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How to Spot Tree Diseases Before Fall: A Guide for Nashville Property Owners

September 30, 2025 by The Parke Company

Trees are nature’s multitaskers. They provide shade, improve air quality, manage stormwater, boost your home’s curb appeal, and increase property values. But like all living things, trees are also vulnerable to disease, and without the right attention, an unhealthy tree can quickly begin to decline.

Spotting problems before fall is one of the best things you can do to protect your property’s beautiful trees (and your property itself). But as Nashville’s seasons change from summer to fall, it becomes more difficult to tell the difference between a healthy tree going dormant and a sick tree in decline.

Early detection of unusual spots, curling leaves, or dieback gives you a head start on managing any problems and, if needed, treatment for them, to prevent costly removals and keep your yard safe and resplendent.

If you’re concerned about a particular issue with one of the trees on your property, the skilled arborists at The Parke Company are here to help. We’ll guide you in differentiating between concerning issues and natural tree cycles, and will ensure your trees are ready for the winter months ahead.

Tree Disease Control, Nashville, TN

You may already know that tree decay can weaken a trunk or limb, making it more likely to snap during a storm. But there’s more than just broken branches to watch for when you’re monitoring your trees’ health, along with steps you can take to keep your trees in tip-top shape. Here’s what to watch for:

Weak or damaged branches: Look for dead, decaying, or broken branches, especially ones near your home or power lines. Be sure to have troublesome areas pruned by a skilled arborist.
Damaged or crumbling bark: The bark on your trees should always be strong and healthy-looking, not brittle or crumbling. These cues can indicate the presence of mold, moss, or fungi, which are usually caused by underlying issues.
Poor tree structure: A healthy tree has a strong trunk. Trees that split into multiple trunks higher up can indicate weaknesses that are prone to damage from severe weather.
Pest infestation and disease: Take time to inspect your trees for signs of insects, larvae, and disease. The first signs of infestation or disease include unusual growths and discolored foliage. Identifying and treating these things early can stop them from spreading to other trees.

Fall is a critical time for trees to prepare for winter dormancy. Schedule key treatments like fertilizing, mulching, and strategic pruning to protect against the cold and promote healthy root development.

Five Tree Diseases Nashville Property Owners Should Watch For

Knowing what tree disease looks like will help you act before it’s too late. Here are five of the most common and concerning tree diseases present in Nashville, and tips on how to treat tree disease:

1. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)

Emerald Ash Borer is technically an insect—an invasive metallic-green beetle that acts like a disease. It hollows out ash trees from the inside, blocking their capacity to transport water and nutrients. EAB was detected in Davidson County in 2014 and led to the decline and death of nearly all untreated trees in the area. It has since become a major problem for ash trees in Nashville, so it’s important to watch for signs of infestation and contact your arborist to discuss treatment options if you’re concerned. Once EAB sets in, decline is rapid, and removal often becomes the only option.

What to look for to recognize EAB:

D-shaped exit holes in the bark left by emerging larvae.
A thinning crown or dead upper branches.
“Blonding” on bark from woodpeckers aggressively digging out larvae.
Unusual yellow or brown colored leaves falling off earlier than normal.
Shoots sprouting low on the trunk (epicormic shoots)—a stress response from an infested tree producing leafy sprouts below where the larvae are feeding.

2. Oak Decline

Oaks are iconic in Tennessee, but they’re not invincible. Oak decline is not caused by a single agent but is a “disease complex” condition. It is triggered by multiple interacting stressors (such as prolonged drought) that make it vulnerable to root decay from a variety of fungi, mold, and insects. Trees that are 70 to 90 years of age or older are the most susceptible. Once large branches start to fail, the tree becomes hazardous, so preventive care and stress reduction are crucial.

What to look for to spot oak decline:

Sparse foliage and small, yellowed leaves.
Thinning in the upper canopy
Epicormic sprouts from the trunk and large branches.
Premature fall coloration.
Reduced diameter growth – a key primary indicator of oak decline.

