Trees of Historical Significance

Trees of Historical Significance

There are reasons that tree ordinances are put in place to protect trees that have significant historical meaning. Trees that have a history are protected so that they can tell the story of the town or area they have stood at for years. Some trees have stood for hundreds of years, and are a sight to behold when taking in their mass and height. The ordinances and laws will protect the trees from being altered or removed. There are different reasons a tree can have historical meaning. Perhaps an epic battle was fought before it or it was planted to mark some significant time. Unfortunately several trees are significant because they were used to hang people in that town. Called the hanging tree of whatever town they were in there are hundreds across the nation.

The Lone Cyprus at Pebble Beach. For more awesome picture of this scene, please visit http://www.flickriver.com/photos/mellard/tags/lonecypress/

In California along the 17-Mile Drive which is a scenic route on through to Pebble Beach there is The Lone Cypress. It is a tree that stands alone and is protected along the way. The Circus Trees are located in California and are shaped into art. Sometimes trees can be significant because they are art whether they still stand because they were the subject of a famous painting or actually the art itself. An example of that is Basket Tree which was planted strategically to make six sycamore trees wrap around one another. Laws have been put into place to protect these trees and there are severe consequences for defacing one of these trees. There are several forests that are protected from being cut down in America because of their significance and importance in the forming of America. There are also individual trees throughout the nation that have historical significance to a certain town that are protected by their own laws.

The biggest tree (diameter) in the world. For more info:
http://www.touropia.com/famous-trees-in-the-world/

Significant and historical trees are not just well known in the United States, there are several notable trees worldwide worth mentioning. The Major Oak is in Nottinghamshire, England and is said to be the home of Robin Hood and his men in Sherwood Forest. Around eight hundred years old it is one of the untouchables. Caesarsboom is a Bacatta tree in Lo, Belgium which is said to have Julius Caesar's horse attached to it when he conquered Belgium. In Asia the Cedars Of Lebanon are special because they were mentioned in the Bible on several occasions. The Ginkgo tree is a thousand years old and located at Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine in Asia. The Tree of Life is in Bahrain and is the only green growing thing in the middle of the desert. The people who live there believe that it was where the Garden of Eden. Since it is five hundred years old the logical explanation is that its long roots have found a source of water. There are hundreds of other historically significant trees in the world that need to be protected as well.  

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Hello folks, sorry about the lack of posts recently. December is always an extremely busy month for me. In the next week I'll be making a post regarding city tree ordinances and hopefully another before the new year. Hope everyone had a great holiday and here's wishing you all a happy new year!

Get your trees ready for winter!

How to Prepare Outdoor Trees and Shrubs for the Winter

When the winter months approach we never think twice about our trees in the yard. We just naturally assume that they will weather the harsh elements of winter with ease but this isn’t really true. The weather, salt, and other factors can damage our trees and shrubs. Here’s how you can protect them so they make it through the winter in one piece and suffer minimal damage.

Why Trees Need Protection

Colder weather presents many problems for the trees and shrubs in our yards. They can suffer damage from the cold and winds of the longer, harsher months. Snow and ice can break tender limbs and leave the trees in bad shape. Any trees that are susceptible to cold weather should be wrapped. They will stay warmer this way and they won’t get the snow and ice on them that damages smaller branches. Salt from de-icing can also be problematic for your trees and shrubs.

Wrap Trees

Tree wraps can help your younger trees survive the harsh elements. Mulch around the base of the tree can also help your trees during the harsher months of the year. Add this once the ground is frozen. Shredded bark, leaves, and pine needles are good choices.

Tree wrap can be used on thin barked trees and burlap can act as a windscreen around the tree to protect form sun damage and winds. Smaller limbs can be wrapped together so the ice and snow doesn’t break them. Many trees, such as upright evergreens, birch and other deciduous trees are prone to breakage form ice and snow conditions. Remove these wraps in the spring and allow the trees to grow again. Use repellants around the trees for rabbits, deer, and moles as they will be looking for food in the winter months.

Trees by Roads

It’s not a good idea to plant trees and shrubs near roads that are heavily used in the winter as the salt from trucks can get onto the trees. If you do have trees near the road make sure these are wrapped well in the winter to keep the salt off of them as much as possible. Wash the sidewalks and the trees to remove the salt. Building a fence if possible is another idea to keep some of the salt sprays off of the trees. Salt tends to accumulate on lower branches so clean these as much as possible.

Fertilizer

After the first frost you might want to apply some fertilizer to the trees as they will absorb these nutrients and thus cаn help them weather through the winter months. Using fertilizer can also help the trees get a head start on growth in the spring. Make sure you use the right fertilizers by consulting with your local garden center.

Different Trees

If you live in harsh climates and tree damage is a problem in the winter then you might want to try growing trees that can withstand the harsher weather a bit more. The more you protect the trees you have the easier they will be able to weather the changes in temperature.

More on Christmas trees!

How to Keep a Live Christmas Tree Healthy pt 2

source: http://is.gd/IpzAuu

If you are like many people you like to have a real, live, Christmas tree during the holidays. Many people get frustrated that their tree doesn't last very long. Here are some tips that will keep your tree healthy for a longer period of time and how you can also keep the tree safe during the holiday season.

