Houston Tree Service Review with Gene Basler

False Oleander Scale on Magnolia

2010-11-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones or Shane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Live Oak 1 Year After Planting Part 2/2

2010-11-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

Live Oak 1 Year After Planting Part 1/2

2010-11-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Avoiding Damage to Tree Roots During Sidewalk Resurfacing

2010-11-03T09:00:00.004-05:00

Fresh Powder on Bleeding Cankers on Water Oak

2010-11-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Tree Protection at a Construction Site

2010-11-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

Landscape Design Flaws can harm the trees post-construction

2010-10-30T10:49:00.000-05:00

Whitefly Pupal Casings on Cherry Laurel

2010-10-27T21:00:00.002-05:00

Often confused for scale or even artillery fungus, these whitefly pupal casings have a lot of variety. Some have white margins; others have waxy filaments.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones or Shane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Bagworm on Red Maple

2010-10-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Sooty Mold on Cherry Laurel

2010-10-26T21:00:00.002-05:00

There is some mild whitefly presence on the cherry laurel, but I think the honeydew is really coming from a shadetree above.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones or Shane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Scale on Yaupon Holly October Houston

2010-10-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

Pop Quiz: Anyone with an ID on this lovely tropical?

2010-10-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Sooty mold affecting several surrounding plants 2/2

2010-10-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

In addition to the lacebug damage, I found aphids, fat and happy, on the American elm that was dripping on all the expensive landscape plants below.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones or Shane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Sooty mold affecting several surrounding plants 1/2

2010-10-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a plant health inspection I conducted in Piney Point Village, Texas. I took the elm leaf back to the lab to examine under one of my microscopes. Later, you'll see that I found aphids--live and fat--feeding right over the top of the lacebug damage from earlier in the season. You'll also see the black spot of elm up close.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Plant Turnaround Before and After Houston 2010

2010-10-24T21:00:00.001-05:00

It's amazing what a little TLC can accomplish. Hand-prune the jasmine away from the base, put a stop to the weedeater damage at the base, loosen up the guys--eventually remove--a little soil amendment. and a disappointing transplant can turn into a sensation!

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Oak Wilt Inspection from Aerial Lift

2010-10-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Cable and Lightning Protection System Inspection

2010-10-23T21:00:00.001-05:00

Hardware in trees needs to be inspected periodically. There are a few things to keep in mind. Hardware and installation techniques should conform to the ANSI A300 Support Systems Standard. Hint: if you purchased your hardware at the hardware store, it probably isn't up to standard. Cabling systems work. Lightning protection systems work. Props work, Through-bolts work. In the right situations, that is.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Magnolia inspection: scale, pH and soil nutrition

2010-10-23T09:00:00.004-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Bright Red live oak root sprouts sprouting from an (otherwise) dead live oak transplant. Close examination of the leftmost stalk will reveal fire ants tending their flock of aphids.

2010-10-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Fire ants tending a flock of aphids on live oak

2010-10-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

This close up doesn't really show the fire ants--just the aphids--but they're there. The kind of freaked out when I plucked off the branch and tried like hell to bite me, and wouldn't pose for the picture. And yes, I said live oak.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Some lightning strikes are more damaging than others...

2010-10-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

How to manage a tree whose entire feeder root system resides above the root collar?

2010-10-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Pruning away, and still no root collar!

2010-10-20T21:00:00.001-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Part 2/2 of Cathedral Live Oak Transplant turnaround

2010-10-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

"Cathedral" live oak transplant turnaround

2010-10-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

This live oak transplant had a little trouble after planting. We're hoping that our efforts to stabilize it will prove successful over the coming years.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Immature Scale October Houston

2010-10-19T23:44:00.001-05:00

Immature scale photographed at 100x in October in Houston. Matches up with an immature scale depicted in Johnson and Lyon.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones or Shane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Algal Leaf Spot on Camellia Houston October

2010-10-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service, a Certified Arborist or just someone who is serious about tree care, call the company I've been working with since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. We'll set a time for me to come out, or, depending on what part of town you're in, John Jones orShane Hrobar. This is my personal blog: it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts, whose website you can visit at www.bartlett.com (I especially recommend the "Resource Library" under "Site Map".)

Texas Tree Trails

2010-10-18T08:07:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to a nice work in progress on Texas tree trails.

http://greattexastreetrail.org/

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Houston Arborist Gene Basler Examines Trees After Root Invigoration

2010-10-16T14:00:00.001-05:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Houston Arborist Gene Basler Examines Webworms on Pecans

2010-10-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

Gene Basler Examines Distressed Pecan

2010-10-15T14:00:00.001-05:00

Bagworm on Shumard Oak

2010-10-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

Bagworm on Shumard oak? Oh, yes. And plenty of them, too. I have now seen bagworm on live oak, red maple, Shumard oak, red-tipped photinia, Italian cypress, Eastern red cedar, Ashe juniper and Leyland cypress.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

"Butterfly" deformity on red bud

2010-10-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

I collected these deformed leaves from a red bud in Fulshear, Texas. I would have ignored one, but two?

My first thought was eriophyid mite damage, until I found this bagworm on a red maple on the same property.

Then I began to wonder if the damage on the same part of the red bud leaf wasn't perhaps an aborted attempt to start a bag, which the leaf subsequently grew around.

(By the way, one might be tempted to correct me and insist that it's a silver maple leaf, because the bagworm damage leaves the illusion of deep sinuses. But it's a red maple.)

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Bright green Chelicerae of the P. audax jumping spider

2010-10-13T16:11:00.001-05:00

This is the Phidippus audax. I this photo the metallic green is faded, as the specimen has been dead for some time, but the live jumping spider's bright green fangs really jump out at ya. I shot this with my Celestron Digital Microscope.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Leafhopper nymph on River Birch

2010-10-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

I recorded this leafhopper nymph on the underside of a river birch leaf today, Saturday, October 9th, 2010. There is also the spider mite present on the leaf, but not in this clip. Recorded with Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Possible Pityophthorus Chamber on Live Oak twig?

2010-10-13T10:06:00.001-05:00

This live oak twig is 5/16" in diameter. The holes, before I whittled them away, were even smaller (see below). I'm not sure, but I suspect the debris inside the gallery might be dried up ambrosia.

I found a cool scavenger that I've been unable to identify, and also a roving mite with a spider tattoo on its back (Neoseiulus spp.?).

The holes before I opened the door.

I also have a video and a second video of this scavenger.

Here's the mite with the spider tattoo that was also in the gallery.

What does it mean to be TCIA Accredited?

2010-10-13T09:00:00.015-05:00

Here is a link to the Tree Care Industry Association.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Why Should I Hire an Arborist? A link from the ISA Website

2010-10-13T09:00:00.014-05:00

I've written (and ghost-written) several times about the topic of choosing the right outfit to care for your trees. There are a few points that I consider important that are not covered in the article linked below, but it's a pretty good one anyway.
http://www.treesaregood.org/faq/faq03.aspx
Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Don't Try This At Home, Folks!

2010-10-12T20:30:00.001-05:00

I was working late at the office this evening, and I received a call about 7pm from a gentleman who was clearly trying to keep his cool. He had gone on Google and typed in "Tree Service 77018", and I was closest. (Now, tree removal ain't azackly plucking carrots, folks, and I would advise employing a few discriminating criteria other than just geographical proximity to one's house when choosing a tree company. But I digress...)

I went to take a look, and found this. It was too dark to take pictures, but the entire tree was leaning over the house. So, even if it had a perfect notch cut installed by the Canadian Felling Masters of Canada, and even if there were a rope in the tree tied to the bumper of a very large truck being operated by a skilled operator (a felling technique I do not espouse, by the way), then it would be quite difficult to pull the entire tree crown in the intended direction.

