When to think about tree disease and pest problems

Did your trees have insect or disease problems last year? If so, now is the probably the best time to contact your arborist to make sure you're pro-actively dealing with it this year. The timing of treatments are crucial when fighting harmful attacks. They have to be applied during the critical "window of opportunity" to be effective. Insects have life cycles and the treatments must be done at the right point in the cycle. But many tree owners call the arborist when they see the symptom in their trees. By this point, the damage is often done, and it is way past the effective time when something could've be done.
Insects tend to overwinter in the tree and are waiting for spring (like the rest of us). But they enjoy the tree in a completely different way than we do. To them, the tree's nothing but a good meal. That's when larvae start tunneling through the vascular system, etc.
Have your arborist look at your trees now, while they are still dormant. Once all the activity of spring starts, you want to have your plan of defense in place. More on specific diseases and pests in future blogs.

Should you mulch your trees?

Is mulch good for your trees? Well, it can either do a lot of good or a lot of harm. Spread it in a thin layer over the root system of your trees and it will regulate soil temperatures, recycle nutrients back into the soil, retain moisture -this is especially helpful during droughts. It can also keep weeds from taking over and improve appearances.
Apply it "vulcano style" over the lower trunks and you can do considerable harm. I've seen whole neighborhoods where one tree after another has had the mulch applied this way. A low-end landscape company must have had a blue light special. Either that or one homeowner had it done and everyone else thought they must know what they're doing, without bothering to find out if they really do.
Mulch should never touch the trunk of the tree where it can trap moisture and encourage decay to set in. It will also become a breeding ground for disease and insects to infect the tree. Additionally, it will promote weak root growth above the normal ground level.
Mulch is good for your trees, but only if you do it the right way. Instead of piling it up in a small ring like a doughnut around the base of the tree, spread it out like a pancake -thin and wide. It should be about 2-3 inched deep. Wood chip mulch is better than double shreaded. More on mulching in a future blog.