The Benefits of Using Native Plants in Your North Carolina Landscape

If you’re looking to create a stunning and sustainable landscape in North Carolina, incorporating native plants is a game-changer! Not only do native plants thrive in our unique climate, but they also offer a range of benefits that support the environment and save you time and money. At Justin Dugan’s Landscaping, we’re passionate about using native plants to create low-maintenance, beautiful outdoor spaces. Here’s why you should consider adding them to your landscaping design.

How to Test and Improve Your Soil During Winter for a Thriving Spring

Soil health is the foundation of any successful landscaping project. Healthy soil improves plant growth, enhances root strength, and provides better water retention—key to creating vibrant, resilient landscapes. Winter is the perfect time to focus on soil health to protect and prepare your property for spring planting.

Why Soil Health Matters

Healthy soil:

• Supplies nutrients that plants need to thrive.
• Supports beneficial organisms like earthworms and microbes that improve soil structure.
• Improves water management, helping prevent erosion and runoff.
• Promotes stronger roots for healthier, more resilient plants.

By preparing your soil in winter, you protect it from harsh conditions and set the stage for lush, successful spring landscaping.

How to Test Your Soil During Winter

1. Perform a Soil Test – Use a home soil test kit or send samples to your local extension office. Testing reveals pH levels, organic matter, and nutrient deficiencies so you know exactly what your soil needs.

    

2. Check for Compaction – Use a garden fork or shovel to test if the soil is compacted. Compacted soil limits water and nutrient penetration, stunting plant growth.  
3. Observe Soil Structure – Assess texture by feeling the soil—healthy soil should crumble slightly and not feel too sandy or sticky. Good structure allows roots to thrive.

How to Improve Soil Health in Winter

Here are key steps to protect and improve soil health during the winter months:

1. Protect the Soil Surface
• Bare soil is vulnerable to erosion, compaction, and nutrient loss. Cover it with mulch, shredded leaves, or straw to retain moisture, protect organisms, and regulate temperature.
2. Add Organic Matter
• Spread compost, aged manure, or mulched leaves across the soil. These materials break down over winter, enriching the soil with essential nutrients and improving its structure.
3. Plant Winter Cover Crops
• Cover crops like winter rye, clover, or oats add organic matter and nutrients when tilled in spring. They also prevent erosion and suppress weeds.
4. Minimize Soil Disturbance
• Avoid tilling or heavy digging in winter, as it disrupts the structure and microbial activity of the soil.
5. Aerate Compacted Areas
• Use a garden fork or mechanical aerator to loosen compacted soil, ensuring better air, water, and nutrient movement.
6. Adjust Soil pH
• If your soil test indicates pH imbalances, apply lime (to raise pH) or sulfur (to lower pH) based on recommendations. Winter gives these amendments time to take effect.

Why Winter Soil Care Makes a Difference

Focusing on soil health during winter offers several benefits:

• Protects Soil Structure: Organic matter and mulch prevent erosion and compaction from snow, ice, and heavy rain.
• Enhances Nutrient Retention: Organic matter slowly releases nutrients into the soil, preparing it for spring planting.
• Encourages Soil Life: Winter protection supports earthworms and microbes that contribute to healthy, nutrient-rich soil.
• Saves Time in Spring: By tackling soil care in winter, you’ll be ready for planting as soon as the ground thaws.

   

How to Protect Your Trees and Plants from Deer: Comprehensive Tips for Homeowners

Deer can be a beautiful sight to behold, but when they enter your yard, they can wreak havoc on your landscape. These graceful creatures can cause significant damage to trees, shrubs, and plants, from chewing on foliage to stripping bark. The damage they cause can be expensive to repair and, in some cases, irreversible. However, with the right strategies, you can protect your plants from deer and keep your yard looking its best.

Why Deer Damage Your Landscape

Deer primarily forage for food, and unfortunately, your garden can often be a prime target. They are particularly drawn to soft, tender leaves, twigs, and flowers, but they will also eat shrubs and trees, especially in winter when other food sources are scarce. In some cases, deer will strip bark off trees, which not only damages the tree but also makes it more vulnerable to pests and disease.