Buy a Fresh Tree

When you buy your Christmas tree, try to get a tree that has been recently cut so it’s as fresh as possible. Ask at the garden center or other place you buy your tree from about the condition of the tree. If you buy an older tree it will dry out quickly and you won’t get as much use out of it. Look at the needles on the tree before you buy and avoid trees that have a lot of brown spots as this indicates an older tree. Get the tree as green and as fresh as possible.

Water Often

Make sure the stand on your tree never gets dry. You’ll need to provide your tree with plenty of water which will help it from drying out. If needles are falling frequently this is an indication that the tree is too dry. The tree stand should hold at least one gallon of water for best results. Make sure you recut the tree about an inch above its base which will help it to absorb the water properly.

Avoid Overloading

Don’t overload the branches in ornaments as this can make the tree unstable. You want to be sure that you avoid putting ornaments on the weaker branches or just put on very light ornaments. Don’t put a heavy angel on the top of the tree unless the tree tip is very strong or it will break.

Avoid Lights That Get Hot

Most lights today don’t get hot but if you have some older ones these will still heat up quite a bit. LED lights are perfect for a live Christmas tree and you should use these. Make sure candies aren’t anywhere near the tree and don’t put any on the tree. Never use traditional real candles on your tree as this is just not safe at all.

Keep Away From All Flame Sources

Don’t put the tree near any heaters or by the fireplace. Even one stray speak that occurs when you move the logs around can ignite the tree. Make sure the tree is away for all heat sources. It’s a good idea to have a fire extinguisher nearby just in case you run into problems.

Keep Pets and Children Away

Make sure your children understand that the Christmas tree is not a toy and they can’t play around or near it. If you have pets make sure they are kept away from the tree at all times. You can use a gate if you wish.

Enjoy your Tree

You can enjoy your real live Christmas tree if you are cautious with it in your home and take steps to protect the tree and take steps to reduce the fire hazard.

How to care for your Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree Guide

Up here in Ohio it's starting to freeze. Matter of fact, it feels like it's freezing in my house right now. You know what that means. It's almost Christmas time! Many of you will decorate with a nice big beautiful Christmas Tree. So for those of you that prefer live trees, this is a short guide I put together to help you decide which one is best, how to get it home, and how to keep it green all winter long.

A – Obviously you're going to need to clear a space for it. So do that first. Tip: don't ever put a real tree near a source of heat. Especially a fireplace. You'd be surprised how many people think it's preferable and lose their home because of it.

B – Getting a healthy tree could make all the difference in how good it's going to look. So when you're out shopping for your Christmas tree, follow these guidelines for picking the right one:

• Make sure you measured right and you buy the right size. This may sound redundant but if you get it home and have to cut the lower branches off or hack the top off, it might look a little... diseased.

• Look for signs of unhealthiness in the tree. If it's got a lot of brown on it, try shaking it a bit or dropping it about one foot onto the stump and knock all of the dead needles off. This will also keep the needles from falling off at home and making a mess. Many tree farms have a “shaker” that does this for you, if you'd like. Don't be too concerned about a tree looking bare on the inside, this is normal.

Putting your tree in its stand

A When you choose your tree and get it home, the first thing you're going to want to do is cut about an inch off of the trunk. That will give you a nice fresh piece of wood that will take up water better as it's not dried out and dirty. If you don't have a saw available, you may want to ask the tree service where you bought it to do this for you. Do not cut it into a V or at an angle, this does not actually help the tree get more water, and it will also prevent you from getting it in the stand level. It is also untrue that drilling a hole in the base helps it take up water. Please avoid these wives-tales.

When putting the tree into the stand, there are a few things that you should do that you've probably never heard.

• Try to use the correct size of stand if possible. The better suited it is for your tree, the better the tree will fit, stay healthy, and stay green. A big mistake commonly made is scraping the bark off to make it fit in a stand that's too small. This is obviously not going to help the tree stay alive. Quite the opposite, actually. The outer layers of a trees bark are the most productive at water uptake. So they need to stay intact.

• Any fresh cut tree will still be taking up water after it has has been cut down. The common formula is each tree will take up about one liter of water a day per inch of trunk diameter. Keeping it watered is more important than you might think. If you let it run completely out of water, it could instantly change the amount of water the tree will actually take up. So keeping enough in the stand at all times is a must. Always use COLD water, and don't bother using chemicals. It's more hazardous than it's worth.

I will be making another post this week that will give you necessary information on how to make sure the tree is safe enough to keep in the house. 

From our friends at www.fairyinagarden.com

Bonsai trees are perfect for Fairy Gardens

We all know the tales about fairies, don’t we? If you find one, it will fulfill you three wishes. Wouldn’t this be amazing? What would your wishes be? I would go for health, a ton of money and the love of my life. So how can we find these magical creatures? We could run around in the woods for years and hope to stumble upon one, but trust me, there is a better way! Fairy Gardening is the keyword!

