It’s tough being a plant in Idaho Falls.

Our needy alkaline soil craves more nutrients. Aggressive, damaging insects are so tiny and sneaky you don’t know they’re out there chewing, gnawing and boring holes until it’s too late. Our icy winters blast plants, drying out their leaves and needles.

It’s rough out there. Plant health care eases the stress on your plants and on you.

Table of Contents

• What is Plant Health Care? (And Why Your Idaho Landscape Needs It)

• Common Idaho Tree & Shrub Challenges

• Essential Plant Health Care Services for the Snake River Valley

• Seasonal Timing: The Idaho Plant Health Care Calendar 

• DIY vs. Professional Plant Health Care 

• The Value of a Healthy, Thriving Landscape 

• Why Lawn Buddies is the Best Choice for Plant Health Care in Idaho Falls 

How? Targeted services like deep-root fertilization and tree injections deliver nutrients and insect control quickly, directly where your trees and shrubs need them.

Skilled horticulture pros keep an eye on your plants’ needs, swooping in throughout the seasons with just the right prevention and cures at exactly the right times.

Idaho Falls plant health care is your prescription for a thriving, impressive landscape.

What do your plants need and when do they need it? How do you get rid of aphids on your trees? Can a stressed tree be saved?

Let’s get to it.

What is Plant Health Care? (And Why Your Idaho Landscape Needs It)

When you’re looking out for your own health, you try to eat right, take steps to avoid catching a bug or a disease, and occasionally you need a shot.

You’d rather prevent sickness than curl up miserably on the couch with a vat of soup, a box of tissues and five medicine bottles, right?

Same thing for your trees, plants and shrubs. Idaho plant health care helps keep them healthy and thriving so they don’t weaken from hunger or get invaded by harmful bugs and diseases.

What do they need? It’s not that different than what you need:

• Good food throughout the seasons
• Preventive care
• Medicine as needed

When you give your trees, plants and shrubs the preventive care they need, they’re less likely to get sick, struggle and possibly die. That saves you money, because it’s a lot cheaper to offer simple plant health care solutions than it is to cough up bigger bucks for landscape replacement costs.

Many plant health care services cost between $50 and $200. But it can cost hundreds of dollars to replace dead plant material, or even thousands for a large tree.

Why can’t your trees and shrubs just survive on their own, without plant health care? Sometimes, they can.

But here in Idaho, a few conditions threaten their good health:

• Iron chlorosis is a nutrient deficiency that often strikes Idaho’s aspen and maple trees. It happens because the soil here in Idaho is naturally very alkaline, so there aren’t enough nutrients in the soil to keep trees healthy and strong. Iron chlorosis in Idaho trees causes leaves to yellow and never quite turn green.
• The bronze birch borer, a damaging insect, is common here in Idaho and a significant threat to birch trees. They do major damage to trees as tiny larvae, before you even know they're attacking your tree. Early treatment with plant health care is crucial.
• Marssonina Leaf Spot is a fungal disease that strikes aspen, poplar and cottonwood trees — among the most common trees here in Idaho. It weakens trees over time. You might notice brown spots with yellow halos on your tree’s leaves that merge together, forming big brown blotches.

All of these can be prevented with simple plant health care services, from professional tree fertilizing to tree and shrub insect control.

Bottom line: Skilled plant health care in Idaho Falls keeps your landscaping healthy and quickly fixes problems if they arise.

Just like your own health care.

Common Idaho Tree & Shrub Challenges

Idaho trees and shrubs live a pretty sweet life, right? They might have a majestic mountain view, and the winter snow looks really pretty on their branches if they’re a Colorado spruce.

But there are definitely some challenges when you’re a tree or shrub trying to thrive here.

For one thing, our high-alkaline soil locks up the beneficial minerals your trees and shrubs need to thrive.

Winters are harsh here, too, with temperatures that often dip to below zero and icy winds that dry out pine needles and boxwood leaves.

Why are your arborvitae turning brown in Idaho? Our harsh winters might be to blame. But your arborvitae could also need a spider mite treatment. How to tell? This is where professional Idaho Falls plant health care is really valuable—plant pros can quickly diagnose the problem and get right to the solution.

And while we love our majestic maples and elegant birch trees in our suburban yards, our manicured lawns aren’t doing them any favors.

Out in the woods, the forest floor is covered with a tasty buffet of decaying organic matter that’s nutritious food for hungry trees.

But you scoop up all that good stuff so your yard looks nice and the neighbors don’t whisper.

What to do about all these challenges? Idaho Falls plant health care to the rescue.

But first, you have to know your tree or shrub is sick.

