Sugar Maple Dieback with Heavy Seed Production: Causes and Solutions

Understanding Unusual Maple Behavior A homeowner in Southern Indiana observed a sugar maple with a puzzling symptom: heavy seed clusters on certain upper branches, yet those same branches bore no leaves except at the ver

Aspen Leaf and Shoot Blight: Venturia Fungus Management in Wet Climates

Doug (Western WA): several aspens, last year black dry leaves, fell pre-autumn. Spread 50 ft over summer. April: first signs again on undeveloped leaves. No insects. Nurseries stumped. Fungicides applied liberally spring

Burford Holly Sudden Leaf Drop: Temperature Shock Response

Ralph (middle TN): small Burford holly dropping new leaves (6-8 new growth). New stems healthy. Last week: all new leaves dropping, old yellowing. No spots. Fallen leaves black at base (petiole). Expert Assessment Steve

Madagascar Palm Sun Sensitivity: Watering Correction for Crinkling Leaves

Mark (PA): Madagascar palm (~14) hates sun. Blogs say full sun. New leaves crinkle/die in hours of sun. Inside better. Waters weekly. Asks: problem? Expert Diagnosis Kathy: overwatering. Drain basin must empty in 15 min

Holly Sooty Mold and Leaf Drop: Insect-Driven Dual Symptom

John: large holly, red berries, bloomed spring. Now dropping leaves, yellow leaves. Remaining leaves: sticky blackish substance. Expert Diagnosis Steve: black rubs off = sooty mold (not disease). Grows on insect honeyde

Arborvitae Trunk Wound: Irreversible Entry Point for Decay

Renee (Arkansas): newly planted Emerald Green Arborvitae from Lowes. Large cut in trunk, small brown patches on branches. Worried cut will kill tree. Asks: repair? Expert Assessment Steve: severity-dependent trouble ahe

Maple Crown Gall: Bacterial Disease with Organic Treatment Option

Bri: gall disease on young maple (12-13 ft). Read wont affect health. More bumps this year. Asks: picking off worst leaves help reduce next year? Fear spread to 7 other maples. Expert Assessment Kathy: if crown gall (ba

Oak Wool Sower Gall: Harmless Wasp Nursery

Christy: several oaks with golf-ball fuzzy balls with red spots (one per tree, low enough to cut off). Wrapped around small branches. Seen neighborhood-wide on oaks. Asks: what? worry? natural? Expert Identification Ste

Hedge Spider Webs: Cosmetic Issue, Potential Beneficial Indicator

Michael: front hedges covered in spider webs every spring through summer. Asks: spray to remove spiders without harming hedges? Expert Assessment Steve: spiders not a problem (cosmetic only). May indicate steady insect

Citrus Sooty Mold from Aphids: Indoor Winter Infestation Recovery

Joyce: 4 miniature citrus (lemon, lime, orange, tangerine) mail-order 3 years ago. Brought inside last fall. Two sweating sticky sweet substance on leaves. One dying, one covered, third starting. Only one ever flowered,

Ornamental Plum Delayed Leaf-Out: Environmental Stress vs. Fatal Decline

Maureen: ornamental plum dormant/dead past bloom season. Buds present but no bloom/leaves. No disease signs. Healthy last year. 6-7 years old. Expert Assessment Steve: no insect/disease acts this fast. Likely delayed by

Dwarf Magnolia Mortality Assessment: Scratch Test and Basal Inspection

Pamela (central Alabama): 4 dwarf magnolias (~10 years). One all brown leaves. Two normal. Fourth half green/half brown. Unusual rain last fall. Never brown before. Asks: dead? dying? Expert Assessment Steve: scratch ba

Peach Fruit Borer: Early Season Infestation Management

Mary: young peach trees, first fruit (quarter-size). Holes with clear sticky substance. Some leaves with holes/eaten. Expert Diagnosis Steve: sticky exudate from immature fruit = injury response. Insect borer tunneled i

Rug Juniper Cedar-Apple Rust: Gelatinous Spore Horns

Mark (Buffalo NY): 20-year-old blue rug junipers with orange gel-like blobs (egg-sized, 2-3 per plant). Never seen before. Expert Response Steve: needs photo for confirmation. Has idea but wants visual ID. Requests clos

Ornamental Lemon Trunk Gummosis: Borer Injury Response

Donna: ornamental lemon, 4 inches above soil line, orange goo oozes, hardens dry. Expert Assessment Steve: plant-origin substance, defense response to injury—likely borer insect tunneling in stem. Hole may be nearly inv

Willow Bacterial Wetwood: Slime Flux Diagnosis and Resource

Nicole: mothers willow not blooming. Pus on top branches, trunk bark peeling, bark appears dark at times. Asks: cause and cure? Expert Diagnosis Steve: bacterial wetwood (slime flux). Liquid oozes from bark cracks/pruni

Apple Tree Sooty Mold: Organic vs. Chemical Control

Janett: 3-year-old apple tree with black powdery mold on trunk. Asks: danger to other trees? Treatment? Expert Guidance Kathy: can hurt/kill tree if untreated. Options: Commercial fungicide Atomic Grow (organic, cures

Forsythia Twisted Growth: Herbicide Injury Suspect

Ashley: two forsythia with curly new growth unlike healthy growth. Asks: insect, disease, or treatment? Expert Assessment Steve: not insect/disease. Check weed killer/herbicide use nearby (especially if normal last year

Persimmon Scale Infestation: Waxy Protrusions with Discharge

Badruz (Northern VA, zone 7): 10-year Fuyu persimmon, great fruits. Now: 0.5 cm dark tumor-like spots on small branches/bark, everywhere. Push → whitish/yellow discharge. Asks: fungus/bacteria? Treatment to save tree. E

Lilac Bud Damage from Spring Cold Snap

Nancy in Wisconsin saw lilac leaf and flower buds dry out just as they opened after early warm spell followed by cold nights. Mature leaves and remaining buds look fine. Explanation Temperature drop injures tender emergi