Talking Trees with Davey Tree

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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)

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...

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...

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 (...

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...

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)
• Sea...

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 ...

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)
• Tree...

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)
• B...

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 tre...

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 t...