If you notice yellowing leaves, thinning branches, or unusual spots, your tree is likely suffering from a nutrient deficiency or a fungal infection that needs immediate attention.

In Idaho Falls, where high-alkaline soil and extreme weather place constant stress on your landscape, preventive plant health care, such as deep-root fertilization and pest injections for trees, can make a life-or-death difference for your valuable trees and shrubs.

Essential PHC Services for the Snake River Valley

Thinking about tending to every need of your plants, trees, and shrubs can be a bit overwhelming. You didn’t sign up for full-time landscaping daycare, right?

The good news? One solid Idaho plant health care program covers it all.

Here’s a look at the essential services and why they’re important:

Deep Root Fertilization

We’re used to thinking of fertilizing as scattering nutrients on the ground and letting water help them sink into the soil.

But sometimes this surface fertilizing isn't enough.

Deep-root tree fertilization injects nutrients directly into the soil, rather than spreading them on the surface.

This has several benefits.

By injecting fertilizer at high pressure, the nutrients can reach the deepest tree roots quickly, feeding your tree from the roots up.

This professional tree fertilizer is delivered straight to the tree’s roots, with a long, cool-looking wand, so your tree gets an immediate nutrition boost.

Over time, the nutrients reach the rest of your tree, making it healthier and more vibrant.

Why is it so important that your tree’s roots get fed? A tree’s root system is huge and hungry, often spreading out underground twice as wide as the tree’s canopy.

Those hungry tree roots are competing for the soil’s nutrients with everything else in your yard, from your lawn to your Gold Mound spirea to all those pretty hostas you love.

A tree can get really hungry out there. Why not feed it as quickly and efficiently as possible? This Idaho Falls plant health care does the trick.

Dormant Oil for Trees

If you didn’t have anything else to do, you could patrol your yard constantly, peering closely at your trees and shrubs for signs of bugs laying eggs on them. Maybe save that thrill for retirement. Meanwhile, put dormant oil to work.

Also called dormant oil, dormant oil spray is a highly refined petroleum product used for insect control on trees and shrubs, suffocating overwintered insects and their eggs.

The oil smothers any insects as well as their eggs, so they won’t hatch and start devouring your trees and shrubs.

This early-spring strategy works especially well to kill any aphids, scale and spider mites that would otherwise chow down on your tasty landscaping.

Tree Injections for Pests and Nutrition

Let’s face it, nobody likes shots. But even as you roll up your sleeve and wince, you know that medicine is going exactly where it needs to be, fast.

It’s the same thing with trees. And they don’t even mind the jab.

Tree injections are shots for your trees, delivering treatments such as nutrients or pesticides directly into the tree.

Injections are placed beneath the bark into your tree’s active vascular tissue, usually with small drilled holes.

Treatments are injected right into the tree trunk, then quickly taken up by the vascular system and distributed throughout the tree. As sap and water flow through your tree, the insecticide travels up to the branches, twigs and leaves.

Tree injections work well for insect control in trees and shrubs, targeting borers, aphids, spider mites and scale. As insects eat your tree, they ingest the poison. This type of treatment works especially well on borers, beetles, aphids, spider mites and scale.

Bonus: it kills damaging bugs without spraying chemicals everywhere.

But this Idaho Falls plant health care also delivers crucial nutrition to trees.

Idaho maple trees often have “iron chlorosis,” a nutrient deficiency. They can’t absorb all the nutrients they need from the soil. It can affect aspens, too.

The soil here in Idaho Falls has a high pH level, and this alkaline soil locks up any iron, making it unavailable to your tree’s roots.

Iron chlorosis in Idaho trees causes leaves to yellow and never quite turn green.

Can a stressed tree be saved? Yes, if you give it a quick nutrition boost.

This professional tree fertilizing delivers micronutrients directly into the tree, quickly replenishing it.

Aphid Control and Spider Mite Treatment

You absolutely don’t want aphids or spider mites, but you have to admit, they’re pretty impressive. How can they be so tiny, but do so much damage?

Let’s take a look:

Aphid Control in Idaho

These tiny pests are the most common insects found on trees, shrubs, and garden plants here in Idaho. Everybody has them.

They don’t seem too scary. Tiny, soft-bodied, they’re practically invisible to the naked eye.

But aphids feed by sucking the nutrient-rich liquids out of plants, attacking leaves, stems, buds, flowers, fruit, and roots. Their favorite meal: tender new growth. When they see it, they’re like you when your Friday night pizza arrives.

It gets worse. You don’t just have one aphid. They travel in packs. And a swarm of hungry aphids can cause wilting and sometimes even dieback of shoots and buds.