Fairy Gardens are miniature Gardens designed to lure fairies inside and provide a nice home for them. If you got a Fairy in your garden, there is no need to search the forests for one any longer. But how do we build a Fairy Garden which is suitable for a tiny fairy? In the middle of every Fairy Garden, there should be a house for their Fairy to live in. Fairies love plants and trees, but what trees would fit into a miniature garden? Bonsai trees are tiny by nature and their look is perfect for a fairy garden as well. These trees are the perfect size for a fairy. During the summer, they can look for shadow below the trees leafs and relax. If the fairy had a hard day full of work, it can place a hammock between the bonsai trees branches and grab a nice book. It is also possible to build a tree house with the bonsai tree, so the ethereal fairy can get a better view and spot harmful animals like cats, before they get access to the garden. This way they can seek protection inside of their fairy garden house! If you are interested in Fairy Gardening, check out http://www.fairyinagarden.weeby.com

How to mulch like a pro!

How To Use Mulch

Do not. Ever. Use this much mulch.

Many people don’t understand how mulch can impact the health of your garden. Mulch is important to the health of your plants as it helps to retain the moisture in the soil and cut down on the amount of weeds you have around your plants.

How Much Mulch Should You Use?

To determine how much mulch you need take the length and width of your garden and then multiply this by the height of the mulch which is going to be about 3 inches. This will give you the total cubic feet that you need for your mulch. Since mulch is sold by the bag you need to divide the total cubic feet by the number of the cubic feet of mulch ion the bag.

• If the mulch is sold by the yard you’ll divide the total cubic feet by 27 since there are 27 cubic feet to one cubic yard.

There are online calculators you can use to help you figure out the amount you need and even calculators for your mobile devices. Use these if you can’t figure out the exact amount to sue or ask at your local garden center.

Spreading Your Mulch

Try to spread around three inches of mulch on the ground. As you do this a few times the mulch will build up so if you already have a lot of it on the ground use about 1 inch of new mulch. You can also remove the old mulch if you want and start again with fresh. If there’s too much mulch on the ground this can trap too much moisture and rot can set in as not enough water will reach the roots of the plants. Don’t pile the mulch near trunks of trees or shrubs as this can cause insect, fungus and rot problems. You should spread the mulch by hand as you can control how it looks. A shovel can help you move mulch from a wheelbarrow to the garden area.

Benefits of Mulch

• Mulch inhibits the growth of weed
• Helps keep moisture in the soil so plants don’t dry out as quickly
• Helps prevent fluctuations in the soil temperature
• Protects roots from the cold in areas where frost cаn be a problem
• Keeps roots cool in hotter areas
• Can provide some nutrition to plants as mulch breaks down

Mulch Dangers

• Rubber or tire mulch can damage the soil by leeching chemicals into it
• Cocoa mulch can be dangerous to pets, especially dogs
• Too much mulch can damage trees and plants. Rot can set in as well as diseases
• Mulch can present a fire danger if it dries out too much in hot sun

What Mulch Not To Use

• Wood – Some wood mulch can contain chemicals and dyes
• Rubber or Tire Mulch – This mulch can contaminate the soil with chemicals
• Decaying Leaves – Perfect breeding ground for weeds and seeds can germinate creating more weeds

Ask Your Local Garden Center

Your local garden enter can provide more information on mulch. This is a great way to take care of your plants.

Fun with Leaves!

Fun with Leaves!

I know what you're thinking. "Well, I got all these leaves in the yard and don't know what to do with um!" Well let's take a break from the technicalities of tree care to have some fun. Here's some things you can do with your leaves.

1. Make a scarecrow. It's a classic. Get a flannel shirt, some blue jeans, and if you're feeling extra creative, a straw hat. Next, stuff them all full of leaves and shove a long stick through its back and some shorter ones through the arms. That's pretty much all there is to it.

2a (city limits version) Spend all day raking them into a huge pile, then throw your kids in there. Everyone wins.

2b (country version) Spend all day raking them into a huge pile, then set it on fire. (DON'T THROW YOUR KIDS IN THERE!)

3 Girls are crazy about artsy, nature-y stuff, so why not be an awesome husband and do some easy projects to make your lady think you have an artsy side too? For example, you could press the leaves in a book. They can be used for all sorts of things. Centerpieces, decoration, notepaper, picture frame, you name it.

4 Or you could rake/blow all of your leaves into your neighbors yard and let them deal with it.*


* basic-tree-care.com and its owner and affiliates do not take responsibility for repercussions this option may cause.

Root Rot

Root Rot

Root Rot is exactly what it sounds like. It's what happens when a plant has been over watered to the point that the roots are not getting enough oxygen, causing decay of the roots and most often killing the tree. Once the process starts, there's usually nothing that can be done, which means the only way to beat it is to know how to avoid it. Over watering (especially in an indoor plant) can cause the roots to not get enough oxygen which will choke them off and start the rotting process. This is also a big problem when growing with hydroponics. This is why you should always have an aerator, much like a fish tank.

When mulching trees outdoors, you always need to remember to not put more than 2 inches of mulch on a tree that hasn't developed a strong root system yet. For a tree that is well developed, 3-4 inches is okay.

How to plant a tree

How to plant a tree

You might think planting a tree is pretty self explanatory. Well, for the most part, it is. But there are a few steps you should take to make sure that it's done correctly and to make sure your tree will thrive after planting.