But I didn't mention the best part: the entire back part of the tree, approximately 60% of the circumference of the trunk, is decayed:

Anyway, I advised him to move his whole family to the other side of the house for the evening, and wished him luck with whatever cheap dude he decided to hire.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Post Oak Continues to Decline after Health Care Program Discontinued

2010-10-12T09:00:00.003-05:00

I hope the following clip shows the importance of staying on top of one's plant health care regime.This post oak was fertilized once once and treated for root rot twice, then nothing since January 2008.

This is very common. People are looking for a magic bullet that will cure their trees. If they don't get immediate satisfaction--as if an old, struggling post oak were going to jump out of bed and feel better after a couple of days--then they discontinue the service. The tree continues to decline, they think Bartlett ripped them off, and nobody's happy.
Managing Plant Health is really no different from managing our own health. We have to stay on top of it. There's a lot more we could do for this tree besides just inject liquid Texas Boost(R) into the ground and try to arrest the root loss.
Fertilizing and root rot treatments are great, and they should be a part of a larger strategy to try to stabilize the tree and arrest the decline. But what really needs to happen is root invigoration. Restructure the soil in the entire dripline of the tree, encourage the soil biology to build up, and place the tree on a completely separate irrigation schedule from the lawn.
I like to draw the parallel of chronic stress headaches. We can take the immediate action--a painkiller--or we can take the long-term action--active steps to manage stress better. Well in this analogy, fertilizers, fungicides and insecticides are really just the painkiller. The lifestyle change is the root invigoration.
This does not mean that this is the answer for every tree and landscape plant, just for the vast majority of them. This one may be too far gone. Or it may stabilize. Either way, root invigoration should be considered as a key component in any tree or landscape plant management plan.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Rain Barrels on Residential Property in Houston

2010-10-11T09:00:00.006-05:00

In early October I examined these rain barrels on a residential property in Houston.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

How bad is the pine bark beetle problem this year?

2010-10-11T08:00:00.003-05:00

Well, I haven't seen any Dendroctonus at all this year. Last week I was digging an Ips calligraphis out of a pine tree, and for a moment I thought I saw the tail end of a black turpentine beetle (they're relatively large). Well, it hid from me--they always do--and I wasn't able to get the specimen in a bottle. For the record, it's not at all uncommon to see more than one species of pine bark beetle at the same time.

Contrary to popular belief, Ips and sawyers can be found--active--on the same tree at the same time.

Anyway, they're bad this year. Not as bad as 2009, but compared to 2008, when they were hardly an issue, they're killing pines all over town. I found half a dozen infested/dead pines near Memorial and San Felipe, one near Memorial and Wilcrest, dozens out near Fry and Clay in Katy, some up at Champion Forest and Cypresswood. Let's see, Voss and Katy Freeway, Kluge and Huffmeister in Cypress...

One important point: don't let anyone tell you that your tree can be saved once the pitch tubes appear. There are also football-shaped marks on the bark; these are also indications that it's too late. Have the tree removed. Preventive bark treatments with befenthrin are very effective, especially if properly and religiously applied at 4 month intervals. The Texas Forest Service and some other researchers are working on systemic treatment with emamectin benzoate, which promises to provide 2 years of protection. This would be great--if you could get people to pay for it. Of course, the Bartlett lab, headed up by Dr. Don Booth, will have to do their own battery of tests.

I have seen trees that appear perfectly healthy succumb to pine bark beetle attack, but there is always more than meets the eye. All a tree really needs is a loss of turgor pressure at the right time for the attack to be successful. Most pines in the suburban setting are growing in junky soil. In most situations the turf grass has sapped the soil of all nutrients, foot traffic and pavement have compacted the soil, rendering it anaerobic, irrigation systems have caused moisture stress, and as a result the soil is largely devoid of organic matter and beneficial soil biology.

What I'm saying is the apparently perfectly healthy pine tree that succumbs to pine bark beetles usually ain't as healthy as it may look. I've never seen an infested pine, where I couldn't point to some factor or other that could have contributed to momentary loss of turgor pressure.

So, fertilizing is still the best way to reduce susceptibility. Generally speaking, trees whose nutrient needs are being met--running on all eight cylinders, so to speak--are much less susceptible to drought, over-irrigation, turf-grass competition, foot traffic, pavement, construction damage, and (dare I say it?) lightning (more on this here).

Of course (and I'm still speaking in general terms, here, not just about pines), fertilizing is inferior to promoting healthy soil. This means aerating, incorporating organic mattter and encouraging a healthy soil biology (If you build it, they will come).

Now, we haven't really done extensive testing on preventing pine bark beetle attack using root invigoration, the procedure that does exactly that (aerate and incorporate organic matter into the soil, usually to a depth of 7-9 inches, and to a radius of at least 8 feet for a mature pine), but the principle applies.

So, in summary, pines can be protected from attack by a combination of soil nutrition and preventive bark treatments, and don't let anyone convince you that a pine can be treated once it's been attacked.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Cool vid of cicada shedding skin

2010-10-10T10:00:00.003-05:00

How are lightning strikes and pine bark beetles connected?

2010-10-10T00:06:00.003-05:00

On Monday, October 5th, 2009 (about a year ago), at one o'clock in the morning, lightning struck a pine tree near Memorial and Antoine. My client and his family were home at the time and heard the crack. I arrived at the tree at 9 o'clock on Tuesday morning, 32 hours later, and pine bark beetles were already present on the tree.

I have heard that they can attack a lightning-struck pine within 12 hours, but 32 is the fastest interval that I have personal experience with, and it's pretty fast.

(Another note on this property, just a month earlier, the next-door neighbor had a pine succumb to pine bark beetle attack and had all of her trees treated with preventive bark application. The property owner decided not to tell me of this event, because he wasn't ready to have me "sell" him a preventive bark application.)

In another case, just a couple miles west, at Memorial and the Beltway, I inspected a lightning-struck pine that didn't appear to have pine bark beetles on it until about 10 days after the strike (this, by the way, was in August 2009).

So, what is the relationship between lightning and pine bark beetles? This has been studied by several researchers since the 1940s. What is believed is that these little critters are attracted to the pine smell emanating from the fresh wound of a lightning strike. A lightning strike is very stressful to the tree, and most beetle attacks are successful.

If the tree is super healthy, however, it could conceivably exude enough oleoresin to smother the attacking beetles. This a huge gamble; therefore most pine bark beetle experts recommend immediate removal following a lightning strike (pines, not necessarily other trees).

I have seen this phenomenon.

On F.M. 2920 in Tomball, TX, I was inspecting pine bark beetle damage in the far rear of an acreage property, and I came upon a grand old pine with an old lightning scar on it. It had several years' worth of callus woundwood on the scar. It also was peppered with pitch tubes at the base. Grayish-pink, smooth and weathered was their appearance, with no holes. Signs that the tree correctly suppressed the attack with oleoresin exudate.

So it does happen. Heck, we look at pines at least once a week with old lightning scars on them. Not all are attacked by pine bark beetle. So, immediate removal for a lightning-struck pine? I guess it's a smart practice, if you're a forester and dealing with hundreds of pine specimens on a plot. That happens to be a common difference between arborists and foresters. Foresters are always saying take down the tree. Arborists are (or should be) always saying "hold on a sec."

This is why I say with such confidence in another post on the topic that good soil nutrition can reduce the risk of pine mortality even following a lightning strike. That said, I usually don't protest too loudly to a recommendation for removal of a (recently) lightning-struck pine, largely because I seldom see a pine in the urban/suburban setting that is operating on all eight cylinders.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Is it normal for my tree's leaves to fall off the tree during the summer?

