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These Trees Need a House Call
The following questions will need the assistance of a tree expert making an onsite evaluation of your trees. There are many things that could affect the health of trees, and a House Call from a local tree expert will help determine what to do. Please contact one of our tree professionals in your area for an on-site evaluation of your tree troubles. Click here to see if your tree, like these others, might need a house call.
Recent questions and answers:
If the center lead in a Bradford Pear dies but the rest of the tree looks healthy and vibrant.....why did the center lead die. Can we just remove the one dead lead and will the tree be ok?
There are many reasons the central leader in a Bradford pear would die, but likely it could be due to decay. Examine where the leader was attached to the trunk and see if you notice any signs of wood decay or rot. If there is decay where the leader was, the chances that decay is spread through the tree is high. Remove the dead leader.
If the rest of the tree looks ok, apply a 3” layer of wood chips from 6” away from the trunk out past the dripline, if possible. Make sure there is enough, but not too much water available throughout the growing season.
This past Saturday, April 17, 2010, I planted (2) 8ft pin oaks. Last night I noticed the leaves on the lower branches are curling up and look wilted and are turning black/brown on their edges. Are these dying? I have been watering them every evening and was going to add fertilizer tree spikes this weekend.
Hi, Jane. Thanks for your inquiry. There could be many things happening with your tree. Can you send me some good digital pictures of the entire tree, the place where the trunk goes into the ground, the leaves, the place where the branches attach to the trunk, and any of the problem spots? This will help me identify closer what is going on.
Until we know exactly what is causing the problem, bring the irrigation amounts down to once per week for about a half an hour at a time. Do not apply anything plant food or use fertilizers at this time.
I have a weeping willow tree. It looks OK but not too full. What can I feed it to make it look better. We’ve had the tree for about 2 years. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your inquiry. There could be many things happening with your tree. Can you send me some good digital pictures of the entire tree, the place where the trunk goes into the ground, the leaves, the place where the branches attach to the trunk, and any of the problem spots? This will help me identify closer what is going on.
Do not put anything on your tree until we find out what is wrong. Applying the wrong treatment at the wrong time could further injure your tree.
I look forward to your reply.
As you suggested attached are the pics you requested. The white on the ground around the trunk is Lime. My husband in the spring always gives everything in our yard…including the trees…a sprinkle of lime. Is that OK for these trees?
As you can see the tree kinda looks straggly and the top is bare. We live in Vineland , NJ .
Unless there is a definite reason to apply lime (as in your soil test came back indicating a high acid soil) I would recommend stopping that treatment. Willow trees prefer acid soils, and the lime being applied is causing the soil to be more alkaline.
Your tree will not do well in an alkaline soil. You may wish to check your other trees for soil preference as well. Not all trees prefer acid soils, and not all trees prefer alkaline soils. Knowing your trees will go a long ways in getting them to grow healthy.
The best thing you can do for all of your trees is to remove the turf grass from the stem out from the trunk to the dripline. Put down 3” layer of wood chips as mulch to act as a balanced nutrient delivery system. Mulch will help give the tree roots what they need.
The lime might be helping the grass, but it is definitely hurting the trees.
Thank you so much for the e-mail. What exactly can we give our tree to feed it properly and help it flurish they way it should be?
Believe it or not, but mulch and proper irrigation (not too much!) are the best things you can do for your tree. It will have to compete against the billions of grass roots in its vicinity, and to do so it needs its own watering regime and nutrition. Grass is not woody so it can accept more water and fertilizer than trees. Trees are woody, grow a lot slower and will need their own organic nutrition in the form of mulch. Mulch breaks down slowly over time and reintroduces beneficial organisms into the soil (like in the forest where the tree species originated). Treat your trees and grass as separate plants (they are two completely different plant species) and your trees will thrive. J
hOW CAN i SAFELY REMOVE THE GREEN MOLD GROWING ON THE BARK OF MY DOWGOOD TREE?
Hi, Bob. Thanks for your inquiry. If there is green mold on your tree you may have an air circulation or drainage problem that is holding moisture either in the ground or in the air around the tree. Thin out the canopy with a thinning pruning prescription, but do not take more than 15% of the live foliage off the tree.
