Tree care

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NAOO) released their prediction for winter precipitation. The bad news? The Great Plains region will continue to experience drought through at least January 2025. This is not good news for Nebraska landscapes, since the entire state is currently experiencing anywhere from abnormally dry to extreme drought conditions.

Proper timing is one of the most important considerations for successful pruning. Getting the timing right helps ensure attractive, healthy, productive plants. Research has shown pruning wounds heal fastest when the cuts are made right before new growth begins. This knowledge guides pruning recommendations, with the goal of promoting fast wound closure and keeping plants as healthy as possible.

Spring and summer storms take their toll on landscape plants. Branches may be broken by wind and whole trees uprooted. Lightning strikes to trees can be both spectacular and deadly, though the two don't necessarily go together. The effects of lightning strikes on trees are highly variable. Management of a damaged tree should be based on several factors.

Lightning occurs when long downward chains of negatively charged particles at the base of storm clouds meet vertical streamers of positively charged ions coming up from the ground.  

The keys to pruning trees and shrubs are a basic understanding of pruning techniques and knowing when to prune plants. For more information on these topics, check out the additional resources below.

But it's also important to understand the variety of tools available to make the job easier and use them correctly. The best tool for the job is determined by the size of the plant material to be removed and its location.

Failure to protect fruit trees and landscape ornamentals against gnawing rodents, rabbits and deer this fall can result in a nasty surprise next spring: girdled trunks or stems, and broken branches. Late fall is the time to get protection in place and safeguard the health of your plants. Prevention is the only way to protect trees and shrubs from injury since very little can be done to salvage plants once the damage is done.

Did you realize some evergreen needles change color in the fall too, just like deciduous trees do? It's true and it often causes alarm in homeowners when their evergreen trees start to drop needles.

Just as drought has caused havoc in many lawns, we’re also seeing damage in trees. Even very drought tolerant trees like eastern red cedar and Colorado spruce have extensive damage or have been killed completely.

Death of branches or a whole tree are very obvious and visible effects, but drought can also cause damage in more subtle ways affecting trees and other woody plants for several years to come.

We fertilize our lawns regularly each year, but do trees need fertilization, too? Actually, in most cases - no. Most Nebraska soils are fertile enough to support good growth of trees and shrubs without the need for additional fertilization. And in particular, trees surrounded by a fertilized lawn don't need additional fertilization.

Lancaster County ended 2022 under very dry conditions – approximately 11 inches below normal rainfall. Dry conditions continued throughout winter bringing us into spring with the entire state still experiencing drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Lancaster county is currently classified with “severe drought” conditions. To find the drought conditions for your location at any time throughout the year summer, visit droughtmonitor.unl.edu.

Eastern Nebraska tends to have high soil pH, also known as alkaline soil, which can cause problems for some plants, like river birch, pin oak, big-leaf hydrangeas and blueberries to name a few. Alkaline soil changes the availability of certain plant nutrients, often making them less available, resulting in deficiency symptoms.

Other conditions contributing to the chlorosis include the following.

It will be time to start pruning fruit trees later this month. As pruning begins, it's important to have a good skills at identifying fire blight symptoms and have a multi-pronged approach for control, especially in very susceptible trees. Pruning and sanitation are important control strategies, but improper cleaning of pruning equipment between cuts can easily spread the disease.

It's too early to begin fruit tree pruning now, but it's not too early to prepare. For homeowners with only a few fruit trees - who can choose the ideal time for pruning their trees - it's best to wait until just before new growth begins. This is typically late February into March. Wounds heal fastest when pruned at this time. This is especially important for tender fruit trees (apricot, peach, nectarine, sweet cherry); early pruning of these trees could lead to cold damage at the pruning sites.