What is a plant health care program? A plant health care program puts an expert in your yard who can detect problems before they spread. 

A professional will examine your plants and determine what is best for them. A plant health care program will then treat and nurture your plants to get the most out of your investment.

Protecting your landscape is protecting your investment

Having a beautiful lawn requires an investment, of time, work, and money. The money you spend on a plant health care program will eventually save you from replacing diseased or dying/dead plants. 

Why spend so much on shrubs, flowering trees, and plants for your yard, and then drop the ball? That is like building a pool and never putting in chemicals or cleaning it out!

What to expect:

• At Lawn and Pest Solutions, our plant health care program includes six visits per year. 
• A licensed lawn technician with advanced knowledge of plant health care will plan and oversee your program.
• At each visit your plants will be fertilized.
• At each visit, your plants will be monitored for insects, and diseases and will be treated for what is found.
• At each visit, you will receive a written report from the technician. This report tells you what he observed, what he did to treat your plants, and what you need to know to keep up the treatment process.
• Based on your report, your plants will get a fertilizer with micro nutrients and soil beneficial, insect and disease control targeted specifically to your plants and their health at that specific time. 

How is this program different from others? 

Most programs include a pre-mixed spray that is applied to all of the plants, no matter what they need at that time. 

Why replace plants from year to year because they are unhealthy?

 A healthy lawn and plant landscape will be strong enough to endure April freezes and August droughts. Let Lawn and Pest Solutions take care of your plants and lawn.

Contact our office to learn more about our plant health care program. We serve the North Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee areas. 

What does fall plant care mean for a person with a lawn? It’s like a “shutting down for the season” way of thinking for the lawn. 

Pool owners close the pool for winter. Boat owners remove their boats before waters start to freeze. When an ice storm is predicted, we move our new car into the garage. Right? Just like pools, boats and cars, our landscapes are an investment.

Protecting your investment

To understand fall plant health care you have to think of your lawn as an investment. All of the time and money you have spent on planting, lawn fertilizing, nurturing & watering shouldn’t go to waste. By adopting a fall plant health care program, you will be proud of your healthy and well protected lawn in the spring. 

At Lawn and Pest Solutions, we offer a plant health care program that focuses on keeping your landscape and shrubs insect and disease free.

How does the LPS Plant Health Care program work?

With our program, an expert will visit your lawn six times per year. The pro will examine all of your plants, make notes and leave a written report at each visit. In addition to your copy, the notes will also go on file. 

The pro will then treat your plants based specifically on what is happening with your plants AND what they need. 

What is different about our plan? 

Most other plans include a pre-mixed spray that is applied to all of the plants, no matter what they need at that time. 

You can spend a lot of time and money guessing what is wrong with your landscape. With our plant health care plan, you can spend less money and save lots of time by leaving it up to a professional. 

Contact our office today to protect your investment. You can reach out to us at 662.257.3148, 901.560.2399, or fill out our online contact form. Our licensed and trained technicians serve the North Mississippi and Memphis areas.

Proactively treating shrubs has to be a good thing, right? Is there anything NOT good to be proactive about in treating? Why should the shrubs in your landscape be any less nurtured and protected than the lawn, the trees or the flowers?

Here in the Memphis, TN or North Mississippi areas…

Whether it’s a late spring freeze or a late summer drought, there is always something “out to get” our landscape! Being proactive in the treatment of all of our plants is important in helping them to get strong and stay healthy even in our adverse weather conditions.

Protecting your shrubs is protecting your investment.

By proactively treating your shrubs with our Plant Health Care program, you will protect your investment. Watching a few #askpaul videos will clear up most of your questions and concerns, but here are a few highlights of what you can expect to get from our Plant Health Care program:

• 6 visits per year from a licensed lawn technician with advanced knowledge of plant health care. 
• At each visit your plants will be fertilized.
• At each visit your plants will be monitored for insects, diseases and will be treated for what is found.
• At each visit you will receive a feedback form from the technician which tells you what he observed, what he did and what you need to know to keep up the treatment process.

When you invest in a plant health care program, you are proactively treating your shrubs. This program allows a professional to examine your plants, determine what is best for them, and then treating and nurturing them to get the most out of your investment.

Why replace shrubs from year to year because they are unhealthy?

The money you spend on a plant health care program will eventually save you from replacing diseased or dying/dead shrubbery. An expert eye can detect a problem in your plants before it spreads to others. A healthy lawn and plant landscape will be strong enough to endure April freezes and August droughts. Let Lawn and Pest Solutions proactively treat your shrubs and lawn. Contact our office to learn more about our plant health care program. We serve the North Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee areas. 

What is a plant health care program? A plant health care program puts an expert in your yard who can detect problems before they spread. Having a beautiful lawn requires an investment, of time, work, and money.

A professional will examine your plants and determine what is best for them. A plant health care program will then treat and nurture your plants to get the most out of your investment.

