Oak Tree Fuzzy Spots: Photo Request for Gall vs. Disease Diagnosis

Cary: 10-15 ft oak with brown fuzzy spots all over. Asks treatment and mortality risk. Expert Response Steve needs location (leaves, bark), texture (flat/rounded), and photo (review for focus). Diagnostic Possibilities

Japanese Maple Wax Scale: Identification and Systemic Treatment Options

Leigh: white bumps on Japanese maple bark/limbs. Hand removal = squishy, leaves bark spots. Japanese maple with wax scale infestation Expert Identification Steve confirmed wax scale (common on hollies). Sucking insect

Pecan Tree Bark Peeling: Photo Request for Rust-Colored Substance Diagnosis

James: 6-year-old paper shell pecans, bark peeling with brown rust between layers. Expert Response Steve requested photo (review for focus first) plus: Overall tree appearance: thinning or full canopy? Leaf spots prese

Italian Cypress Sequential Decline: Spider Mite and Soil Investigation

Mary in Northern California: 10 Italian cypress screen. 3 years ago tree 1 yellowed (removed). 2 months ago tree 2 yellowed (removed). Now tree 4 yellowing. Barely water/feed. Boxwood hedge also dying in same spot (repla

Mimosa Wilt vs. Slime Flux: Fatal Disease Diagnosis in Kansas

Kansas mimosa: leaf loss limb by limb since summer start. White foam 6 weeks ago, now yellowish foam from trunk. No reported mimosa wilt in area. Expert Diagnosis Two fatal possibilities: Slime flux/wetwood: Bacterial,

Photinia (Red Tip) Entomosporium Leaf Spot: Severe Disease Management

Barbara in SW Missouri: 3-year-old, 5-ft red tips had Entomosporium leaf spot spring. Fungicide worked on new growth. Lower half defoliated. Asks about severe fall pruning (to ground or 3 ft). Expert Response Steve (Ark

Korean Dogwood Leaf Scorch: Shallow Root Drought Sensitivity

Alfreds Korean dogwood: leaves brown at tips after blooming, progressing up leaf through summer. Not profuse flowering. New growth unaffected. Korean dogwood showing tip burn Expert Diagnosis Steve identified classic

Eugenia Decline Investigation: Root Stress and Environmental Review

Beckys eugenias dying despite trimming dead parts—more dried leaves appear. Florida location. Asks about fertilization frequency and type. Expert Approach Steve suspects underlying root/soil stress rather than simple nu

Indian Jasmine Whitefly Infestation: Urgent Control for Prized Plants

Zaibas two potted Indian jasmine plants (abundant fragrant flowers year-round) now show leaf discoloration, tiny white flying bugs under leaves, and leaf scaling. Expert Identification Kathy confirmed whiteflies—suck pl

Citrus Mealybug Management: Organic and Conventional Options

Susans outdoor lemon tree has white fuzzy bugs (mealybugs) on leaf undersides and trunk. Squished = reddish orange. Expert Identification Kathy confirmed mealybugs on citrus. Treatment Options Insecticidal soap Atomic

Flowering Plum Peachtree Borer: Comprehensive Pest Management Guide

Linda in Arizona: flowering plum with sap seeping from multiple trunk areas. Suspects borers. Lost same species last year despite painting trunk. Expert Identification Peachtree borer (Synanthedon exitiosa)—major pest o

Grapefruit Tree Greasy Spot Fungus: Organic Treatment Option

Jims grapefruit tree shows leaf spotting (photo provided). Grapefruit leaf with greasy spot symptoms Expert Diagnosis Kathy identified greasy spot fungus—especially attacks grapefruit. Treatment Options Atomic Grow

Rose of Sharon Bloom Failure: Thrips and Wet Soil Investigation

Bonnies 4 Rose of Sharon: blooms wont open fully, leaves never matured, sick all season. Wet spring, short summer. No visible mildew/fungus. Expert Differential Steve ruled out disease. Two primary suspects: Thrips: Ti

Robellini Palm Poolside Problems: Fungus vs. Mealybugs in Humid Microclimate

James 3-month-old poolside Robellini palms: one struggling with white stuff on branches, slower growth. Pool humidity suspected. Expert Diagnosis Kathy: either fungus or mealybugs, leaning fungus due to pool humidity.

Euonymus Scale Control: Systemic Soil Treatment for Season-Long Protection

Euonymus Scale Control: Systemic Soil Treatment for Season-Long Protection White scale on variegated euonymus—request for best spray and frequency. Expert Recommendation Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control (soi

Chinese Pistache Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker Damage: Bird Injury Management

Henry in Dallas (Garland) found white residue areas on 5-year-old male Chinese pistache trunk. Wire brushing revealed black sticky substance underneath. Pea-sized, evenly spaced circles. Multi-purpose spray applied. Smok

Vanderwolf Pine Tip Dieback: Sap Bleeding vs. Disease Diagnosis

Davids 6-month-old Vanderwolf pines (7-10 ft) mostly healthy, but one shows new growth turning brown with whitish powder/substance at tips. Expert Diagnosis Steve identified possible bleeding of plant sap from twig woun

Japanese Plum Tree Root Rot Collapse: Fungal Failure and Neighbor Tree Risk

Valeries 10-15 foot Japanese plum fell overnight—roots disconnected/rotted, no pull-out. Bark had yellow-green mold. Concerns about nearby mature cedars and 1920s pecan. Expert Assessment Kathy confirmed fatal fungal ro

Patio Ligustrum Leaf Spot and Root Rot: Dual Disease Management

Lorraines patio ligustrum shows round brown spots with yellow borders—suspected root rot. Expert Diagnosis Kathy confirmed both leaf spot and root rot diseases attack ligustrum. Leaf spot fungi cause premature drop with

Crepe Myrtle Transplant Shock: Establishment Period Management in Texas

Newly planted crepe myrtles (from construction site) in Texas developed brown crispy leaf margins and leaf drop despite sun and water. Tiny black spots on brown areas noted later. Expert Diagnosis Transplant shock—energ