Brian Sieber, district manager of Davey's Cincinnati office, talks about different growths that could be harming your trees, such as black knot and galls. In this episode we cover: Black knot (1:02) Pruning infected trees (3:08) How to avoid black knot (4:08) Are healthy trees resistant to pathogens and pests? (5:09) Does cutting out black knot save the tree? (5:47) Black knot in the fall (6:39) How has the weather affected Cincinnati's season? (7:09) Galls (8:56) How to know of galls are harmin...
Aug 14, 2025•21 min•Season 5Ep. 33
Ryan Kasak, sales arborist at Davey's Wickes/arborists, a Davey company, office, talks about a variety of summertime pests, as well as how homeowners can spot and get rid of them. In this episode we cover: Bagworms (00:48) Aphids (3:33) Crape myrtle trees in Rockland County, NY (5:24) Japanese beetles (6:06) Is a healthy tree not as prone to pests? (7:12) How do pests act when it's hot and dry? (8:13) Spider mites (8:46) Spotted lanternfly (11:07) How did Ryan become a sales arborist? (13:06) Wh...
Aug 07, 2025•19 min•Season 5Ep. 32
Ana Burns, senior area manager at Davey Resource Group (DRG), talks all about wetlands, their ecological importance and the work that DRG is doing to preserve these natural habitats. In this episode we cover: What is Davey Resource Group (DRG)? (00:41) Ana's role at DRG (1:15) How is a wetland defined? (1:49) How are wetlands important to the environment? (2:54) How does DRG work with wetlands? (3:29) Sustainability and constructing around them (5:49) Cool plants that only grow in wetlands (6:50...
Jul 31, 2025•17 min•Season 5Ep. 31
Jess Divin, district manager of Davey's East San Antonio office, talks about how Texas' long-term drought is impacting trees, as well as the infections that can result from drought stress and the natural defenses trees use to survive. In this episode we cover: Oak wilt fungal infection (00:42) How can homeowners take care of oak wilt? (3:40) Years-long Texas drought is highly affecting trees (7:37) Tree defense mechanisms during drought stress (8:20) Tree watering during a drought (11:28) Biscog...
Jul 24, 2025•25 min•Season 5Ep. 30
Lou Meyer, reginal business developer in Davey's Mid-Atlantic region, talks about the beautiful tulip poplar tree, including its height, classification and uses for its wood. In this episode we cover: Description of the tulip poplar (00:42) Where and how do they grow? (2:18) Weak wood vs. mid wood trees (5:02) Colonizer trees (6:03) Tulip poplar leaves (7:43) Tulip poplar flowers (8:52) Tulip poplar fruit (9:57) They grow to extremely tall heights (10:24) How are trees like these measured? (12:0...
Jul 17, 2025•22 min•Season 5Ep. 29
Scott Gardner, district manager of Davey's Burnaby office, talks about the devastating emerald ash borer infestation among the surrounding Vancouver area and how different it is one year later, as well as the predictions and precautions being taken to tackle the situation. In this episode we cover: Emerald ash borer spread in the metro Vancouver area (00:45) How serious is the infestation? (2:52) EAB in the eastern U.S. (5:30) What's the plan to stop the spread in the metro Vancouver area? (6:01...
Jul 10, 2025•27 min•Season 5Ep. 28
Lou Meyer, regional business developer in Davey's mid-Atlantic region, talks about the Pennsylvania state tree, the Eastern hemlock, as well as its beauty, benefits and threats it faces from the hemlock woolly adelgid. In this episode we cover: History of the Eastern hemlock (1:03) Horticultural oil for pest control (2:18) (5:56) What are other treatment options for these trees? (4:04) Signs of hemlock woolly adelgid (6:47) Does fertilization help Eastern hemlocks? (8:07) How weather and tempera...
Jul 03, 2025•22 min•Season 5Ep. 27
Jason Parker, district manager of Davey's Warminster office, talks about why soil is so vital for a healthy landscape, as well as which plants are best for certain types of soil and how to keep soil healthy. In this episode we cover: Most common types of soil in Philadelphia (1:27) Topsoil from new developments (1:58) Soil testing (3:14) How to properly plant trees in soil (5:20) Older neighborhoods usually have better soil (7:07) Should you do a soil test in a wooded area? (8:02) Different tree...
Jun 26, 2025•23 min•Season 5Ep. 26
Kyle Mack, district manager of Davey's Arborguard, a Davey company, Atlanta office, shares how to spot storm risks in your trees, as well as best practices to prevent summer storm damage. In this episode we cover: What to look for on a property when summer storms are coming (0:41) Fungal bodies at the bottom of your tree (2:05) Storm season in Atlanta (2:32) Get a tree checkup every six months (3:05) What arborists do to inspect a property (4:45) Don't over elevate your trees (7:33) Dead branch ...
Jun 19, 2025•19 min•Season 5Ep. 25
Chelsi Abbott, technical advisor within the Davey Institute, shares what the signs of tree decline are, along with what homeowners can do to spot and prevent it. In this episode we cover: Why do trees decline? (1:37) Water supply is the root issue (2:44) What are the signs of tree decline? (4:02) What can we do to intervene? (6:00) The timeline of tree decline (8:02) What it's like to be a technical advisor at Davey (10:12) Fungal issues (12:37) What to do if you spot a fungal issue (14:23) Best...
Jun 12, 2025•18 min•Season 5Ep. 24
Byron Hays from Davey's Kansas City office shares advice on caring for young trees during the summer, as well as some of his favorite underused and fast-growing trees. In this episode we cover: Watering (0:38) Planting schedule in Kansas City (2:30) Mulching (3:56) Some of Byron's favorite trees (5:29) Soil quality (6:26) Pest and diseases (7:42) When to take stakes off a tree (8:23) Fast growing trees (8:54) Can storms affect young trees? (9:50) How Byron got into arboriculture (10:35) What it'...
Jun 05, 2025•17 min•Season 5Ep. 23
Jacob Ryg from Davey's South St. Paul office shares a list of some invasive species, how to get rid of them and what species to plant in your garden and landscape instead. In this episode we cover: What makes a species invasive? (0:41) Invasive European buckthorn in South St. Paul (1:32) Did you know that garlic mustard is invasive? (6:41) Invasive species differ depending on where you are (8:26) Other kinds of invasive species (9:10) Is continual top cutting effective for getting rid of invasiv...
May 29, 2025•24 min•Season 5Ep. 22
Wilson Yoingco from Davey's Washington D.C. office introduces his office's Urban Defense Warrior, or a plant health care van, and how its design better delivers plant health care to urban settings. In this episode we cover: What is the Urban Defense Warrior van? (0:40) (2:32) What is the van used for? (1:00) (5:25) What is a plant health coordinator? (2:13) Specific jobs the van does (3:00) IPM, pesticides and fungicides (3:31) The van's fertilization process (4:59) The van's storage tanks (6:59...
May 22, 2025•12 min•Season 5Ep. 21
Rachel Broskey from Davey's Knoxville office shares advice on how to ID trees in your landscape, as well as some of her favorite trees from coast to coast and how she got into arboriculture and became a "nurse for trees." In this episode we cover: How arborists are trained to ID trees (0:52) How foliage plays a role in ID (2:28) Dawn redwoods (3:42) Evergreens and their needles (6:34) Rachel's favorite trees (8:01) (11:49) Redbud varieties (8:56) West vs east coast trees (10:04) Climate in Knoxv...
May 15, 2025•17 min•Season 5Ep. 20
Matt Morgan from Davey's Sacramento office shares what homeowners should expect during a Davey arborist visit and the specific signs arborists look for to help your trees and landscape. In this episode we cover: Seasonal calls Davey offices receive(1:02) Matt's consult routine (1:58) Hackberry trees (3:57) Hackberry aphids (5:22) What Matt looks for during a property inspection (7:39) Winter in California (8:43) Yearly rainfall in California (9:41) Watering California trees (10:35) Looking up at...