Protecting your landscape is protecting your investment

The money you spend on a plant health care program will eventually save you from replacing diseased or dying/dead plants. Why spend so much on shrubs, flowering trees, and plants for your yard, and then drop the ball? That is like building a pool and never putting in chemicals or cleaning it out!

What to expect from a plant health care program

At Lawn and Pest Solutions, our plant health care program includes six visits per year. A licensed lawn technician with advanced knowledge of plant health care will plan and oversee your program.

At each visit your plants will be fertilized.

At each visit, your plants will be monitored for insects, and diseases and will be treated for what is found.

At each visit, you will receive a written report from the technician. This report tells you what he observed, what he did to treat your plants, and what you need to know to keep up the treatment process.

Based on your report, your plants will get a fertilizer with micro nutrients and soil beneficial, insect and disease control targeted specifically to your plants and their health at that specific time. 

How is this program different from others? Most programs include a pre-mixed spray that is applied to all of the plants, no matter what they need at that time. 

Why replace plants from year to year because they are unhealthy?

 A healthy lawn and plant landscape will be strong enough to endure April freezes and August droughts. Let Lawn and Pest Solutions take care of your plants and lawn. Contact our office to learn more about our plant health care program. We serve the North Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee areas. 

Yes, it is time again to talk about Crape Murder. The act of poorly pruning the beloved tree of the South, the Crape Myrtle.

Speaking of the time…

Now IS the ideal time in our region of the South to prune Crape Myrtles. If now isn’t good for you, you can still make corrective pruning as late as March or April.

How does Crape Murder happen?

Many crape murders are committed by cutting back on the same location of the main trunks every year. Cutting back in the same spots causes knots to develop on the trunks.  These knots are not only unattractive, but they also contribute to weakness in our trees.

Some often chop their trees to a height of around 4-5’.  If your Crape Myrtle is too tall, you can prune it back down to a more appropriate height, but not every year!

It is true that some of these practices will lead to many new shoots and lots of blossoms. Unfortunately, these new shoots will be very weak. Weak shoots can’t support heavy blooms and they will droop and weep from the strain. This is Crape Murder.

Why are we so compelled to murder?

Many times, crape myrtle trees need severe pruning because they are planted in improper locations. 

If you are considering planting Crape Myrtles, here are some tips:

1. (This is a big one) Where you plant your Crape Myrtle make it or break it.
2.   Crape Myrtles need lots of sun but not a lot of water to live in our area. 

Pruning tips so that you don’t commit Crape Murder (click the links to learn more from our #askpaul series):

1.  Remove branches that cross one another

2.  Trunks that cross are an issue. One has to go. 

3.  Remember, it’s a tree NOT a bush. It should look like an umbrella from a distance.

You can still turn your life around!

There’s no need for you to commit Crape Murder ever again. While Lawn and Pest Solutions does not offer a pruning service, we want to help you maintain a beautiful lawn. 

We offer a systemic treatment that includes lawn fertilization and insecticide, which helps it flourish but also helps them fight disease (like Crape Myrtle Bark Scale). This plan can be added to your  Plant Health Care program at Lawn and Pest Solutions. 

We have customers from the Memphis, TN area to all over North Mississippi. Our licensed technicians are ready to assist you. You can contact us here for a quote.

Winter pruning is something that can keep your landscape healthy. Is winter pruning a good idea for shrubs and trees? Before you start clipping, remember that it is important to make sure you are pruning the right plants at the right time! 

According to Mississippi State University Extension Agent, Gina Wills, you should prune a plant after its’ “feature has passed”. This just means that after the plant has flowered or the berries have faded. This calendar of pruning chores is very helpful for Southern homeowners.

Seven days, four seasons.

It’s an old joke, but it’s true. In the South you can go to breakfast in your flip-flops today and make snow cream for breakfast tomorrow. We have a “temperate” climate, which just means that our temperatures span greatly throughout the year. In temperate climates, plants go into dormancy.

Naptime for you, dormancy for your plants.

In the winter, our plants go into a state of dormancy. To many, it appears that everything is “dead”, but they are really all just resting for the winter. Like hibernation in animals, plants in dormancy are preparing their insides for freezing weather and lack of water and nutrients.

Pruning tips:

Prune evergreen shrubs in the winter while they are in dormancy.

Wait until your flowering shrubs or trees bloom, then you can prune them after their blooms fade.

If it’s time to prune your trees (once every three years), hire a professional tree trimmer.

Be sure to remove your clippings in the event that they have the disease or insect issues (don’t spread those around!)

There aren’t very many rules or tips for winter pruning, just follow the guides above, and when in doubt, look it up! If you are ever unsure, feel free to give us a call at Lawn and Pest Solutions. Our plant health expert can work with you on specific plants and treatments. 

Our trained and licensed lawn technicians are always willing to listen to your concerns and advise you on ways to improve your landscape. Contact our office and let us schedule a visit! We serve the North Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee areas with outstanding lawn and pest control.

