Tree Advice

Pruning mature trees removes dead and dying branches to maintain plant health and safety

Looking at problems posed by excess soil and mulch around the base of tree:

Most of us are familiar with the results of drought stress, but did you know that high temperatures alone can cause significant damage to the health of your plants? Given

Although long used as a groundcover, ivy is harmful for trees. It is not indigenous, and many species are aggressively invasive and displace native species. In North America, the most

Incorrect planting can lead to the production of girdling roots below the soil grade. Girdling roots are lateral roots that emerge at or slightly below the soil surface and cut

The proper care of young trees can prevent many future problems. Browse our resources to learn more about how to best care for seedlings and young trees. Planting Ten steps

Pear trellis rust is caused by the fungus Gymnosporangium sabinae. It was introduced into the United States from Europe in the 1990s and has been progressively spreading through states in

Adult sawflies are often similar in appearance to flies or wasps. The larvae are also similar, though sawflies have one simple eye on each side of the head and five

Bacterial leaf scorch (BLS) is caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. This disease impacts certain shade trees resulting in uneven ‘scorching’ of leaf margins in late summer and early fall.

Two common causes of root disease in California are species of the fungus Armillaria and species of Phytophthora, which are fungus-like organisms. There are many differences between the two pathogens,

When native desert plants are irrigated regularly, they can produce a tremendous amount of new growth. This can be good from the perspective of shade and screening, but the new

So the trunk of your tree or shrub is covered in crusty green stuff – don’t panic! It’s unlikely that this ‘green stuff’ is harming the tree. What you are

Leaf curl and leaf blister are a group of diseases caused by the fungus Taphrina. Taphrina caerulescens is the causal agent of oak leaf blister, and Taphrina deformans is the

Here in Santa Barbara we understand that the ground is far from sedentary. Whether it’s construction of new homes or mud sliding from recent storms, we are in a constant

One of the most under-diagnosed causes of tree failure are root rot pathogens. Here in southern California we have a few rots that plague our trees and I want to