A Word of Caution
Earlier this year I attended a talk on plant disease diagnostics as part of my continuing education as an ISA Certified Arborist. The talk was given by a highly respected individual whom I have had the pleasure of learning from since my early days as an arborist in central Ohio. This time, one of the first statements spoken caught my attention immediately. I paraphrase it into something like this:
Trees that Love Wet "Feet"
“Who Will Stop the Rain?” — I think a lot of us have been wondering this lately. After seeing problem after problem at almost every property I have visited recently, I decided to write about trees that like wet feet.
Happy Arbor Day!
Today (April 24th, 2020) is Arbor Day so let’s celebrate by learning about the history of this wonderful day and watch a video of the beautiful trees of Central Ohio!When and How to Prune Lilacs
Common lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) are a favorite landscape shrub here in Ohio and beyond, with flowers that provide beauty and an unmistakable fragrance every spring. Other cultivars of lilacs offer different habits and uses in the landscape, but provide the same display of flowers that we all love. In order to ensure you get the most flowers on your lilac year after year, it’s important to know when and how to prune them.
At home on the Blue Ridge Parkway
If you asked any of my colleagues why they like working at Russell Tree Experts, you might expect to hear answers about our great equipment, our camaraderie, or the training we provide and knowledge, etc. These things are all true. It may surprise you though that one of the most interesting and exciting things we offer as a tree care company is the unique opportunity for our employees to travel and work on out of town projects. Over the last year our crews have mobilized to…
The Small Hours
Welcome to the no man’s land that is the front line between a winter that does not want to surrender and a spring that is determined to break through. Two weekends ago on the 13th I did some late winter camping in reasonably mild weather with a forecast that promised no precipitation on the 14th. I spent the day in the woods with my father, clearing some paths and just enjoying being outside. I noticed buds on a spicebush (pictured below) that were getting a little excited and were starting to swell. Things are waking up! I love seeing the first signs of spring that remind me life is flowing beneath the surface.
My Experience as a Video Production Intern
Over the course of 12 weeks from late-May to mid-August of 2019, I was a full-time video production intern at Russell Tree Experts. During my time as an intern, I created service videos summarizing many of the various services that Russell Tree Experts offers such as pruning, stump grinding, and insect and disease management. I also created “video shorts” highlighting a specific job site or aspect of tree care.
How to Beat the Winter Blues
I look out the window gazing upon the barren winter landscape. I miss the vibrant green leaves on my fragrant viburnums. I miss the beautiful red flowers on my roses. I even miss watching the bees in search of nectar dancing from one pesky dandelion to the next. Most of all I miss the sun and spending my evenings cultivating a new season’s garden. I feel safe to say I have succumbed to the winter blues…
Planting Trees is Easy... Right?
Tree Planting; It’s easy right? Well that’s what I thought when I took a position years ago (with a different company) where we planted 650 balled and burlapped trees the first year I was there.
Bend So You Don’t Break
Last summer, I had the opportunity to introduce our field staff to the practice of yoga. In heavy work boots and on a hard concrete floor, we made our way through Triangle Pose, Downward Facing Dog, and even a few Sun Salutations. Practicing yoga for 20 years and teaching it for the last 10, I’ve learned that the stretches and postures of yoga can help keep the joints and soft tissues of our body, like muscles and tendons, healthy and functional.
Growing Degree Days
This semester I am enrolled in a class called Integrated Pest Management, taught by Dr. Luis Cañas at The Ohio State University. One of the first lectures we had was centered around the effects that the environment has on insect populations. As we explored this theme we soon came across the concept of “growing degree days”, and I was reminded of how useful this idea is to increase awareness of what is happening in the natural world around us and to be aware of when potentially damaging insect pests are about to emerge.
Oak pruning, fascinating tree facts, and other thoughts
Here we are, fresh out of the holiday season, and the end of January is in sight! I wanted to reach out to you with some timely advice concerning trees, some reminders of why trees are so essential to life as we know it, and perhaps some other thoughts that might sneak out through my fingers as I type.
DID YOU KNOW? Tree Care In the Winter
In some cases, pruning trees in winter is actually more beneficial than during other times of the year due to increased canopy visibility and lower risk of disease. Check out the video above to learn more!
"Can you recommend a tree that is not messy?"
“Can you recommend a tree that is not messy? One that will not drop fruit, or twigs, or stuff all over the place.” This is perhaps the request I run into the most when someone wants advice on what trees to plant. The first time I heard this one I had to fight the urge to smile and reply that yes, there are trees like that which also happen to be disease-free, not attacked by any pest, grow quickly (instantly, in fact) to the desired size, shape, and color you want them to be and never need to be pruned…
Identifying & Managing Rhizosphaera Needle Cast
Rhizosphaera needle cast (RNC) – quite a mouthful, especially when one is an arborist in training, still green in the green industry. My supervisor had just handed me a photocopy of a fact sheet on the disease since I had asked him about spruce trees I had been seeing with defoliating branches.
"Stop and Notice Me" said the Pawpaw Tree
Last weekend I was in southern Ohio, working on a personal building project that needs to reach a certain stage of completion while the dry summer weather persists. Usually a time of relaxation, my weekend visits to this site have become slightly stressful due to time constraints. As I moved about the building frame, I kept dodging low branches from several Pawpaw trees growing about the place.
Humid Air: Tough for Plants and People
Summer in central Ohio brings good times outside but also often brings hot humid air. Heat and humidity can aggravate some foliar fungal disease on trees and shrubs. One of the most common diseases we see is rhizosphaera needle cast on Blue Spruce trees.