2010-10-09T12:23:00.003-05:00

I might differ from other horticulturists and arborists on this point. It is not normal or beneficial, from a plant physiology standpoint, for a single leaf to fall or be cut out of a tree before its normal leaf drop (this does not mean they should never be pruned: more on this in another post). Therefore, if leaves are falling off of your tree, as in the case of the river birch in the youtube video below, during August, then some stress factor is acting upon the tree to cause the leaf drop. This could be drought, overwatering, nutrient deficiency, leaf spot disease, insect or mite damage, wind damage, or any of a number of other factors.

In the case of the river birch below, the homeowner asked me if August leaf drop was normal and I of course said no. I was showing her the stippling on the senescent foliage--this was October 9th 2010, still a little early for river birches to be defoliating--and found the mites and leafhoppers. Hope you enjoy!

One further note regarding premature defoliation: I have a good friend and colleague, Manuel Flores, whom I haven't seen or spoken with in a couple of years. Once at a Q&A Manuel says premature defoliation happens because the tree doesn't need the leaves anymore. According to his thesis, the trees need a greater total square footage of photosynthetic leaf surface during the spring. Once they get over this, they dump the excess foliage. I would politely counter that this is incorrect. This thesis does not explain why we can successfully reduce the incidence of premature defoliation by using foliar fungicide applications in the spring, when leaf spot diseases infect the newly emerging foliage. Also, trees that are treated for mites, chewing caterpillars, lacebugs, aphids, scale and other sucking insects, also have lower rates of premature defoliation. Generally speaking, organisms do not voluntarily cut off their food sources, and in the simplest of terms, a leaf is a plant's food source.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Mexican White Oak about a year after planting in Houston

2010-10-09T09:00:00.004-05:00

Here is a quick clip of my follow-up inspection of a young Mexican white oak about a year after planting in Houston. Nice tree.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Pine Bark Beetle Symptoms from a distance

2010-09-27T16:45:00.009-05:00

Questions, comments, arguments? Please feel free to comment or email. If you're looking for a Houston arborist or quality tree service, call Bartlett Tree Experts at 713-692-6371. Bartlett has been my employer since 2002. This is my personal blog, which is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

I inspect Pines from Aloft Lightning Damage and Pine Bark Beetles

2010-09-26T13:09:00.005-05:00

Julien and Gene at Texas Tree Climbing Competition in Plano 2010-05-22

2010-09-25T16:02:00.001-05:00

My good friend Tom Dunlap of treebuzz.com gave me this photo yesterday (2010-05-24) at the 31st Annual Texas Tree Conference in College Station. I had taken video and stills with my ipod, and the files were lost. So this is the only picture of the occasion. One can see that Julien is not happy. I didn't know until he was on the ground that he had rope burn from his hands being in the wrong place during the belay. He wears the scar on the back of his hand with pride. Thanks, Tom!

Questions, comments, arguments? Please feel free to comment or email. If you're looking for a Houston arborist or quality tree service, call Bartlett Tree Experts at 713-692-6371. Bartlett has been my employer since 2002. This is my personal blog, which is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Follow-up to last week's large storm break

2010-09-20T20:00:00.003-05:00

Previous Improper Trimming Presents a Challenge

2010-09-19T22:19:00.003-05:00

Leaf Population is the key to a healthy tree

2010-09-19T22:02:00.002-05:00

Berms aren't common in the Houston landscape

2010-09-19T21:39:00.003-05:00

Good Example of Prevention Through Good Soil Nutrition

2010-09-19T21:29:00.004-05:00

Leaning, cankerous cactus with rot

2010-09-15T19:11:00.003-05:00

Native Trachyderes mandibularis Longhorn and Green Scarab feeding on Bacterial Slime Flux

2010-09-15T19:04:00.002-05:00

Whitefly confused for leaf hopper

2010-09-13T21:08:00.004-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmvragZG5-k
That's not a leaf hopper. The feller in the video looks whitefly (the bug, not the esteemed Mr. Garrett). Whiteflies sure do hop, but they aren't leaf hopper (or a plant hopper or tree hopper). Leaf hoppers, as members of the cicadellidae, appear like miniature cicadas, with wings close to the housing when stationary, not deltoid, as the whitefly. You will find their pupal casings on Sophora and all manner of Quercus, often mistaken for scale or even misidentified at artillery fungus. I believe whiteflies are in the Aleyrodidae (sp?) family. Oh, and they do a heck of a lot of damage. Best to reduce plant susceptibility by boosting organic matter, promoting soil biology, improving internal drainage, and cutting off or restricting irrigation.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Gene Basler Root Collar Surgery and Root Invigoration Part 4/4

2010-09-11T16:10:00.005-05:00

Here's the final product, watered in.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Gene Basler Root Collar Surgery and Root Invigoration Part 3/4

2010-09-11T16:09:00.004-05:00

Gene Basler Root Collar Surgery and Root Invigoration Part 2/4

2010-09-11T16:08:00.004-05:00

Gene Basler Root Collar Surgery and Root Invigoration Part 1/4

2010-09-11T16:07:00.004-05:00

Pruning Girdling Root Part 1/2

2010-09-08T21:53:00.003-05:00

Pruning Girdling Root Part 2/2

2010-09-08T21:52:00.005-05:00

Buried Root Collar on Distressed Young Live Oak

2010-09-08T21:49:00.004-05:00

Chilli Thrips Nymphs on Nuttall Oak

2010-09-08T21:45:00.002-05:00

Unidentified Predator Occupying Abandoned Live Oak Twig Gallery

2010-09-06T23:38:00.003-05:00

Residential Plant Health Inspection

2010-09-06T23:35:00.002-05:00

Organic, Homeopathic or "Chemical"?

2010-09-05T10:36:00.002-05:00

Just where does the legendary Gene Basler stand on the organic-chemical spectrum? Seeing as how I work for "one o' them evil 'chemical' companies", I guess I ought to clear the air a bit, so that my clients, prospective clients and Green Industry colleagues might have a better understanding of how I approach every property, every landscape, and indeed every plant. In this article I intend to clarify what I mean when I myself use the term "organic", the key role organic matter plays in my diagnoses and prescriptive regimes, and why I consider the term's use in common Green Industry parlance is less than ingenuous, and in many cases, downright deceptive.

First of all, the notion of an organic-chemical spectrum, wherein "organic" resides way over on the left and "chemical" on the right, is as absurd as the widely-held misconception that there is any substantial difference between Democrat and Republican in Twenty-First Century politics. According to this linear model, anyone whose garden, household, dietary habits and energy sources aren't 100% organic is somehow morally compromised and out of synch with Momma Gaea.

Second, the idea that anyone who goes to the local bureaucracy to obtain a license to apply pesticides must surely be bought and paid for by Dow Chemical and Monsanto, is just as absurd. For my part, no pesticide manufacturer has ever approached me with offers of coke and back-room massages in exchange for peddling their poisons.

Third, many companies, within the Green Industry and without, play fast and loose with terms such as "organic" and "sustainable", as though they were really just marketing gimmicks, without really understanding what they mean for the average residential or commercial landscape, much less for the individual plant.

Trees and landscape plants actually ask very little of the people whose job it is to care for them. Provide a healthy growing medium in which to grow and thrive, and they will reward you with vigorous growth and very few problems. What do I mean by healthy growing medium? By healthy growing medium I mean rich soil, high in organic content, porosity, internal drainage, and containing a vibrant soil biology. Once this fundamental first step has been accomplished, then the tree or landscape plant will better withstand the countless stresses that the urban and suburban setting impose upon them, and the need to intervene with pesticides and fungicides will be virtually reduced to nil.

Therefore, my position on "organics" is that soil needs lots of organic content, not just residing on the surface in the form of a layer of mulch, or poured into the soil in the form of a tea, but incorporated into the soil to as great a depth as is practical (in another post I intend to address the exhortation on the part of the good folks at Urban Harvest not to till or otherwise disturb the soil--a philosophy I agree with, with important exceptions).

