Talking Trees with Davey Tree

Talking Trees with Davey Tree

Your trees and landscapes require year-round care, and The Davey Tree Expert Company is here to help provide you with expert advice. Join our professional Davey arborists and gardening-expert host Doug Oster to learn all about caring for your properties. We'll talk about introduced pests, seasonal tree care, tree diseases, arborists' favorite trees, how to help your trees thrive and everything in between. Tune in every Thursday because here at the Talking Trees Podcast, we know trees are the answer.

Episodes

August 21, 2025 20 mins

We sent in your questions, so in this part one episode, Davey arborist Lou Meyer answers them! To submit a question for a future episode, email us at podcasts@davey.com.

In this episode we cover: 

  • Growing trees in containers (1:03)
  • How is biochar applied? (9:46)
  • Chlorosis - iron sulfate or biochar? (14:42) 

To find your local Davey office, check out our find a local office page to search by zip code.

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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 ...
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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)
  • Spo...
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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 constru...
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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 mechanism...
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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 extr...
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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. (5:3...
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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)
  • Do...
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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...
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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 insp...
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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)
  • Fun...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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 rai...
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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)
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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 st...
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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...
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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 (...
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