3. Anthracnose

This fungal disease is a common concern in Nashville, particularly during cool, wet spring weather. It is known to impact dogwoods and sycamores primarily, but other susceptible species include white oak, ash, maple, and sometimes walnut, hickory, and birch. Fortunately, you can take steps to minimize the impact of anthracnose on your trees. Raking and destroying infected leaves and twigs in fall and pruning sycamores can eliminate fungus from overwintering, while proper water and fertilization help trees better withstand infections.

When checking for anthracnose, look for:

Tan, brown or reddish-brown blotches or spots on leaves, often along the veins.
Cupped or curled leaves.
Premature leaf drop.
A progressive scorched appearance on the leaves.
Twig dieback.
Sunken areas with swollen edges, known as ‘cankers.’
Gnarled or crooked branch growth and side shoots.

4. Oak Wilt

Unlike oak decline, oak wilt is a fast-acting, fatal disease that begins with rapid bronzing and the dropping of leaves, starting at the crown. One of the most dangerous fungal threats to oaks, it spreads underground through root grafts and overland via beetles, and can kill a tree within a season. In red oaks, which are highly susceptible, symptoms can lead to death in weeks, while white oaks will exhibit slower wilting.

If you suspect oak wilt, it’s important to contact an arborist or the Tennessee Department of Agriculture for a conclusive diagnosis. Because oak wilt spreads so easily, quick detection and professional management are critical.

How to identify oak wilt:

Cracks in the bark or a sweet-smelling fungus beneath the bark.
Brown discoloration starting at the leaf tips and moving inward.
Rapid leaf curling and premature dropping.
“Flagging,” a term that describes branches with dead and dying leaves.
Sprouts or suckers that appear at the base of the tree.
White, gray, or black fungus underneath the bark.

5. Verticillium Wilt

This disease is caused by a soil-borne fungus (primarily Verticillium dahliae in the Southeast) that clogs the tree’s water-conducting tissues. Symptoms are most visible during the hot, dry summer weather. This fungus can kill a tree and can persist in the soil for years, making prevention and management critical. Susceptible trees include the maple, redbud, ash, magnolia, tulip tree, elm, and catalpa.

Regular monitoring and soil management help protect particularly vulnerable species.

To identify verticillium wilt, look for the following signs:

Yellowing or wilting leaves on scattered branches, often starting on one side of the tree or on a single branch
Streaking in the sapwood (vascular discoloration)
Branch dieback
Stunted growth
A gradual decline in resilience

How to Prevent Tree Disease

Now that we’ve introduced the most concerning and pervasive tree diseases, the next step is learning how to detect tree disease to prevent it from worsening or causing damage. Late summer and early fall are ideal times to conduct a little due diligence, because symptoms are still visible before seasonal color changes mask them. Here are some simple but important checks you can make to catch problems early:

Walk your property: Take a slow lap around your yard, looking up into the canopy for thinning crowns, dead tips, or unusual color changes.
Check the bark: Look for cracks, exit holes, peeling bark, or fungal growths.
Inspect the leaves: Notice whether spots, blotches, or early dropping are limited to one limb or spread across the tree.
Compare trees: If one oak looks sickly while others look fine, that’s a red flag.
Keep notes: Snap photos or jot down what you see. This helps a professional arborist diagnose the issue faster.

What to Do if You Spot Tree Disease Symptoms

If you suspect tree disease, don’t ignore it. Start by documenting what you see through photos of the leaves, bark, or thinning canopy. This will help your arborist make a faster and more accurate diagnosis of the problem. Resist the urge to try DIY fixes because most tree diseases require precise techniques and specialized equipment for effective treatment. It’s always best to call a certified arborist who can confirm the problem and then recommend the right treatment or safely remove a hazardous tree if necessary. Above all, act quickly; the longer you wait, the greater the risk of the disease spreading.

Prevention Is Always Better

As we always say, preventing tree disease is far better than facing the expense and heartache of losing a beloved tree or risking harm to your people or property. Simple habits like mulching properly, watering during drought, and avoiding root compaction can go a long way in keeping your trees healthy. And when problems do arise, early action makes all the difference.

