Plant Care Archives -

Should you fill the cavity in your tree or seal a wound?

Plant Care, Pruning & Planting, Tree Assessment / Susan Hamilton

Like outdated medical practices such as bloodletting and lobotomies, arboriculture has its own discarded methods. Some approaches, though less shocking than lobotomies, are still questionable when critically examined. Techniques such as cavity filling and wound sealing, while other methods remain under review or are reserved for rare situations. So let’s chat about caring for wounds […]

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Has Fall Arrived Early To New England?

Plant Care, Weather / Susan Hamilton

You may be walking or driving around and noticing that some trees have started to show some fall color lately. Well, let’s put those pumpkin spice lattes on hold for a few more weeks, because this is actually a stress response to the lack of rain we had this summer. New England is experiencing abnormally

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Why is my tree dripping a sticky substance?

Plant Care, Services / Susan Hamilton

Why is my tree dripping? Why is my car covered in sap or sticky substance? Trees can drip sap, but in all likelihood it is not sap that your tree is dripping. It is likely that your tree is dripping a substance called, Honeydew. Let me be clear, honeydew is just a lovely bow on

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Treatment timing is often the Key to the Successful Control of an Insect

Plant Care, Services / Russ Warnock

Yuuuuuppppp, that’s me! Now, you may be wondering what I’m doing working on the Sunday after the 4th of July. Well, let me tell you how a complete obsession with doing real-life science led to my plan to make sure this Holly Scale infestation saw its last fireworks show. Nobody LOVES pesticides, but we

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What in the world… are mites?

Plant Care, Services / Susan Hamilton

We spend a lot of time talking about insects, but did you know that there is another nasty pest that causes problems in the garden. Today we are talking about mites! But Susan, Are mites’ insects? Mites are not insects. They are different animals all together. Mites are part of the arachnid family (Yes,

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Image showing two trees one tree is healthy the other is not

How do I know if my tree is healthy?

Plant Care, Services, Tree Assessment / Susan Hamilton

Is your tree healthy? Is it safe? How do you know when to ask for help? Here are some signs that we look for as arborists at Port City Tree Care to tell if a tree deserves some love and attention. Does the tree have as many leaves as its neighbors? At this point

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White Boxwood larva on new boxwood leaves

Boxwood Psyllid – Should you be concerned?

Plant Care / Susan Hamilton

This year, there have been several instances of Boxwoods displaying significant infestations of Boxwood Psyllid. Although treatment is typically not recommended, some situations have warranted it due to the severity of the infestation. Homeowners have been given the choice regarding whether to pursue treatment. What is Boxwood Psyllid and what impact does it have

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Resistance Drilling and how it provides tree owners with more information

Tree Assessment / Susan Hamilton

What is resistance drilling? Resistance drilling has been around for several decades (nearly 40 years) and has been used to determine the strength of wood. It uses a very small diameter drill bit (about 1.5mm) spinning at incredibly high resolutions. While it is drilling into the tree it measures the resistance that the wood provides.

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What’s going on with the Rhododendrons this year in New England?

Plant Care / Susan Hamilton

Broadleaf evergreen shrubs like rhododendrons, hollies, and boxwoods add beauty and greenery to the winter landscape. Come spring, many homeowners are alarmed to see brown, scorched-looking leaves and damaged foliage. What happened? In many cases, the culprit is winter burn—a common but preventable form of cold-weather stress. What is winter burn? Winter burn is a

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Buck rub and Young Trees

Plant Care, Services / Susan Hamilton

Buck rub on young sapling trees indicates that a male deer (buck) has used the tree to rub its antlers. These rubs serve purposes such as marking territory, strengthening neck muscles, and removing velvet from new antler growth. Characteristics of a buck rub include: Stripped bark: The outer bark is often peeled or scraped away,

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