Signs of Deer Activity in Your Yard

The first step to protecting your landscape is recognizing the signs of deer presence. Here are a few signs that deer may be causing damage to your plants:

• Chewed leaves and branches: Deer are known for nibbling on the tips of branches and leaves, leaving jagged edges behind.
• Shredded bark: In the winter months, deer may strip bark from trees. Look for missing patches of bark, especially on younger trees.
• Deer tracks: During wet conditions, you may notice hoofprints around your yard or garden beds.
• Droppings: Deer droppings are pellet-shaped and dark in color. If you find these in your yard, it’s a sure sign that deer are nearby.

Recognizing these signs early allows you to take action before the damage becomes widespread.

6 Proven Ways to Protect Your Trees and Plants from Deer

1. Install Physical Barriers

One of the most effective ways to protect your plants from deer is by installing barriers. Fencing is a great option, but it needs to be tall enough to prevent deer from jumping over. Fences should be at least 8 feet tall to deter deer from leaping into your yard. If you don’t want a tall fence, consider using mesh or netting around specific plants or tree trunks.

For smaller plants, you can use tree guards or protective mesh to shield them from deer browsing. This is especially helpful for young trees that are vulnerable to bark damage.

2. Use Deer Repellents

Repellents are another effective tool in your deer-deterrence strategy. Deer are sensitive to smells and tastes, so many repellents are made from natural ingredients such as garlic, hot peppers, or eggs. These scents can make your plants unappealing to deer.

There are two types of repellents:

• Contact repellents: These work by creating an unpleasant taste on the plant. When deer nibble on the plant, they experience a bitter or foul taste and are deterred from eating it again.
• Area repellents: These work by emitting a scent that deer find off-putting. Sprays or granules can be applied to areas of your yard where deer are likely to frequent.

Repellents need to be reapplied regularly, especially after rain or watering, for maximum effectiveness.

3. Plant Deer-Resistant Varieties

Not all plants are equally appealing to deer. By selecting deer-resistant plants, you can reduce the likelihood of attracting these hungry visitors. Some plants have strong scents, prickly textures, or toxic properties that deer avoid.

Here are some examples of deer-resistant plants to consider for your landscape:

• Herbs: Lavender, rosemary, thyme
• Shrubs: Boxwood, holly, lavender cotton
• Flowers: Daffodils, marigolds, coneflowers
• Trees: Oak, maple, crabapple

While no plant is completely deer-proof, these varieties are less likely to be eaten by deer.

4. Remove Attractants

Deer are naturally drawn to food sources, so it’s important to reduce attractants in your yard. This means regularly cleaning up fallen fruits, nuts, and other food that may be appealing to deer. Consider raking up acorns, apples, and other debris from your yard to discourage deer from hanging around.

If you have fruit trees, harvest the fruit as soon as it ripens to avoid attracting deer.

5. Add Motion Deterrents

Deer are skittish creatures, and sudden movements can easily startle them. Installing motion-activated deterrents, such as sprinklers, lights, or noise devices, can be an effective way to keep deer away.

• Motion-activated sprinklers: These devices detect movement and shoot a burst of water, scaring deer away. They can also water your garden while deterring pests.
• Motion lights: Deer are nocturnal animals, so lights that turn on when they approach can startle them and send them running.
• Noise makers: Items like wind chimes, aluminum foil strips, or motion-activated alarms can create noise that makes deer feel unsafe.

6. Create Uncomfortable Conditions

Deer are also deterred by certain environmental factors that make it uncomfortable for them to stay in your yard. Consider using mulch or wood chips around your plants to make it harder for deer to forage. You can also plant prickly or thorny plants around the perimeter of your garden or yard to discourage deer from approaching.

Some homeowners use human hair or pet fur as a natural deterrent—deer are frightened by unfamiliar scents and may avoid areas where they detect these smells.

Additional Tips for Long-Term Deer Control

• Rotate repellents: Deer can become accustomed to a single type of repellent over time, so it’s best to rotate different repellents to keep them effective.
• Keep your yard tidy: Regularly trim back plants that are at risk of being eaten and ensure that your yard is well-maintained.
• Consider professional help: If deer are a recurring problem in your area, consult with a professional landscaper for custom solutions that best fit your needs.