You will never regret being proactive with tree maintenance on your property. Contact our local experts at The Parke Company for help keeping your beautiful trees healthy and thriving year after year.

Storm Prep: Protect Trees & Landscape This Season

September 25, 2025September 4, 2025 by The Parke Company

As the seasons change in Nashville, the weather can become quite unpredictable. Fall is a time when leaves change color, but it can also be a time of intense storms, especially if La Niña develops. Protecting your trees and landscaping from these storms and winds is possible, as long as you know how to prepare. Here are some of our tips for storm prep this fall.

Fall Storm Tree Preparation

For young trees, high winds can pose big problems. Fall can bring major gusts, with the added risk of tornadoes later in the fall, so it’s important to be prepared for these types of weather. If you’ve recently transplanted trees in the last few years, you can do a few things to ensure that they have a good chance of surviving the seasonal changes between summer and fall.

Water your young trees deeply but infrequently; this helps them naturally develop stronger root systems. If you’ve already had your trees on a good watering schedule this summer, keep it up in the fall, paying attention to drought conditions to ensure that you aren’t overwatering. Too much water can damage roots or simply soften the soil, making the tree’s root system weaker. Stronger roots keep trees from being uprooted during windstorms, but saplings have the odds stacked against them.

Fortunately, there are other things you can do for young trees to protect them from storm damage. You likely have seen stakes planted around a tree, attached by rope or wire. Staking is a common form of tree protection that helps saplings grow straight and survive stormy weather. Staking provides supplemental support to a tree, giving it extra strength to stand up against damaging gusts from fall storms. The best stake method depends on the type of tree and its location, but generally, you should use three stakes to give it optimal support. It’s important to drive stakes into the ground at least a foot from the tree, avoiding damage to the rootball that’s underground. Triangulating the stakes around the tree helps provide it with the best support, while ensuring that you do not over-tighten the guiding wire, which gives the tree assistance without damaging it. Trees also need to flex and bend in the wind, as this is a natural way to strengthen their trunks as they develop. Giving them some space to move naturally while staking them is the best way to guarantee they thrive as they mature.

The best way to protect your trees is to give them a lot of attention and care year-round so they stay healthy and robust. While the summer and early fall aren’t the most optimal for tree pruning, you can still consult an arborist to give you an idea of your trees’ health and alert you to any problems. Pruning during this time of year can be risky, and actually make your trees more susceptible to damage from fall storms and the potential remnants of hurricanes and tropical storms. If a tree expert can properly inventory your trees, however, they may have other ways to help your trees weather the storms they may face this year. Nashville trees are no strangers to heavy winds, but that means they may have damaged limbs. Removing dead wood can be done in the fall, and when it’s properly and safely performed, tree trimming is possible all year round. Ensuring that any damage from recent summer storms is properly cleaned up and cleared away helps prevent disease and hazards posed by partially fallen branches. Work with local professionals like the folks at The Parke Company this fall to make sure your trees are ready for the fall and winter seasons.

Preparing Landscaping for Colder, Windier Weather

Hiring a reliable Nashville tree service is important, but it’s not the only thing you need to do this fall to ensure your property is ready for the changing weather. Trees aren’t the only aspect of a Nashville lawn that needs assistance when it comes to heavy winds and fall storms. Garden beds, shrubbery, and hardscape features are all at risk of wind damage this autumn.

Wrapping shrubbery and bushes is an effective way to protect them from damage caused by wind, cold, and even pests this winter. Generally, burlap is used, which helps to insulate the plant and keep moisture locked in. As winter leads to scarcer food for local wildlife (such as deer), they may find your garden to be a convenient food source. Wrapping keeps them from defoliating your garden and leaving you with dead landscaping come spring. Another way you can protect your landscaping from fall and winter storms is by replenishing mulch. Mulch can be washed away by heavy summer rainfall, so ensuring that your garden bed is properly mulched this fall is important. Mulch protects roots from wind erosion and insulates them from cold weather, while also locking in moisture and releasing it slowly for steady hydration during a plant’s dormant winter cycle.

