How to Choose Tree and Shrub Care Services for Your Northeast OH Property

Picture this: You’ve decided that the trees and shrubs in your yard could use a little extra boost, but you don’t know exactly what they need, and you don’t necessarily have the time to figure it out. 

The trees and shrubs in Northeast Ohio may face different issues than in other parts of the country, so it’s important to get it right the first time.

That’s why you should call in your local plant health care provider. 

Here’s a look at what shrub and tree services entail and how you can choose a service provider in the Northeast Ohio area that best fits your needs.

What Are Tree and Shrub Services?

Overall, shrub and tree services involve a multipronged approach of fertilization, disease, and insect control, and more to boost the health, appearance, and longevity of trees and shrubs on your property.

Spread out through six visits over the year, here’s what you can expect if you choose Turf Pride as your plant health care provider:

Spring fertilization 

Technicians use a battery-operated backpack to directly spray the plants, assisting in new growth and budding in the spring. Technicians also perform a soil drench around the bases of the plants to promote new growth at the beginning of the year.

Disease and pest prevention

 Throughout the summer, technicians will service your property three times, applying insect control, mite control, and fungicide. These applications protect the plants over the summer from different kinds of pests, such as aphids, scale insects, and spider mites. They also allow the plant to resist diseases, like apple scab disease, powdery mildew, and more.

Fall fertilization 

In September or October, tree and shrub techs apply a fall fertilizer. Rather than promoting top growth like the spring application, the fall application zeroes in on root growth as the plant focuses its energy downward into the root system throughout the winter. This application strengthens the plant for the following season and provides nutrients for the plants to store over the winter.

Horticulture oil

At the end of the year, technicians coat the plants with a horticulture oil that covers the plants and suffocates any overwintering eggs that might be present on the plants, as well as any remaining insects.

While all of the above applications are completely safe for kids and pets, you, as the homeowner, should wait an hour or two after the applications have been put down to go near the sprayed trees and shrubs. This will allow the product to dry.

You should also be aware that it may take a full season for the visible effects in the plants to appear, unlike a lawn care service in which you may see noticeable changes in your lawn right away. Patience is a virtue here.

Why Invest in Professional Tree and Shrub Care Services?

In addition to improving a plant’s overall health with a stronger root system and resistance to diseases and insects, shrub and tree services also provide aesthetic value such as more vibrant foliage and healthier, faster growth.

Think about it: With their vibrant touches of color, interesting textures, and softening of harsh architectural lines, it’s been shown that healthy trees, shrubs, and plants add curb appeal to a property.

This can increase your property’s overall value. Who wouldn’t want that? 

How To Choose A Provider That’s Best For You

With so many tree care and shrub service providers within the Northeast Ohio area, it may be daunting to settle on the right one for you. Here are six questions you can ask yourself to help narrow down your search. 

1. Is The Company Highly Regarded?

One of the best ways to determine if a tree and shrub service provider is right for you is to see what other people in your region have to say. 

Use Google reviews to your advantage to learn more about the companies you’re investigating. 

Do they have a lot of Google reviews? Do they respond to questions and concerns in a timely manner? Are their technicians friendly and knowledgeable? Are their services efficient and affordable? Would other customers recommend their services? 

You can find these answers and more by doing a quick search on Google for a company. 

2. Is The Company Easy to Contact? 

A company may have the best-looking website and advertising materials in the world, but how easy is it to get in touch with them?

Is there a phone number and email address clearly visible on their website and marketing materials? When you call or email to inquire about services, do they get back to you right away or leave you hanging for several weeks? When you talk with a company’s representatives, are they friendly, respectful, and helpful? 

These are all signs of what it will look like to work with a company for the long haul. If a company doesn’t make it easy to contact them from the get-go, it’s probably best to find a company that will. 

3. Is The Company Properly Licensed and Insured?

Plant health care service providers should not only possess the equipment and materials needed to make your trees and plants bloom at their best, but they also should be properly licensed and insured to use the equipment and materials. 

It doesn’t hurt to ask prospective companies whether they have their ducks in a row when it comes to insurance and licensing. 

Taking this step can prevent major headaches down the line, especially if something goes awry while the techs are on your property. 

4. Are The Technicians Knowledgeable and Properly Trained?

There are a lot of issues that can occur with trees and shrubs, and a properly licensed technician will be sure to identify common problems quickly and effectively.

For example, if you see discoloration or wilting on their plants, you may think it’s due to lack of water, but in reality, those issues may be caused by a disease. In watering that plant, you may actually be allowing those diseases to flourish because they thrive on moisture.

A properly trained and knowledgeable technician can help make sure you’re not inadvertently doing damage to your plants. 

Informed technicians can also discuss with you the best locations for each type of plant and help you identify other potential issues in your yard such as poor soil drainage or improper planting techniques.

They also know what insects and diseases are likely to crop up around the Northeast Ohio region, so they are the best source to consult if you see something unusual or unfamiliar in your yard. 

5. Does The Company Take a Proactive Approach? 

You may be wondering why you should invest in plant health care services, especially if you don’t currently notice any signs of pests or diseases on your trees and shrubs.  

A far cry from a one-and-done approach, effective tree and shrub services incorporate multiple visits throughout the season to ensure your trees and shrubs are not only surviving—but also thriving—all season long.

This type of method allows technicians to get ahead of any insects or diseases that may infest your plants later down the line. 

For example, while you may see insects like lace bugs on your beautiful azaleas in the early summer months, you won’t see insects such as the Japanese beetle popping up around Northeast Ohio until the end of June through July.

That’s also why multiple applications are so important in the summertime, when insects are most active, and the environmental conditions are ripe for diseases to thrive.

After all, it’s much more effective to treat insects and diseases before they become a real issue than to try to eradicate ones that have already overcome your trees and shrubs.

You can expect each treatment that’s applied to last between 30 to 45 days, but once that product is used up, plants are again exposed to possible pest activity. Therefore, the best approach is to space shrub and tree treatments apart by about four to six weeks.

6. What Are The Company’s Service Offerings?

When perusing a company’s website to check out the services they provide, you may also find out that they offer pest control or lawn care—services you might be looking to incorporate as well. 

Why not choose a provider that offers everything you need under one roof? That will make your life easier by not having to keep track of different service companies, and you may even save by bundling services. 

Why Choose Turf Pride As Your Plant Heath Care Service Provider

You’ve invested a lot in your landscaping, and you don’t want to leave the health of your trees and plants up to chance.

When it comes down to finding a plant services provider in Mentor, Ohio, you want to make sure you’re choosing one that’s knowledgeable, easy to contact, proactive, and properly licensed and insured. 

That’s where the knowledgeable team at Turf Pride Lawn Care, serving Mentor and the surrounding Northeast Ohio communities, can help. With a proven plant health care program tailored to local conditions, Turf Pride ensures your trees and shrubs stay healthy, vibrant, and protected year-round. Ready to get started? Request your free quote today.