How do you get rid of aphids on trees?

You need to act fast. Aphids multiply quickly, so it’s important to get them under control before they start reproducing.

Your best defense against aphids is a one-two punch of systemic injections and foliar treatments for tree and shrub insect control.

Systemic insecticides injected into your trees in the spring and fall treat them from within, while spray treatments three times a year zap any bugs crawling on your trees.

It’s a lot easier to prevent aphids with Idaho Falls plant health care than to treat them after they show up.

Spider Mite Treatment

Spider mites are tiny arachnids that feed on plants by piercing their leaves and sucking out the juices. They’re hard to see without a magnifying glass, but their damage can be devastating. They can kill a shrub fast, in just a few days.

They thrive in dry, dusty conditions and often show up in the heat of summer.

Here’s the tricky part: regular insecticides don’t work on spider mites. That’s because they’re not true insects — they’re arachnids, like ticks and scorpions.

How to battle these tiny, destructive pests?

Idaho Falls plant health care pros use a miticide that’s designed specifically to kill mites. And the dormant oil we just talked about smothers mites and their eggs, preventing damage to your trees and shrubs.

Seasonal Timing: The Idaho Plant Health Care Calendar

Idaho Falls plant health care isn’t a one-time thing you can tend to in January and then cross off your list for the year.

You’ve already read here about important services like deep root fertilization, dormant oil for trees, tree injections for pests and spider mite treatment.

Idaho Falls plant health care occurs year-round, and services often need to be provided at specific times.

When is the best time to fertilize trees in Idaho Falls? When is the best time to apply dormant oil? What time of year should you watch out for spider mites?

Grab your calendar and let’s take a look:

Spring

Your winter-weary landscaping is starting to wake up, so now is the time to start your Idaho Falls plant health care.

Bugs are hatching and hungry. Your trees and shrubs are sprouting tender, tasty new growth. That’s a bad combination.

That’s why early spring is the time for the dormant oil treatments we discussed earlier to smother any damaging insects and their eggs.

How do you get rid of aphids on trees? Prevent them from hatching in the first place.

Dormant oil is applied in late winter or very early spring, just before trees begin to bud.

Timing is critical. Apply dormant oil too early, and it may wear off before pests emerge. If you wait too long, you risk damaging tender new growth.

Ideally, this tree and shrub insect control happens when temperatures are consistently above 40 degrees, but before buds appear.

Lawn Buddies technicians begin dormant oil applications in Idaho Falls in early to mid-March, spraying all branches and twigs and paying special attention to bark crevices where insects typically lay eggs.

Spring means it’s time to fertilize your plants and shrubs, too, to give them the nutrition boost they need as the growing season begins.

After a long winter slumber, they’re craving nitrogen. Idaho Falls plant health care pros use high-nitrogen fertilizers with numbers like 4-1-1, 3-1-1, or 3-1-2.

Summer

Summer brings heat and drought, and that means spider mites. You read about these tiny, damaging pests earlier.

How do you know if you have spider mites? Watch for these early signs:

• Tiny white or yellow spots on leaves, where mites have pierced the surface to feed.
• Delicate, silky webbing under leaves and along stems.
• Tiny, moving dots. These are the mites, crawling slowly across the underside of leaves.
• Signs of damage include yellow, curled or dried leaves and plants that appear dusty, dull, or scorched.

Summer plant health care in Idaho Falls includes miticide to banish these damaging pests.

Fall

When is the best time to fertilize trees in Idaho Falls? It’s fall, which includes the deep-root fertilization we talked about earlier.

Deep feeding will bolster your trees after the stress of a long, hot summer of growth and set them up well for the winter ahead

The slow-release nutrients will continue to nourish your trees in the months ahead.

Winter

While late winter is a great time to apply dormant oil, other Idaho Falls plant health care should happen sooner, before cold temperatures and icy winds set in.

Idaho winters can be rough on your trees and shrubs.

Dry winds and winter sun dry out pine, spruce and arborvitae needles, as well as the foliage of shrubs like boxwood, rhododendron, azalea and holly.

Bright winter sun is hot enough to warm the bark of your trees. Then, when the temperature plunges at night, the sudden temperature change can crack the bark.

Speaking of bark, it’s pretty tasty — at least to hungry creatures like rabbits, deer, and mice.

Idaho Falls plant health care services can offer winter tree protection, including applying tree guards to vulnerable tree trunks and applying an anti-desiccant spray to help retain moisture and prevent winter drying.

This proactive plant health care can help prevent expensive landscape replacement costs in the spring.

