Another crazy spring

Maybe there is something to all the global warming talk. Warmest March on record, lowest rainfall and now Brush fires! Insects emerging earlier, this is going to be an interesting year.

Staying Cool!

Hot weather is here and you need to take precautions to stay cool.
1. Work during the cooler parts of the day.
2. Wear light colored clothing
3. Sunscreen and a wide brim hat.
4. Drink plenty of water and don't over exert yourself.
Be sure to have your vehicle serviced, proper antifreeze to prevent overheated engines, have belts and hose checked and changed. Choose a route that will avoid sitting in traffic, plan your day to avoid the heat of the day.

And don't forget to give your trees a drink of water too!

Degradation of Quality

The economy has spawned new breed of tree cutter,(not arborist)performing low quality work at prices that are unmaintainable. Good for the consumer, not really! Poorly preformed work actually cost in the end. Trusting your trees to poorly educated and untrained tree cutters will lead to premature tree failures, ruined specimen trees and a general distrust of all tree companies. Is saving a few bucks that important?

Let's look at the risk of hiring an unlicensed, untrained tree cutter:
1. Little or no insurance
2. No work mans comp.
3. Pays no taxes (so you have to pay more)
4. Poor quality work, it's your trees!
5. Accidents due to working without any safety guidelines or training
6. Property damage some of which you may shrug off as expected
7. Lack of expertise, not an arborist, not qualified to diagnosis, treat, advise on any tree issue, not qualified to due a proper tree risk assessment.

So you have a 40" DBH Oak in your yard and the tree cutter comes and hacks off 1/2 the
branches to get some light into the lawn. Should have just cut the tree down, over the next
few years this tree will try to regrow the leaves it needs to survive. The sun will scald (like a bad sunburn) the trunk and the tree will go into a slow downward spiral of decline and death. Your prized tree. Or, there is a bleeding canker on the stem, a small crack in a crotch, a few innocuous mushrooms in the lawn and the tree cutter tells you" ah it's good tree, safe" next winter it goes through your garage crushing your new car. Try finding the tree cutter then when you want to sue. Remember you paid cash, no invoice, written estimate, no name on the truck. Better yet, a passerby is struck by a limb the tree cutter missed and your sued for their sloppy work.saved a few bucks or did you?

Rainy Spring

This spring was a little wet, fungal problems showed up early. Powdery mildew, leaf spots and anthracnose are the big 3. For the first time I can recall even American Beech has anthracnose. Once the leaves are infected not much can be done, protection for next year and keeping the tree well watered when dry and some bio stimulate may help.

How to Get a Proper and Correct Diagnosis

Wow! You mean not guess and make a snap off the cuff so the client gets an answer in five minutes or less? Yes, most times it takes a little thought and research to formulate a hypothesis, which can then be developed into a sound theory and then a correct diagnosis.
To start look at the problem tree and examine it beyond symptoms that were presented. Take a sample for later examination. Look at similar trees on the site or neighboring sites. See similar symptoms? Is it appropriate to take a soil sample for a soil test, or just see what the structure is or pH? Then ask question, then ask a few more, get as much information as to the what, why, or when's!
Now the real work begins, hopefully you got the correct assignment and the client has paid for the necessary lab work. But its time to get that sample to the experts for a lab analysis. Most labs have a procedure for handling samples so be sure to check before you send them. While your waiting do your homework, your vast library of tree books may hold the answer or a colleague with more experience may have seen the problem before, so ask. Never stop probing the answer is not just lying around, but sometimes the answer is readily available if you know where to look!

Updated To Do List

Warmer days have arrived so get busy:
Plant those summer annuals next week
Take those tomato seedling outside to acclimate, put them inside at night
If the broadleaf weeds in the lawn bother you and then apply a fertilizer with broadleaf weed control.
Do not cut the lawn too short or else weeds will have a chance to grow and watering issues will arise later on.
Turn on irrigation and check head for coverage, but no need to start watering yet. As long as you get an inch or more by natural means, sprinklers can stay off.
Check for insect activity, as days warm problem can be easily seen.
Enjoy the spring weather!

Sustainability

To continue at a certain level, bearable! All you read today is about sustainability like it's a magic pill that will fix all things. Certainly it sounds impressive, but what does it really mean and is it something we need or want?

Status quo would be a better definition, keeping things as they are just self perpetuating. Now it sounds ominous and not necessarily a good thing. Unfortunately it's the new green word of the day. Maybe some modifications need to be made? Using a catch all phrase to describe a complex concept is typically American.

We can agree on a few things; the status quo needs to change, energy usage needs to be modified, dependance on fossil fuels needs to change as well as land usage policies. Start at home, plant stuff that has multiple uses and a life expectancy of more than a season or two, design for growth. Plants can enhance the energy savings around your home such as putting a shade tree for afternoon sun protection or an evergreen screen to block winds and traffic noise. Use recycled materials as hardscape features. Plant less lawn, saves on water, energy spent maintaining it. Use plants inside for many reasons one important one would be for ones self. The quiet beauty plants bring, brightens up gloomy spaces and improves your mood. Now does sustainability make sense!