Protecting your trees and plants from deer may seem challenging, but with the right strategies in place, you can safeguard your landscape and prevent costly damage. Whether it’s installing barriers, using repellents, or choosing the right plants, there are numerous ways to keep deer away.

Installing a Retaining Wall

We Also Do Landscaping!

In addition to our wide variety of Tree Services, we also offer a full range of landscaping solutions to help you get the maximum enjoyment out of your yard. In the gallery below we were contacted to help a client who had water drainage issues in their back yard. Our experts assessed the situation and installed a retaining wall. This increased the usable area of the backyard, as well as handled all the drainage issues.  Check out the gallery below to see our experts in action!

If You Have a Yard That Doesn’t Live Up to Its Potential, Call the Pros!

Our team is trained to handle any landscaping job. We’ll make sure you have the yard of your dreams. So, if you need any help, call the professionals at Justin Dugan’s Tree Service. We’re always here to help you!

Making Your Lawn Weed Free

Get Your Lawn Ready for Summer

We’ve all been there, during the winter months you dream of sitting in a lawn chair sipping lemonade while sinking your feet into a lawn of lush grass. But come warm weather you find instead a yard full of clover and fuzzy dandelions.

It always seems like the weeds come back in Spring and Summer at a much greater rate than your grass. First it’s one dandelion, then it’s a whole yard full. Next thing you know your yard is full of weeds and not looking like the perfect place to have a cook out.

Luckily you can bring your yard back to life and save Summer by ridding your yard of weeds and helping boost your lawn’s overall health. Let’s take a look at how to get your yard back into shape.

Why Do Weeds Thrive in My Yard?

Although they are certainly a nuisance, weeds are also just plants. They are no different than your grass, flowers, or even shrubs. If the environment is right for them, they’ll run wild in your yard, just like grass will.

So what you need to do is to make sure your lawn is not an ideal environment for weeds. If you keep your lawn mowed too low, have compacted soil, and your turf is water deprived, your lawn is an ideal environment for weeds. So to get rid of them, keep your grass a healthy height, keep your yard watered, and aerate the soil of your yard. If you keep your yard healthy and watered, it’ll be a lot harder for weeds to take up residence there.

How Do I Kill Weeds Without Killing My Grass?

To kill weeds without killing your lawn, you need to look to pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides. Both are made specifically to kill weeds without damaging your yard. If applied correctly, pre-emergent will handle your crabgrass problem, while post-emergent will handle dandelions. Neither of these will hurt your lawn, if you use them correctly.

How Do I Get Rid of Weeds Naturally?

If you prefer not to use harsh chemicals on your yard and prefer natural methods, you can still keep your lawn healthy and weed free. However, it will take more time and effort.

To get rid of weeds naturally, pick a vinegar that contains more than the standard 5% acetic acid. If you go to your local home improvement store they should have vinegar with 10 – 20% acetic acid. 

Once you have the vinegar, put it in a spray bottle and spray the weeds with them. This method will dry out the plants leaves and kill what’s above ground. If used properly this method will kill 80 – 100% of the weeds’ top growth.

It should be noted that this method works best for small groups of weeds. For larger spreads, we still recommend using a herbicide.

Four Steps to a Healthier Yard

If your yard is more weeds than grass, here are four steps to a healthier lawn:

1 – Check your yard carefully and figure out which weeds you’re dealing with. Since there are specific treatments for different types of weed, it’s important to know what problem you have, so you use the appropriate solution.

2 – Make sure you get the correct treatment for the stage the weed is in. For example, if you plan to go after weeds in the Spring before the growing season, you’ll need to use a pre-emergent herbicide. If you are going after established weeds you will need a post-emergent herbicide.

3 – Very carefully apply the herbicide, following the instructions on the package. Be very careful and make sure to thoroughly read the instructions. If improperly applied, some herbicides can also damage your grass.

4 – Set a lawn maintenance schedule and follow it to keep your lawn weed free.