May 08, 2025•21 min•Season 5Ep. 19
In part two of this two-part episode, Zane Raudenbush, turf and herbicide specialist within the Davey Institute, shares spring pests to look out for in lawns, as well as general spring lawn seeding practices. In this episode we cover: Spring pests & diseases in the lawn (:40) Weedy turf grass (:54) Warm season pests (1:51) Grubs (2:55) Snow mold (4:00) Red thread (5:30) How to combat spring pests & diseases (6:51) Red thread (8:06) Weedy species (9:07) Lawn care trends over the years (14...
May 01, 2025•32 min•Season 5Ep. 18
In part one of this two-part episode, Zane Raudenbush, turf and herbicide specialist within the Davey Institute, shares his tips to set your lawn up for success this spring. In this episode we cover: Cool weather impacting spring lawn care (1:02) First thing to do in your lawn this spring (2:44) Garden weasels and biochar (4:08) (5:06) Soil temperatures (6:55) Dry, clay soil invigoration (8:24) Lawn fertilizers (11:37) (16:17) Bio stimulates fertilizers (14:21) (15:29) Soil testing (18:16) To fi...
Apr 24, 2025•22 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Mike Holleran from Davey's Wilmington, Delaware, office discusses how to make spring-flowering trees thrive, what diseases threaten them and some of his favorites. In this episode we cover: Flowering tree diseases (:45) Disease resilience (2:39) Treating flowering tree diseases (4:00) Fertilizing (5:20) Inspection from an arborist (8:27) Pruning (11:51) Mike's favorite spring-flowering plants (15:21) Witch hazel (15:37) Serviceberry (17:41) Redwood and dogwood (20:35) Okame cherry (26:04) To fin...
Apr 17, 2025•28 min•Season 5Ep. 16
Lou Meyer from Davey's mid-Atlantic region talks about all things white oak trees, including its acorn production, role in wildlife protection and significance to pop culture. In this episode we cover: Knowing the difference between different oak trees (:53) Growing differences between white and red oaks (2:01) Oak decline (3:29) The white oak's significance to Lou (4:19) Oak acorn production (6:22) White oak fast facts (8:45) White oaks in different parts of the United States (10:10) White oaks...
Apr 10, 2025•20 min•Season 5Ep. 15
Chrissy Balk, technical advisor with the Davey Institute, talks about fungal issues trees can experience in the spring, such as wood decay fungus and leaf diseases. Learn how to spot them as well as when they pose a threat to the tree versus when they are helpful to the tree. In this episode we cover: How do you know if a mushroom is good or bad? (0:51) Locations where fungus can grow (2:05) What happens if you see fungus on your tree? (4:25) Fungus growing on a wound (5:57) When should you call...
Apr 03, 2025•20 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Izzy Christmann from Davey's Portland, Oregon, office talks about the western red cedar tree, including essential planting tips, the variety of sizes it can grow into and how it interacts with weather conditions in the Pacific Northwest. In this episode we cover: Western red cedar fast facts (:42-2:02) Current weather in Portland, OR (2:42) What to do with trees under stress (3:52) Deep root watering best practices (4:41) Seasonal weather patterns in the Pacific Northwest (5:46) Western red ceda...
Mar 27, 2025•17 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Aaron Hoot from Davey's Dallas office shares spring planting tips to help kick off the spring, including the best native species to plant in his region as well as fertilization and watering tips. In this episode we cover: How to become successful at spring tree planting (:44) Aaron's favorite native species to plant (1:25) Planting season in Dallas (3:47) Watering during droughts (5:44) Mistletoe on trees (6:55) Hackberry trees (9:14) Spring fertilization (12:13) Wrapping newly planted trees (15...
