Skip to main content
17 votes

How can I fix / heal a small hole in a tree?

I would suggest you simply leave the hook in place - its obviously been there for a while and has luckily not caused the tree any problems. If you remove it, that might leave an open wound, and there ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 135k
17 votes
Accepted

Why does my oak tree have clumps of leaves in the winter?

It's hard to be certain from just the picture, but that looks like mistletoe: https://tcrcd.net/brochures/pdf/Oak_Mistletoe.pdf.
marky1991's user avatar
  • 343
14 votes
Accepted

Ants on trees - ok or bad?

The trees have probably got aphids. From the RHS website here: Ants may be found climbing plants with aphid colonies, they tend the aphids obtaining honeydew as a reward. The ants will remove aphid ...
Peter4075's user avatar
  • 3,987
14 votes

Ants on trees - ok or bad?

I agree with the other answers, you probably have an aphid infestation. But rather than spraying your trees to get rid of the aphids, you may try putting a ring of glue on your tree, to get rid of the ...
Garrluk's user avatar
  • 141
12 votes
Accepted

What is a good method for planting Ball and Burlap trees?

Time of year: Any time of year works, as long as the ground is not frozen, or the air very hot and dry. Obviously frozen ground will be 'hard to work with', and you will not be able to plant the tree ...
J. Musser's user avatar
  • 51.9k
12 votes

What is the most efficient way to remove a row of bushes?

Time efficient? Hire a bulldozer. Push the debris into a pile, have a load or two of manure (chicken is great, horse may be easier to find and also works well) dumped over the pile. Wait two or ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 25.2k
11 votes
Accepted

How should I deal with tree root pushing on brick retaining wall?

If you cut the root you will damage the leaves that are fed by that root. That root also provides structural stability. A better idea is to rebuild or remove the retaining wall in that area. The ...
kevinskio's user avatar
  • 60.5k
11 votes
Accepted

Planting magnolia tree a little 'high'

There are a couple of problems with your description of how you're going to plant this tree. First, no plant should be planted less than a foot (as a minimum) away from a fence or wall, so if you ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 135k
10 votes

Pruning a weeping mulberry

Oh my goodness. Do you understand the treasure you have? Find a master pruner to create a covered walkway! How wonderful. If you destroy this tree I will haunt you when I am dead! (Grins). That ...
stormy's user avatar
  • 40.5k
10 votes
Accepted

Does moss harm the tree it grows on?

Moss will not harm the tree! Good news indeed because the forests around here would be in BIG trouble! Moss does not have true roots - their "roots" are just for the purpose anchoring themselves to ...
Tyler K.'s user avatar
  • 1,729
10 votes

How can I tell the difference between male and female trees?

It's down to the particular variety of tree or plant how to tell, but bear in mind that not all trees are either male or female (dioecious), many are monoecious, meaning they have male and female ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 135k
10 votes
Accepted

Name of Southern California tree with a peeling bark?

This looks like a Cajeput Tree. It grows in southern California, has the "shedding" tree trunk, the leaf shape appears to be a match, (linear) as well as the color of the branches and shoots.
Christy B.'s user avatar
  • 1,215
10 votes

What is this tree with twisted bark, fern-like leaves and bright red flowers?

This is a Delonix regia, a tree very similar to more famous Albicia julibrissin, but with entirely different flowers: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delonix_regia On propagation, from www.thespruce....
VividD's user avatar
  • 5,840
10 votes
Accepted

What's the name and purpose of this metallic frame at the base of a tree?

The most common names for such structures are 'metal tree guard' and 'metal tree trunk guard'. The purpose is to protect the tree from mechanical impact of other heavy moving objects, such as cars, ...
VividD's user avatar
  • 5,840
10 votes
Accepted

Help identify this tree

This is a bald cypress, also known as swamp cypress, and also known as Taxodium distichum. It is a magnificent tree, and one of rare deciduous conifers. If you plant this tree, you get some of the ...
VividD's user avatar
  • 5,840
10 votes
Accepted

How does tree sap go up

You're right in that an element of capillary action is involved in the process. The usual explanation for how fluids flow through xylem tissue is to do with the interconnected process of transpiration....
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 135k
10 votes
Accepted

What is this spiky tree?

This looks like Zanthoxylum clava-herculis to me based on the distinctive look and region that you mentioned. It's also known as the Hercules' club, pepperwood, or southern prickly ash: Here's the ...
jncraton's user avatar
  • 398
10 votes

Very few needles on lower spruce branches

I live in a region where Norway spruce grows wild, and in my experience, the lower shaded branches shedding their needles and dying is perfectly normal for these trees. For the tree, there's no point ...
Ilmari Karonen's user avatar
9 votes

What is this tree and will it eventually destroy my house?

It's a Dwarf Alberta Spruce. (Well, it's a White Spruce, and because of how dense it is, my money's on Dwarf Alberta, a type of White Spruce.) Technically, you want at least 3' between one of those ...
Paul Nardini's user avatar
  • 2,173
9 votes

Help me identify this Mini Bonsai

It looks like Ficus benjamina, though its hard to be sure of scale in terms of size of the leaves from the photo - image and info here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina. Your plant doesn'...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 135k
9 votes
Accepted

What type of Bonsai is this, and how should I take care of it?

Before anything else, if you really want to keep a bonsai alive, I highly, highly recommend you invest in a good book on bonsai care. Something you can reference any time to help you get a feel for ...
J. Musser's user avatar
  • 51.9k
9 votes
Accepted

Japanese Maple Care after years of neglect

The white patches mostly appear to be one of the lichens rather than fungal mycelium - the fact that they're under the moss isn't unusual, and no treatment is required. Moss and lichens often occur ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 135k
9 votes
Accepted

What is this smallish tree with waterfall of berries in the autumn?

It looks like a very mature Pyracantha, but you can check by looking for its sharp thorns - these arise off the wood on the smaller branches, and I can't actually see any in any of the pictures. There ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 135k
9 votes

What is this tree with bark that has diamond-shaped ridges?

This is an elm (judging just by the leaf that is serrated and characteristically asymmetrical). It could be, say, Ulmus davidiana var. japonica 'Prospector'. Or it might be Ulmus americana 'New ...
VividD's user avatar
  • 5,840
9 votes
Accepted

Identification of this tree

It is Araucaria araucana (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_araucana), commonly called the "monkey puzzle tree" in the UK (presumably because attempting to climb it would be an prickly ...
alephzero's user avatar
  • 11.5k
9 votes

Ants on trees - ok or bad?

The problem with not treating for aphids is it's likely to get worse, especially with ants warding off aphid predators. With large trees, it's obviously next to impossible to treat for aphids because ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 135k
9 votes

Tree/Fruit Identification

That is the "Maidenhair tree" Ginkgo biloba The fruit is smelly (like vomit) but the seeds are edible, and used in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. It has attractive yellow leaves in the autumn....
James K's user avatar
  • 192
8 votes
Accepted

Identify this tree with thin trunk and large leaves?

Ruffled fan palm tree (Licuala grandis)
Ben Welborn's user avatar
  • 1,595
8 votes

When to collect acorns for planting?

Collect them, as soon as they fall. There is no need to climb a tree, as tempting as it sounds. A good acorn is fresh, rather big, feels plump and heavy, the cap comes off easily and it shows no ...
Stephie's user avatar
  • 16.8k
8 votes
Accepted

How should I prune this grafted lemon tree?

You may be right - the grafted part died back, the rootstock took over, and the only part that's left of the original grafted lemon is at the bottom. It shouldn't be thorny - the thorny parts will ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 135k

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible