black bark on crepe myrtles after infestation with aphids and resulting black sooty mold

QuestionLate last season my 3 crepe mrytles - Tonto reds - became infested with aphids and the foliage darkened by the resulting black sooty mold. The trees were healthy all summer and bloomed beautifully. &nb

Ponderosa Pine yellow tops

QuestionWe have several large ponderosa pine trees that are showing decline at the top of the tree. The needles have yellowed and browned out, what could be the cause of this decline? We live in Northern California.

Magnolia or Bay tree

QuestionWhat is the difference between a Magnolia Tree and a Bay Tree? AnswerThere is always problems when we use common names. Some folks call Magnolias Bay. Example: Magnolia grandifloria is Southern magnol

Valley Oak Decay Column Treatment

QuestionI have a large old Valley Oak that just had the end of a lower branch removed because it appeared dead and was hanging over a home. The cut end revealed a dark cavity that sounds like the decay column descr

root system of oak trees

QuestionDoes an oak tree have a fibrous or tap root system? How deep do the roots usually grow? AnswerIt is generally a rather shallow root system that is composed of many smaller fibrous roots. The root syst

Damaged Magnolia w large

QuestionQUESTION: I bought a house recently in Kentucky with a large healthy magnolia in the front yard (NW exposure). Last week we had a terrible ice storm and I lost several small branches as well as one ver

Crimson King Maple Tree

QuestionI have a 16 year old crimson king maple tree and the bark is coming off near the bottom of the tree mainly on the south side of the tree. Should I be concerned? AnswerSounds like sun scald. Sunscald a

Diseased Tree

QuestionI have a tree in my garden which I think is a cherry blossom tree. It flowers with beautiful pink blossom in April - May. The problem is that its leaves become diseased and get shed by the tree,

Silver Hybrid Maple

Question Silver Hybrid Maple Just this Winter we had a bad Ice storm that split one of our maples. The tree seems to be healthy and I am wondering by the looks of the tree in the picture can I spray some kind of sea

Cherry Laurel doesnt bloom

Question Cherry Laurel Images I purchased a Cherry Laurel 2 years ago that had suffered wind damage at its nursery. It also had rust colored bark and leaves from the local water supply. Its made a recovery in my y

White Spruce pruning

QuestionOk, I read your entry saying that I shouldnt trim off those lower branches of my spruce, but it is too late. I did that a few years ago. So now my spruce is taller than the house (60-75 feet?) an

Sand Cherry

QuestionHi Jim, Im new at this tree/bush planting and have a question regarding our Sandy Cherry bushes. we live on the plains of Colorado but are on a plateau. Almost 7.000 feet up. We planted our sandy cherries a

Gamble Oak Trees

QuestionI have many gamble oak trees that surround my property that produces loads of dropped leaves. I want to compost these leaves instead of bagging them for the landfill. A neighbor says that the lea

Willow tree damage

QuestionMy wife and I planted a young weeping willow tree recently. After returning home from work one day we see that our dog has chewed off he upper half of the tree!!! Is it likely that this tree is going to make

Mulberry pruning

Questionwhen is the best time to prune mulberry trees is march to late my tree is starting to bud and i do not want to kill it and i have four big ones. Madera California AnswerDeciduous trees like mulberry trees a

orange tree weeds

QuestionI was told a orange tree should be weed free from the trunk to the drip line. One nursery said I could use round-up; the other said no. I thought roundup worked from the leaf down; not from the root up. My g

English Oak

QuestionI live in the SF Bay area, about 1/2 mile from the bay. I have a 22 year old English oak in the backyard. While trimming a branch the other day I noticed a branch that the bark had pulled back.

maple tree leaking clear liquid

QuestionWe have a 20+year old healthy maple tree (actually multi-branched sucker from original tree that died 20 years ago) that is leaking clear liquid that looks and feels like water from woodpecker holes. A large

TREE ROT

QuestionI have a large oak tree in my back yard. There are two places where limbs have been removed and it appears rot has set in. What can I put in these holes to stop the rot spreading throughout the t

Planting a Tree

QuestionHello, I recently helped out in planting (4) Chanticleer Callery Pear trees in a nearby cemetery and am not sure we did it right. Specifically, the trees came from the nursery with the tree bulbs wrap