Lately it has not felt like a cold Winter here in NC; but looking at our plants outside you can clearly see a change has taken place. Leaves have fallen off our deciduous plants and some of our perennial foliage has withered. Not to worry, this is our plants way to survive Winter by going dormant. During dormancy, all plants will slow the growth process down and certain plants will shed its foliage. All of our plants and grass will store nutrients in their root systems and conserve energy needed for the upcoming warmer months ahead once growing season starts again.

During the month of January; Fontaine will be busy protecting our plants with selective pruning, applying a protective coating of mulch and pine straw and treating the soil pH level for our lawns with a lime application.

Mild Winters can allow for the eggs of problematic insect pests such aphids, scale and mites to over-Winter. Then once growing season starts these pests will damage and eat tissue of our plants which harm them. Following Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles; Fontaine will be protecting our plants with inspections and the use of organic horticultural oils to aid in smothering over-wintering pests and their eggs.

IPM is a highly regarded practice that takes into account common sense and scientific principles as part of being a licensed commercial pesticide applicator for the state of NC.

  • Routine Inspection and understanding weather patterns and its effects on plants
  • Knowing micro climates, soil compaction and how plant stress will increase the chances for pests for a particular plant
  • Using knowledge about the pest’s habits, life cycle, needs and dislikes
  • Using the least toxic methods first, up to and including pesticides
  • Monitoring the pest’s activity and adjusting methods over time
  • Tolerating harmless pests, and
  • Setting a threshold to decide when it’s time to act before harm can be a factor for  the plant

Beautiful plants and grass comes down to proper selection, placement and its care. At times it can be an easy fix by simply replacing the poor performing plants which are high prone to pests with a better cultivar or transplanting plants to a better spot in the yard to reduce stress. Using better plant varieties that are hardier

Fontaine is dedicated to sustaining and improving your exterior environments. If you would like more information regarding IPM, Lawn Care, Mulch or any other services please do not hesitate to call us (919) 380-8286 or info@fontainelandscaping.com