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Why The Brazilian Pepper Is Bad News for Floridians

Brazilian Pepper trees may look pretty but they can be harmful to the environment. Here are reasons this invasive plant needs to be removed right away. It was intended to serve as an ornamental accent. Yet, in the years since the Brazilian pepper tree was introduced into the state of Florida, it's wreaked havoc on its residents. It also shows no sign of slowing down. With its bright red berries and shiny green foliage, the tree makes for ideal holiday decor. However, don't be fooled by its cheerfulness. This plant might be beautiful but its effects are anything but. Causing issues ranging from skin irritation to habitat destruction, the Brazilian pepper tree is quick-growing and difficult to contain. As such, the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council has added it to its list of invasive species. Ready to learn more about this plant, the damage its causing and the steps being taken to mitigate the issues. What is the Brazilian Pepper Tree? The Brazilian pepper tree is also known as the Florida Holly or the Christmasberry tree. Though its name is similar to that of the black pepper plant, the tree doesn't contain actual pepper. It comes from the family of flowering plants known as Anacardiaceae, also called the cashew or sumac family. Its species name is Schinus terebinthifolius. During the late fall and winter months, it reveals clusters of small, red berries. Then, as the temperatures warm up, small white and yellow flowers spray from its branches. The plant is...

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What You Need to Know About Grinding Stumps vs Removing Them

Dealing with a tree stump? Here's everything you need to know about grinding stumps and removing them. After a major storm or high winds, downed trees are a major hazard. Falling trees and branches can crush cars, homes, and people. To reduce the chances of damage, people often spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on tree care. Sometimes, though, the only answer is to completely remove the tree. Or maybe you're clearing some land to build. Tree trimming services might take down all the branches and cut the trunk to the ground. But what happens to the stump? You have a few choices: leaving them alone, removing stumps, or grinding stumps. Read on to learn more about your options. Stumps Are Natural So why bother removing them? They will eventually decompose, you think. Well, it is true. A stump will definitely decompose with the right amount of oxygen, moisture, and microbes. Eventually can mean a very long time. Often, it means a decade or more for very dense woods. In the meantime, you have an ugly lump of dead tree sticking out of your meticulous planting. It's going to take up space that you could be using for something else like a garden bed. Or maybe the stump isn't out of the way. In that case, you have an unappealing and dangerous bump in the middle of your lawn or walk. Maneuver around the stump at your own peril. If someone trips and falls, or worse, get injured when a...

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10 Major Signs You Need to Get Tree Removal Services

You might not pay much attention to your trees, but that can be a bad thing. Take a look at these ten signs you need to get tree removal services. Trees can seem like a rather benign part of nature. They are stately and beautiful, provide shade from the hot sun, and are generally delightful to have around. In fact, without trees, we wouldn't have the oxygen that we need to breathe as they perform the life-giving function of oxygen production. But trees have a sinister side as well. Did you know that trees are responsible for killing around a hundred people every year? Of course, that's a pretty low statistic. You shouldn't lay awake at night worrying about death by tree. It's probably never going to happen. But you should be aware of the dangers of falling trees and limbs. As a responsible homeowner, you want to make sure that your trees are well maintained and safe. Even if they don't fall on someone and kill them they can fall on your house, or your neighbor's house, and cause thousands of dollars in damage. But how do you know when you need tree removal services? Let's take a look at 10 of the most common signs. 1. Your Roof Is Dirty Trees near your house are nice to have for the welcome shade they provide in the summer. They help to keep your house cool and the cost of your energy bills down. However, there is one not so...

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Is that Leaning Tree Dangerous? Signs You Need Help

Trees provide a multitude of benefits to a property. You may enjoy them for their functionality or aesthetics. You certainly enjoy that they bring up property values as much as 19 percent. In addition to the property values, they contribute in other financial ways. A tree built on the wayward side of a house provide as much as 12 percent reduction to energy bills. Trees provide activities for children, homes for birds, and clean the air. But a leaning tree puts all of that at risk. Not all tree damage or leaning is the same. Read this guide to learn everything you need to separate a safe tree from one that requires you to call a tree service. Leaning Tree Red Flags It is rare that one single indicator provides conclusive evidence of a problem. Systems tend to be complicated and take higher levels of knowledge to sort and categorize. The more complex the system, the more knowledge required. Living organisms, especially the large ones, bring in a further complication of self-regulation. In other words, you need to both be able to identify damage to a tree and to know the limits of the tree's self-repair systems. To begin you need to identify a tree species if unknown using online guides. Not all tree species function the same. If you are in Englewood, FL coniferous pine trees native to Oregon won't self-repair like a palm or citrus tree. This guide will start at the bottom and work upwards. We'll indicate the bigger dangers from the slower growing concerns....

