Hello Tree Talk Community,

This is arborist and commercial pesticide applicator Matt Filla. This thread helps homeowners determine the best outdoor treatment solutions.

So you’re comparing treatment options for your outdoor problem. For example, let’s say you have Emerald Ash Borer. You hire a company who tells you they use excellent insecticide products with a long track record of success. They describe a soil injection method that lasts a full year. You sign the contract and become a perennial customer. Your mistakes? 1. ALWAYS ask the applicator to disclose which chemical they will be using for the treatment. Specifically, ask which active ingredient is in their treatment. The budget applicators you’re hiring for Emerald Ash Borer are using an inferior imidicloprid product for your treatments.

2. Research the active ingredient and calla treatment specialist such as Green Goddess for a second professional opinion. For Ash, trunk injection Emamectin Benzoate has extensive…

I need some limbs on two oak trees removed. it is hard to figure out which limbs were dead last fall. I would like to wait until the tree leaves out. Is this a good idea ?

Are you tired of watering trees constantly? It's incredible just how much water is recommended for a thirsty tree every day during drought. A large 40" diameter tree would benefit from 40 gallons of slow trickle irrigation on a dry hot day! Installing a mulch ring is one of the best ways to dramatically increase soil moisture moderation and consequently tree drought resistance.

Homeowners commonly overestimate the power of fertilizer. Fertilizers like miracle-gro cause explosive growth in tomatoes and scots allows turfgrass to thrive. Surprisingly, trees in compacted city soils often suffer when high nitrogen synthetic fertilizers are applied; burns to roots can occur while enhanced growth rates for stressed plants increases vulnerability to a myriad of ailments. Trees in the urban environment are weakened from a lack of organic material seen in the forest setting. Decades of leaves, sticks, and logs decomposing into the soil creates that soft porous…

Hello this is Green Goddess owner Matt Filla. As a general rule of thumb, late winter is the best season for pruning trees and shrubs. Main reasons for optimal pruning timing often occurring in February and early March are:

1. Extremely low to zero chance for plant pathogens to spread. Diseases prevented with winter pruning include Oak Wilt, Locust Cankers, and Apple Fireblight.

2. Tree surgeries waste less energy during winter dormant season. Less energy is distributed in the limbs plus there is no wasted foliage with deciduous tree limb removal. Spring trimming is usually the most stressful timing as trees with lower energy reserves after winter have pushed limited energy resources into the first flush of foliage.

3. Although early winter can be solid pruning timing, late winter is usually better as open limb cut wounds are less frequently damaged from winter cold snaps. This is because late winter is close to…

Hello this is the owner Matt Filla. Lyme Disease has a very personal connection…I take pride in helping reduce the spread of this debilitating disease. Avoiding tick habitat is the most effective prevention measure, although it is often impractical for those of us looking to enjoy the outdoors. Outside of avoiding long grass habitat try these strategies below:

First and foremost: Apply permethrin to yourr pant legs all the way to your knees in a ring around your whole calf section of the pant leg. Permethrin is an incredibly low toxicity product that will kill the vast majority of ticks as they travel up your pants. Permethrin is a synthetic version of pyrethrum…a natural insecticide derived from the chrysanthemum. Second: Call Green Goddess to apply for a tick tube program. Tick tubes are strategically placed where mice will enter the tubes to grab permethrin treated cotton for nesting material. Th…

This public forum is a place to discuss all topics, including tree care, plant health, pest management, and property maintenance. Use it to ask questions, share experiences, and get helpful insights from our team and the community. Please keep discussions respectful and on topic so everyone can benefit.

Welcome to our group My Site 32 Group! A space for us to connect and share with each other. Start by posting your thoughts, sharing media, or creating a poll.