So, put another way, organic matter plays the central role in the remedial and preventive courses of action that I routinely prescribe for people's plants. But it's important to realize that by the time I or one of my arborists is called out to inspect a tree, it is usually in an advanced state of decline. The objective in stabilizing a tree that's heading South, is to arrest leaf loss and root loss by as many means at our disposal as possible. This means (dare I ustter it?) that we may have to kill some bugs.

If I have a headache, I may take an aspirin to get some immediate relief. But if I really want to stop the headache, I have to address the imbalance in my life--stress, diet, rest, exercise--of which the headache is merely a symptom. This applies to sick trees as well. Look at the typical residential or commercial property that I visit (my YouTube videos provide examples of both). You will find that not every homeowner or property manager is willing to rip up the driveway or parking lot, eliminate the turf grass from every square inch of the tree's root zone (which can extend well beyond the drip line in most cases), apply compost, install a permanent mulch bed, cut off the irrigation, and cease any and all human activity that could cause soil compaction. And even if we were to succeed in retrofitting the ailing tree with the ideal cultural correction, we'd still have damaging and defoliating pathogens, insects and mites to contend with.

On that note, I regard the practice of keeping trees permanently under-the-weather and dependent on arboriceutical intervention to be nothing more than horticultural Muchausen-by-proxy Syndrome.

This is not to say that I espouse the philosophy (held to one extent or another by anyone who believes in the existence of the State), that the end justifies the means. Quite the contrary: this is why I believe in using the least toxic, least harmful control available. And I'm not just talking about avoiding leaching into the water supply or protecting kids and pets. I want to avoid harm to beneficial insects, mites, fungi, bacteria--to wit, all the elements of a landscape's ecosystem, both above and below ground.

See, the science of pest and disease management has come a long way, as has our understanding of plant nutrition. It's been nearly 30 years since the company I work for abandoned the use of most harsh general pesticides, such as malathion, diazinon, Sevin, and Orthene. Why nuke 'em all, when nowadays you can target the pest without harming beneficials?

Now for a little calling-out of some of my brethren in the Green Industry.

I don't like being sold a bill of goods. I don't like the FDA telling me what's best for me and my family. I don't like hormones and antibiotics being sneaked into my food, and I don't like deceptive use of language. So when it comes to pest and plant disease management--as well as gardening, agriculture, diet, medicine, air, water and energy--what's most important to me is to ask whether one's practices cause unintended harm, harm to beneficial soil biology, non-pest insects and arachnids, non-pest plants, wildlife, pets, kids, people.
I have long held that the terms "organic" and "chemical" are used disingenuously by so many garden show hosts, landscape architects, professors and other trendsetters in the Green Industry. The "organic" movement has frankly gotten out of hand, having in large part piggy-backed itself onto the more fascist/authoritarian aspects of the environmental movement as a whole.

I won't insult anyone's intelligence by pointing out the dictionary definition of "organic", which is any compound that contains carbon. If we dig down to the meaning of the original Greek word, organikos, which pertains to organs of the body, we learn how the term found its way into modern parlance. Early scientists thought that anything containing carbon came from a plant or an animal. Later, scientists discovered that numerous compounds containing carbon could be synthesized, putting that old notion to rest. But the notion that all things related to agriculture and horticulture should only come from plants or animals, persists. What most Green Industry professionals mean when they use the term "organic" is "free from chemical pesticides or fertilizers", which begs the question: What is "chemical"?

Everything is chemical, in a manner of speaking. Every component of the physical world is composed of elements on the Periodic Table. The real question is whether the method you employ to solve plant problems such as nutrient deficiencies, diseases and pests, is harmful to people, pets, wildlife, or beneficial insects.

Many methods touted by radio show hosts as "organic" might better be described as "homeopathic". One example is aspartame. I have heard self-described "100% Organic" garden show hosts say that it's a great way to get rid of sugar ants in the kitchen. Well that may be--I've never tried it--but organic it surely ain't.

I'm more concerned with toxicity. I want to avail myself of the research in suppressing diseases and pests without harming non-target organisms. For instance, on any given spring day, we might find whitefly pupal casings, box elder bugs and genista caterpillars, all of which can really damage the plant. But at the same time, the plant might be covered with ladybugs, assassin bugs, and even praying mantis. The typical tree guy or landscaper will apply a general insecticide, which will upset the balance in unintended ways.

So, in summary, take radical ("radical" means pertaining to the root, by the way, and I'm using it in its most literal etymological sense, here) steps to promote healthy soil, and with time--and not as much time as conventional horticultural wisdom would have one believe--pests and diseases will become less and less of a problem in your landscape.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Post Oaks All Over Houston

2010-09-04T21:57:00.002-05:00

2010 has been a tough year for post oaks in Houston. Some have died, while others have lost all or most of their leaves. Once a post oak has defoliated in the middle of the summer, it's really difficult to stabilize the plant and keep its systems going until the following spring, when the new foliage offers an opportunity for recovery. Post oaks are notoriously sensitive trees, and how they respond to site alterations, such as home construction, turf grass installation, irrigation installation, paving and landscaping, is a flip of the coin. Let's face it, if you have a post oak on your property or under your care, you should be prepared for it to die just to spite ya. If you have a post oak, and you're worried about its health, then don't panic. There may be a few simple corrections that can help keep it stable and (more or less) healthy.

What I've been looking at this summer have been three main sets of symptom expression. One is the flash, in which the entire tree flashes paper-bag brown. Another symptom is premature defoliation, wherein the leaves begin raining down from the tree. The leaves aren't necessarily brown in this case, but they may appear scorched. The third is leaf scorch; here, the leaves appear scorched, particularly at the ends, and leaves don't necessarily rain down wholesale from the crown. I happened to visit a property with all three of the above-mentioned symptoms in the same front yard, which you may look at in the linked YouTube Video. There are numerous other symptoms that can be identified on post oak, including sticky-cottony yuck on the leaves, nipple galls, stippling, powdery mildew, and others. I do not address them here, but I'll be happy to do so--just ask!

Flashing brown has over the years been called post oak decline. Whenever you hear the word "decline", you should understand that this is a generally amorphous term used to describe a set of symptoms or pattern of mortality, the causes of which have not been determined. I use the term in a different way; generally I use it to describe a tree that is slowly dying from the tip down, and that has multiple stress agents associated with the symptoms. Whenever I go onto a site to inspect a post oak that's flashed brown, The prognosis is always the same: the tree is dead and needs to come down. Determining a cause of death is difficult, because there are usually so many factors that can be pointed to. Every conceivable way the site was altered in the last few years is a possible causal factor. Is the home less than ten years old? Was an irrigation system recently installed? Was sod put down on the root zone? Was the grade changed? Is the soil compacted? What is the internal drainage like? What is the soil's organic content? These questions are important if you have surviving post oaks that you want to preserve, but they don't really change the prognosis about the one that's flashed.

Premature defoliation can frighten a homeowner or property manager just as much as flashing brown. It usually happens some time after midsummer, and well before normal fall leaf drop. Premature defoliation has many causes, including nutritional deficiency, root loss, root stress, drought, leaf spot disease and bacterial leaf scorch. The best ways to prevent premature defoliation are to promote healthy soils with good internal drainage, aeration, soil biology and high organic content, to eliminate turf grass from the entire root zone of the tree, to take the tree off the irrigation schedule, and to apply a layer of mulch, taking care not to bury the root collar. Topical leaf spot diseases can, as mentioned, cause premature defoliation. One of the best ways reduce spore counts on a property is to rake, bag and haul off (or compost) the leaves after they have fallen. While I will apply fungicide in the springtime to reduce the incidence of leaf spot disease, I usually only prescribe this course of action when the tree is either in an emergency state, or the homeowner or property manager is unable or unwilling to improve the growing conditions.

