Treat for Fire Blight NOW
Meet fire blight: a virulent bacteria that kills leaves, stems, fruit, whole branches and entire trees. But don’t fear, our Plant Health Care Department is ready to start the year by fighting off this destructive and predictable attacker. But take note! The most important tool in your arsenal against fire blight is timing. The only…
More Fall Fungi: Anthracnose
We’re all familiar with the challenges of Southern California’s hot, dry summers, but fall rains bring their own set of problems. Namely, fungus. Anthracnose is a disease caused by many different fungi that affects a variety of trees. The symptoms vary depending on the host but include dark spots or blotches on leaves, defoliation, and…
Fall Means Fungus
Fall in Southern California doesn’t bring much in the way of crisp winds and color-changing foliage, but we can count on one reliable herald of the change in season: fungal diseases in trees. Fungal diseases often enter trees through a wound like those caused by lawnmowers or weed wackers. If the fungal disease takes root…
Risky Business
If a tree falls in the city and dozens of people are around to hear it does it make a sound? You bet it does and sometimes it sounds like “lawsuit.” One of the most important differences between trees in urban environments and those in nature is that when a branch or tree fails in a…
The Best of Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest in the United States calls up images of beer gardens, rich German food, polka bands, and women in dirndl dresses serving large steins of beer. Rarely do we think of horse racing and royal weddings, but that is how the tradition started. When King Ludwig I of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1810,…
Passing the Torch
It is with regret that we say good-bye to Katie Blizzard Kiedrowski, our Director of Marketing and Business Development for the past five years. Katie is leaving us to pursue a new chapter of her life in Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula and we wish her all the best. Sad as we are to see her…
Another Look at Borers & Suckers
The weather is warm but beware because pests don’t take vacation. Here in the final weeks of summer it’s a great time to take another look around your property for sucking and boring insects. Spring’s flush of new growth attracts sucking insects like aphids, psyllids and scale. If you treated for those earlier in the…
Travis Joins the TRAQ Pack
It was a great week for arborist Travis Mathews. Recently promoted to Senior Account Manager, we also received confirmation that he is now Tree Risk Assessment Qualified! The Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) is offered by the International Society of Arboriculture or ISA, the tree industry’s most respected body for arboricultural education. The qualification gives…
Why Try a Growth Regulator
Let’s be honest, this image of a bonsai tree is misleading. Growth regulators won’t turn your urban forest into a bunch of adorable mini trees and they won’t stop your trees from growing completely. What growth regulators actually do is slow the growth of trees to the point where they need noticeably less trimming while…