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November 13, 2011

Tree Fungi Identification Tool –Photo Helper

There are so many different fungi out there. Only some of them affect trees. Some grow on/in trees, but don’t really affect the tree’s health. Some usually don’t affect tree health, but can become pathogenic in the right circumstances. Identifying and understanding all these different fungi is definitely one of the more challenging parts of being an arborist. Over the years, I have run into a number of these fungi and done some homework on them. However, many of these fungi are pretty uncommon so retaining all the details I learn about a fungus I only see once in a while becomes an issue sometimes. To help with the challenges of identifying fungi, I made this Fungus photo identification helper tool. I’ve only recently created it, so there are a lot of fungi that I haven’t yet added to the list. But, it will grow with time as I use it. I hope you find it helpful. Watch this short video to see how it works.

July 4, 2011

Girdling Roots

IMG_00792.jpg Most planted trees in the Austin area are container grown trees. Most container grown trees develop girdling roots. If you’ve planted a tree, there is a good chance this is going to be an issue for your tree. Girdling roots are a serious problem. The end result is the tree literally choking itself. Tree death is the typical result from severely girdling roots. Even if your tree is lucky enough to survive, overall health and vigor will be poor. Behind construction and weed-n-feed damage, this is probably the third most prevalent and serious tree issue I run into out in the field (especially for transplanted trees). The picture to the left shows a typical looking girdling root. Keep in mind these aren’t always visible from surface level. Sometimes you have to dig down to find them.
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February 5, 2011

Leaf Roller Aphids on Live Oaks

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Also known as cigar rollers, leaf roller aphids cause a very peculiar symptom on Oaks. The leaves look as if they have been converted into a poorly rolled cigarette (with only exoskeletons inside instead of tobacco :) ). Typically the damage is done in early spring when the leaves are emerging and the tissue is soft and new. This makes the aphids difficult to diagnose early since most lay people feel everything is normal when the leaves are small in the spring. However, 2 months later, when the leave never (keep reading…)

September 24, 2010

Ganoderma applanatum –Artist’s Conk

Ganoderma.jpg Ganoderma applanatum is called the artists conk because it has a very good surface for painting and carving. This is the end of the list of good qualities for this fungi. For trees, this disease is devastating. (keep reading…)

July 25, 2010

Sick Pecan Trees of 2010

This has been a terrible year for the pecan trees of Austin, TX. Quite a sad story I must say. The drought of 2008-2009 has been said to be the worst 2 year drought period in 60 years. It has taken a toll on the pecan trees for sure. This year we’ve cut down many pecans that didn’t leaf out this spring. Many more did come out with severe die-back.


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July 18, 2010

How to Grow Fruit Trees

Growing healthy fruit trees can be very rewarding. There is nothing more satisfying than eating something you have grown yourself. However, fruit trees can be very frustrating. If you lose your crop, basket-of-peaches.jpg you miss out for the whole year. There are a number of things to consider when growing fruit trees. Here are some good tips to help you along your way.

site conditions

Ideally, You would want about 7-8 hours of direct morning and mid-day sun with some filtered shade in the afternoon on a well drained site with irrigation. It is rare to (keep reading…)

July 11, 2010

Cavity in Your Tree –Internal Decay

Ever wondered how a tree that is hollow on the inside can be alive, or have not fallen when oak_tree_hollow.jpgthe wood is hollow in the middle? Internal decay is a common phenomenon in trees. I wouldn’t call it good, but it is normal (i.e. very common). These cavities are caused by mother nature’s decay fungi. Their job in the grand scheme of things is decompose woody materials back into the soil.

The decay process usually gets started from some large wound. Could have been from a lightening strike, broken limb or even a damaged root underground. Any large wound usually leads to decay. Wounds larger than about 3-4″diameter (can vary depending on tree species and health) take (keep reading…)

April 11, 2010

Check List for a Tree Health Check-Up

Reading a few articles online isn’t going to make you an arborist. But, if you insist on making your own diagnosis here is a good check list of things to look for. My preferred use of this info would be used as your tool for interviewing professionals. Here is a form you can print up. Here we go:
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January 21, 2010

Fall Color on Live Oak Trees? Senescence.

Live Oaks are semi-evergreen;so, why am I writing about fall color on a live oak? Sometimes live oaks will produce fall color. But, usually not in the fall. When it happens it’s in the winter. I was somewhere between Hamilton Pool and Johnson City driving between jobs when I ran across these shining examples.

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January 4, 2010

Tree Struck by Lightning? What a Lightning Strike Really Looks Like.

It’s funny to me what gets “diagnosed”as lightning strikes. It seems to me the average homeowner thinks the only two afflictions known to trees are oak wilt and lightning. Hopefully, this simple post The tell tale sign of lightening is a wound that extends the entire length of the trunk and goes into the ground.will shed some light for many of you wanting to know if your tree was struck by lightning, and if so, what you should do about it.

The main thing you need to look for is a narrow wound that stretches the length of the trunk from the upper canopy to the ground. Typically, lightning doesn’t strike the tree half way down the trunk. It hits somewhere out near the tip of the canopy. Then, the charge travels down the trunk of the tree into the ground. In this picture, the strike barely blew-off the outer layer of bark. (keep reading…)

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