• In the fall you need to seed and aerate your lawn.
• Give your turf a final short mow and fertilize before winter.
• In Spring, use a pre-emergent and pull any lingering weeds.
• Mow your grass regularly in the Spring and Summer. However, be careful and don’t remove more than a third of the grass at a time.

Lawn Maintenance Doesn’t Have to Be a Chore!

As you can see, proper lawn maintenance is essential to keeping the weeds out and keeping your lawn a comfortable place to relax in the warm months. But if you don’t have time to take care of it, or you just want more time to cook out instead of working the lawn, contact us. We have a team of lawn care professionals that will keep your yard looking great all Summer long. That way you can spend less time worrying about the yard, and more time enjoying your cookout.

Which is Better: Stump Grinding or Stump Removal?

Are You Tired of Seeing That Old Stump In Your Yard?

When it comes to yard maintenance, tree stumps can be a problem. Not only are they a tripping hazard for your family, they can also be a problem for the health of your yard. They can complicate mowing the yard because you have to go around them or cause damage to your mower if you accidentally hit them. They require extra work when you mow because you have to weed eat around them. They can also act as a haven for pest as they get older. Plus they tend to look unattractive, which you never want in your yard. The problem with stumps are that they are normally too big of a project for a homeowner to tackle. It’s labor intensive, time consuming work that most non professionals aren’t going to be able to handle. Luckily you’ve got Justin Dugan’s Tree Service on your side. We’re experts on removing or grinding stumps and can have your yard looking good as new. So let’s look at the pros and cons of Stump Grinding vs Stump Removal so you can decide which is best for you.

What are the Pros and Cons of Stump Grinding?

As we mentioned above, both Stump Grinding and Removal are both tasks that a homeowner should never take on themselves. This is very labor intensive, time consuming work that requires professional equipment. Stump Grinding involves using a powerful machine to grind the stump down to it’s desired height so it seamlessly matches the rest of the landscape in your yard. This method takes care of the visible remains of the tree, but it leaves the tree’s roots behind. This can cause fungi, sprouts, or in some cases, the stump itself to grow back. While the roots decay eventually, it can take up to ten years for the process to be complete.

Pros of Stump Grinding

1. Not as Intrusive as Stump Removal
2. Good for the Environment, you can use the leftover wood chips to mulch
3. Cheaper than Stump Removal
4. Efficient and Quick
5. Leaves you with a clean appearance

Cons of Stump Grinding

1. Potentially messy if not handled by professionals
2. Tree Roots remain, which can cause problems later, as detailed above. 

What are the Pros and Cons of Stump Removal

Stump Removal involves the complete removal of the stump, roots and all. It is sometimes referred to as “Stump Pulling”. Removing a stump from the ground completely can be a very intrusive process and requires the use of heavy force. This makes hiring a professional absolutely necessary. Be aware that although Stump Removal completely removes the stump, it also leaves a huge, stump sized hole in your yard. When you use a professional service like Justin Dugan’s Tree Service, we can handle filling in the hole for you.

Pros of Stump Removal

1. Totally eliminates the possibility of regrowth, unlike stump grinding
2. Removes the entire stump, roots and all, so you don’t have to wait for the long process of root decay to take place.

Cons of Stump Removal

1. It leaves a large stump sized hole in your yard
2. Tends to not be as environmentally friendly as the stump has to be disposed of, not reused
3. More intrusive than stump grinding and may cause damage to the adjacent yard
4. Costlier than stump grinding

Which Method is Best for Your Yard?

That all depends on you. Both Stump Grinding and Stump Removal have their pros and cons and really depends on the situation. Justin Dugan’s Tree Service has a team of trained professionals on staff to help assess your situation and figure out which solution is better for you. We generally recommend Stump Grinding as the best method,  due to it being environmentally friendly, quicker, and cheaper for the homeowner. However, there are situations where Stump Removal is recommended. That’s why you should call us if you have any questions about the stump in your yard. Whether it’s an eyesore or is causing problems with lawn maintenance, we’re there to help you out. Get in touch with our team of tree professionals and we will help you out today!