Test PB Collection: FTE

Laurie Meyerpeter, Master Gardeners of Placer County Q: My Japanese maple is getting sunburned. The leaf edges are turning brown. How can I prevent this?A: Although frequently dubbed “sunburned leaves,” dry leaves on Japanese maples are more commonly a water deficit problem. “Sunburned” leaves…

By Elaine Applebaum, Master Gardeners of Placer County Q: The leaves of my oak tree have red spots on them. Is this a problem?A: The spots are most likely caused by erineum mites or gall wasps, both of which cause only cosmetic damage and will not harm your oak tree.The red spots you see…

By Gay Wilhelm, Master Gardeners of Placer CountyQ: I have a Chinese tallow tree in my front yard near a walkway. I’m told it should come out because of shallow roots and that it’s an invasive tree. Is this true? A: Sapium sibiferum, Chinese tallow, is a deciduous tree up to 40 feet…

Article and photos by Nicole Harrison, Master Gardeners of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Spring 2022  How we prepare for fire can mean the difference between dead trees and trees that are resilient to fire. In an evaluation of a fire damaged tree, there are a few key things to consider…

From Forestland Steward, Winter 2007 newsletter, courtesy of California Forest Stewardship ProgramFrom The Curious Gardener, Summer 2007Trees die even in healthy forests; it’s part of the cycle of life. But if you notice large numbers of previously healthy trees with brown needles or other signs of disease…

By Trish Grenfell, Master Gardeners of Placer CountyQ: Each winter my bloodtwig dogwood has produced a spectacular show with its bright red stems, but this year the branches are a dull grey. What happened? Can you suggest another shrub/small tree with bright winter stems to replace it?A: If your…

Article and photos by Nicole Harrison, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Winter 2022  To a large degree trees are just biological organisms that progress through a predetermined life cycle, like us. They sprout and grow (infancy) and then enter a vigorous growth phase …

By Nicole Harrison, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Spring 2023  After the extreme weather of January, anyone with trees still standing probably felt lucky. The unfortunate truth is that many of the failures were likely predictable by a qualified consulting arborist…

Why are conifers dying?Across the state, but in the Sierra Nevada in particular, unprecedented numbers of trees have died on both public and private land. Many trees stressed from the four-year drought and overcrowding have succumbed to bark beetles. Aerial detection surveys done in 2016 showed that 102…