Cypress trees are my personal favorite group of conifers. The five cypress trees I’ll discuss here are very different in appearance. I see a lot of amateur gardeners try to identify conifers based on leaf type, but this doesn’t work. It’s the seeds that give them away. There are two genera of the cypress family that do well in central Texas that I’ll be discussing in this article: Cupressus (Arizona, Italian and Leyland) and Taxodium (Bald and Montezuma). The two groups have very different foliage. Cupressus have scale like foliage much like most junipers and Taxodium have (keep reading…)
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category.April 27, 2011
November 7, 2010
City of Westlake Hills Tree Ordinance Information
On February 10, 2010 the City of Westlake Hills adopted a new tree ordinance. You can read the document in its entirety here. But, I’d like to offer you these important items in the ordinance.
- You must have a permit for any tree pruning if you hire a service. If you do the pruning yourself, there are some allowance, but you should contact Christy to keep yourself out of trouble.
- Trees up to 6″diameter can be removed without permit.
- Trees 6″and larger can be (keep reading…)
August 2, 2010
A Tree Climbing View From Above
Every now and then I like to do a fun climb. It really is a relaxing and peaceful thing 
for me to do. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for the average Joe. I have all the right safety equipment and know how to (hopefully) keep from breaking my neck.
February 2, 2010
Critters Getting on Your House Through the Trees?
Racoons, squirrels, rats, you name it. If it can climb, it wants in your house. I frequently get called out to bid a tree trimming jobs where the only goal is to cut the tree back far enough so that wild life can’t use it to get on the roof. Take my recommendation and don’t butcher up your trees in an overzealous attempt to keep everything away from your roof.
For starters, call a wildlife / rodent control service and consult with them. Arborists or tree trimmers are not the best people to talk to about controlling wildlife. I like to refer people to Austin Wildlife Pro.
To keep Raccoons out of your attic you only need a small amount of clearance. Raccoons are somewhat fat and clumsy;you won’t catch them doing many acrobatic tricks. I’ve watched a squirrel with my own two eyes scale a brick wall, so no amount of tree pruning is really going to solve that problem.
October 26, 2009
Building a Patio or Deck Around Trees
Quite opposite of the typical instinctive thought, putting a patio around a tree can be very beneficial to the tree. I will cover the fundamental benefit the tree receives from a patio and discuss the pros and cons of different construction materials / techniques.
(keep reading…)
August 24, 2009
Part 3. How to Apply Treatments to Trees
There are a variety of ways to apply tree fertilizers and other treatments. For the average layperson, applications to a tree can be challenging. High pressure sprayers are readily available at equipment rental stores, so you can do it yourself, but this equipment is not easy to use. Accessing a tree’s root system deep in the soil or reaching the upper boundaries of canopy on a mature tree requires this special equipment.
(keep reading…)
June 11, 2009
Herbicide Damage To a Tree. Weed-n-Feed for Your Lawn is Killing Your Trees.
Herbicide damage is one of the biggest tree killers I run into. Weed-n-feed products are the number one culprits. If you buy a bag of fertilizer from your local do-it-yourself store make sure that the bag does not have weed control mixed in with the fertilizer. Most weed control products will affect boad leaf plants and go unnoticed to grasses. Trees are in the broad leaf plant category.
(keep reading…)
April 15, 2009
Tree Pruning: volume 4, When to Prune Trees
“When is the best time to prune trees?”This is one of the most common questions I get asked. The truth is there aren’t many timing concerns for tree pruning in the Austin area.
(keep reading…)
I'm Keith Brown, owner of Austin Tree Experts. This is my repository of tree knowledge. I hope you find what you are looking for.