Protect Your Other Outdoor Features

Once your plants are prepared for the changing seasons, you need to make sure that your non-plant lawn decor is ready for wind and cold. Some outdoor furniture or other decorations may not be heavy enough to withstand high winds. Consider taking some things into storage, either in your shed or garage for the fall and winter storms. Alternatively, you can use stakes to help secure lighter hardscapes and keep them from blowing away. Water features and irrigation systems should be winterized in preparation for the colder months, as we often experience cold snaps that could cause damage by freezing water in pipes or sprinkler heads. Follow proper winterization procedures to drain all of the water from anything that can be harmed by even the slightest risk of a freeze, as you’re much better safe than sorry when it comes to the unpredictable Nashville winters we’ve been having. As with all of these tips, many of these things are best left to the pros.

Parke Can Help as Things Cool Down

Don’t hesitate to reach out to The Parke Company and schedule a visit with a landscaper or arborist to guarantee you’re ready for the changing seasons. Give us a call today to make your appointment, before fall storm damage poses a problem for you.

Signs Your Trees Are Struggling in Nashville’s Summer Heat—and What to Do

September 4, 2025August 21, 2025 by The Parke Company

Summer can be hard on us all. With high heat and low rainfall in many parts of the U.S., we’re dealing with some unpleasant weather this summer. Nashville is still getting plenty of rain this summer, but it’s been scorching hot. The trees on your property may be struggling with the heat, so let’s review how to spot signs of distress and what you can do to help ensure your trees are healthy during this especially warm summer.

Leaf Scorch

From the sound of it, leaf scorch should be leaf damage directly caused by the hot sun, but it’s not. Instead, the heat is indirectly causing this issue for your trees. Summer tree damage like leaf scorch is actually the result of inadequate water, which is something we often see in drought-prone Nashville summers. Even during rainier summers, leaf scorch can rear its head.

The visible symptoms of leaf scorch are easy to spot, but detecting them early is important to ensure that you can help a tree recover. Look for leaf scorch when the weather is especially dry, but always keep an eye out for this issue. You’ll notice that your leaves are looking like they’re starting to die, similar in appearance to how they may look in the fall. In the early stages of leaf scorch, the outside edges of leaves will turn brown—look along the borders of your trees’ leaves for brown, dry, and crumbly foliage. When unresolved, leaf scorch can turn the entire leaf brown, and it will eventually fall from the tree. Check the grounds of your property for fallen leaves that are either fully or partially brown for an early indicator of leaf scorch.

The best way to treat leaf scorch is to provide more water to your tree. Leaf scorch in the summer is usually due to drought, but other factors can contribute. The roots of a tree manage its water supply. If the soil around the tree is relatively well hydrated, the issue may be with root damage or problems with the trunk of the tree. This can be harder to diagnose and treat on your own. That’s why you should consider consulting a landscaping company in Nashville like The Parke Company, as their expertise can help correctly diagnose a leaf scorch issue early and help you treat it.

Other Leaf Indicators

The leaves of a tree are the best way to determine its overall health, but leaf scorching is just one sign. Other notable signs determine something is going wrong with your tree, and the health of the leaves is your best bet for spotting things early.

In the summer, trees are exposed to a lot of sunlight, which they need to live, converting water and carbon dioxide into food. But that sunlight can be overkill, especially when a tree doesn’t have enough water. Leaves of a malnourished or underwatered tree will visibly change, wilting, shrinking, and turning yellow or brown. Outside of the fall, when deciduous trees naturally shed their leaves, leaf drops are a sign of a stressed tree. If your tree is losing a lot of leaves, and you notice its crown thinning or just dead foliage piling up on your lawn, there’s something wrong.

Spotting Other Summer Tree Issues

Leaves aren’t the only parts of a tree that suffer when dealing with high temperatures and drought. But what are the other symptoms of heat stress in trees?

