Tree & Shrub Care in Harrisburg, PA — Plant Health Care by a Working Beekeeper

Lawns Plants & Pests LLC provides plant health care for trees, shrubs, and ornamental landscapes throughout Harrisburg, Hershey, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, and the surrounding Dauphin and Cumberland County communities. Insect control, disease and fungus treatments, soil-applied systemic treatments, root zone fertilization, dormant oil, and spotted lanternfly management. We're a licensed Pennsylvania pesticide applicator — and unlike national chains, we're also working beekeepers, which means how and when we apply treatments around your trees is built around protecting pollinators, not ignoring them. Free estimates. Call or text 717-379-3248.

Most plant health care companies spray pesticides on flowering trees and shrubs without thinking about what those products do to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. We do think about it — because we're the ones whose hives those bees come from. We choose product timing, application methods, and product selection specifically to minimize pollinator exposure: soil drenches instead of foliar sprays where possible, applications timed before or after bloom, and avoiding broad-spectrum products that wipe out beneficial insects along with the target pest. If you have backyard bees, a pollinator garden, fruit trees, or just don't want to harm what's flying around your yard, we're the right choice.

Our Plant Health Care Services

Tree and Shrub Insect Control

Targeted control for the insect pests that actually damage Central PA landscape plants: aphids, scale insects, lace bugs, leafminers, bagworms, mites, hemlock woolly adelgid, emerald ash borer, and many more. We identify the specific pest, choose the right product for that pest (rather than spraying broad-spectrum), and apply at the timing where the insect is most vulnerable. Knowing the life cycle of each pest is what makes treatments effective.

Soil-Applied Systemic Treatments

For chronic insect issues — emerald ash borer, scale, aphids on large trees, hemlock woolly adelgid — we generally prefer soil drenches over trunk injections. The active ingredient is taken up by the roots and distributed throughout the tree, providing season-long protection without injuring the tree. Soil drenches don't leave injection wounds that can become entry points for disease, they're gentler on the tree's vascular system, and properly timed applications minimize impact on flower-visiting pollinators. We do offer trunk injections when soil conditions or tree species call for it, but soil treatment is our default for most situations.

Disease and Fungus Treatments

Central PA's humid summers create ideal conditions for plant fungal diseases. We treat anthracnose on dogwoods and sycamores, apple scab and cedar-apple rust on rosaceous trees, fire blight on apples and pears, powdery mildew on lilacs and crepe myrtles, needle cast diseases on spruces and firs, and many others. Many fungal problems require preventative timing — once the disease is visible, the year's damage is already done. We build seasonal programs that protect plants before symptoms appear.

Mite Control Programs

Spider mites and other mites flare up during hot, dry stretches and can defoliate ornamental trees and shrubs (especially spruces, junipers, and burning bushes) within weeks. We use miticides specifically rather than broad-spectrum insecticides, which actually make mite problems worse by killing the predatory insects that keep mites in check.

Spotted Lanternfly Management

Spotted lanternfly is a quarantined invasive species that's spread across most of Central PA. They feed on tree of heaven, grape vines, maples, walnuts, fruit trees, and many ornamentals. Heavy infestations stress trees, leave behind sticky honeydew that grows sooty mold all over your patio and deck, and attract wasps. We provide soil-applied systemic treatments for trees the lanternflies prefer, contact treatments for active infestations, and tree of heaven removal recommendations (the host plant). Treatments are timed to nymph emergence in spring and adult activity through summer.

Root Zone Fertilization

Trees and shrubs in landscaped yards rarely have access to the leaf litter and organic matter they evolved with. Their roots compete with turfgrass and live in compacted urban soil. Root zone fertilization injects slow-release fertilizer directly into the root zone, bypassing surface competition and feeding the tree where it actually absorbs nutrients. This is especially valuable for older trees, trees recently planted within the last 3-5 years, and any tree showing thin canopy or poor leaf color.

Dormant Oil Applications

Dormant oil is one of the most effective and lowest-impact plant health treatments available. Applied in late winter to early spring while plants are still dormant, the oil smothers overwintering insect eggs and adults — scale insects, mites, aphids, and certain caterpillar species — before they hatch and damage your plants. Especially valuable for fruit trees, ornamental flowering trees, and shrubs with chronic scale or mite issues. Timing is the key: too early and there's no effect; too late and you risk damaging emerging buds. We watch the weather and tree development closely each spring.

Foliar Fertilization

Foliar feeding delivers nutrients directly through the leaves for fast correction of deficiencies — useful for trees showing iron chlorosis, manganese deficiency, or other micronutrient issues. Often used in combination with root zone work for a fast green-up plus long-term improvement.

Common Tree and Shrub Problems in Central PA

Knowing what you're dealing with is half the battle. Here are the most common plant health issues we treat in the Harrisburg area:

Spotted lanternfly — on tree of heaven, maples, walnuts, grape vines, and ornamental trees. Worst infestations late summer.