DIY vs. Professional Plant Health Care

Maybe you figure you’ve got this whole plant-health-care thing under control.

There’s a bag of fertilizer in the garage. You’ve ordered some mulch. You don’t see any bugs on your Colorado spruce or on the glossy leaves of your boxwood.

Sure, there are great DIY plant health care practices you can take on, from proper watering to tucking in your landscaping for the winter.

But your trees and shrubs have needs you can’t really meet. No offense.

Do you know if that tree damage is from aphids, borers, drought, disease or iron chlorosis?

Idaho plant health care pros do.

Your favorite shrub suddenly doesn’t look so great. Is it dead, or can it be saved?

Are you trained in deep-root fertilization and tree injections for pest control? (Please don’t start drilling holes in your trees. Leave that to us.)

That bag of fertilizer in your garage might not even be the formula your Idaho plants need.

Your trees and shrubs are a huge investment, not only in your property value, but in your enjoyment of your outdoor space. Don’t jeopardize their health by trying to save a few bucks on DIY plant health care.

Our high-alkaline Idaho soil and aggressive insect pests usually require more than your DIY efforts can provide.

Idaho Falls professional plant health care gives you access to pro-level tree injections and deep root fertilization that you can't buy at a big-box store.

Plus, there’s a huge bonus to hiring professional plant health care: experts have pro-level products that treat your trees and shrubs with fast and powerful ingredients that get straight to the problem, from failing health to icky insect infestations.

Pros can also quickly diagnose problems in your landscaping and know when to swoop in with valuable preventive care to ward off issues before they arise.

Also, how valuable is your time? Professionals can take all the important Idaho tree and shrub care chores off your hands so you don’t have to add them to your already jam-packed calendar.

The Value of a Healthy, Thriving Landscape

If the only benefit to a healthy, impressive landscape is that you’ll love experiencing it every day, that’s enough.

Healthy trees that wow you with an explosion of spring blossoms or spectacular fall color. Vibrant shrubs that anchor your foundation and offer impressive curb appeal. That towering Colorado spruce that makes the whole neighborhood happy when you adorn it with bright holiday lights.

That’s plenty. The thing is, there’s so much more.

• Invest in skilled care for your trees and shrubs, and they make your property safer, with healthy branches that don’t come crashing to the ground.
• A healthy landscape adds to the value of your home. It shows that your home and property are well cared for, boosting their appeal.
• When you prevent tree and shrub loss from insects or disease, you save money on costly, unexpected tree removals or landscape replacement costs.
• Your healthy landscape benefits the environment, too, by filtering the air and stormwater, producing oxygen, boosting soil health and supporting local wildlife.
• A healthy and thriving green space reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and improves mental health. Get out there and soak up the benefits.

Why Lawn Buddies is the Best Choice for Plant Health Care in Idaho Falls

We’ll say it again: It isn’t easy being a tree or shrub in Idaho.

The good news is that plant care in Idaho Falls is easy when you partner with Lawn Buddies.

Comprehensive Plant Health Care Services, precisely targeted to our local plants’ challenges and needs, is an easy add-on to our simple six-visit full-service lawn care program.

Love peace of mind? Done.

Choose an Idaho Falls professional lawn care service that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss plan, plus know your valuable trees and shrubs are getting the nourishing nutrients they need to thrive, and targeted treatment for the pesky insects that love to attack them.

These targeted plant health care treatments mean less stress for your trees and shrubs. Here’s how they ease your stress, too:

• Five minutes after our lawn care technician leaves your yard, you’ll receive an email with a quick video showing them explaining what they just did and any follow-up tips you need to know.
• We care about your whole yard’s health. If we notice signs of sticky aphids, curling leaves, droopy plants or tree borers, we’re on it, fast. But with Lawn Buddies plant health care services, these problems are often prevented in the first place.
• You avoid the hassle of partnering with multiple companies to care for your landscape. You’ll get plant health care services, from deep root fertilization to plant bed pre-emergent weed control, while we’re already on your property for your lawn care.
• Plant health care in Idaho is complex, from diagnosing insect and disease damage to timing seasonal services precisely to applying products safely and correctly. Leave it to the experienced pros trained to deliver expert plant health care, and enjoy your peace of mind.

We’ve been in the plant health care business for a while. Since 2001, hundreds of homeowners in Eastern Idaho have relied on Lawn Buddies for reliable lawn care services and expert plant health care.

We’d love to add you to our club of happy customers.

Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started. Just fill out the form on this page, call us at (208) 656-9131 or read more about our services. Then you can kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard. 

Image Sources | Aphids, Spider Mites