1. Digging

• You will want your hole so that the rootball is 2/3 the size of the hole. (ie: if the rootball is 20 inches wide, make sure your hole is 30) This will give the rootball a nice barrier between it's own soil and the soil it's about to go into. Make sure the hole is deep enough for the rootball PLUS a few inches. This will be explained in the next step.
• Height: you will want the ground level of the hole to match up with the trunk where it flares out and forms roots. An easy way to do this is to measure your rootball, bottom to flare, and lay your shovel across the hole so you can see exactly where the flare needs to be. burying the flare too low can cause all sorts of problems, mostly root rot which can damage the tree, sometimes severely.
• Once the digging is complete, raise the bottom of the hole a few inches in the shape of a mound. This will give the rootball a little pedestal to sit on. The reason this is important is because of watering issues. If you dig a typical hole thats lowest point is in the center, then you drop your tree in the hole, excess water will gather right at that point and could drown the tree. So this mound is meant to create almost a moat-like protection from flooding.
• If you have tough, packed dirt or clay, scoring the sides of the hole with a rake, shovel, or just your hands will help the tree adjust from its current soil to it's new soil. With highly compacted ground, the roots may try to keep growing in the soil it came in because they can't penetrate the ground. This scoring gives them a nice transition into their future dirt.

    2. Prepping the tree

• Depending on the size of the tree, these instructions will tell you what steps you will need to take before planting
• Large trees usually come wrapped in a burlap sack, which is pretty simple to remove. YOU MUST have the hole dug and ready before you unwrap the tree. Exposing roots to sunlight and wind for too long can cause the roots to girdle, dry out, and sometimes die completely. So, the faster you get it in the ground after unwrapping, the better. 
• Small trees can come wrapped, but mostly will come in a pot. Same deal as above, but its easier with smaller trees. most of them you can just tip right out of their pot and put directly into the hole.
• Once the tree is out of its bag/pot, set it immediately into the hole and give it some water. About a gallon for every foot of height.

     3. Planting the tree

• So far we've dug the hole, scored the sides, built up a little pedestal, and set the rootball right in the center of it. Now you need to start packing in the topsoil you dug up. You want to avoid any weeds, turf, or any other object that isn't plain old dirt. When filling the rest of the hole with dirt, try to keep it somewhat loose. Packing it in hard can choke off the tree or make it hard for the roots to extend. After you get the dirt in, give it another good watering. 

     4. Just about done!

• Some things to remember:
• Mulch/compost can benefit your new tree in many ways. The obvious reasons being that it helps keep a more constant moisture level and prevents weed growth. Some not so obvious ones: mulch will also make it unnecessary to weed whack around the tree, which is important because those little knicks you put in the trunk can harm the tree more than you think. The mulch will also help airflow in the ground. without grass or weeds growing, the soil can stay somewhat loose. This will help the tree by allowing more nutrients to stay in the soil around the tree.
• Staking: Newly planted trees DO NOT always need to be staked. Unless you have wind or soil erosion issues, odds are you won't need to stake it. Any more questions about staking, please read my last article

And last but not least, enjoy watching your new tree thrive!

pictures courtesy of:

duaemanus.blogspot.com/2009/04/planting-fruit-trees.html

dnr.state.oh.us/Home/education/howtoplant/tabid/5114/Default.aspx

How to properly stake a tree

How to properly stake a tree

Good work!!

Staking your tree is a good way to balance it after planting. Most of the time, however, it's not necessary for healthy trees. Staking really only needs to be used when the root ball of the tree being planted is too small to be able to support the top growth. If you plant a tree that you carried by yourself, then odds are high that you do not need to stake it.  Too many gardeners stake a tree that does not need staked, and it can actually cause more bad than good.

Staking trees improperly can cause quite a few problems for the tree in the future. When new trees are staked and unable to sway with the wind, it results in a weaker, skinnier trunk. A staked tree will generally grow taller with a more slender trunk and this can make them more susceptible to breakage and damage when they are finally exposed to the full force of the wind. 

The proper use of staking is to keep the tree from moving too much while the roots are being established. The ropes that go around the tree are not supposed to completely immobilize the tree. That just prevents the tree from reacting to the environment. And even at that, this is supposed to be a temporary situation, a year at most. The stakes should come out after the tree is well established. 

If you are not sure whether you need to stake your tree or not, take a look at the size of the root ball compared to the canopy. The root ball should be 1/3 or greater the size of the canopy. If it's smaller than that you may want to stake it. If not, then it will be fine as is.

Thought I'd post some pictures i took of incorrectly staked trees. If your staked tree looks like these, you're doing it wrong.

Bare metal wire directly on the bark? You're doing it wrong.

What happens if you leave it staked too long? This.

This tie is doing absolutely nothing for the trees stability. It's also wearing the bark off the trunk.

I moved these posts away from the tree and the bark was completely scratched off. Not good.

Fall Pruning

It's finally starting to get cold! I don't know about you but I'm under a blanket as I'm writing this. That means that were getting close to Autumn, and that means it's almost time to bust out those shears, clippers, and trimmers.

You can trim anytime you want, but the best times to trim would be in the spring and the fall. The reason for this is that without leaves covering your trees and shrubs, you can deal directly with branches and limbs. This makes it easier to keep everything nice and tidy. Also it gives you the power to basically tell the tree where you want it to grow out and where you want it to let new growth in. Decorative trimming is not hard to do and just takes a little perspective and imagination. If you're looking for a cheap way to make your yard look awesome, trimming up shrubs like arborvitaes, junpiers, boxwoods and birdsnest spruces may be the best option.

How much did this cost? Probably a day of shaping. Worth it.

