I get asked this question very often. Ball moss is something that we’ve all seen and are all familiar with, but there are still plenty of questions surrounding it and what it does.
Author: Keith Brown
All About Bradford Pears
Bradford pear trees have become a popular addition to the urban landscape. Although the Bradford pear is a hardy tree consistently producing showy flowers in the spring and some fall color, the tree is not without its fair share of problems. The trees have a relatively short life span due to structural integrity issues, they are susceptible to a few disease issues and they can be overbearing on landscapes with limited space.
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.
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Water Your Trees, How Much and When
You should water your trees. Watering your tree can be the best treatment for improving tree health. But, watering improperly will provide zero or negative help to your trees and waste a valuable resource. The complicated part of knowing how much to water is recognizing that different trees have different needs and different planting sites will have different drainage and water holding characteristics. This blog isn’t about learning to be a hydrologist, but here are a few general tips to point you in the right direction for properly hydrating your tree.
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Identifying Oak Wilt: the Challenges and the Solution
A lot of what I have to say here is aimed at the challenges of diagnosing oak wilt. But, be patient, at the end I’ll tell you the best way to get the answer you need. According to research, diagnosis is the main factor that causes problems with management plans (Appel 1994). Let me tell you, my experiences out in the field completely backs up this research. It may seem obvious to you that diagnosis is important, and why would that be causing such a big problem with oak wilt strategies? There are a few interesting points on this subject I’d like to spell out for you.
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Texas tree climbing competition in Austin, May 28-30, 2009
Primitive people or modern monkeys? Come to Go Valle Park in Austin on May 28, 29 and 30 to find out for yourself.
Seriously, the best tree workers from around the state will be gathering to share climbing techniques and see how their skills match up. The winner of this chapter events wins a slew of prizes included a paid trip to the international competition being help in Rhode Island this year.This is one the the biggest events of the year for the Texas chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). The ISA is the organization responsible for certifying arborists.
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Creative tree trimming, the rules don’t always apply.
Creative tree trimming, the rules don’t always apply.
Most guidelines for tree pruning are built around the idea that all trees already have good health/structural-integrity and have good growing conditions. Well, let me tell you this is not normally the case. Many tree trimming calls I go on here in Austin, Texas require creative techniques to help the tree fit inside its urban environment. The main topic I really want to discuss here is tree topping.
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Is my tree sick?
This may seem like a simple question, but it is not. Here’s the “X” factor that makes it hard to know if your tree is sick: trees have energy reserves. This means that when something afflicts your tree, the tree is going to fight a good battle without you ever knowing it. But, there are some subtle signs to look for. Here are the secrets you need to know.
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What to do about a sick tree
Let’s face it. Tree health care isn’t on the same level as your primary care physician. Skipping past the fact that it would be unreasonable to expect technology to be on a similar level, the real issue is that trees’ best interests are usually not the primary consideration in the planning in our shared urban environment. Even still there are some fundamental ideas we can work with to improve any tree’s chances for survival. Proper pruning, applying timely treatments, improving soil environments and regimented monitoring are all tools that arborists have to help fight the fight for our green friends.
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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.
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