Author Archives: admin

Trunk decay

I came across something interesting last week while removing a small cypress tree in the Madison Valley of Seattle. The tree had a lot of recent branch and foliage die-back and generally was not looking robust. When I made the … Continue reading

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Mulch Around Trees

Adding wood chip mulch around young trees is one of the best things one can do to assure their success. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, wood chips have a number of benefits. From moderating soil temperature, holding moisture through … Continue reading

Posted in Before & After (photos), Landscapes, Tree Care | Leave a comment

Plum blossoms

It’s flowering time for the plums here in the Seattle area, specifically the Asian type of plum (the European types bloom later). Pruning on these trees can also begin in the next couple of weeks. There are less fungal spores … Continue reading

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Weeping Larch

Larches are a type of conifer that lose their leaves (needles) for the winter. This sometimes causes people not aware of what they are to think they are dying, despite this being a completely normal process. Larix species are native … Continue reading

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Autumn Olive

Autumn Olive. An interesting and useful plant for your landscape. It produces small red or orange berries late in the summer that are a great snack right off the bush. They’re high in a number of the same beneficial nutrients … Continue reading

Posted in Fruit Trees, Plant Profiles | Leave a comment

Pear Trellis Rust

Pear trellis rust (Gymnosporangium sabinae) is an interesting fungus in that it requires two entirely different plant hosts to complete its life cycle – pear and juniper. Spores produced on junipers only infect pears, and those produced on pear only … Continue reading

Posted in Fruit Trees, Fungi, Pests and Diseases, Tree Care | 1 Comment

Mulching

Anytime is a good time to mulch your landscape, but fall is especially great. Covering bare soil before we get heavy fall rains and adding another few inches around the trees you mulched last year will really pay off next … Continue reading

Posted in Landscapes, Tree Care | 1 Comment

Quince Leaf Blight

Quince trees seem to be one of the least common fruit trees in Seattle, and Western Washington in general. This is unfortunate because they can be made into some delicious jams and sauces. If you’re fortunate enough to have a … Continue reading

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Cherry Bark Tortrix

The Cherry bark tortrix is a pest on trees and shrubs of the rose family (Rosaceae). This means most common fruit trees have the potential to be affected including apple, cherry, plum, and peach. It’s a relatively new pest to … Continue reading

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Verticillium wilt

Around the Seattle area this spring I noticed a number of Japanese Maples infected with what appears to be verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae and V. albo-atrum). This soil borne fungi can infect a very wide range of species. It causes … Continue reading

Posted in Fungi, Pests and Diseases, Tree Care | Leave a comment