Quality Service
To protect trees and shrubs year-round, you have to be proactive and think about special tree care services. My Plant Health Care and Integrated Pest Management Programs allow us to begin caring for your trees and shrubs before they are too damaged to be saved. I will inspect your trees and shrubs; identify damaging insects, diseases, and other threats; and treat your property to preserve its overall health for future generations.
Read below to see some of my tree care services and look at my free educational responses on the most frequently asked questions I receive.
Plant Health Care
Gone are the days of dousing trees and shrubs with pesticides and chemicals while hoping for the best. Through careful monitoring and adaptive approaches I can selectively target pests and diseases for suppression while bolstering a healthier ecosystem on your property. When your trees and shrubs need help defending themselves from insects and disease, I can help develop a custom and evolving plant health care program, so they stay beautiful, healthy, and strong throughout the year.
Tree/Shrub Pruning
Even the largest and most well-established trees can have weak portions. Weak portions that aren’t properly addressed can be dangerous and put your property and family at risk. I am trained at implementing techniques to help improve limb structure in your trees and mitigate issues before they become condemning to the tree. Did you know that a few simple pruning cycles can save you thousands of dollars long term in young shade trees?
This client had a beautiful Malus spp. crabapple that was about 30 years old. This is a photo before pruning was performed in 2022, Caledonia, Wisconsin.
This is a photo of the crabapple after canopy reduction, structural thinning, and aesthetic balancing was performed in 2022, Caledonia, Wisconsin.
Disease & Insect Management
You might see a tree with wilted, discolored leaves, or cute furry caterpillars. However, I see a weakened tree suffering from an insect infestation, nutrient deficiency, or disease. For example, gypsy moths (these cute, little furry pests) can really multiply. Egg masses can hold up to 1,000 eggs, so being proactive can save you massive damage and huge maintenance costs in the future. Luckily, I am certified and trained to identify insects and diseases and recommend a custom, targeted treatment to nurse your tree back to health.
Emerald Ash Borer Preventive Maintenance
Ash trees are no match for Emerald Ash Borers, an invasive species of insects whose larvae feed under an Ash tree’s bark. Without treatment to control the insects, your ash trees will eventually die. By catching an infestation early, however, I can help save Ash trees with targeted mitigation efforts designed to battle these destructive insects.
Tree & Shrub Fertilization
Healthy trees and shrubs start with healthy habits. Trees are like us humans, when we don't get enough sleep, drink enough water, or eat right then we are more susceptible to catching a cold or a flu. Same goes for plants, being proactive about their overall health dramatically reduce the risk of more serious issues. When trees are depleted of nutrients, their roots struggle to provide them with what they need to grow. I can help you diagnose your plants and customize a treatment program to help them grow strong and create healthy roots.
F.A.Q.
At Better Tree Care, I believe in not only helping you with the care of your trees and shrubs, but creating a trusted space and room for education. Here are some of the commons questions I receive and how I might handle these requests:
Trees are slow to react to things, both good and bad. Typically by the time people notice something is happening to their tree, the issue has already been in development for several years. After over a decade of being in the field and working with trees I have seen the adverse weather conditions create an impact on trees and their health. Wisconsin has seen multiple growing seasons with extreme drought which has caused a ton of stress on trees. Typically when we are dealing with trees, it is not a single factor at play, but a culmination of various stresses that compound. In order to get a full picture, I inspect each tree on an individual bases, and ask you the home owner specific questions to get the best understanding of your tree’s condition.
When summer is in full swing, watering your trees properly is a great way to keep them healthy and minimize stress. Whether it’s too much or too little, watering can be tricky if you don’t know how to do it. The best time to water is in the early morning. There’s no magic schedule but you can always check the moisture of the soil. Get your hands a little dirty and dig down into the soil beneath where your tree overhangs. If the top inch of soil is dry, chalky, and doesn’t stick to your fingers, then it is a good time to water. Low and slow is key, let a hose run at a low trickle for about 30-45 minutes for a deep soaking. Be sure to keep the water off of the trunk and leaves/needles.
The best place to start is by paying attention to your plants. Look for changes that you might have not noticed before. Some examples include: fewer or smaller leaves than years prior, different colors than normal, holes or spots on your plants, anything that might just look strange or out of the ordinary. If your either new to your property, or don’t really know where to start, then give me a call.
I am always happy to come inspect your property for a free consultation. I will provide information about it’s current conditions, as well as discuss what you can do to help monitor the health of your plants.
Having a landscaper is a great way to keep your lawn and garden beds neat and orderly. So, where does an arborist come in? As an internationally certified arborist with a degree in Urban Forestry, I am qualified to assess, diagnose, and carry out long-term treatment programs to keep your plants alive and healthy with proactive strategies. My approach typically involves imagining what your property will look like a year from now, 5 years from now, 10 years from now, and even what it will look like a generation down the road.
When people plant or care for trees they are not only benefiting themselves, but also future generations. Similar to in the medical field there are general practitioners as well as specialists. Arborists, like myself, are specialists in the field of caring for trees and woody plants.
Numerous studies have been published throughout the years showing the direct benefits that plants have on mental health, physical recovery of people, increased savings on home energy use, and increased property values. Aside from these reasons, we all have our own personal reasons… whether it be privacy in our backyards, shade over a deck, a beautiful view, or even precious memories held by you and your family.
A well maintained property with healthy trees can make the difference between liking and loving where you live.
To help control the moth population, residents can destroy the egg masses. The best time to do this is during the winter up until spring. Masses look like fuzzy brownish patches that can be found on tree trunks, under picnic tables, along sheds, and many other flat surfaces.
Egg masses can hold up to 1,000 eggs, so destroying them on your property can help control this pest.
There are definitely some proactive steps you can take right away if you happen to see the eggs and initial hatchings of gypsy moths. The University of Wisconsin has a management guide for home owners on gypsy moths outlining some of the steps you can take as a home owner. If your are looking for help, I can develop a custom plan to deal with them based on the level of infestation and stage of infestation.
Evergreen and Deciduous Fungal, Insect, and Bacterial Treatments
Mosquito and Tick Abatement
Emerald Ash Borer Trunk Injections
Oak Wilt and Dutch Elm Disease Trunk Injections
Nutrient Injections
Soil Health Treatments/Amendments
Growth Regulators
Herbicide Treatments on Invasive Plants
Tree Inventories
Professional Consultations
Multi-year Treatment Programs
Standard and Ornamental Pruning
Tree Removals
I cannot give you an accurate price without seeing the tree in person. The types of things that effect the cost are the following: Tree size, structures near tree, hazardous, accessibility to the tree with equipment and which equipment I need.