You might benefit from an onsite examination by a professional tree expert. They could determine if you have a drainage or circulation problem as well as perform the pruning prescription. Find one in your area here: https://secure.tcia.org/Consumer/default.aspx
Good luck with your project! J
I have beautiful flowering trees in my yard. One of them has grown really large and is overshadowing the smaller flowering tree. It seems the smaller one is slowly becoming less and less full. Dose the larger tree need to be pruned back so light can get to the smaller tree?
Hi, Joe. Thanks for the inquiry. Thinning the canopy might indeed help bring more light to the smaller tree. Depending on the size of the larger tree, you might want a professional tree expert to perform a specific pruning prescription on your tree. You can find a qualified tree professional in your area here: https://secure.tcia.org/Consumer/default.aspx
Good luck with your project! J
We have recently purchased a home with a tree in the front yard that has carpenter ants. There are not many trees on the property so I am hoping we can get rid of the ants without removing the tree.
The ants, associated with dead and rott
ing wood, do not eat the wood and do not cause the rot. They will not kill your tree. They just prefer the soft moist rotten wood in which to build their nurseries. Indoors, they seek out areas around plumbing and roof leaks. Out of doors, they seek rotting stumps and roots, decaying trees, and firewood. Carpenter Ants eat dead and living insects, the honey dew emitted by aphids, juices, ripe fruit, sugar and sweets, and scraps of food. Generally, when you see a single ant, it is a scout foraging for food. When he finds food, he will leave a pheromone scent trail back to the nest.
Up to a point, the ants have a positive effect on the environment, in that, as a scavenger, they reprocess or clean up rotting wood. On the other hand, when their tunnels put a strain on the tree’s water conducting capacity and when the tunnels weaken the tree’s structure and the tree becomes a hazard tree, then ants become unwanted pests.
If one is to get rid of the ants, it is essential to destroy both the home and satellite nests. Aside from finding and destroying the nests, one can trim trees back five feet from any building structure to eliminate pathways into the house. One can eliminate stumps, cover and store firewood away from the house and off the ground, and repair roof and plumbing leaks. Proper food storage and sanitation can reduce ants. One should wash areas that have been used by foraging ants in order to get rid of the pheromone scent trail.
Every year there are fewer and fewer chemical products allowed to be used by the non licensed homeowner. A few will be available at the hardware or garden center. Read the directions carefully. Boric acid is one material that is still available, It will kill foraging ants but it will not be carried back to the nest. Liquid formulations are also available such as Deltamethrin, Permethrin, Pyrethrin and Tralomethrin. Aerosol sprays do not give long lasting ant control. Bait cups do not work on carpenter ants because they have such a wide diet. But, if you must, use sugary or honey based bait. If you see large amounts of ants indoors (twelve or more in one day) and you suspect a heavy infestation , call a professional exterminator. They are licensed to use stronger, longer-lasting pesticides not available to the general public.
the Columbia Basin in Washington State where it is a very dry climate and also very windy in the spring. We had several trees planted in the fall when the house was built and have all bloomed and taken off this spring. However, two of the maple trees (sunset and autumn blaze) have started to curl and get crispy at the leaves. The trees have received water from the sprinkler system on a daily basis and have periodic long soakings from the hose. Could we have introduced too much water to the system causing root rot. A moisture meter says that the soils in the root system after no watering for 5 days is between moist and dry? We placed fertilizer stakes in all the tree roots once this spring. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi, Aryn. Thanks for your inquiry. There could be many things affecting the health of your trees. You might be able to find some suggestions here: http://na.fs.fed.us/pubs/uf/tom/090202_tom_hr.pdf
Do not apply any further food supplements or fertilizer to the trees until you can balance out the problem. The tree is either getting too much or not enough water….OR…..type of soil you have is not what the tree prefers to grow in. You would benefit by getting a soil sample to your county extension office for analysis. They can tell you what you would need to amend the soil with in order for your selected tree species to grow better.
he moisture meter sounds like it might not be accurate. Test for soil moisture by probing into the rootball with a steel rod or screwdriver. Dry soil will be harder to penetrate with a rod. Or if you can stick your finger into the rootball, you may be able to assess the moisture level that way, as well.
You would also benefit from an onsite tree examination from a qualified tree expert. Find a tree expert in your area here: https://secure.tcia.org/Consumer/default.aspx
Good luck with your project! J
We live in central Minnesota and planted a linden tree 12 years ago. It is now 12-15 feet. Last year we had rock replaced around the tree in the Spring. During the summer the leaves started to dry up. This year it has small buds and alot of dry branches (twigs) which today we pruned off. We also have lawn service that sprays fertilizer and weed control, could either of these two things effect the tree?
