September News

Seasonal needle drop

Every year, evergreens experience a seasonal needle drop that is a normal part of the plant's cycle. Needles of conifers have varying life spans and do not remain attached indefinitely to the tree. Many evergreen needles, as they age, will turn yellow, then brown, and drop off after one to several years. The change can be gradual, or, with some species, quite rapid. Seasonal needle drop can cause concern to homeowners who are not familiar with this natural occurrence. In times of drought, needle browning may be particularly noticeable, because more needles are shed in response to environmental stress. White pines show the most dramatic needle drop change.

Their annual loss of needles can be especially alarming on mature white pines, as the number of yellow needles outnumbers the current season’s green growth. Typically, white pines will retain needles for three years, but in autumn, 2-or-3-year-old needles will change color and drop, leaving only the current season’s growth still attached. Austrian and Scots pines usually retain their needles for three years. Red pine drops its needles in the fourth year. Spruce and fir needles also turn yellow and drop, but the change is usually less noticeable because their older needles are thinned progressively, making the process more gradual than in pines.

Control
There is no control required. As long as needle drop is restricted to older growth and is not excessive, the “problem” is simply seasonal needle drop, a normal and natural process. Always follow good cultural practices to keep trees healthy.

Overseeding this Autumn?

Click below to view our grass seed mixtures:

PHC for Trees SRN 11-22-22 SRN

PHC for Trees SRN 11-22-22 is a fully soluble product that provides both chemical and biological fertility. Its chemically based elements address trees’ immediate nutritional needs, while its beneficial bacteria will help to sustain fertility over the long term. Recommended for fall applications.

interline™ herbicide

Interline herbicide is a non-selective herbicide for the control of existing weeds, that does not contain glyphosate. Utilizing a unique mode of action, interline inhibits glutamine production in the weeds which leads to a breakdown in photosynthesis.

Upcoming Events

2019 IAA Annual Conference & Trade Show

November 5 & 6, 2019

Holiday Inn Tinley Park Convention Center 18501 South Harlem Ave., Tinley Park, IL

EVENT DETAILS

ILCA’S 60TH ANNUAL PARTY & MEMBER MEETING

Agenda:

• 5pm to 5:30pm: Registration, Networking, and Cash Bar
• 5:30pm to 6pm: Member Meeting & Recognition
• 6pm to 8pm: Dinner, Drinks, and Socializing

Fee: $55/person, includes: dinner buffet (chopped salad, BBQ beef brisket/pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, vegetables) & 2 hours unlimited beer/wine/soft drinks. (The same fee applies to employees, spouses and non-industry guests of member firms) If you purchase 10 or more tickets, reserved table(s) can be requested.

NEW VENUE AND FORMAT FOR 2019!

Venue Joe's Live - Rosemont
5441 Park Pl Rosemont, IL 60018

 

EVENT DETAILS/REGISTRATION

Great Entrepreneurial Success Stories

The Pierre Omidyar way. In 1995, a computer programmer started auctioning off stuff on his personal website. AuctionWeb, as it was then known, was really just a personal project, but, when the amount of web traffic made it necessary to upgrade to a business Internet account, Omidyar had to start charging people fees. He actually hired his first employee to handle all the payment checks. The site is now known as eBay.

The John Ferolito and Don Vultaggio way. Back in the 70s, a couple of Brooklyn friends started a beer distributor out of the back of an old VW bus. Two decades later, after seeing how well Snapple was doing, they decided to try their hand at soft drinks and launched AriZona Green Tea. Today, AriZona teas are #1 in America and distributed worldwide. The friends still own the company.   

The Matt Maloney and Mike Evans way. When a couple of Chicago software developers working on lookup searches for Apartments.com got sick of calling restaurants in search of takeout food for dinner, the light bulb went off: Why isn’t there a one-stop shop for food delivery? That’s when the pair decided to start GrubHub, which went public last April and is now valued at more than $3 billion.   

The Joe Coulombe way. After operating a small chain of convenience stores in southern California, Joe Coulombe had an idea: that upwardly mobile college grads might want something better than 7-11. So he opened a tropical-themed market in Pasadena, stocked it with good wine and booze, hired good people, and paid them well. He added more locations near universities, then healthy foods, and that’s how Trader Joe’s got started.   

The Howard Schultz way. A trip to Milan gave a young marketer working for a Seattle coffee bean roaster an idea for upscale espresso cafes like they have all over Italy. His employer had no interest in owning coffee shops but agreed to finance Schultz’s endeavor. They even sold him their brand name, Starbucks.

The Phil Robertson way. There was a guy who so loved duck hunting that he chose that over playing pro football for the NFL. He invented a duck call, started a company called Duck Commander, eventually put his son Willy in charge, and that spawned a media and merchandising empire for a family of rednecks known as Duck Dynasty.  

The Konosuke Matsushita way. In Japan in 1917, a 23-year-old apprentice at the Osaka Electric Light Company with no formal education came up with an improved light socket. His boss wasn’t interested so young Matsushita started making samples in his basement. He later expanded with battery-powered bicycle lamps and other electronic products. Matsushita Electric, as it was known until 2008 when the company officially changed its name to Panasonic, is now worth $66 billion.