With the leaves being off the tree, it may also be easier for you to find any diseased or infected limbs and remove them. This works great with many different tree diseases because there are several diseases that reinfect the new leaves the next year. We don't want that. Not after all the work we've done to keep the diseases at bay. Look for discolored or spotted branches and remove them promptly. This may help get rid of an infection the next year or at least give the tree a chance to fight it off.

Now would also be a good time to increase the structural integrity of your trees. Some tips:

•  when you're trimming branches off not to trim them flush with the trunk. You want to leave about an inch of the only branch there. 
• if you want to stake a tree, the fall is the best time to do it because you can get further into the tree, making sure not to break any surrounding branches with the cables
• trimming off braches that grew irregularly, causing the tree to tip or bend can be trimmed off at "v crotches" along the main trunk. 

photos from nexus backgrounds

Tar Spot

Tar Spot

What is it?

Tar Spot is a fungal infection that affects Maple trees. It's found to not cause any real damage to the tree, other than making it an eye-sore.

What does it do?

This fungus, like many others, overwinters on leaves from the previous year. The dead leaves on the ground release spores in the spring of the next year. These spores reinfect the maple tree or other maples nearby.

Do you have it?

This one's pretty easy to diagnose. Look at the leaves from your maple. Do they look like someone splashed tar on them? Like the pictures above? If so, you have tar spot.

How to manage it:

Since tar spot is not a damaging fungus, most cases are just ignored as they will nomally subside on their own. If it is something you cannot stand to look at, then you can call your local tree service company to see how much a fungicidal treatment would cost. The fungicides are the only thing proven to take care of tar spot. But make sure you call in the early spring because this is when the fungicides will be most effective.

Rhizosphaera Needlecast

Rhizosphaera Needlecast

What is it?

Rhizosphaera Needlecast, or Rhizosphaera kalkhoffii, is a fungus that affects spruce trees, most commonly Colorado blue spruce. It usually doesn't kill tree, however it does make them look sick. This is particularly devastating to tree nurseries or Christmas tree farms.

What does it do?

A spruce tree that has no issues will normally keep its needles for around 6 years. When one becomes infected with Rhizosphaera Needlecast, however, it may only hold the infected needles for one year. As with other diseases of conifers, the fungus starts at the bottom of the tree and works its way up. The reason this happens is because the ground under the tree is more susceptible to growing and sheltering diseases than the tree itself. 

It starts off by infecting the new needles in May or June, however it usually will not be noticeable until spring the following year. This is when the needles on the lower branches get a somewhat purplish hue to them (see above picture), then die off and start dropping. The spring rain then splashes the infection onto healthy needles, which restarts the cycle. This can sometimes kill the lower branches of the tree.

Do you have it?

Your first hint at a Rhizosphaera Needlecast infection will be when you see needles that appear to be purple when the sun hits them. The best way to find out for sure if your trees have it is to look at the infected needles under a magnifying glass. If they have hairy looking black spots on them, then there's a pretty good chance you found your disease. These black spots are actually the breeding grounds of the fungus, waiting for the rain to take them somewhere else on the tree. Here's what it will look like:

Photo credit: ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3059.html

How to manage it:

As always, the best form of control is to know the disease before you buy a tree that might have it. If it's already in your yard, you're going to have to do a little more than that.

• If you have several spruce in your yard and only one of them is infected, make sure that you trim that tree last. The disease can be transmitted to the healthy trees just from the clippers. If you must trim your infected tree, be sure to trim that one last. Afterwards, sterilize your tools in a bucket of denatured alcohol for about 5 minutes.
• Try to keep the tree as healthy as possible. This includes vertical mulching, irrigation and aeration.
• Chemical: Since  Rhizosphaera Needlecast is a fungus, an applied fungicide could do wonders for your tree. Brands such as Daconil 2787 and Bravo might just do the trick for you. If you are goping to do it yourself, make sure to read all of the warnings and instructions. 
• Or you could always call your local tree care specialists.

Fire Blight

Fire Blight

Signs of Fire Blight on a Pear tree.

What is it?

Fire Blight is a disease that usually attacks Apples and Pears. It's caused by a bacteria that survives the winters in branch and trunk cankers(1). Once springtime rolls around, the bacteria begins multiplying once the temperature is above 65 degrees.

Infected trunk of an Apple tree

Do you have it?

You can sometimes see the white, liquid bacteria oozing out of cankers on the tree. It is called Fire Blight because of the symptoms it causes. It will look like the leaves, flowers, and small twigs have been scorched away. You'll usually notice the symptoms rather early in the year.

What does it do?

The infection starts in tip shoot tips and moves downward all the way to the trunk. The leaves will start turning brown or black, depending on the type of tree it is. (apples and crab apples usually turn brown, pear trees look black.) The disease will also infect fruit. This next picture is an apple infected with fire blight.

That's bacteria seeping out of it... gross.

The areas most commonly affected are the open flowers in the spring. It sometimes stays local to a certain part of the tree, but sometimes will spread to other areas. It can kill susceptible trees and even if it doesn't kill it, it can severely disfigure it. Once the tree has fire blight, it stays forever.

How to manage it:

Fire Blight can be avoided by planting certain types of trees that aren't affected by it. For example, if you want to plant a pear tree, you would want to avoid Asian and Red pears as they are the most susceptible.