Hi, Norm. Thanks for all the photos. There are a couple of possibilities regarding your tree; either the lindens in your area have yet to bloom, or your particular tree has some root problems. Often, a tree will seem to do well after planting for several years before it shows signs of root trouble. If it was installed with the burlap and root cage still on, or was planted too deeply, these affects may some time to express.
The rocks around the base of the tree might be leaching calcium or lime into the soil and changing the soil pH to a level that is inhospitable to lindens. The rocks will hold heat around the base of the tree, and a thin barked tree might actually get sunscald from the heat refraction. Organic mulch is the recommended covering to place over the root zone to add slow-release nutrients back to the roots.
It is also possible that there is too much water in the root zone (poor soil drainage, too much irrigation).
Not to be such a downer, but you have some corrections to make in the growing site of the tree. First, before you do anything, wait a couple more weeks to see if the tree eventually does leaf out. It might just be a slow year for lindens. J
Second, you will want to contact your county extension office and get directions on how to submit a soil sample for testing. You need to know your soil ph, structure and texture to see if it is the right growing environment for trees. Third, the extension lab will make recommendations on what to do correct the soil problems. You may have to remove the tree and start over if it does not leaf out this year. If you do need to replace the tree, make certain the extension office gives you proper planting instructions so you do not plant the next one to deep.
Do not put any further weed and feed products within 10 feet of the tree. What you are treating your grass with is also probably hurting your tree roots. The soil sample might be able to confirm that.
Good luck with your project! J
I live in Olympia, WA. I have one poplar tree that is about 60 feet tall, and it has a diameter of about 2 feet. I would like to run a clothes line on a set of pulleys that would be attached to a post and the poplar tree. However, I want to be sure to not damage the tree. Would it be okay to fasten a pulley to a strap onto the tree if we were to have a tension adjustment so we could relieve the tension when not in use? Or would even the weight of the pulley and line cause damage to the tree? Can you recommend a way to do this so it would have little, if any adverse effect on the tree? Thanks for your help!
Hi. Thanks for your inquiry. If you have a tension adjustment system on the line around the tree, there shouldn’t be any real harm to the tree. Just make certain not to overload the line (like, don’t air dry your car on the line) and the tree will be ok. J
Check the tension frequently to make certain the tree is not growing over the line. If the tree grows over it, the line will girdle or strangle the tree, and the tree could likely break in a wind and fall.
Good luck with your project!
I live in Minneapolis, MN. We had an early spring and my ash 3 ash trees were leaving nicely. Last night we had a frost and on all of the ash trees the leaves have shriveled up and died. It is much more apparent in the smaller trees that are about 20 feet tall. Is this the effect of the frost and will they re-leave and be OK. Thanks for your help.
Hi. Thanks for your inquiry. It is too soon to say whether or not the weather damage was permanent in your trees. There should be a second flush of leaves that comes back in the next month or so.
You will have to wait and see if the trees will do this on their own. In the meantime, you could help them out by applying a 3” layer of organic mulch from the trunks out to the dripline. Make sure the mulch is not touching the trunks. The mulch will provide a nutrient layer to the root zone that will help bring the trees to a healthy state faster.
You might benefit from an onsite tree examination by a qualified tree professional. Find a tree expert in your area here:
https://secure.tcia.org/Consumer/default.aspx Good luck with your project! :)
two 1" holes through an 16" diameter pine to support a tree house with 3/4" all thread. Will this hurt my tree?
Hi. Thanks for your inquiry. The 1” holes are plenty big. Depending on how close the holes are, i.e., if they are on the same stem, you may have compromised the strength of the tree. If the holes are closer than 12 inches, you will need to keep a good eye open to watch for cracks or any dark decay spots that might generate.
There is nothing you can put in living wood that will help seal up the holes any faster. The best thing you can do is to keep the tree as healthy as possible so it will be able toward off any insects or diseases that may come into the open wounds. Apply a 3” layer of organic wood mulch from the base of the tree out to the drip line,. This will keep the root zone hydrated and nourished, which will help in it’s efforts to maintain health.
Apply irrigation once per week, even if it rains.
You might benefit from an onsite tree examination from a qualified tree professional in order to assess how much, if any, damage was incurred. Find a tree care professional in your area here: https://secure.tcia.org/Consumer/default.aspx
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