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Building Lots And Site Prep

We can clear and fill building lots for our customers. We do many residential lot clearing jobs as well as fill and grade house pads. We have multiple pieces of equipment able to perform the necessary tree and palmetto removal. Our large self loading dump truck can effectively haul away the vegetation debris. We have other cost effective options for removing vegetation, palmettos and trees from potential building lots and or acreage. We have equipment to grind, mulch or ecological mow the non building pad area then root rake the actual pad area to save on debris removal. Additionally we can clear investment lots to add value or enhance sale potential by mulching or grinding the underbrush providing a cleaner looking property. We do many lots in the North Port, Rotonda, Englewood, Venice and Gulf Cove Area.

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Golf Course Vegetation Control

We specialize in contracting plant and vegetation control to golf courses and golf course communities. Our customers are golf courses and superintendents from the Venice Florida area and throughout Sarasota, Charlotte and Manatee counties. We provide lake management wetland and preserve management as well as aquatic vegetation control for many courses. We also specialize in forestry mulching or commonly called ecological mowing or vegetation grinding. This mulching process provides the golf course and or homeowners association with a cost friendly option to grind or get rid of underbrush especially the hated Brazilian pepper as well as being an effective tool for the removal of invasive and exotic vegetation.

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Strangers in the Garden: A Scourge of Non Native Species

A suburban child runs across a perfectly manicured lawn. Instinctively, the sight of a billowy dandelion seed head is irresistible. It is a vivid contrast, a gem arising from the managed monoculture of grass otherwise known as a lawn. But the wonder and awe of discovering nature via chance encounters is often replaced in adulthood, by a need to control and manage our natural surroundings. The dandelion, once perhaps, a fascinating flower species, becomes a weed- an uninvited inconvenience that doesn’t fit into the planned symmetry of the divided parcels of land we inhabit. Nature then, becomes a series of management objectives. Management considerations affecting our environment are wide-reaching in scope. Even well intended science -based management often represents anthropocentric values. But there is a growing consensus among the various levels of environmental management that we have a problem of epic proportions, and it’s worsening by the year. It’s the problem of invasive and exotic species infestations. Commonly the argument is made that conservation is approached from a resource-based, special-interest perspective. This may offer insight as to why exotic infestations that occur on commercially undesirable lands tend to be left to fester. On the other hand, it is sometimes difficult to justify the excessive amount of "management" and intervention that takes place in other areas. Closer examination of the financial and political pressures that underlie many of the decisions that prompt these environmental modifications often reveal our priorities. I can think of no better example than South Florida. Healthy pine...

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Treating Invasive Vegetation with Aquatic Herbicides

The picture in this blog is duckweed, a very common problem we see in Lake management along the west coast of Florida. Duckweed along with hydrilla cattails algae and other exotic vegetation can be easily controlled through a solid lake management program. Our licensed aquatic herbicide applicators will determine what the unwanted vegetation is and then determine an appropriate treatment plan. In the case of cattails may require manual cutting. No matter what the exotic vegetation problem is or whether it is located in Sarasota, Manatee or Charlotte County we can provide an appropriate plan.

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Canal and Waterfront Clearing

Often times we meet customers who are not realizing the full potential of their waterfront property here in Southwest Florida. Many lots are overgrown with exotic species especially Brazilian peppers. In many cases when no mangrove trimming is required we do not need a state mangrove trimming permit. Regardless of the obstruction, Aquatic Consulting has solutions to open the view of the water and help any property realize it's full potential value. Let us pit our coastal and shoreline experience to work for you, we have many projects in our resume from South Gulf Cove to Manasota Key and beyond. We know the plants, the laws and the permitting agency regulations to help our customers see the water. Call Aquatic Consulting of Venice, FL today at 941-445-3027.

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Benefits of Forestry Mulching vs Traditional Land Clearing

We utilize forestry mulching to clear lots and acreage in numerous situations. The primary benefit is that mulching is economical, costing a fraction of traditional root rake and loader clearing. Mulching is beneficial in many applications including: areas of the property where no structure will be built, investment property for added value or to prepare for future development. By mulching the material on site we create a natural weed preventative and save money by not hauling large amounts of vegetation to a dump. In certain cases we can combine mulching with traditional clearing and prepare a lot for fill at a much lower cost than other purely land clearing contractors. Having both types of equipment allows us to offer the most cost effective lot and land clearing option to our customers. Call Aquatic Consulting of Venice, FL today at 941-445-3027 and tell us about your forestry mulching project.

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