Knowledgebase

Ornamental Trees: Care and Maintenance #881159

Asked August 12, 2024, 1:28 PM EDT

I am still learning about my Mid-Atlantic ornamental trees on my property and I need help caring for them properly. Do you have any recommendations as to what I should look for in a company or cooperative when dealing with Mid-Atlantic ornamentals trees? I have looked into trying it myself, but I think I know just enough to cause damage. I know my limits. I had received great information the last time I contacted the Ag Department when testing my soil and seeding my lawn, so I return again to the experts. 

Carroll County Maryland

Expert Response

For mature trees (or young ones), you can hire a certified arborist or licensed tree expert to evaluate them in person. We can help diagnose issues from photos shared through Ask Extension, but sometimes it's hard to make a diagnosis from images alone, or once symptoms become advanced/extensive. Arborists cannot cure or treat every condition, but can help narrow-down a diagnosis and also look for sources of tree stress that might be able to be alleviated. Some arborists have more training or experience with diagnostics versus others that have more pruning and general tree removal safety training, so you can screen candidates based on their familiarity with issues pertaining to the tree type in question. (Say, ornamental cherries, fruit trees, maples, etc.) You can also get a second arborist's opinion before taking any recommended actions, as evaluations by different arborists aren't always in agreement.

Fortunately, a lot of pest and disease management revolves around prevention by keeping tree stress to a minimum (especially since many secondary pests and infections target stressed plants) and by making sure young trees are not planted too deeply (or over-mulched).

Miri

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