High temperatures and long-term drought can have a profound effect on tree roots. Unfortunately, many times we do not learn this until we see the telltale signs of stress. Once stressed, trees are more susceptible to insects and diseases. Depending on how much root loss has occurred, a stressed tree may or may not survive. This tree is showing signs of Flux, which is an indication of stress. Click HERE for more info. It is important to be PROACTIVE to prevent stress in our trees. With a little [...]

      Porcupines are nocturnal, solitary animals that most people are unaware of unless they see the damage they can cause to trees. Porcupines feed on the young bark, leaves and terminal twigs of trees. Damage is usually found high up in the branches of trees but can be found anywhere in the branches and even on the trunk of trees.             Porcupines prefer the inner bark, or phloem, which is more nutritious than the cambium or xylem tissue.            [...]

Establishing trees in the summer comes with its own set of challenges. Trees CAN be established in the summer, but it is necessary to understand the importance of consistent watering. I have always preferred hand-watering to any form of irrigation, as it requires a “hands on” approach and leaves nothing to chance. The tree that you bring home has a root system, in a pot, that has been providing water and nutrients for the entire canopy of that tree while being grown in the nursery setting. When you plant the [...]

Every spring we get the same question from new residents who may have moved here from other states. Here is a recent query:     Question:  We have noticed that a lot of the old established Live Oaks are looking very bad this spring. Yellow leaves that are all falling off. Is this something we should be concerned with? Should we be watering them?         Answer:  Live Oaks are not true evergreens. They will actually shed leaves year-round, but the main shed is in the spring-as in [...]

Tree Care and Maintenance Watering: -Water your tree religiously for at least one year using the following guidelines, and subsequent years during the hottest months or if we experience high heat or drought conditions. It can take approximately 1 year per inch caliper of the tree for the tree to fully establish. Careful monitoring of watering during this time will ensure a healthy tree.  -At the time of planting the tree needs to be deeply watered. Two days after planting the tree needs to be deeply watered again.  You can [...]

Redbuds are an excellent indicator of warmer days ahead. From the bean-like seed pods, we can tell that they are in the Legume (or bean) family. Their flowers come in a range of shades of deep rose, pink, purple and white, as well as a range of forms such as single trunk, multi-trunk and weeping. Although we often see the native Redbuds growing and blooming in full sun, they also do quite well as an understory tree, tolerating partial shade very  well. To avoid the ever-present “leaf-scorch” in late summer, [...]