If you've already got the trees then there are some tips to preventing the infection from spreading.

• Do not use excess nitrogen fertilization
• Do not prune if you can help it
• The tree should not be irrigated during the bloom cycle
• If you see an area that is showing symptoms of blight, remove and destroy it immediately
• With no cure known yet, the recommended spray to help would be a Copper blossom spray. It stops new infections, but it's detrimental that you cut the old infections out as best as you can.
• These sprays should be applied the entire time the tree is in the blossom stage, and should be applied when the temperature is above 60 degrees. Do this every 4 to 5 days until the bloom is over. This could mean as many as 12 treatments in one year.
• When trimming out infected areas, make SURE you clean your clippers after every snip. A bucket with 10% bleach in it will be fine.
• The best times to trim is in the summer and winter. During these seasons the infection has stopped reproducing and is dormant, thus making it easier to find the infection and destroy it.

(1) A canker on a tree is a small or large portion of dead bark that was killed during the previous years' infection.

Scab Disease

Scab Disease

Thanks to SPSnet

We've covered a lot of bugs in this blog, now let's tackle diseases.

What is it?

Scab disease is a fungal infection that harms and sometimes kills many fruit trees. Among the most susceptible are apple trees and crabapples. The main cause of this disease is a wet, cool spring. The fungus could come from surrounding trees or from a previously unknown infection on the tree the year before.

Little early to look this bare, eh?

What does it do?

The way it spreads: The fungus is intoduced to the plant by spores coming off of leaves on the ground from the previous year. The rain releases the spores which may end up on the living leaves of the tree. Once it gets on the leaves, it penetrates through to the susceptible tissue under a film of water. Then the fungus makes a different kind of spore and spreads to the rest of the tree, causing several health issues including:

• Dark areas on the leaves which can be purple, black or green and sooty or risen on the leaf itself
• Heavily damaged shoots will start dying back
• leaves turning yellow, often resulting in premature leaf-drop
• Budding hampered, sometimes the buds will turn black and hang on, even though they're dead
• "scabbing" on the fruit itself, making the fruit look rotten, cracked, or just plain inedible

Scabbing on the leaves of an Apple tree. 

This disease can make your trees look horrible. It changes the color of the leaves, makes them wilt, and often makes the leaves drop far before they are supposed to. It will ruin the fruit or make it drop before it's ripe. Not to mention, it's just unsightly to see a wilted, brown and purple, half covered tree.

How to manage it:

• The best way to deal with Scab Disease is, of course, to not have to deal with it at all. If possible, buy varieties of trees that are resistant to Scab disease. If you already have the trees, read on...
• To slow it down you can make sure that when the leaves drop, you get them cleaned up and destroyed as soon as possible. The dead leaves are what infects the new leaves the following year, so making sure they're gone will lower the risk of high infection. 
• The best approach is to hire a local tree care service to spray the trees with a fungicidal spray twice in the spring. This kills off the fungus and also may help keep other bugs from attacking the tree. These applications on average are one of the cheaper ones to get. 

Pictures thanks to: majestictreecare.com/Majestic_main/WebLinks/services.html

Gypsy Moth

Gypsy Moth

What is it?

The Gypsy Moth is another species of pest that was brought to the U.S. by accident. Since it's introduction, it has devastated much of the eastern states and caused roughly $868 million in damages. Starting as an egg being laid anywhere with protection during late fall, they hatch in the spring.

The larvae stage

What does it do?

During the first three stages of it's life (seperated by molting and growing in size), the larvae feed on the leaves of their host tree. In the first stage, they take tiny bites out of the leaves, just as much as they need. In the second and third stages they eat the leaves, from the edges to the center. This is the time that they are most damaging to hardwood trees, especially Oak trees. You usually won't see them active during the day unless the infestation is very dense. On minor cases, they feed on the top of the tree at night and rest during the day. If there is a large amount of them infecting the tree, you may see them active all hours of the day. In early to mid June they start building a cocoon. Usually these are located in bark flaps, under branches, basically anywhere providing good protection. When they emerge 7-14 days later, they are fully matured adults. They have now become the moths that we all know and hate. The males emerge first, and fly around look for a mate. The females (in most species) are flightless. Once the females emerge, they emit a pheromone to attract the males. After reproduction, they both die. And so the cycle repeats.

Adult male Gypsy Moth

Adult female Gypsy Moth

How to manage it:

You're best bets are killing the egg masses that you find on the trees or in some cases, anywhere else that provides protection. Destroying one egg mass can kill up to 1000 potential caterpillars. But there are actually a few ways to get these guys:

                                               

Hire an exterminator. Usually your local tree care professionals know how to deal with them and when.

Buy a gypsy moth trap. They can be pricey, but the may be worth it. 

Short on money? Luckily there's a few homemade tricks you can do to help:

Wrap duct tape around the tree at chest height, then smear "tanglefoot" on the duct tape. The caterpillars can try to cross it, but they wont get far before they get stuck.

Wrap some burlap around the tree and spray it with insecticides. As they cross it, it will soak into their bloodstream and kill them.

Using burlap again, wrap it around the trunk and flip the top half down, creating a barrier for them to rest during the days. Each day, go lift the flap and kill whats under it. This is the cheapest method, and works decently well.

