Ornamental Plants in the Landscape

Ornamental plants make your landscape pop & gives your yard it's social statement.
Be on the lookout for ornamental plant pests this Spring.

Ornamental Plant Pests

Live Oak Pest Control's Expert Advice: Here is a quick guide to common plant pests. We feature links to detailed information and photos of insects common to the area. The research information is presented as articles from the UF/IFAS website.

The by-product of an insect infestation on ornamental plants is Black Sooty Mold.

To access the on-line expert information please click on the plant/insect link below that depicts the Ornamental Shrub, Tree or Plant problem.

Ornamental Insect Problems:

• Camellia/Holly - Tea Scale, Cottony Cushion Scale
• Sago Palm - Asian Cycad Scale
• Crepe Myrtle - Aphids
• Pecan - Fall Webworm
• Azalea - Azalea Caterpillar

Understanding the Problem

Identification of the problem is the first step necessary in solving it. In order to ensure the issue is corrected, the proper application must be formulated, applied at the right time, then monitored & assessed to determine if further action is required.

Live Oak Pest Control's professional services follow a rigorous procedure with treatments that cover all of the problems listed above. In addition, we offer other services that your ornamentals may require such as: a soil drench for insects and fungus, high height tree sprays for Fall webworms or even LOPC's newest service, ArborJet tree injections!

For a quick and easy solution to your Ornament Shrub, Tree & Plant problems just give us a call. We will get to the root cause and fix it! LOPC is always glad to help you!

Weeds in the Lawn

The Label reads: "Weed Killer for Lawns". Sure, why not? Because weed killers or herbicides are not some smart chemicals that kill only nuisant weeds or know the difference between a weed and your beautiful lawn. "Herb" is Latin for plant and "cide" is Latin for killer... herbicides are plant killers and turf grass is a plant!

The label should read: "Using the right amount of the right product at the right time on the right lawn with the right equipment during the right conditions will help but it takes a whole lot more than a herbicide to keep a lawn weed free".

That's "Weed Science" in a nutshell - weed science is more "Art" than science.

Why So Many Homeowners Fail at Weed Science

Most homeowners fail because they believe that if they just kill the weeds, their lawn will be weed free. Killing weeds does not sanitize your lawn of weeds, they can be reintroduced into your lawn in many ways: wind, rain, birds, lawn mowers, etc. Herbicides do not stop the constant efforts of weeds to repopulate your lawn, herbicides only help in slowing down the process.

The Opposite is True. An Unhealthy Lawn is the Right Condition for Weeds

Many of the right conditions for weeds already exist in the lawn, if you eliminate the tall thick canopy, every weed seed will sprout, grow and thrive. For example: imagine a healthy St. Augustine lawn that is nearly weed free. Chinch bugs kill part of the lawn or your mower scalps an area, soon weeds like crabgrass and spurge will sprout, grow and thrive. You blast them with "Weed Killer for Lawns" and soon you have the same weeds again. You rinse and repeat but weeds return. Why? No healthy lawn to stop nature from doing what nature does best - grow weeds.

Weed Science Fact; A Healthy Lawn is Your Best Herbicde

A thriving lawn is the best herbicide. A healthy lawn not only reduces weeds, it also stresses weeds so that chemical herbicides can be more effective in smaller doses. For the homeowner, the best herbicide is a good irrigation system and mowing the lawn at the maximum height for your particular species of turf grass. Then if you do have a few weeds break through the canopy, herbicides can help. However, without a healthy, thriving lawn, proper maintenance is a hamster wheel of lawn care, a lot of work and never going anywhere.

There are some weeds that are difficult to control even in a healthy lawn such as: sedges and dollar weed as the top offenders. Keeping these offenders out of sight requires a healthy lawn to keep the weeds under stress and frequent applications of herbicides to knock them out. For lawns with these types of hard to control weeds it may be wise to hire a proffesional like Live Oak Pest Control to keep your lawn healthy and weed free.

Live Oak Pest Control offers free lawn estimates and consultations to build a program designed specifically for your Lawn and Ornamental Plants!

Specialist Spotlight

Service Specialist: Maryanne Belanger

Position: Lawn Department Secretary   

Service Specialist Since: 2005

Customer Service Philosophy: To make customers my first priority and answer the phone with a smile.

Short Bio: I am married and a mother of two, one daughter and one son.