carpenter ants

QuestionI have a very old apple tree that has been home to a colony of carpenter ants for a few years. Part of the trunk is now dead and I would like to save the tree from further inside damage. Is there a good way

QUESTION CHINESE SUMAC TREES

QuestionJim Hi, I need you help, are you familar with Chinese Sumac trees. I would like to plant some of these. Do you happen to know if these grow on long Island in the wild, I would like to propagate s

Birch bark skins

QuestionHello Jim, Im considering buying Birch bark skins from a lumber yard in northern New England, and was curious about the safety of the process for the trees - in what instances are they harmed? Are there case

Honey locus tree

QuestionWe have many thorny honey locus trees that we are removing from our property due to the thorns. I found one that I can not find any thorns on that I hope to keep. Can this seemingly thornless tree produce ne

How to get rid of Weeping Willow borers

QuestionBorer QUESTION: I have two weeping willow, one is dead and will be cut down, once the borers started multiplying this tree was dead in 5-6 weeks. The second WW is 75 away is starting to suffer the s

Maple trees dying of damaged barks

Question Damaged Bark Damaged Bark I have 10 maples with long pieces of barks broken after last severe winter. Leaves become red and yellow. The broken barks is approprivately 5 feet by 3 i

Maple Tree sunscald

QuestionHo would (or should) I treat a maple that has sunscald? The tree is planted in the southwest. There is on portion of the tree that the bark is beginning to peal. I have read conflicting reports on-line to do

Live Oak Trees in South Florida

QuestionHi I have noticed that my Live Oak trees starting dropping some leaves. Upon inspection, I found worms eating the leaves, especially the new growth. I did some research and found out they are cal

Oak Tree

Question Oak Tree growth Oak Tree growth 2 Could you please identify and explain the growths which are falling from the Oak Tree at the bottom of our garden? The growths are in the same position as you

Oak twig gridler

QuestionWhat can I use to treat this problem? AnswerThere are two insects that cut off twigs of hardwoods: the twig girdler and the twig pruner. Both of these insects belong to a group of beetles known as the long-

Austrian Pine trees

QuestionHello, The town where I reside had planted, at my request 3 Austrian Pine Trees which, just after 4 months, the needles turned brown (they were planted WITH the burlac sack and wire all-around the roots). Wh

leyland cypress

Question leyland cypress leyland cypress I have 8 trees,two of which started truning brown and the needles are falling off,from the bottom up. Now it looks like it is spreading to the other trees. what

Black mold/pollen/ick coming from pin oaks

QuestionWe moved into our house last winter, and when the trees got their leaves back this spring we discovered that they are producing a ton of black ick all over everything. It looks like mold, requires a power wa

Tree spike wounds

QuestionGreetings Jim, Like an earlier questioner (from 2008), we had professional pruners come to mostly trim sucker branches on three 100-year old white oaks, which are thriving; but they used spikes to climb. Ob

Saving a Magnolia tree

Question The canker Inside of canker I am in the Virginia Beach Oceanfront area and have a beautiful magnolia that flowers pink blooms in the spring. I have recently lost two large limbs. I noticed cank

Curly Willow Tree

QuestionI have a small curly willow tree that I have grown from a sprout. I live in the middle piedmont of North Carolina. Can I plant this tree outside and what time of year do I plant? Its about

tree roots

Questioncan I cut roots that r raising in my yard from a ash tree thats 20 years old.... they just started showing up acouple of years ago.... whats the rule of thumb AnswerCutting the roots will cause damage to th

Orange Tree bark issue

Question Orange Tree I live in Florida and have 3 orange trees on different parts of my property. All 3 have developed a greenish blotchy covering on all of the tree bark (trunk and branches). Att

Liquidambar and sucklings

QuestionGood afternoon Jim, I live in Australia and we have 12 Liquidambars along our drive way, they are spectacular. My question: how to best remove sucklings on the lower section of the tree trucks?

red oal acorns

QuestionWe have two mature 20+ yrs old Shumard red oaks. What is the production capacity iif these trees for acorns and how often do they produce acorns? AnswerShumard oak is a red oak. The minimum seed-beari