Tree Care Journal
What we see in the field, written up so you can recognize it in your own garden. Our arborists work across two very different climates, the desert of the Coachella Valley and the oak country around Calabasas, so most posts say which one they apply to.
Coachella ValleyThe Bug on Your Citrus That Stands on Its Head
Asian citrus psyllid feeds at a 45-degree angle and nothing else on citrus does. It has been in Coachella since 2012. The disease it carries is not here.Read more
Coachella ValleyHalf-Inch Holes in Your Palm Trunk? The Beetle Came Second
Round exit holes in a palm trunk mean giant palm borer. UC says it only attacks palms that were already dying, and the larva was inside for years.Read more
Coachella ValleyTexas Root Rot, and Why Trees Die in Three Days Here
A healthy tree browns and dies inside a week in August, leaves still hanging on it. One soil fungus does that, and the Coachella Valley sits inside its quarantine.Read more
Coachella ValleyYour Tree Looks Thirsty. It Might Be Drowning.
Too much water and too little look identical from the driveway. Which leaves fail first tells you which one it is, and why watering more can make it worse.Read more
Coachella ValleyWhat Bad Palm Tree Trimming Does to a Palm
Palm tree trimming that cuts green fronds removes the palm’s potassium reserve. Here is what that costs, and what good trimming looks like in the desert.Read more
Coachella ValleySquiggly Lines on Your Citrus Leaves? Leave Them Alone
Citrus leafminer reached California through Imperial County, so the desert met it early. UC says leave it alone on a backyard tree, and here is why.Read more
Coachella ValleyThat Huge Beetle That Hit Your Window in July
A three-inch beetle on the patio in a Coachella Valley summer. What it is, why the adult is harmless, and when it is worth calling an arborist in Palm Springs.Read more
Coachella ValleyThe Beetle Follows the Sunburn, Not the Other Way Round
Flatheaded borers lay eggs in damaged bark, and in the Coachella Valley that damage is sunburn. What a tree health assessment looks for, and the cheapest fix.Read more
Coachella ValleyCutting Mistletoe Off Doesn't Get Rid of It
It grows back in the same spot because the visible plant is the small half. Why mistletoe removal is not ordinary tree trimming, and the one foot rule.Read more
Coachella ValleyBlack Powder Under the Bark? That's Sooty Canker
A branch dies with its leaves attached and the bark lifts to show black soot. What it is, and what tree disease treatment actually helps in the desert.Read more
Coachella ValleySeven Questions to Ask Before You Agree to Remove a Tree
Someone says the tree has to come down. Before you agree to a tree removal in Palm Springs or La Quinta, these are the questions that separate hazard from sale.Read more
Coachella ValleyWhat's Actually Killing Your Palm (and What Isn't)
Half the palm diseases you read about do not occur in California. What really kills palms here, and when to call a palm tree doctor in the Coachella Valley.Read more
Coachella ValleyCurled Ficus Leaves? It's One of Three Things
Ficus hedge leaves rolled into tubes, folded in half, or covered in hard bumps. Three different insects, three answers, and none needs a spray.Read more
Coachella ValleyYour Oleander Hedge Is Dying One Plant at a Time
Oleander leaf scorch was first seen on the Palm Springs to Indio line. There is no cure, and watering more will not help. How to tell it from thirst.Read more
Coachella ValleyHow to Get Rid of Whiteflies in the Coachella Valley
Sticky leaves, black sooty mold and a cloud of white insects on desert trees. Here's why the usual spray makes next summer worse, and what actually works.Read more