Woodpeckers !

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsPlant Health CareUncategorized
Written By Peter Morris

 

Introduction

 Being in NYC, we are strategically placed on the migration route for the common yellow-bellied woodpecker. Also known as sapsuckers - they are on the way to a warmer Georgia for the winter !A few like our city so much - they winter in tiny patches of habitat like Manhattan's Union Square Park ! 

Description

 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are fairly small with stout, straight bills – about the size of a Robin. The long wings extend about halfway to the tip of the stiff, pointed tail at rest. Often, they will hold their crown feathers up to form a peak at the back of the head.Sapsuckers are mostly black and white with boldly patterned faces. Both sexes have red foreheads, and males also have red throats. Look for a long white stripe along the folded wing. 

Feeding

 These birds stand upright on trees, leaning on their tails like other woodpeckers. They feed at sap wells—neat rows of shallow holes they drill in tree bark. They lap up the sugary sap along with any insects that may get caught there. Sapsuckers drum on trees and metal objects in a distinctive stuttering pattern. 

Damage

  Those sap wells – well here is the issue at hand – some make dozens of holes ! And that is a big problem.For a relatively small tree on a terrace stressed by wind, cold exposure, and confined to a small soil volume – the last thing they need is for something to be poking at them!Sometimes the birds make several rows of holes one under another. The entire area then gets infected from bacteria or funguses eating the dripping sap. Usually that section of bark dies.I have even seen sapsuckers make a series of rows that go all the way around the tree trunk and basically girdle the tree. The entire tree eventually dies. 

What can you do

 Prepare !In early Fall you should be wrapping the tree trunks of any high sugary sap tree on your terrace. These includes maples and birches. Sapsuckers LOVE Birches! But - any tree is fair game – especially if the trunk is a few feet above the ground.They won’t touch anything too low like shrubs or short 2-3’ tree trunks – always preferring something high above the soil level.The simplest thing to use for wrapping is burlap. You could also use a special tree wrap –unfortunately that is usually chalk white and can become an instant eyesore. Paper also works but it can get wet and droop or tear in the wind.  Easy to do - simply wrap whatever you are going to use around the trunk for the entire length of the trunk. Tie it with string or tape to secure it in the wind.You can remove it usually in early December or January. It seems these woodpeckers don’t stop much in NYC on their way back up the eastern seaboard.

 

Our Garden Care Team can get your trees protected !

Call us - we have tons of burlap !

  

PLANT SPECIALISTSGREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 53 YEARS !

   Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBAAll photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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