Big thanks to http://www.gypsymothalert.com/control.html for the pictures and methods of removal!

Aphids

Aphids are some of the most destructive pests in your average landscape. Since they have spread worldwide, it's possible that you might have them in your garden. In this post I'll help you figure out if you have them, and I'll tell you how to kill 'um.

The Aphid (pictured above) usually only feed on a specific type of plant, depending on the species. There are some species, however, that will eat hundreds of different kind of plants. Without being an expert on them, odds are that you won't know what species is attacking your growth. Aphids feed on sap. Sap, although appearing to be a slow moving liquid, is actually under high pressure which after being punctured by the aphid forces it into the bugs food canal. If the feeding itself doesn't stress the plant, the virus's that they introduce in the process sometimes will. To get to the sap, Aphids have long, sharp mouthparts that allow them to pierce the soft parts of the plants. Below is a picture of an aphid feeding on a plant, showing the mandibles piercing a stem.

Aphids are most damaging between 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit. This would be the best time to see if you've got them on your plants.

KEEP IN MIND: A small level of Aphids on your plants is actually normal, as this pest is very widespread. It's when there is a mass of them causing damage that the plant can't keep up with that you need to take action to have them removed. 

How to tell if you have a damaging level of aphids:

• Curled, yellow, or distorted leaves
• gall spots
• Stunted shoots
• honeydew on leaves (a fluid produced by the aphid)
• when looking for the aphids themselves, look on the underside of the leaves or inside curled leaves

Now, how to get rid of them:

Biological controls include parasitic wasps that mummify aphids after laying eggs inside of them. If you see this happening, there's a good chance the aphid population will be decreasing in the next few weeks. Another natural predator is the common ladybug. They feed on the bugs while the bugs are feeding on the plants. This is good because it interrupts big outbreaks.

Mostly, the best option for control is insecticides. There are several brands available to take care of Aphids, but they are sometimes specific about the type of plant it can be used on. Make sure you read the label. Or you could always call your local tree care company and have them take care of it!

Emerald Ash Borer

The Emerald Ash Borer is a BIG problem in the Northeast region of the United States, and the problem is getting bigger daily. These pests attack all species of Ash trees here in the US. Fortunately, they only attack Ash trees, and nothing else. They are believed to have come from China, Russia, Japan or Korea. They have only been around in the US since 2002. Since then they have spread to Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Quebec and Ontario. Efforts to keep them contained thus far have failed. However, there are ways to combat the EAB.

Here's a quick video about what's being done to help slow down the spread of EAB:

Is your Ash tree dying? Here's how to tell if it's the EAB. As you can see in the picture above, the bug is very easily identified. It is almost fluorescent in color, and glints in the sunlight, making it somewhat easy to spot when on leaves. The problem, however, is that it bores into the trunk of the tree, eating away at the inside. The bug destroys the layers under the bark that transport water and nutrients, which makes the tree start thinning from that point up. In most cases, the top of the tree starts to thin out first, working its way down. This can happen as fast as half a tree in one year, and within two years it can completely kill the tree. When the tree can no longer handle the stress of trying to keep the top alive, it often starts pushing out new branches on the trunk. This is a good indication that there is an infection. Another sign that you've got an EAB problem is seeing "D" shaped exit holes in the bark of the tree.

What to do if you have an EAB infection:

Unfortunately, treatment for this issue is very limited due to it's somewhat sudden impact. All agencies involved in treatment recommend certain insecticides, however they are mostly only available to tree care professionals. You're best, and seemingly only, option for treatment is to call your local tree care company for an assessment and estimate. It can be pricey to save these trees, but without treatment the tree will die. Once the EAB starts a colony in the tree it's only a matter of time before it's chewed inside out.  

Source: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/14/ash_borer_found/

Pine Needle Scale

Pine needle scale is a very common pest found in the US. It affects mostly Scotch and Mugo pines, but it may also attack firs, red and Austrian pines, and spruce trees. When looking at a mugo infected with scale, it looks like it has a light layer of snow on the needles. When you look closer, however, you'll see that the white specks on the shrub are actually shells, casing the scale inside.

Source: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/hortanswers/detailproblem.cfm?PathogenID=74

The scale starts off its life being hatched out of the mothers old shell around mid May. The first stage of their lives, they are flat nymphs that are known as crawlers. After hatching, they move to a suitable part of the same tree to hunker down and make their own shell. Some or them may fall off the tree or be taken by wind to another tree, which is usually how the infection spreads.  After finding a needle to call home, they create their own shell and molt inside of it, allowing them to grow for up to three weeks. At this point, the males emerge from their shell as a winged adult, and the females, after mating, lay as much as 40 eggs under their shell. Depending on where you live, they work two hatching seasons into a year. One in mid-May and one in late July. This can make containment difficult.

This picture shows the hard white shells of the adult scale, as well as the new-born nymphs, which apear here as small red dots. Source: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/pine_needle_scale_crawlers_should_be_hatching/

As far as treating scale goes, most effective controls have been systemic insecticides. They should be sprayed in June and in August, right as the newborn nymphs are trying to settle in, before creating their shells. Also effective horticultural oil sprays. Dormant oil sprays have proven for the most part ineffective. If you plan on trying these methods, contact your local pesticide dealer and ask for more information.

