The Arborist Journal

Have a tree that is not looking too well and wondering where you have to go to get answers? Are you listening to talk show hosts and not getting effective solutions – just ways to treat the symptoms and not the problem? Are you lo0king for a “Tree Guy” or an “ Arborist”? Can’t determine who does what and what it means to you?  It isn’t really that difficult if you  just look at qualifications. There are different kinds of Arborists,  believe it or not. For example, there are Certified Arborists,  Climbing Arborists,  Sales Arborists,  and  the list goes on. All you have to do is look at credentials and experience and ask the hard questions .  What you are looking for is someone who is an Arborist with expertise  in Tree Health Care . They must have all the certifications , and if you want the best for your tree it’s going to be an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist, or an  ISA Board Certified Master Arborist.  In addition, the Arborist you choose must also be licensed through the state of Texas as a Certified Applicator in order to prescribe and perform treatments. These experts are required to take continuous classes throughout the year in order to maintain these certifications in  science,  rules and regulations, practical applications, tree law and management.

You can find all kinds of information on the internet; some is good, some not so good, and some just bad. We understand it can be confusing, but persevere. When you have someone with experience, credentials and wisdom in the field, you can feel comfortable in the fact that you will get what you paid for.

Pistachio trees are noticiably thin, discolored, heavy seed and early leaf drop, what is happening?

I have seen this in several cases, most much more severe. We believe it was due to environmental influences such as ; coming out of wet winter and a period of some 5 weeks without rain. Most folks had turned their irrigation off because of this and were unaware of the growing situation. As some indicator plants like flowers and/or evergreens began drooping and browning some began watering, others later when plant damage showed up.

Dehydration in trees is one of the most severe disorders a tree can face(life changer), when it occurs, and especially in the spring when moisture is necessary for leaf/twig expansion development, significant harm comes to the tree and opens the tree up for attack of invasive insects such as borers.

It is important to understand that considerable attention now must be given so that this situation does not occur again. What that means, is remove unnecessary barriers that will inhibit progress such as buried or covered root flares and inconsistent water management.

Irrigation gives you that consistency but most systems are designed for turf, trees of course are a high plant with much more complex root systems thus requiring additional fluid. In our field, trees require 10-15 gallons per diameter inch per watering, that is a base line, variables like species tolerances, exposure, slope, drainage, soil type and volume are all taken into consideration.

In most cases it would require due diligence through water management, recovery of health estimation from this type of event, is generally 3-4 seasons, in your case I believe you caught it earlier.

Bottom line don’t miss a watering.