On the Last Leg...

I just returned from a minor knee surgery, so please excuse my tardiness in my Blog update!

I often get e-mails "What is wrong with my tree?" I always perk up a bit when I see it in the subject line, as it is one of my favorite things to do. I start my investigation: What kind of tree is it? What are its symptoms? Where is it planted? When was it planted? How was it planted? Do you have a photo of the tree? Do you have an infected leaf I can look at?

Well we are now in the depths of July, and we are starting to see the after effects of fungi that thrived in our wet spring, and insects that proliferate in the hot temperature! Often this time of year when we see the after effects of disease and insects it is already too late to treat the problem, but just lessen the symptoms.

Now that we are moving into hot, and surely dry weather, this is the most important time to be sure your tree gets water, and plenty of it! Mulch is also a great idea as this will help the soil around your tree roots hold moisture. The larger the radius of the mulch ring the better! A mulch ring the same radius as the tree or larger will benefit the tree the best, as it will not have turf underneath to compete for water and nutrients.

Mulch should be 2-3" deep throughout. I often see mulch piled like a "volcano" against the trunk of the tree. This is the worst practice in mulching we see today and does nothing but harm the tree. Try to keep the mulch from coming in contact from the tree trunk as the mulch will decompose and provide some nutrients for your tree, but you don't wan't the tree itself to decompose!

A weekly check on the mulch by sticking your finger in the soil to see how dry it is, and remove any weeds that invade, should suffice. If you would like to learn more about proper mulching please click here.

I have a few e-mails and letters to investigate, and once I research and find the cause I will share some of these with you next week! Have a great week and get out and enjoy the campus!