Leaf Senescence: The Magic of Fall Color
During the growing season trees are making food through a process called photosynthesis. Isn’t that incredible - trees make their own food! (Magic.) The magic is due in part to the chlorophyll stored in each leaf, which absorbs energy from the sun to transform carbon dioxide and water into plant food (glucose) and oxygen.
The Value of Trees in the Urban Landscape
Trees in our landscapes are not only beautiful but they provide countless benefits that can enrich our lives. These benefits extend well beyond backyard aesthetics and go on to include health implications, improved energy efficiency, and community-wide effects.
Magnolia Scale: Take a Look!
“Take a look”, I said to my concerned client, as we stood in the shade of her Magnolia tree. I had just handed her my hand lens, and I showed her how to get it close to her eye as she peered through it. I wanted her to see what was in my hand – a dead adult Magnolia scale insect.
Fall Webworm In Full Effect
We’ve received a high volume of calls over the last couple of weeks about “bagworms” in client’s trees. In central Ohio, true bagworm feeds predominantly on evergreens - arborvitae, spruce, and junipers although some deciduous trees can be hosts as well. Generally, this
Preventing Tree & Property Storm Damage
Summer months include long hot sunny days that we can enjoy by the pool or lake, but can also bring thunderstorms and high winds. While trees provide shade in these very hot months, they can also be a source of property damage during these summer storms.
Verticillium Wilt
It’s hard to miss this disease once we enter the hot dry months of summer. Without fail, each July/August I start to see trees turning brown and wilting suddenly, usually in patches within the canopy that can be traced back to entire individual limbs that have died. More dramatically, an entire tree…
Our Safe & Drug-Free Workplace
From day one, Russell Tree Experts has always held safety to the highest regard. Each week we dedicate time to train, educate and discuss the most efficient production techniques focused first on safety. Managing a business in an industry recognized by the Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) as…
The Importance of Green Leaves
I have been noticing what I consider to be an unacceptable amount of chlorosis in urban trees around Columbus. In general, chlorosis is the yellowing of plant foliage caused by a lack of chlorophyll. This is a problem because plants depend on chlorophyll to absorb energy from sunlight and to survive. Several…
Black Knot Disease In Plum & Cherry Trees
Black Knot is a relatively common disease that mainly effects Plum and Cherry trees, but can impact other trees in the prunus species as well. These types of trees can frequently be seen growing in and around Columbus area neighborhoods. Black knot is actually a type of…
Witch-Hazel Cone Gall
I find insects that cause galls to be really interesting. There are many different types, usually host-specific, with various shapes and sizes of galls formed. In most instances, the feeding of the insect causes an abnormal growth reaction in the plant that forms this gall where either the adult or the immature insect lives inside.
Fire Blight is No Delight
This year has been a particularly bad one for fire blight on Pear and Apple trees. Fire blight is a bacterial disease that affects plants in the Rosaceae family, causing a characteristic blackened wilting of leaves and twigs. This family of plants is also popular for its landscape value, both for flowers and fruit production. Pear, Cherry, Rose, Apple, Serviceberry, Cotoneaster, Hawthorn are just a few trees and shrubs that are very familiar to us. Have you noticed a profusion of dead, blackened leaves in your neighborhood? In your trees?
Watch out Crabapples! Apple Scab is a Major Threat!
Plant diseases love Spring! As temperatures warm and tender new growth emerges, conditions are ideal for pathogens to settle in and take up residence in our favorite trees. It is now when many plants are susceptible and treatable for diseases, such as Dothistroma needle cast of Austrian Pine, Rhizosphaera needle cast of Blue Spruce, rust diseases on hawthorn and pear, and for the purpose of this article: the aesthetically devastating apple scab on flowering crabapple.
Neonicotinoid Use in Ornamental Landscape and Effects on Honeybees
Neonicotinoids are chemical products that are effective in systemic control of insect pests in plants. Systemic application of insecticide has multiple advantages over other methods, such as topical applications. When applied systemically, neonicotinoids are absorbed by the plant, and persist for a longer period of time, so that insect pests subsequently feeding on plant parts ingest the chemical and die.
Because of this mode of action, there has been concern about neonicotinoids persisting long enough to be found in plant products such as nectar or pollen, where they could be ingested by foraging bees.
Did You Know Construction Can Kill Trees?
We see it all the time: trees surrounding a newly built home dying as a result of soil compaction and mechanical damage from heavy machinery, as well as change in the native grade affecting soil depth and water flow. A tree preservation plan is needed prior to construction which prioritizes your woody landscape as an important part of your construction project. With a Pre-Construction Tree Preservation Consultation from Arbor Answers, our experts will build a custom plan for your construction site to encourage the trees to thrive following the completion of the project.
Poplar Weevil
On Monday, June 11th, TJ shared some leaf samples he had collected in the field. These leaves were marked with feeding damage from a small black insect he also had collected to show us. I had never seen or heard of this critter before that day, but TJ's sharing could not have been more timely. Since then I have had the opportunity to see evidence of plant damage by the Yellow Poplar Weevil from Ostrander to New Albany.
Asian Longhorned Beetle
In August of 2012, Joe Russell, TJ Nagel and José Fernández made a trip down to Cincinnati to hear Joe Boggs, entomologist and OSU Extension Educator in the Cincinnati area, give a talk on Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB). Following are some quick facts from lecture notes and from www.beetlebusters.info presented as FAQs:
How to Water Your Trees
How do I water my new trees?
Believe it or not, there is more to watering a tree than simply spraying it with a hose once in a while. Properly watering a tree will ensure that the tree establishes well at its new location, developing strong, deep roots that will sustain it through periods of drought as it matures. Please note that this article will not deal with how to properly plant a tree, although how the tree is planted does influence how water enters into the root zone.
First of all, you need to know what type of soil you have. In central Ohio, heavy clay soils are most common, and almost guaranteed if you live in a newer housing development where the soil structure is far from normal due to common construction practices. If you happen to have a sandier soil than commonly found in Ohio, you will need to adjust your watering accordingly.
Ask An Arborist: Can I save my ash tree?
@mikeresa:
Is it possible to save a young Ash tree from the Ash Bore?
José Fernández ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, Russell Tree Experts:
Yes, it is very possible. There are many methods of treating Ash trees for Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), but experience has proven that there are two methods that work best:
Soil drench method and trunk injection method.The trunk injection method is recommended for trees that have an existing infestation. The soil drench method works well as a preventive measure to maintain resistance on healthy trees. It is important to have an ISA Certified Arborist inspect the tree in question to determine if it is a good candidate for treatment.