A good indicator that something is wrong in younger trees is slow growth. You likely won’t notice a lack of growth from a larger, mature tree, but in some cases, you may be able to observe that growth has slowed or halted in newer trees. These trees should have rooted well after planting them, but signs of failure are relatively easy to spot in a tree’s first season. You should never try planting trees in summer heat. Instead, opt for fall or late winter for transplanting in Nashville. If your properly planted tree is struggling (whether that means it’s not growing taller or sprouting leaves), that’s a pretty good indicator that it’s not getting adequate hydration.

On mature trees, you may notice dead limbs or branches in the summer. These are quite visible sometimes, as the leaves on healthy limbs contrast them. If you note dead limbs or visible signs of rot or pest infestation, it could be due to summer heat and dryness. Getting the proper help quickly is the best way to prevent issues like this from leading to the tree’s death. In many cases, early intervention can help put a tree back on the right course, even during the toughest drought.

How to Help Struggling Trees

Now that you know many of the most obvious things to look out for, you’re probably wondering what can be done. Rather than tell you what you should have done, we’re going to focus on what you can do now to help a struggling tree.

The best thing you can do for your trees during signs of heat stress is to call an arborist. Professional tree service landscapers are well-versed in a tree’s complex health system and can give you the proper diagnosis and treatment plan for getting your tree back to good health. Arborists will recognize signs you may miss, and can help you take stock of all the trees on your property that may need help. Since most of the time water is the issue, the solution is often to improve your landscaping’s irrigation. Whether that means introducing a sprinkler system that targets trees (and also can help keep your lawn looking green) or employing a soaker hose directly on the roots of afflicted trees, you have options.

Improving the drainage of your property may also help you deliver much-needed moisture to the trees that need it. In some cases, parts of your landscaping may be too wet and others too dry, which can lead to other issues like mold and fungal growth. Installing drainage systems or improving gutter downspout management can help alleviate problems with a tree’s water supply.

Ultimately, the right fix for your tree comes down to the root cause of its issues. While heat stress and drought conditions common in summer deprive trees of water, other issues like disease, rot, or invasive insect damage can cause similar symptoms. In those cases, extra water won’t help and could actually harm the situation.

Help Your Trees This Summer and Beyond

Expert intervention is the best thing for trees and homeowners alike when summer heat causes problems for your landscaping. Give us a call at The Parke Company today for a free consultation and estimate on how we can help your trees during this difficult season.

Late-Summer Planting Guide: What to Add to Your Nashville Landscape Now for Fall Beauty

September 4, 2025August 7, 2025 by The Parke Company

As summer starts winding down and the weather starts to cool, it’s time for another round of new landscaping additions for your green thumb to work with this fall. Here are some colorful flowers you can plant now to enhance the fall beauty of your Nashville landscaping this autumn, and some tips for making the most of your efforts.

Preparing For Fall

One of the best ways to ensure you get the most from your garden this fall is to have it cleaned up and ready before it’s too late. Toward the end of August and into September, you may notice some of your summer blooms aren’t faring that well. This is natural. Before you can get to planting anything new, you can give your garden bed a refresh by pruning your flowers or removing dying annuals like sunflowers or petunias. It’s also a good time to cut back on perennials that are going into rest mode as the summer comes to a close. You don’t need to remove them completely, but taking off deadheads and even cutting the flower back safely with pruning scissors can help clear the way.

Rather than throwing these plants away, incorporate them into your compost and use the fertilizer later on. Landscaping in Nashville is a constant fight with the extreme variations in moisture we see depending on the season, so it’s important to make sure your garden bed manages water well. Use the cooling weather as an opportunity to work on your garden, refreshing mulch and removing weeds so that you can start planting all over again.

Now that you’re well prepared for late summer planting, it’s time to explore your best options.

Autumnal Floral Ideas for Late Summer Planting

There are many ways to give your garden a pop of color in the early fall, but you need to start preparing right now. Late summer in Nashville is still quite hot, but we tend to see a bit more precipitation in August and September, making it prime time for adding new flowers to the garden. Whether you’re new to the area or you’ve been here for decades, you may be wondering the same thing: what exactly is there to plant in late summer?