The third symptom is leaf scorch. Here, the leaves appear damaged, but don't necessarily fall from the tree. Note that there is some overlap here, between what I described above as defoliation and leaf scorch. There's this nifty little bacterial pathogen called Xylella fastidiosa, which is transmitted to the plant by some types of sucking insect. This has only recently been found to be the cause of decline and mortality of a great number of trees and landscape plants, the cause of whose problems was previously lumped into the "decline" category. While it's great to be able to pin the cause of one symptom, it's important to remember that when we're talking about the urban/suburban landscape setting, there are many other stress factors that need to be addressed. Bottom line, if your tree's leaves look scorched, and if you notice a little yellow halo between the brown, scorched area and the green part of the leaf, then it could have bacterial leaf scorch.

There is no cure for bacterial leaf scorch, and the disease usually causes slow decline and death. The symptoms can be suppressed, however, and this is a great way to get continued enjoyment out of one's trees. Symptom suppression can also be argued to prolong the life of the tree. This is only done in the spring--usually the spring following diagnosis. The only known treatment for suppressing symptoms is application of the antibiotic oxytetracycline by trunk injection. Please note that this is one of a very few instances in which I will advocate the injection of trees. I point this out, because there are so darn many arborists out there leaping on the trunk injection bandwagon for all manner of ailments--diagnosed and undiagnosed--from micronutrient deficiency, to fungal disease to borers. Before you ever sign on to a treatment regime that includes capsules or injections, please get a second opinion from a grown-up arborist.

While I'm on the topic of post oaks and diagnosis, let me address some common diagnoses bandied about by some of the other arborists out there. The most common are anthracnose, Asian ambrosia beetle and borers (gotta get them borers!).

Anthracnose is a general term used to describe a number of different symptoms on a number of different host plants, caused by a number of different pathogens, most of them fungal. Now, with a definition like that, it's little wonder that a homeowner can be confused by his or her arborist! Anthracnose isn't really a term I associate with post oaks, but there are some symptoms--usually fungal leaf diseases, and arguably even bacterial leaf scorch--that could, I guess, be described as anthracnose. In any case, I'd be wary of anyone who wants to spray fungicide at the time of diagnosis. In keeping with what I stated above, most fungal leaf diseases infect the foliage as they emerge in early spring, although the symptoms don't show up until later in the growing season. This does not mean that I never apply fungicide any time other than in the spring: quite often, in fact, I'll see newly emergent foliage on a tree--especially live oak--and apply fungicide to protect it. But we're talking about post oaks, and for me to observe newly emergent foliage on a post oak that has any of the above symptoms would be a surprise indeed.

Asian ambrosia beetle mainly attacks fruit trees, and post oak is not currently considered to be a host plant for this pest. There is a native ambrosia beetle, by the way, but it's not interested in oaks, either.

Borers are blamed for decline, decay, cavities, etc. more than just about anything. It's so easy to look at a distressed tree and find a hole or two on the trunk. See? Look here, there's borers on the trunk. There's your problem, right there! Fact is, most wood-boring insects are simply capitalizing on exposed dead wood. It's best to think of them as a friend: their presence can be evidence of decay that you might otherwise not have known about. So, while I may treat a tree to help suppress borers, it's usually a newly transplanted tree.

In summary, the recommendations I make for post oaks are the basically the same as the recommendations I make for all shade trees, only with ten times the urgency: promote healthy soil in the entire root zone of the tree, and it will have few problems. This means, in a nutshell, good soil organic matter. High organic content in the soil means good soil biology. Good soil biology means good plant nutrition, decreased susceptibility to diseases, pests, moisture extremes and abiotic stress factors. Put a protective force field around your tree, starting at the dripline, and don't allow the soil to become compacted. You just might get years of enjoyment out of your post oaks.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Don't plant the wrong tree just to get a lower a/c bill!

2009-06-01T22:02:00.005-05:00

A few points I would like to make about this nifty article about Growing Money on Trees: I do not recommend growing cottonwoods or sycamores on any residential lot smaller than an acre. I would not recommend putting a cottonwood anywhere within 100 feet of any structure, power lines, street, or any other potential target. As far as sycamores go, I guess they're OK, but they become very disease-prone, and consequently very high-maintenance, as they mature. I do like the Mexican sycamore, however, but there are few to be found 'round these parts mature enough to know whether or not they belie my statements about their more common American cousins.

A good home economist should always consider the hidden costs of a seemingly simple solution, such as planting a rapidly growing tree to help cut down on cooling costs. When it comes to average-sized residential properties (less than 1 acre), the cottonwood tree's middle name is "liability". This is true for many fast-growing shade producers. This means the cost of future structural damage or worse should be factored into the money-saving calculations.

Better to plant a high-quality tree, preferably one of the white oak family of oaks, or a hickory or walnut if you can find one that will tolerate your area and your soil. Some of these grow quite rapidly thank you very much, particularly if the old rule is followed:

Put a $50 tree in a $500 hole. That's right: If your neighbors aren't laughing at you, saying, what are they doing putting that tiny tree in that wide hole, then you're wrong. Prepare an area 2-4 times the diameter of the root ball by cultivating and incorporating compost. This creates a favorable growing medium in which to encourage radial root establishment, and reduces the risk of a root-bound tree (in subsequent posts I will argue against the "tough love" planting approach espoused by most forestry programs. I will also address the common objections of students of the so-called soil-food-web to the concept of cultivating soil altogether).

I guess I have to see the studies showing that trees on the north side actually increase cooling bills.

An important note about John Teas (we have you in our thoughts, by the way, John)recommending that a tree be planted 12 feet away from a structure. That 12 feet is a minimum; farther would be ideal. Also, any tree you have that is 12 feet from a house should be considered a candidate for a lightning protection system.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Dear George III, Where's the Change?

2009-03-10T18:42:00.005-05:00

Dear George III,

Hey, it's your constituency here. You know, the ones who voted for change and hope? Just wondering: why are there still troops in Iraq? Why did we step up the "war" in Afghanistan? Why are we even there? Why is Gitmo still open? Why are we still bailing out the unproductive at the expense of the productive? Why are we still taking the advice of the same "economists" who got us into this mess? Why do you still think we can tax, spend and print our way out of this hole? Why are we still engaged in imperialist foreign policy? Why are still engaged in profligate spending? Why are we still torturing (ref: Benyam Muhammed)? Why haven't we taken steps to repeal the Patriot Act? Why are we not investigating your predecessors for war crimes? Why are we not investigating the Federal Reserve?

More to the point: why are Republicans complaining? They should be the happiest of all: they're apparently getting 4 more years of Bush.

Hayek's Challenge in Motor Trend Magazine?

2009-02-03T06:06:00.005-06:00

Wow! I never thought I would read a columnist in a car magazine using a Hayekian argument! But here it is, in the March 2009 edition of Motor Trend magazine. In "Prius or Pickups?", Angus Mackenzie states: "If no one can figure out what vehicles American consumers will buy from one month to the next, how on earth is Capitol Hill going to be able to determine in which direction Detroit's salvation lies?"
That, folks, is the big question. Even if we were to accept the absurd premise that the state's role is to play deus ex machina for selected players in the economy, while the rest of us remain subject to the strictures of the self-regulating market, how could it possibly know what to do? How could one car czar, or a board of ten or a hundred or even a thousand experts, possibly replace the combined knowledge and experience of three hundred million market participants making billions of rational decisions?
Let's pretend for a moment that morality had nothing to do with economics--not hard for modern economists--how could Plato's and Marx's and Keynes' enlightened elite possibly muster the requisite knowledge to make all the decisions on behalf of all members of society?

