We’ve had it again: the kind of weather that breaks records. Three years ago, we had a record-breaking wet spring; this spring has broken that record. Wet weather has dominated the first half of the 2024 growing season. Evidence of thriving fungi is everywhere to be seen.Continue Reading
Winter in Southeast Wisconsin is often picturesque, with snow-covered landscapes creating a winter wonderland. However, contrasting this scenic beauty, winter can also create problems for trees and shrubs. Snow and ice accumulations during a winter storm can cause significant damage to your landscaping, necessitating careful pruning, cabling, or even removal and replacement to maintain the beauty of your property. This article will explore the options for managing the effects of snow and ice damage on trees and shrubs and explore the best practices for their care.Continue Reading
A simple guide on tree fungus diseases commonly found in Wisconsin. Learn how to identify and treat your infected trees to keep them healthy. View our guide.Continue Reading
Like something out of a children’s story book, galls come in many different shapes and sizes. Galls are also a common type of damage affecting tree leaves, needles, and/or twigs. Their size and shape can range from pointy to round and small or large. The color of a gall can be a simple brown, a bright red, or even blue. This leaf damage can be quite visible and easy to search for too!Continue Reading
I often have clients who contact me because branches on their trees are dying. Their assumption is that there is something going on directly in the branches that is causing the dieback. While that can be the case, there are also a myriad of other reasons why tree branches can die. Here is a laundry list of what I commonly see causing branch dieback in my clinic.Continue Reading
A tree with yellow leaves in your landscape can be concerning. View our guide for causes of tree leaves turning yellow and how to revive your tree’s health. Continue Reading
Most healthy trees should have leaves with an even green color. Leaves should also have a similar size, density, and an even distribution throughout the tree. If a tree exhibits a yellowing of leaves with a network of darker green veins (interveinal chlorosis), this likely indicates a serious nutrient problem. In severe cases the entire leaf turns yellow and leaf size is stunted. Leaves may scorch or wither and drop prematurely. Symptoms may be on a few leaves, an individual branch, and portions or all of a tree.Continue Reading
Ten years ago, I wrote an article for this newsletter about the state of emerald ash borer (EAB) and what the future of ash trees looked like then. If you have kept past newsletters, you will find the full article in the winter 2013 issue. At that time, EAB was relatively new in our area and most ash were not yet affected by this destructive insect. Fast forward to today, we have progressed upward on the mortality curve. Thankfully, death does not overrun the current story for all ash trees.Continue Reading
Pruning is a beneficial management tool and often overlooked when it comes to suppressing diseases. Learn more.Continue Reading
Guess Which Insect? A sloppy painter might finish up the ceiling work and call it day. Cleaning off the brushes with some water and flinging the excess moisture and leftover paint onto the shrubbery. Once this dries you might find tiny white flecks on the needles of your Mugo Pine (or other evergreen host). Maybe it’s a stretch, but this does come around to a tree care topic. These white paint flecks mimic the look of a tiny insect that can damage your trees or shrubs if left alone.Continue Reading