Why bother with fall plant care? Pool owners “close the pool” for winter. Boat owners don’t leave their precious investments floating in cold waters all winter. If an ice storm is coming, we move our new cars in garages. Just like boats and cars, our landscapes are an investment.

What’s the use?

If you don’t believe in fall plant health care, think about this. All of the time and money you have spent on planting, lawn fertilizing, nurturing & watering shouldn’t be wasted. The money and time you have spent shouldn’t go to waste over the fall and winter. 

You won’t regret it

By protecting your landscape with fall plant health care, when spring arrives, you will be proud of your healthy and well protected lawn. At Lawn and Pest Solutions, we offer a plant health care program that focuses on keeping your landscape and shrubs insect and disease free.

How does the LPS Plant Health Care program work?

If you join our Plant Health Care program, an expert will visit your lawn six times per year. The pro will examine all of your plants, make notes and leave a written report at each visit. You will receive a copy of the notes and they will also go on file. 

The pro will then treat your plants specifically based on what is happening with your plants and what they need. Most programs include a pre-mixed spray that is applied to all of the plants, no matter what they need at that time. 

A program tailored to the specific needs of your lawn.

You can spend a lot of time and money guessing what is wrong with our landscape and even trying to fix it yourself. With our plant health care plan, you can spend less money and save lots of time by leaving it up to a professional. Contact our office today to protect your investment. You can reach out to us at 662.534.4535, 901.560.2399, or fill out our online contact form to know more about lawn care weed control. Our licensed and trained technicians serve the North Mississippi and Memphis areas.

Crape Myrtle Bark Scale is a type of insect/pest that attaches itself to the trunk of a Crape Myrtle tree. You might first notice a problem on your Crape Myrtle when you see black areas forming on the trunk or branches. 

According to Clemson University, Crape Myrtle Bark Scale was first found in Texas in 2004. It has now (2021) spread across the South as far across as North Carolina. Most attribute the spread of CMBS to the movement of plant material across the region.

What IS Crape Myrtle Bark Scale?

Though Crape Myrtle Bark Scale SOUNDS like a plant or maybe a part of the tree, it is actually a pest. It covers parts (or eventually all) of the Crape Myrtle tree with a black, sticky soot-like substance. The actual pest, the Bark Scale is a flat, light gray or white pest that feels like felt. If you press on the Bark Scale and it oozes a pink substance, it is active.

Crape Myrtle Bark Scale typically gathers in the branch crotches or at pruning areas, also under loose bark. As CMBS takes over, it begins to literally suck the life (sap) from your tree. The thick, black moldy soot will cover the tree and begin raining down onto everything underneath the tree.

Sidewalks, driveways, shrubs and flowers, garbage cans, pools, toys are at risk. Whatever is under the infected tree will get a black, moldy, sooty stain. In addition to being unattractive, the mold prevents sunlight from reaching the tree.

Should I get rid of Crape Myrtle Bark Scale?

It is commonly accepted that CMBS won’t kill your trees. Bark Scale will most likely affect the number of flowers on your tree. The size of flower clusters and overall vigor in the plant health of your Crape Myrtle trees may also suffer. Crape Myrtle Bark Scale may even cause your trees to flower later than healthy trees. 

For some, the black sooty mold that covers your trees and everything underneath is more cause for concern than tree health. Deciding to treat Crape Myrtle Bark Scale may come down to you deciding to protect the investment you have made in your trees, your landscape, and your property.

How is Crape Myrtle Bark Scale treated?

Crape Myrtle Bark Scale is being treated by licensed lawn and pest technicians like Lawn and Pest Solutions in New Albany, MS. Treatment starts by systemically injecting treatment at the roots of the trees. This will slowly and methodically begin treating the entire tree and ridding it of the pest. 

In addition to the systemic treatment, we spray the entire tree with a growth regulator. This doesn’t improve the growth of the tree, it speeds up the process of getting rid of the Bark Scale. 

In the fall, Lawn and Pest Solutions applies dormant oil to the affected tree. This oil smothers and eliminates any remaining insects on the tree except those which are beneficial to the tree (like ladybugs). 

Each year afterwards, we do an annual systemic treatment as a preventative to keep the CMBS from returning. This treatment also has lawn fertilization ​which will help your Crape Myrtle thrive in the future. Even if you don’t have Bark Scale now you might consider this preventative treatment. 

Crape Myrtles are some of the most beautiful flowering trees we have in the South. These majestic trees enhance our properties, parks, cities, and lawns. Contact us today to check on your investment! Lawn and Pest Solutions has a great system to treat your Crape Myrtles before this Crape Myrtle Bark Scale has a chance to infect your trees. Our licensed technicians are trained in recognizing and guiding you in the right direction for treatment and/or prevention. We treat Crape Myrtles from the Memphis, TN area and all over North Mississippi.