Challenging Some Conclusions: Arden Andersen at the OHBA Seminar in Houston

2009-01-22T04:10:00.008-06:00

Yesterday (2009.01.21) I had the pleasure of attending a seminar hosted by the Organic Horticulture Business-Education Alliance (OHBA). It was attended by approximately 150 Green Industry Professionals, and the two Major-League speakers were Arden Andersen, author of Real Medicine Real Health, and Jeff Lowenfels, author of The Soil Foodweb. Both gave great lectures; however, I would like to expound a little on Dr. Andersen's lecture.

I agree with Dr. Andersen, that the sad state of nutrition and health has far-reaching consequences. However, I wish to challenge some of Dr. Andersen's conclusions, the first being that the "nutritional content of the food is the responsibility of the farmer".

I submit that the ultimate responsibility lies with the consumer. Now, I acknowledge that some of us are less susceptible to government disinformation than others, but in the end, we are indeed responsible for ourselves. By acknowledging that we are responsible for our own nutrition, we, the consumers, place market pressure on the producers to meet our demand.

This is the essence of any grassroots campaign. This is exactly why the movement is growing. This is why there were 150 attendees instead of 20. The movement isn't growing because farmers suddenly began to change their wicked ways. The movement is growing because the word is spreading! Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Andersen, the OHBA and others, the word is spreading among the consumers. This results in increased demand! Agenda-driven disinformation stands in the way of consumer education, and therefore inhibits the natural workings of the free market. It is our acknowledging our individual responsibilities that will bring about change, not shifting the responsibility to the producer.

This is not to say that pressure should not be placed on the producers. In fact, according to Say's Law, production inherently creates demand. But as long as the state's interventionist policies distort the risk/reward ratio, there is only so much the producer will be willing to change. Restated: state intervention in the market distorts producers' decisions, as I discuss below, and provides them an irresistible incentive to foist a nutrient-deficient product on an unsuspecting consumer base.

This could not happen in a free market, where consumer demand corrects producer errors as a natural matter of course. If, for instance, I produce a jack-in-the-box that is painted with lead paint, and my neighbor produces one that is painted with non-lead paint, then the market will put me out of business. No governmental agency is actually needed, by the way, to raise consumer awareness. Voluntarily-formed organizations, such as the OHBA, do that job quite effectively in free markets!

The second conclusion I wish to challenge is that the blame for the current state of affairs is to be laid at the feet of agriculture. Now I may be accused of splitting hairs, but when it comes to solving problems, I believe that our energies should be properly focused. "Agriculture" is not a homogeneous group. There are farmers, and there are large agricultural corporations. Large corporations pool resources and use a corrupt legislature and an inherently corrupt bureaucracy to eliminate resistance to profits. I would go so far as to say that the culprit is not only he government bureaucracy, but the entire state apparatus. If state intervention were eliminated from the marketplace, large agricultural corporations could not wield their influence in government to push for legislation and regulations that benefit them and their bottom line.

This is another example of the Economic Law of Unintended Consequences. It is with the best of intentions that we institute our governmental agencies--the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Education--yet before we know it, wealthy and influential corporate interests are having their way at the expense of the rest of us! This is basically the definition of corporate socialism.

Unholy alliances between the State Bureaucracy and Big Business are not how free markets work. In free markets, the state is not allowed to intervene, and therefore such mycorrhizal relationships, if you will, cannot emerge in the marketplace.

Which brings me to my third challenge: blaming profit. To quote Dr. Andersen again, "It is profit, pure and simple." Actually, it is not quite so simple. We all seek profit, whether we wish to acknowledge it or not. We may not like to admit it, but it is something we should not be ashamed of at all! Profit is nothing more than the natural human desire to make our little corner a little more comfortable for ourselves and those we love. (This is not, by the way, the same as greed, which is the desire for profit by any means.)

In an unrestricted free market, the desire for profit is tempered by the risk of failure. Business are always looking for ways to manage or minimize risk, so when a business becomes large enough to throw money around in Washington, why there is a whole sty full of bureaucracies just waiting to grease the wheels of profit. Here is where our problem lies.

We cannot change human nature, but we can restore the restrictions of runaway greed by working to sever the ties between Big Business and the State. In short, removing government from the equation.

Life, Liberty and Economics Pop Quizzes

2009-01-02T07:05:00.007-06:00

I once read that if you live your life based on principles, then 97% of your decisions are already made. Well, is a 96% close enough?

A very dear friend mentioned at dinner the other day that he had taken an economics pop quiz on mises.org, and the result was that he was part Austrian School and part Chicago School. So I took the quiz (http://mises.org/quiz.aspx) and got a 96%. I guess that makes me an Austrian!

I don't know much about economics, much less Austrian economics, or any other school of economic thought for that matter (but you can be sure that now I'll be reading up on the subject). But I like to think I know a thing or two about individual liberties and the need to protect them above anything else. You know, those quaint old notions that our country, society and economy were built on? And I also know from a pragmatic standpoint that the state breaks everything it touches. So with a couple of guiding principles and zero knowledge of economics, you too can take the quiz!

I think this quiz happens to be an excellent meter of one's understanding of individual liberty. If you want to get the most out of the quiz, then I would answer all the questions without pausing to do research. Just take it. You might just find yourself looking up that socialist professor with his or her stale, intellectually compromised cliches and asking for your money back!

Once you take the quiz, I would advise anyone who cares about the economy, the environment and about helping to make the world a better place for those less fortunate, to review the questions and answers and do a little homework. After following up on the questions that kept me from getting a 100% (I had chosen the Chicago School answers), I discovered that if I'd had a stronger understanding of the subject, I would have chosen the Austrian School answer.

After I took the quiz, I looked at Chicago School Economics, starting with the famous Milton Friedman. I really think this school of thought is philosophically and morally compromised. Not to mention logically. I'm guessing it must be popular among neoconservatives, who honestly believe in the completely contradictory idea of forcing the American Way on other people. It gives them an avenue to claim they are defenders of liberty without having to waver on their obsequious devotion to the state.

The point is, it doesn't matter how much you know about economics--in fact, the less the better in my opinion. Go with the the same principles you use to guide you in your daily life and see how you do on the test. Assuming of course, that you have any guiding principles. If you don't know what your guiding principles are, then just go back to how you felt last time somebody forced you to do something you didn't want to do, and build from there. Basically if you agree with the Golden Rule, then apply that to the quiz. (And yes, the Golden Rule applies to governments, too. It also happens to apply to the unplanned, spontaneous, unfettered free market system ).

Frankly, I think the test was over my head, which is good. It provided an impetus for looking more closely at the economic topics behind the questions. I also especially liked the grading system: the lower your score, the more of a socialist you are. It's quite a hard look in the mirror. I guess now I can say that I'm 100% Austrian! (I guess it could be true.:I saw a photograph of Zell am See once, does that count?)

Hurricane Ike Storm Response

2008-09-19T17:51:00.002-05:00

In the tree business we call them storm chasers. We mean it in a derogatory way. These are tree companies who race out to storm-ravaged regions and charge exorbitant prices to desperate property owners.

Q: What is Root Invigoration™?

2008-08-10T08:15:00.003-05:00

Q: What is Root Invigoration™?

A: Root Invigoration™ (Root Rx™, soil reconditioning) is a procedure for dramatically improving the soil structure and organic content in the root zone of a tree or woody plant, and consequently stimulating fibrous feeder root growth. This strikes at the heart of the principle of "going organic from the ground up"(Hendrickson).

The procedure is described in US Patent #6845587 as

“A method for improving the rooting soil around a plant by defining an improvement area around the trunk of the plant and utilizing an air excavator to loosen the existing rooting soil in the improvement area, the method also includes treating the existing soil with a treatment to encourage growth of the plant roots in the existing treated soil.”

Root Invigoration was born, like many great inventions, out of frustration. We arborists are always looking at distressed and declining trees that are clearly suffering from poor soil nutrition and severely compacted soil. But how do we alleviate the compaction and increase soil organic content without tearing up the roots?