Some flowers aren’t well-suited to fall weather, just like others aren’t exactly hardy in the dry heat of summer. Many annuals work well in the summer or fall, however, so let’s review what you can plant right now to ensure your garden looks good even as temperatures cool.

Rudbeckia Black-Eyed Susans

These flowers, related to the sunflower, are probably already familiar even to a novice gardener. Known for their large and vibrant, yellow-orange petals and dark centers, the black-eyed Susan can be planted throughout the spring and summer, but they only bloom for a limited period. If your garden already has black-eyed Susans in it (they’re especially good in the heat but can survive cooler weather just as well), you may be able to use the seeds from the previous flowers to have another round grow in the fall. They can bloom in late August and into September here in Nashville, and prefer direct light. Black-eyed Susans also don’t need a ton of water or maintenance to give off fall colors for several weeks, making them a great pick for folks without a ton of free time for taking care of their garden.

Lantana

Lantana is another flower that’s well-suited for your Nashville landscape in late summer and into the fall. Lantanas are beautiful, small flowers that love sunlight and thrive in direct light with well-draining soil. Lantanas come in many colors, ranging from white to bright pink, and everything in between. They’re an excellent addition to any landscape in need of some color and variety, which can be hard to come by with the arrival of fall weather. These flowers need a lot of water when they’re first planted, so take advantage of late-August rainstorms to give them a free boost.

Zinnia

Zinnias, much like black-eyed Susans, can be planted from spring into late summer. In many cases, zinnias are only knocked out by the first frost, which may not come for several months if we’re lucky. While most folks suggest late July as the latest time for planting a zinnia, with the proper maintenance and watering, they can thrive in your garden even if you plant them in August. Landscaping in Nashville can be quite strange, that way. You can get away with a lot of unorthodox planting by taking full advantage of our protracted summers and fall rain showers. Zinnias grow tall and can produce some expressive color for your garden when other plants are starting to shrink away.

Chrysanthemum

The chrysanthemum (or “mum” for short) can be planted in the spring for summer color, or in the late summer to flourish all fall. Well-maintained mums planted in the spring can last all the way through the fall, but they can be planted now in a pinch. Also known as the mum, chrysanthemum flowers come in many colors and are especially hardy. They can withstand high temperatures and some considerably cooler weather, making them great for the fall. Nashville temperatures can always fluctuate pretty wildly, but the mum doesn’t mind at all. Mums need plenty of water, but they’re well worth the effort!

Pansies

Pansies are a flower that you can plant as late as mid-fall, making them one of the best failsafes for fall and even winter color here in Nashville. Pansies have a broad spectrum of color, making them a great way to diversify your landscaping in the autumn. Pansies can be difficult to plant from seed, so you may have better luck buying established flowers from local nurseries or having them installed by a landscaping company. They need well-drained soil and frequent watering, but produce eye-popping results when well-cared for.

Color Your Landscape With The Parke Company

Every landscape benefits from pops of seasonal color. The late summer and fall are also great times to plant spring-blooming bulbs, giving you a head start on next year with months to spare. No matter what you’re looking to do with your landscaping this summer, The Parke Company is on standby to handle your planting, maintenance, and installations. Leave a message on our website for a free consultation and estimate so you can keep your landscaping looking colorful year-round.

The Importance of Mulching in Mid-To-Late Summer for Nashville Yards

July 29, 2025July 24, 2025 by The Parke Company

A colorful garden scene with plants, tools, and a cozy home backdrop.

Mulching is an important part of maintaining and improving your property’s landscaping, but is there a bad time to do it? Adding mulch or laying new mulch during any season isn’t a bad idea, but should you mulch at the end of summer? Read on to learn more.

The Benefits of Mulching Anytime

Mulch is a vital tool for landscapers. Whether you have a green thumb or are a professional lawn care provider like The Parke Company, mulch is something you’re going to need to become proficient in. Mulch can do a lot for lawns and gardens, as well as trees. One of the most important things that mulch does is protect the soil. Topsoil is a precious commodity in any lawn and garden because it helps protect root systems. Along roadways and other areas where traffic or pollution can occur, topsoil can help filter contaminants from rainwater, preventing them from reaching the roots. Without topsoil, many plants could be washed away, and trees might suffer from root die-off.

