Trees

I have a very old white tree, in my back yard and when we were building my house (Habitat Home) my neighbor ask me not to cut down 3 - trees that are on my property. His family has had the property since way back when the property was farm land. I agreed, but as the years go by this tree's leaves fall every summer and another new tree begins to grow and now I have parts of this tree under my propane tank. Being a single mom I can't afford to have tree cutters come to my home. And now I'm not even sure I can somehow get rid of it. Or how to kill it. Can you give me some suggestions? P.L.E.A.S.E.

This past week one of my trees was struck by lightning. I have done some research and none of it is very clear concerning whether the tree will live or not.

The tree was struck right below the start of limbs and it looks like the lightning traveled down to the ground, due to the appearance of the ground around the tree.

Do you have any information about the care of a lightning struck tree or should I prepare for the worse...

Thanks!

Pruning: Watch the calendarYou may want to prune those trees and shrubs but be careful -- this probably is not the best time to do it. Take a look at Dennis Patton's Tip of the Week over to the left on whether you should prune now or not. -- Craig

We planted some small European Hornbeams (Franz Fontaine variety) this spring. They are rather thin at the base, and we wondered if pruning the new growth at the top would encourage growth lower on the trees. We want them to stay narrow, but do want more density all around the trees. If pruning would help, when is the best time to prune?

I have noticed web worms or some type of web insect in our Bradfor Pear Trees. Do I need to cut the web branches out and spray? If so, what can I spray on the trees. They are approxiamtely 12-15 feet tall and about 5 years old.

I have a small dogwood put in by a landscaper two years ago that had a dead section in it earlier this summer, which I trimmed out. Now all of the leaves have gone brown.
I have another dogwood that I planted last fall in another area that now has some dead sections in it.
Both have gotten plenty of water and both are in partially shaded areas.
Any thoughts on what the problem is or what I should do?

My crabapple tree has a large infestation of japanese beetles and they have eaten approximately 50 percent of the leaves. Questions: Is this likely to cause long-term damage to the tree? Does this mean that I will likely have a large population of grub worms in my lawn? If so, will they cause damage yet this year, or will I see the damage in June of next year? Is there anything I should be doing now for either the tree or the lawn?

Thanks,

Bob

I planted this tree last fall (sorry I forgot which one was in this particular spot) and it bloomed beautifully last spring and there are lots of fruit. However, last week I noticed there were lots of leaves with holes in them or only half leaves left. I only saw one gray bug so sprayed it with water to get any of them that I didn't see off of it. Monday there are no green leaves left, the stems are still there waving in the breeze and the fruit as well. What could have done this and what to do to correct any damage. Will it live?

Blue spruceBlue spruces are among the trees, shrubs and other plants hit hard by this year's pattern of rain and drought in the KC area. Check Dennis Patton's Tip of the Week about what you can do. (Photo from arborday.org.) -- Craig

We are wondering why one of our enormous trees in our backyard has yellow leaves and why they are falling off. We don't know the type of tree, but it does extend above our 2 story house.

Last year we noticed our Red Sunset Maple (planted in 1986) lost some leaves and looked barren compared to our other Red Sunset Maple planted at the same time. This year we noticed the same thing, but the leaves seem smaller and there are a lot of branches that did not leaf out. Looking at the tree it appears kind of transparent compared to our other tree since so much light comes through the tree due to lack of leaves. I have taken pictures that I could email if necessary. We are quite worried about our tree and thought that maybe the drought from the last couple years had an effect on the tree because it is near a neighbor's pin oak that seems to suck up the water in the yard.

Hot and humid conditions do not sound like a good time to garden. But if you’re an iris lover forget about the weather as there is work to be done. Mid July through mid August is the best time to plant, move or divide iris. Iris is one of the most popular perennials in the garden and easy to grow. Although they provide pleasure for many years with little care, periodic dividing is an important cultural practice for maintaining plant health.

As a general rule, iris should be divided about every three to five years. Without timely dividing, the plants simply outgrow their allotted space in the garden. Normally, the bloom quality of the clump decreases when the plants become overcrowded.

How big do walnut trees have to be before they have some commercial value as hardwood? We have two volunteer walnut trees we'd like to get rid of.

I have two pests on my pecan tree so far this year: brown May beetles and walnut caterpillars. The tree shades my bricked patio, and the caterpillar droppings on the patio and furniture are messy and unsightly. Both pests are defoliating the tree. We sprayed a systemic earlier in the spring & now again yesterday with malathion. The tree's too tall to get all the way up to its top. Spraying resulted in bunches of dead brown beetles and some dead caterpillars. There are also ants crawling up the trunk, so I suppose that means it's got aphids too although I haven't seen them yet. What else could the ants be feeding on? I applied grub preventer to the lawn in the spring, but is that effective against these brown May beetles that love my pecan tree? I've researched the walnut caterpillar and understand it's life cycles, applied goo to the trunk to stop them, but they persist...... I want them all outta here! What can I do that I haven't already done?

If I try to start new plum trees from seeds, do the seeds have to freeze and break the shell open before the seed will germinate? I am finding offshoots which I think come up from the roots, but when I pull them out of the ground, there are no roots at the base. They look like they have just broken off a bigger root. The one remaining mature tree we still have is a transplant from a nearby garden many years ago. I guess they might be called native plums, and were never hybridized. The fruit is small in size, and because my son is opposed to chemical sprays, often pest-infected. Nonetheless, ca

I have a Catalpa in my backyard which I love and was really looking forward to sitting underneath this year ( I live in Olathe). However, this tree is leafing out very oddly this year and I don't know if it is diseased or dying.

I had a couple of lower branchs leaf out already with blooms. And just now have another branch on the lower level starting to leaf out. There is no other signs "yet I hope" of any other branchs leafing out.

Is there anything I can do? Or should I just wait it out to see what happens.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I have a Dawn Redwood and a Baldcypress, both about 4-5 ft. tall and in 2-gallon pots. They're begging to go in the ground! We have a nice wet drainage area that's about 100-ft. from our septic field, and I was wondering if it was okay to plant them there. I know how the roots of these trees can travel and have been told 100 ft. is pushing it. I find that pretty hard to believe; is this true?

I have three full grown Rose of Sharon Althea trees, well over 10 feet tall. They have had numerous blooms every year since they were planted. This year they have grown too tall and scraggly and are putting out smaller blooms. I have never trimmed these trees except for some excess low branches. It is now the end of July, temps are in the 90's every day. Can I prune these trees, as in cut them back a third of their growth now or, really, should I wait until the Fall to do so?

Each year about this time dozens of leaves on my crabapple tree yellow and fall off every day. But the tree seems healthy and continues to grow. It was mature when we moved in 10 years ago. Is this anything to be concerned about, other than that it's kind of unsightly?

Which is the best way to start new plum trees? If a plum shoot that has come up from the roots is allowed to grow, will it make a good tree, or is it best to try to germinate seeds?

I have several shoots that have escaped the mower. Several have multiple shoots at the same spot -- should all except the strongest shoot be pruned out?