This is winter in Nebraska. Winter in Nebraska is by definition “variable”. Long term residents seemingly are always telling newcomers that it’s colder this year or wetter this year or dryer this year or more up and down this year. To sum, this is winter in Nebraska…variable. As a result of variable conditions, especially…
Category: Damage & Defects
Protecting Young Trees in Winter
Many homeowners plant trees in the fall, after all, fall is for planting. As the focus shifts from planting to raking leaves to getting ready to scoop snow off driveways, there’s a common tendency to forget about the new trees that were planted this fall or even in the past few years. At least 3…
Yellow Needles on Pines
Holy cow! Look at my pine tree – it has lots of yellow needles on it! Is that a problem? What’s wrong? These are common questions/comments that we get at this time of year. In terms of the question of “is that a problem?”, it depends on where the needles are and which type of…
Pruning Yews – Shearing or Thinning?
Ok, so it’s time to prune yews…how do you know? Just look at the shrub/hedge. At this time of year, you’ll see lots of lighter color shoots at the ends of the stems. If you want to keep the size the same, (and most of us do), now is the time. So, how to do…
After the Storm
This week is Severe Weather Preparedness. We often make plans for what to do in worse case situation for families but we often are caught off guard what to do with our trees. Damage done to trees can be from wind, hail, snow/ice, lightning and more. Sometimes the damage is silent and does not appear…
Raised Beds Around Trees—A Good Idea??
Recently, I received an update from a favorite how-to site, which included directions for building a raised bed around a tree. This unfortunate practice leads to many dead trees, often years down the road when the tree owner no longer mentally connects the tree dying with the creation of the raised bed. Case in point,…
Storm Damage in Fruit and Vegetable Gardens
Storm damage to fruits and vegetables can take various forms. From broken limbs in fruit trees to hail damage on fruits and vegetables or flooding raising food safety concerns, severe weather can have significant effects for the health and productivity of the garden. Some damage will require maintenance, while other warrants a wait-and-see approach. Here’s a list of some common types of damage to fruits and vegetables and what you should do (or shouldn’t do) about it.