But what does mulch do to help topsoil? Mulch can be very absorbent, meaning it can soak up heavy rains and distribute water more slowly to the plants around it. Mulch also creates a natural barrier to protect the soil beneath it from heavy torrential rains, hail, and run-off from homes or other structures that may damage topsoil.

So if we’re in the midst of a streak of heavy rainstorms, can you mulch in the summer to help protect your garden beds? The answer is yes. There’s no bad time to mulch, so if you notice your mulch needs some replenishing, even this late in the summer, go right ahead and stock up. While most recommend mulching in the fall and spring to prepare gardens for seasonal change, there’s no single right answer for when to mulch.

Mulch is also an essential component for trees and garden plants during the winter months. A few inches of mulch around a tree during a cold snap in the fall or winter can prevent soil temperatures from reaching a critically low level, thus saving your tree or plant from root damage. If you’re outside already, enjoying the summer sun and hanging out by the pool or maintaining your flower garden, there’s no reason not to mulch in the summer. Since the late summer is generally pretty hot here in Nashville, it’s not everyone’s favorite time to work outside for too many hours. But there’s no reason it can’t be done.

Mulch is also important when trying to keep weeds at bay. Mulch can stop the weed seeds from germinating, keeping them in the dark. If stubborn weeds do crop up in spite of your mulching, they won’t have roots that are as deep because of the mulch’s intervention. This makes the act of weeding easier on your hands and a far less time-consuming task.

New Mulch in Nashville During the Summer

What about if you’re looking to install a new garden bed during the late summer months? If you’ve heard warnings against undertaking new projects in the summertime, let us give you some peace of mind. Installing a new mulched garden in the summer isn’t going to cause you any major problems. Are there better seasons for installing mulch to prevent weeds in garden beds? Of course! But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. The main reason that people don’t often add new mulched gardens in the summer is because that’s when weeds are running rampant. During this time, it can be difficult to ensure that weeds aren’t already taking root beneath the new mulch. One way to help ensure that mulch does its job despite stubborn weeds is to rake and till the topsoil where you’re going to add mulch. This helps kill any weeds that may be developing, as most don’t have deep roots when they’re not visible above ground. When you mulch properly, you don’t need to worry about excessive weeds in a garden bed. This is especially true if you already practice proper weed and pest management on your property.

If you’re ready to mulch now, we are too. Mulch is most effective when laid properly, so it’s important to leave this work to experienced landscapers. This helps ensure that any of the risks associated with mulching in the late summer don’t crop up later in the year.

Risks of Mulching in Mid-To-Late Summer

Many of the dangers associated with mulching in Nashville during the summer don’t really depend on the season. Over-mulching is the real problem, and it doesn’t matter when you do it; it will cause trouble. Too much mulch, especially in the late summer when the rain tends to pick up, can encourage too much moisture retention. Thick beds of mulch can absorb high amounts of water, which can lead to mold and fungal growth. Besides being unsightly, mold and fungi, like mushrooms, can damage plants by taking over their territory. Mold is also a good indicator of a worse issue: your roots might be drowning. If there’s a lot of moisture above ground in the mulch, that means the soil is also heavily saturated. Roots can’t absorb all the water that heavy mulching can lead to, and this means roots are in danger of dying. This will quite quickly harm smaller plants and shrubs and can weaken trees to the point of disease as well. Moist mulch can also have the opposite effect that it has during the winter, and the temperature of the soil in the hot sun can rise to dangerous levels for your garden plants. So if you lay mulch on too thick, you may be doing a lot more harm than good for your landscaping.

Get Help Mulching the Right Way

There’s no wrong season to mulch, but there are things that can certainly go wrong if you’re mulching incorrectly in the middle or end of summer. Dispense with the guesswork when it comes to mulching this summer and call the pros at The Parke Company for a free consultation and estimate for your mulching needs.