Mar 20, 2025•31 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Mike Cassidy from Davey's West Columbus office shares a list of tree appearances in pop culture, such as movies, comics, songs and more, which reminds us of the huge benefit trees play in our world. In this episode we cover: Trees have a larger space in our mind (1:17) Trees as creatures (2:44) Lord of the Rings (3:26) Maleficent (3:47) Guardians of the Galaxy (4:50) The Wizard of Oz (5:46) The Trees by Rush (6:40) Trees as obstacles (7:43) Harry Potter (7:52) Poltergeist (8:54) The Happening (1...
Mar 13, 2025•25 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Dan Hager from Hartney Greymont, a Davey company, in Concord, shares his top spring pruning tips as well as different pruning tools and common pruning mistakes homeowners make. In this episode we cover: Pruning consultation and goals for plants (1:17) Not everything needs to be pruned (1:50) What a homeowner can prune vs what a professional should prune (3:00) Different pruning tools (3:56) The right saw to use for pruning (4:50) Biggest pruning mistakes homeowners make (6:30) What should not be...
Mar 06, 2025•19 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Tyson Geldseth from Davey's Tacoma office shares information about bronze birch borer, including its fatal impact on trees and the steps you can take to minimize its effects on your landscape. In this episode we cover: Bronze birch borer (:43) The severity of bronze birch borer (2:44) Is it too late to treat a tree infected by bronze birch borer? (4:12) Preventative measures for bronze birch borer (7:15) The size of birch trees in the Northwest (9:10) The expense of tree permitting and regulatio...
Feb 27, 2025•28 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Hear from three students attending the Davey Institute of Trees Sciences (D.I.T.S.) program, Davey’s flagship training program in biological sciences, safety, tree and plant care and management techniques. Brandon Ponciano from Davey's Dallas office, Carl Myers from Davey's Loganville, GA office and Georges Bois from Davey's Burnaby, British Columbia office share their experience in the four-week program, including their key takeaways, being away from home for 30 days and the experience bonding ...
Feb 20, 2025•18 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Lou Meyer from Davey's mid-Atlantic region shares information about green and Washington hawthorn trees, including what diseases they are susceptible to and how you can diversify your landscape by planting them. In this episode we cover: What are hawthorn trees? (:43) Does Lou see fire blight on hawthorns, and can it be controlled? (4:49) (5:14) How hard is rust to control on hawthorns? (5:51) What are green hawthorns? (7:02) (7:56) What are Washington hawthorns? (10:44) Are hawthorns common in ...
Feb 13, 2025•20 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Emily Mumford from Davey's South St. Paul office shares the scoop on bare root, balled and burlapped (B&B) and container trees, including the pros and cons of each and how to plant them effectively. In this episode we cover: What are bare root trees? (:53) How to plant bare root trees (3:18) (4:42) What are container trees? (6:14) What to do if your container tree has girdling roots (7:21) Additional planting tips for container trees (11:10) Pros of B&B trees (12:54) Planting B&B tre...
Feb 06, 2025•20 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Sean Zieche from Davey's Glen Ellyn office explains what you can do to preserve newly planted and young trees this winter to help them thrive in the spring. In this episode we cover: What can you do if your tree is affected by winter weather? (1:05) Should you mulch young trees during cold temperatures? (2:15) What to do before winter arrives (3:26) The difference between maintaining a newly planted small vs big tree (4:03) Snow cover in Illinois (7:43) Can you apply anti-desiccant spray in cold...
Jan 30, 2025•19 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Jon Schmidt from Davey's safety team shares how he is emphasizing the importance of new, innovative safety measures throughout all of Davey's service lines. In this episode we cover: What does Jon do in his role as program manager for human and organizational performance? (:36) (4:57) How did Jon's research influence safety practices at Davey? (2:30) (11:26) Who does Jon work closely with in his role? (4:27) Satisfying work (5:27) Getting people to share thoughts on safety? (6:00) How does Jon b...
Jan 23, 2025•16 min•Season 5Ep. 4
