Aphids and Sooty Mold on Corkscrew Willow: Contact vs. Systemic Control

Aphids and Sooty Mold on Corkscrew Willow: Contact vs. Systemic Control Black aphids covering a declining corkscrew willow, with peeling black bark and sooty mold, indicate a severe infestation. Water sprays only tempora

Inner Browning on Emerald Green Arborvitae: Overwatering in Clay

Inner Browning on Emerald Green Arborvitae: Overwatering in Clay Brown inner foliage on recently planted arborvitae in clay soil indicates overwatering. Clay holds water, suffocating roots; outer tips brown from drought,

Beetle Damage Preventing Crepe Myrtle Blooms: Permethrin Control

Beetle Damage Preventing Crepe Myrtle Blooms: Permethrin Control Tiny holes at the bloom bases on a non-flowering crepe myrtle indicate beetles (likely Japanese beetle or similar) feeding on flower buds. The tree lacks b

Nutall Oak Decline: Root Binding in Clay Soil

Nutall Oak Decline: Root Binding in Clay Soil Darkening bark, peeling, yellow leaves, and high mortality in Nutall oaks planted in clay soil indicate root binding. Clay holes with smooth sides act like pots, preventing r

Black Knot on Ornamental Plum: Organic Atomic Grow Treatment

Black Knot on Ornamental Plum: Organic Atomic Grow Treatment Black knot (Apiosporina morbosa) is a progressive fungal disease forming black, swollen galls on plum branches. Pruning out galls 6-8 inches below the swelling

Young Dogwood Decline: Borers, Transplant Shock, and Trimmer Damage

Young Dogwood Decline: Borers, Transplant Shock, and Trimmer Damage A 3-foot red dogwood with blackening leaves, loose bark at the base, and leaf drop likely has borer damage (common on dogwoods) compounded by transplant

White Powder on Birch Leaves: Powdery Mildew or Insects?

White Powder on Birch Leaves: Powdery Mildew or Insects? A light, uniform dusting like baby powder on birch leaves is powdery mildew—a cosmetic fungal issue. White, tufted clumps suggest mealybugs or scale insects. Both

Sudden Wisteria Collapse: Chemical Damage from Power Washing

Sudden Wisteria Collapse: Chemical Damage from Power Washing Overnight wisteria collapse with curled, dry leaves and dark-spotted foliage after house power-washing points to bleach or detergent drift onto foliage and roo

Green Growth on Maple Trunks: Lichens, Not Harmful

Green Growth on Maple Trunks: Lichens, Not Harmful Green, powdery coating on maple trunks after canopy thinning is lichens—symbiotic algae/fungi that photosynthesize on bark. They are harmless epiphytes, not parasites. I

Sooty Mold and Aphids on Crepe Myrtle: Insecticide Options

Sooty Mold and Aphids on Crepe Myrtle: Insecticide Options Black powder (sooty mold) wiping off leaves, plus aphids on leaf undersides and yellowing/defoliation, indicate a heavy aphid infestation. The mold grows on aphi

Cucumber Target Spot and Anthracnose: Fungicide and Cultural Control

Cucumber Target Spot and Anthracnose: Fungicide and Cultural Control White/brown spots spreading on cucumber leaves, stunting vines and fruit, are likely target spot (Corynespora) or anthracnose (Colletotrichum)—both fun

Bark Peeling and Sap Leak on Young Elm: Insect Investigation

Bark Peeling and Sap Leak on Young Elm: Insect Investigation A 3-month-old elm with peeling bark, sap at branch unions, and light green spots may have borer insects entering through small holes. The green spots could be

Stewartia Bud Drop and Leaf Scorch: Thrips and Soil Issues

Stewartia Bud Drop and Leaf Scorch: Thrips and Soil Issues A young stewartia with brown leaf margins and flower buds that enlarge then drop brown may have two issues: thrips (tiny, fast insects) damaging buds, and root s

Quince Rust on Crab Apple and Hawthorn: Organic Atomic Grow

Quince Rust on Crab Apple and Hawthorn: Organic Atomic Grow Orange, powdery spores on Sargent crab apple fruit and spreading to Washington hawthorn indicate quince rust (Gymnosporangium clavipes), a fungus requiring juni

Peach Leaf Curl: Fungal Cause and Organic Remedy

Peach Leaf Curl: Fungal Cause and Organic Remedy Yellowing leaves and peaches shriveling into prunes on two trees indicate peach leaf curl (Taphrina deformans), a fungal disease that infects buds in cool, wet spring weat

Boxwood Leafminer and Psyllid: Confirmation and Systemic Control

Boxwood Leafminer and Psyllid: Confirmation and Systemic Control Tan, brown leaves with no larvae inside indicate leafminers have completed their generation and emerged. Cupped leaves suggest psyllid damage. Both pests w

Managing Aphid Honeydew on Garden Plants and Large Trees

Managing Aphid Honeydew on Garden Plants and Large Trees Clear, sticky honeydew coating hostas, peonies, patio, and a large overhanging linden tree comes from aphids feeding above. On big trees, foliar spraying is imprac

Aphid Honeydew on Crape Myrtle: Systemic Insecticide Solution

Aphid Honeydew on Crape Myrtle: Systemic Insecticide Solution Sticky residue coating a crape myrtle and everything beneath it is honeydew excreted by aphids feeding on the tree. The few visible aphids and black sooty mol

Leaf-Curling Insect on Weeping Holly: Get a Positive ID

Leaf-Curling Insect on Weeping Holly: Get a Positive ID Tightly curled leaves with a small black insect glued inside indicate a leaf-mining or gall-making insect (possibly a midge, psyllid, or caterpillar). Systemic inse

Magnolia Leaf Blisters: Fungal Cause and Organic Treatment

Magnolia Leaf Blisters: Fungal Cause and Organic Treatment Hollow, wart-like blisters on magnolia leaves that distort foliage are caused by a fungal pathogen (likely Exobasidium or similar). The fungus infects young leav