We can re-pot our house plants, but we can’t re-pot a tree, can we? When we go to plant a vegetable garden, we prep the bed (more on this in another post) by tilling the soil and incorporating compost into the parent soil. But if we till the root zone of a tree, then we’ll do more harm than good by tearing up the vast network of surface roots. We could top-dress, but that surface-applied organic matter really only serves to benefit the turf grass and not the tree. We could apply mulch, but how long is it before that decomposing organic matter becomes incorporated into the compacted soil below to any meaningful degree?

Enter the air excavator. Supersonic air tools like the Air Spade® and the Air Knife® have been around for years. Originally developed in the utility industry as a means of reducing the risk of damage to underground pipes (Nathenson & Jarabak, TCI Magazine, May 2001), air excavators are used in arboriculture for the purpose of excavating buried root collars and exposing roots for surgical work.

So, here we have this problem of poor cultural conditions, and we have this air excavator that we’re using for an entirely different purpose. This is when innovators like E. Thomas Smiley, PhD, of the R. A. Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Patrick Brewer, BCMA, of Austin, Texas, began to put the air excavator to use to a new purpose. And all the arboricultural world collectively said, “now why didn’t I think of that?”

The results have been astounding. Horticulturists have known for years that improving plant vigor is sometimes a simple matter of improving the cultural conditions. But when we effect a turnaround on a large shade tree, the effects can be quite dramatic.

We haven’t always been able to turn around a tree, however. Sometimes the tree is already too far gone to respond to treatment, and we are compiling field data on species that simply don’t respond under any circumstances. The procedure needs to be done correctly, too. Several years ago I killed a high-dollar Japanese maple by failing to water in the treatment area thoroughly upon completion. But for the most part I don’t recommend the treatment unless I have a pretty good indication that the tree or trees will respond.

The procedure is also a great bed prep, which simply means that we come in and air-till and incorporate organic matter to an entire planting site prior to the installation of the landscape.

I don’t only do this to distressed trees. In fact, as a tree preservationist I would much rather place a healthy tree under my care than one whose problems have already begun to pile up. The procedure is also great for post-transplant establishment and construction damage prevention and mitigation. One of my favorite situations is deck installation. When a deck is built around a tree it is a safe assumption that there will be no access to the root zone for years. What I do is to recondition the soil using the RI technique just prior to the deck being erected. This sets up the tree with plenty of organic matter to sustain its roots for years to come. There is an added benefit to the procedure: the technician performing the procedure can mark places where the posts can be sunk without damaging the roots.

Q: Why do I need a soil analysis?

2008-08-07T16:55:00.004-05:00

Q: Why do I need a soil analysis?

A: Actually I don't get that question as often as one might think. To most people it makes perfect sense to have a soil analysis done on a property. A soil analysis answers many questions like: how long has the turf grass been robbing the soil of nutrients? Just how deficient in organic matter is the soil? Are these trees trying to develop roots in construction fill?

It's not that we have no idea what the trees need. Actually we can do a great job fertilizing with Texas Boost®. We have been providing excellent soil nutrition without a soil analysis for years. But after all, we are Bartlett, and we do like to take a scientific approach to things. It’s simply the most responsible thing to do: base your formulation on the results from that property.

Furthermore, prescription fertilization (based on soil analysis) is legislation or pending legislation in several states, and it may one day be the law where we live.

Then there’s Liebig’s Law of the Minimum. That agricultural principle states that as long as one nutrient is deficient, then the application of any of the others will do no good. There are plenty of us who may argue that principle until the sun goes down, but it illustrates the efficacy of finding out nutrient levels. The soil analysis helps strike that balance.

I don’t always get a soil analysis. Sometimes I see a tree putting forth an immense effort to push out a flush of foliage following a severe stress event, and I feel the timing is critical to give it a little nudge. In that case I don’t want to wait for lab results.

Here’s an example. A neighbor’s water softener burst and concentrated salt water ran down the driveway to the neighbor’s yard—or so the story goes. Within two days there were massive scorch symptoms on multiple species: pittosporum, turf grass, Asiatic jasmine and one beautiful Texas red oak. A week after the event I was called out, and by this time the red oak had some tiny emerging foliage on it. In that case I fertilized immediately and did not wait for lab results on the soil analysis. (I don’t mean to be disingenuous and credit the fertilizer, by the way. Fertilization was one small part of what we did to try to help stabilize the tree. The tree looks great right now, and bounced back very quickly, more quickly than I think it would have without the TLC we gave it. It could be that we increased its watering regime to try to flush out the salt, it could be that we fertilized, or it could be that it was going to be fine anyway.)
Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Q: Why is there no mention of ball moss in your pruning specs?

2008-08-05T19:50:00.005-05:00

A: You may wonder why ball moss removal is not mentioned in my pruning specifications. The short answer is this: in practical terms, it is impossible to remove all the ball moss without unintentionally removing some live foliage. And nothing is more important than keeping the live foliage intact. I don't mean clipping a little twig here and a little tuft there. I mean large percentages of the tree's leaf population, 30%, 50% even 70% are removed from the tree during a "demossing" operation. Here's what I suggest: don't look up, look down. At the end of the day, when the "highly experienced" tree trimmers have finished "demossing" your trees, take a look at the carpet of dense foliage on the ground. Now look up and ask yourself, is the tree really better off with all that foliage removed?
Let's just say that we've established that ball moss does not hurt the trees. But we do get tired of looking at it. I agree: a big live oak, heavily laden with ball moss, looks awful. Well, allow me to direct your attention, not to the ball moss, but to the foliage. As we look at the tree we begin to see that the canopy is thin and sparse. It has an inordinate amount of dead wood. Then we begin to realize that the real reason the tree looks terrible is not because of the ball moss, but because the tree has a severely compromised leaf population. Let me repeat that. The real reason the tree looks poorly is not because of the ball moss, but because of the poor leaf population!
In fact, I have never seen a live oak that was at 80%, 90% or even 100% of its maximum leaf population potential, and said, boy, that tree sure has a lot of ball moss. In fact, it seems that the healthiest trees we see in our neighborhoods have thicker, denser, darker foliage, less dead wood, and we almost never even notice the moderate amounts of ball moss in them.
I often think that if we needed a hand lens or macroscope to see the ball moss, then we wouldn't be as inclined to blame it for our tree problems. But we can see it a block away, and therefore we blame our tree problems on it. What about oak mites? Eriophyid mites? Leaf diseases? Poor soil organic content? Fact is, there are a host of reasons your tree looks poorly, and ball moss isn't even on the list!
My job is to help you be a better steward to your trees and to your landscapes. Part of that job means making sure you don't waste your limited tree and landscape maintenance dollars on unnecessary work. So, rather than waste your money paying my highly-skilled tree climbers to pick out ball moss, let's prune the trees right, and move on to some commonsense plant health care measures that may actually serve to help improve the leaf population.
Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Before Pictures

2008-08-05T00:54:00.001-05:00

These Texas live oaks were approximately 90% defoliated when this picture was taken in January of 2007. January is a time of year when we assume that our live oaks are supposed to look horrible. In my next post, you will see how a live oak will respond to a little TLC. This is outside of Helotes. In the case of these trees (which I frankly thought were a lost cause), we see that a little organic matter goes a long way. Correction: a lot of organic matter. The principle is simple: Improve the growing medium and the simple economic principle of supply and demand will take over. Result: better leaf population, better leaf health, less premature defoliation.
Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

After Picture

2008-08-05T00:53:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of the same trees exactly one year later (January 2008). Next time your favorite garden show host or columnist tells you your trees don't need any TLC, show them these pictures! This is an example of what Dr. Neil Hendrickson calls "going organic from the ground up." In short, create a favorable growing medium by cultivating the soil and incorporating organic matter, and cross your fingers!