Evergreen Bagworm

The Evergreen Bagworm is a pest found in almost all of the US, as far west as Nebraska, North to New England, and South to the Gulf of Mexico. Although it's called the Evergreen Bagworm, it doesn't necessarily attack only evergreens. It attacks cypress, pine, juniper, spruce, locust, birch, black locust, apple, oak, willow, sycamore, poplar, maple, and several other species of plants and trees. Red Cedar and Arborvitae are their favorite food, and are attacked most often. In my career I've seen them on just about everything, from a metal stop sign to a plastic eves trough. They can wiggle themselves anywhere, but they only feed on plant material.

They start life out as a black larva, growing brown and tan as they mature. Inside the mothers empty sac from the previous season, up to 1000 eggs can be hatched. They hatch between early April and June, depending on the weather and the temperatures. When they hatch, they drop down from the mothers sac on a small piece of silk string, which usually gets caught by the wind, carrying the larvae to their host tree. Once they reach their new host, they immediately start forming their own case to live in, feeding off the tree and using its leaves to build its sac. It wraps its' silk around the branches of the tree, sometimes so tightly that it can hurt the tree just from the squeeze.

These are some pictures of bagworms that I found just today. They were on an arborvitae.

Adult males come out of their sac around late August, and look like a black moth with a 1 inch wingspan. The females, however, never leave their sac. They die in it, surrounded by the eggs that will be hatched in the next season.

The sac that you may see hanging off of your trees is made of silk, fecal matter, and pieces of the tree that the Bagworm is latched onto. Often times that sac is hard to spot to the untrained eye. Especially on spruces, they look just like pine cones and blend in very well. The camouflage tactics that the Bagworm uses is very effective in keeping away predators.





Ways to stop Bagworms from destroying your trees: 
If you find that you have bagworms, one of the simple solutions is to simply pull them off the braches you find them on. It's best to do this right before spring, as the female is already dead and the eggs haven't hatched yet. Make sure to throw them away in a sealed container, so that the hatching eggs have nowhere to go. Another option: fire. Burn the sacs as you pick them off.

The chemical solution is insecticides, and they should be sprayed mid to late June. Bagworm feeding slows in August, which means insecticides won't be as effective during late summer/fall. Make sure to cover the entire tree with the insecticides because you usually will not be able to see all of them. New larva are very small and hard to spot.

Spidermites

A spidermite is a little, tiny bug in the arachnid family that is a massive pain to a lot of homeowners. These pests are capable of attacking just about any kind of plant material, from your spruces outside to your flowers inside. I was googling more information on them, and found out that it's a huge problem for people who have indoor grow rooms as well (shame, shame). Let's get the facts about spidermites:

• There are thousands of different species of spidermites, so diagnosing them is tricky.
• They are almost impossible to see with the unaided eye, making it trickier.
• They can be brown, yellow, red or green depending on the species and the season.
• They're certainly not easy to get rid of, but we're going to try to anyways.

 Southern Red Mite

Two-spotted mite

Source for pics: http://spidermite.info/

HOW TO SPOT SPIDERMITES: 

When you look at the underside of the leaves of your plant, you might see tiny, light colored flecks that almost look like dandruff on the plant. This is a good indication that you've got an early infestation. Granted, the type of plant will likely show different symptoms. Some examples, spidermites on an alberta spruce will look something like this:

While the same damage on an arborvitae will look like the botton leaf in this picture:

 And on a boxwood:

Pictures courtesy of http://woodypests.cas.psu.edu/FactSheets/InsectFactSheets/html/Spruce_Spider_Mite.html

The most noticable damage that I deal with in my day to day at work is the damage they do to spruces. They basically eat the tree from the inside out:

Source: http://treegreen.co/Pages/spider-mite.aspx

When spidermites start to injure any of these plants, the leaves/needles start turning a gold, gray, or bronze color. This makes matters worse because the changing color of the plant means it will be absorbing a different amount of sunlight than usual, most times scorching them and causing early leaf/needle drop.

There are a few ways to get rid of these pests, preferred tactics include:

 Chemical: if you are in or near any decent sized city, there is likely a tree company that can take care of this for you. If you're a DIY'r like myself, you can try using a horticultural oil or an insecticidal soap to trap them and their eggs, killing them off. As with any kind of chemical, make sure you read the labels. Also beware, some of these hoticultural oils can take the blue color out of a few species of spruces. Not a big deal, but something to think about.

The bully method (or mechanical, hehe): push um around! If your 5 foot spruce is covered in spidermites and you don't want them there, then do the logical thing. Grab a hose, put it on jet, and blast them out of the tree. While this does NOT kill a lot of them, it does give the predators in the grass more of a chance to catch them, giving your tree a brief respite. This method, if being used alone, should be done 2-3 times a week. Every time they set up camp, destroy it. 

Biological: Every creature on the planet is prey to another creature. Spidermites are no different. Their natural enemies are ladybugs, pirate bugs, other kinds of mites, and dusty wings. Unfortunately, by the time these predators start breeding and getting ready to take out the spidermites, the spidermites have already been breeding for a month or so. Therefor, it's not a very effective means of control to release more predators into your yard hoping for drastic effects.

Something else to remember, spidermites thrive on trees that are under stress from heat or drought. Easy way to fix that, though, just read my article about keeping your trees from heat stress: When/Why/How to Water!