Emerald ash borer — has killed most untreated ash trees in PA. Surviving ash trees need ongoing soil-applied protection.

Bagworms — on arborvitae, junipers, and spruces. Visible bags appear by July; treatment window is May to mid-June while caterpillars are small.

Hemlock woolly adelgid — on hemlocks throughout Central PA. Without treatment, hemlocks decline and die over 4-10 years.

Scale insects — magnolias, euonymus, hollies, and many ornamentals. Often treated with dormant oil and soil systemics.

Anthracnose — on dogwoods, sycamores, and ash. Causes leaf spots and twig dieback in wet springs.

Fire blight — on apples, pears, crabapples, and serviceberries. Causes dramatic browning that looks like a torch ran through the branches.

Boxwood blight and leafminer — both serious threats to boxwoods. Leafminer in spring, blight in wet weather.

Spruce decline (Rhizosphaera, Stigmina) — needle cast diseases on Colorado blue spruce. Treatable but requires multi-year programs.

Apple scab and cedar-apple rust — on apples, crabapples, and pears. Preventative spring sprays needed for any aesthetic value.

If you're not sure what's wrong with your tree or shrub, send a photo to 717-379-3248 — we'll identify the problem and tell you whether it's something we can treat.

Service Area

We provide plant health care in Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon, and York Counties — including Harrisburg, Paxtang, Penbrook, Steelton, Highspire, Middletown, Hummelstown, Hershey, Palmyra, Annville, Cleona, Lebanon, Grantville, Linglestown, Colonial Park, Susquehanna Township, Lower Paxton, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Lemoyne, New Cumberland, Wormleysburg, Enola, Marysville, Halifax, Millersburg, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Mount Wolf, Manchester, Dillsburg, Carlisle, Boiling Springs, and surrounding Central Pennsylvania communities. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does plant health care cost?

Pricing depends on the species, size, and number of plants being treated, plus the type of treatment. Treating a single ornamental tree for one issue is different from a multi-plant seasonal program covering an entire landscape. We give free estimates after looking at the property — many issues can be assessed from clear photos texted to 717-379-3248.

Will your treatments harm bees and pollinators?

We work hard to make sure they don't. We use soil drenches instead of foliar sprays where possible, time applications before or after bloom on flowering plants, choose products that target the specific pest rather than broad-spectrum kill-everything products, and avoid spraying anything that's actively flowering. We're working beekeepers ourselves — protecting pollinators isn't a marketing line, it's how we run our business.

Do you do tree pruning or tree removal?

No. We focus on treatments — insect control, disease management, fertilization, soil work, and lanternfly. For pruning, deadwood removal, structural work, or tree removal you'll need a certified arborist or tree service company. We're happy to recommend one if you don't already have a contact.

Soil drenches vs. trunk injections — what's the difference?

Trunk injections deliver product directly into the tree's vascular system through holes drilled into the trunk. They work fast and are useful in some specific situations, but each injection wound is a permanent injury that can become an entry point for pathogens. Soil drenches apply product to the root zone, where roots take it up and distribute it through the tree. Soil drenches typically take a few weeks for full uptake, last for a full season (sometimes more), and don't injure the tree. For most chronic insect issues we recommend soil drenches as the default. Where injections genuinely fit better — certain species, time-critical situations, large trees with limited soil access — we do those too.

When should I worry about spotted lanternfly?

If you have any of their preferred host trees (tree of heaven, maples, walnuts, willows, grape vines), you'll start seeing nymphs in May and adults from July through fall. Heavy infestations stress trees, drip honeydew everywhere, and attract wasps. The most effective control is preventative — treat host trees in spring before populations build. Tree of heaven on or near your property should generally be removed since it's an invasive that fuels the entire local lanternfly population.

How is your service different from TruGreen, Davey, or Bartlett?

National plant health care companies have access to the same products we do. The difference is who's making the diagnostic and treatment decisions. With us, the same person who walks your property is the licensed applicator doing the treatment — not a sales tech writing up a generic program for the route tech to apply later. We also lean toward soil-applied systemics over foliar spraying, and we build pollinator considerations into every treatment plan. Big chains spray.

Do you offer organic plant health care?

We can offer reduced-risk and organic-compatible products for many situations — horticultural oils, insecticidal soaps, microbial fungicides, organic-approved fertilizers. They generally require more frequent application than conventional products and don't work for every problem (spotted lanternfly, emerald ash borer, and a few others usually need conventional systemics for real control). We're happy to walk through what's possible for your specific situation.

Get a Free Plant Health Care Estimate

Call or text 717-379-3248 or email Lawnsplantspests@gmail.com for a free estimate. Locally owned. Licensed Pennsylvania pesticide applicator. Working beekeepers who treat your trees with pollinators in mind. Serving Harrisburg, Hershey, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, and all of Central PA.