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

2008-08-04T23:49:00.003-05:00

Just got back from the International Tree Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. The International Tree Climbing Championship was held the same weekend in Forest Park. Next to me in this photo is 2008 World Champion Tree Climber Josephine Hedger of the United Kingdom. Ms. Hedger also broke her own world record on Saturday, July 26th in the Secured Footlock event.
While I was at the conference I attended a talk on the post-civil war reconstruction efforts in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. And I thought we put our trees under stress in South Texas! Dr. Sillett gave a great talk on the 3-year study he conducted on the characteristics of the tallest trees Sequoia sempervirens and Eucalyptus regnans. Also attended--as an invited guest, not as a committee member--the ISA Hispanic Committee meeting, presided over by Eduardo Medina. I also went to the Women In Arboriculture Luncheon.
While I was in town, I briefly got to see my parents and some of my siblings, nieces and nephews. It just so happened I was free to celebrate my niece Julianne's birthday!

There is no magic bullet

2008-08-04T23:23:00.003-05:00

Folks, please understand that there is no magic bullet that will turn your trees around. If they have root rot, for example, no one systemic treatment will fix the problem. The tree that is struggling with root rot may have to be treated on a quarterly basis for a number of years. Even then, the moisture regime may need to be reconfigured, drainage improved, soil aerated, organic matter incorporated, soil nutrition corrected, etc. We spend a lot of money on our landscape designs and installations, but do we factor after-care into the budget?
Every day people call in wanting a quick fix or one-time treatment. I tell them they're calling the wrong guy. There are 116 other entries under "Tree Service" in the Yellow Pages. Somebody's bound to take your money.
Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Do your live oaks look this good in January?

2008-08-04T21:02:00.001-05:00

Do your Texas live oaks look this good in January? It would be a good idea to save this photo and compare it to your trees next January. I consider January/February to be a great time for judging the health and vigor of the Texas live oak, because the foliage has been on the tree for 10-11 months. If you know what you are looking for, you can see a full history of nearly every stress factor that the tree underwent during the course of the past growing season. Premature defoliation, caused by numerous stress agents, has often caused the live oaks to look sparse and sickly, but not the trees in this photo.
All we did to these trees was to treat with naturally derived spinosad to help suppress the spring caterpillar. We did it approximately 10 months prior to this photo. Not a full-on Plant Health Care program, mind you, with organic soil reconditioning and treatments for mites, leaf disease, sucking insects, root rot, etc. Just caterpillars. And here the trees are, 10 months later, looking like it's springtime already. But no, that's senescent foliage! That's right, and all the neighbors listened to their friendly gardening columnist or radio personality, chose not to treat for caterpillars, and their live oaks look like their dormant cousins.

We all make the assumption that our live oaks are supposed to look like crud in the winter, with vast percentages of their leaf populations long fallen from the canopy. But they should actually look green and lush all the way through until leaf drop. Hence the name live oak! See, the urban/suburban environment predisposes the native tree to many agents of premature defoliation, some of which are so easy to correct that I'm appalled at the advice some folks in this town are giving. Poor soil nutrition, caterpillars, mites, sucking insects, leaf diseases, root rot, etc. all claim their share of the trees' leaf population as the growing season progresses, until by the end of the year there's hardly anything left. Why do we even bother having trees if we neglect them to the point that they have hardly any foliage left?
One San Antonio columnist says cankerworms are nature's way of pruning the trees. What!? The very notion is utterly ridiculous. The fact is that all (endemic) pests and diseases can be argued to be nature's way of weeding out the weak, but do we want population control measures running rampant on our residential properties?
I would like invite him to come ride with me to see the 8-12 properties a day that I look at, and show him what I see. These pedantic horticulture columnists and radio gardeners will spare no expense keeping their petunias in tip-top shape, and then tell their readers and listeners that their trees "take care of themselves". What, don't the majestic oaks deserve to be healthy, vigorous and beautiful, too?
Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.

"Demossing": Ripoff or Responsible?

2008-08-04T13:03:00.001-05:00

“De-Mossing”: Rip-off or Responsible Tree Care Practice?

Gene Basler

What’s the story with ball moss anyway? Look at all that dead wood—isn’t the ball moss killing my trees? What can you DO about my ball moss? Here in South Central Texas, we arborists hear such questions nearly every day. While everybody seems to have a different answer, you can be sure there’s a price quote for “de-mossing” in there somewhere. De-mossing is the practice of climbing trees and physically removing the ball moss. It has become so common that hardly anyone questions it. But when we remind ourselves that tree health is our real objective, we have to ask, is de-mossing really a responsible practice?

The practice should really be called “defoliating”, because that’s what really happens in a de-mossing operation. It doesn’t matter which “expert” you hire to do the work. The result is always the same: the trees end up with 30-60% of their foliage removed. Have you ever seen a tree or yard full of trees that have been “cleaned up”, i.e. just a little bit of foliage remaining in the upper ¼ of the crown? That’s de-mossing. The ball moss may be gone; the dead wood may even be gone, but then again so is half or more of the foliage!

This type of pruning is a net loss for the tree, for the key to a tree’s health and longevity is its leaf population. The three main principles of tree preservation are 1) leaf population, 2) leaf population, and 3) leaf population! The more leaves in a tree’s crown, the healthier the tree, and the less likely it is to be susceptible to damage from insects, diseases and—worst of all—humans. As for the ball moss, what harm is a moderate ball moss population? No sweat at all to a healthy tree.

Remember, ball moss, Tillandsia recurvata, is an epiphyte, cousin to such plants as the tropical orchid and the staghorn fern. Epiphytes derive their nutrient and moisture needs from the air; therefore they are not parasites, and they do not harm the trees.

So why all the dead wood? Ball moss prefers to grow in the shade, and that also happens to be where the majority of a tree's dead branches are found. Since the balls amass on the dead branches, they belie the myth that the ball moss caused the dead branches to die.

Now, sometimes a ball moss population does become so dense that it can inhibit the tree's foliage output. This almost always occurs on a declining tree that has other, more pressing health concerns. Spraying with sodium bicarbonate might be called for in these situations, but even then it would be part of a comprehensive plan to get the tree’s health and leaf population back to normal. (When properly applied, sodium bicarbonate desiccates the ball moss, and it dies on the tree. Over time the elements cause the dead ball moss to fall from the trees. The results can be disappointing if the customer doesn’t stick with the treatments for at least three consecutive years. Moreover, spraying without pruning merely exposes the dead wood in the tree.)

Our approach to ball moss management is quite different from commonly accepted practices, and is predicated on 2 important points. The first: Leave the foliage intact! If that means leaving a moderate ball moss population intact as well, then so be it. The second: properly maintained trees tend to self-manage their ball moss populations.

Here’s our unique Ball Moss Management Plan in a nutshell:

Remove all dead wood 1 inch diameter and greater. Leave live foliage intact^¹! A majority of the ball moss will come out with the dead wood: the rest of the ball moss will be left alone.
Place the trees on a simple Plant Health Care program^². Healthy trees tend to produce fewer dead branches and to have less ball moss growing in their crowns.
If the ball moss is still heavy, then spraying with sodium bicarbonate may be called for.

Gene Basler is an ISA Board-Certified Master Arborist with the Bartlett Tree Expert Company. For more information about the services we provide, please call Bartlett Tree Experts at 210-655-4670.

1 In some cases live foliage may be pruned for house clearance, weight/hazard reduction and species separation. Light penetration is a poor reason to prune live foliage from a native Texas shade tree. See article on Light Penetration.

2 Responsible Plant Health Care includes soil management and pest management. Nutrients are applied to the soil based on the results of a soil analysis, and damaging pests are suppressed using the safest means available.