emerge this summer are of the genus Magicicada; these bugs are limited to North America’s eastern region, and have many mysteries surrounding their life cycle.

Cicadas Summer 2016 Westchester Tree Life

via dailymail.co.uk

Due to their similar appearance and overwhelming quantities, cicadas are often mistaken for locusts, which they are not related to. You can differentiate between the two by taking a glance at the insect’s legs! This graphic from Buzzle shows that while cicadas have short legs and long wings, locusts have short wings but distinctly long legs, which are built for jumping!

via buzzle.com

Despite their alien-like appearance, cicadas are not harmful to humans, and do not bite or sting, and don’t carry diseases. Cicadas are herbivores whose main goal is to mate and lay eggs!

A female cicada lays eggs.

The only threat cicadas pose is to trees. After the mating ritual is complete, female cicadas excavate a series of Y-shaped “eggnests” in living twigs before laying up to twenty eggs in each nest. One female cicada can lay as many as 600 eggs!

Mating Rituals

Cicada Westchester Tree Life Tree Care New York

Taken in May of 2004, in Severn, Maryland

When deciphering a female cicada from a male cicada, be sure to look at the size. Male cicadas are larger, and if you were to view the underbelly of a male and female cicada side by side, you would see this:

Female Cicadas Male Cicadas Westchester Tree Life

Cicadas emerge from the ground during their final molt. During this time they amass in large groups to sing their mating song, which can be compared to a buzzing or whirring noise. These loud mating calls, or aggregations can reach up to 100 decibels.

Two cicadas mating after a mating call proves successful.

Interested in more about the Magicicada? Click here!