To Continue with our examination of common landscape maintenance mistakes we consider volume 2. Learning from other people’s mistakes is much better than on your own. The hard way. It’s time to work like pros.
A) Lawn hazards
Check your assigned mow areas for hazards like rocks, garbage and toys. Collisions with foreign objects can cause damage and injury. Get familiar with lawns you are about to cut for the first time. It’s time well spent.
B) Don’t mow around piles
I know this is a pain. Owner-generated piles on our lawns delay our progress but it’s horrible to ignore them. Don’t mow around them. Stop the mower and tarp the piles. Then continue. The owner will be happy and the grass will thank you for it.
C) No tree stubs
ISA certification is optional but good cuts are not. Never leave stubs. The tree can’t cover up the wound, the stub dies and could serve as an entry point for diseases. Look for the branch collar and make a nice cut. Don’t cut into the collar. That’s where protective cells live.
wrong
correct
D) Tree bondage
Discourage tree owners from hanging things on their trees. Wires and ropes are forgotten until it’s too late. The ropes get embedded in the tree and can’t be extracted. Two problems: 1) girdling eventually starves the upper portion of water and nutrients and leads to death; and 2) breakage occurs at the point of constriction.
A good illustration: everything above the point of constriction is dead, deprived of water and nutrients; life below the point of constriction; This tree owner loves bird feeders.
Clearly there is life below the constriction point; death above it
A dead Pinus contorta, strangled with arbor tie; this was clearly an attempt at staking a leaning tree
Keep these points in mind as you maintain your landscapes. Your boss and clients will thank you for it.
