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RTEC Treecare

Expert Tree Care in the DC Metro Area | Call 703-573-3029 to talk to a Tree Care Expert.

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Get A Head Start On Spring Insect Protection With Fall Dormant Oils

Resources: Seasonal Tree Care

Tree Service Fall Tree PruningTo most, fall brings to mind football, chilly nights, hot apple cider, festivals, and colorful leaves. But to those in the tree care industry, fall is a time to prepare for the seasons to come and set trees up for success in the spring. By focusing on your trees and shrubs in fall, you will have fewer issues in the spring when trees are vulnerable to new diseases and insects.

A common myth about insects and diseases is that they die off when the weather gets cold. This couldn’t be farther from the truth when talking about trees.  Many types of insects and diseases that affect trees overwinter – the tree industry’s term for saying they survive throughout the winter.

Leaves Make The Best Hiding Spots

Disease and fungi tend to overwinter in the tree’s fallen leaves. When spring comes around warm temperatures and rain activate these spores and re-infect the tree. The best course of action for this is to simply remove contaminated leaves to reduce the risk of spring infection.

fall dormant oil treatment for insectsThe real issue occurs with overwintering insects. Insects, pests, and egg masses tend to overwinter on the tree’s branches and bark. This leaves them in a prime position to hatch/become active in the spring and immediately start munching on your trees and shrubs. Much like how it’s easier to put out a fire when it’s small and isolated, rather than waiting until it has engulfed a whole building; dealing with insects, diseases, and fungi in the fall is a lot easier than waiting till signs appear in the spring. By dealing with the insects while they are over-wintering you drastically reduce the population that survives through the winter. This means little to no pests feeding on your tree/shrubs in the spring and summer.

So What Should I Do?

The best way to deal with overwintering insects is to apply a fall dormant oil spray. This environmentally friendly spray suffocates the overwintering insects before they have a chance to spread and damage your trees and shrubs in the spring.

Benefits of Dormant Oil:
  • Safe for beneficial insects
  • Safe for children and animals
  • Not a poison, it simply smothers the insects, pests, and egg masses
  • Reduces/suppresses overwintering population
  • Safe to use on fruit trees
  • Reduces the chance of spring insect issues

How Do I Know If I Need Dormant Oil?

Our Certified Arborists suggest that everyone invest in dormant oil to proactively protect their trees. But you should especially use fall dormant oils if your tree/shrub/landscape has a history of mites, eastern tent caterpillars, scale, and aphids.

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Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

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