Recent content by Dav4

At least it looks good during the growing season…

Yes, it’s a dwarf crested Iris. I was gifted a few of these almost a decade ago by someone who worked for the national parks department and would routinely strip them off of hiking trails along the Georgia portion of the Appalachian Trail.

Yes, I think so. You can also continue to add more sphagnum moss as roots begin to fill the plastic bag.

On mature trees, you can remove some of the flaky bark to reduce the visual thickness. I'd avoid carving unless you're planning to turn it into a feature of the trunk. You can probably get away with carving on younger trees still being grown out but your mileage will vary. Best thing to do is...

I'd bet fungal as well

Rain drops!!!! 🤪

Did some watering, a little pruning and wire removal on some maples. Time to rest.

Thanks for the response, and I believe you're right. I did more investigating last year and determined that most of the damage was coming from leaf miners. I went ahead and started treating with a systemic insecticide last September and again this past April, and spraying is on the list for...

I suspect the soil is shifting and those roots once were covered and aren't any more. I'd cover those roots with more soil and make sure the tree is firmly attached to the container.

This time of year, I'm more likely to be watering TWICE a day, as the new foliage is rapidly extending, and the weather here in SE MI tends to be windy and warm, with LOW humidity, which vastly increases water loss through the foliage and soil surface. Once the foliage hardens off, and the...

Spring, when the new growth has really pushed but hasn't fully lignified is a great time to wire and get some good movement up/down/side to side. The curves set in 4-6 weeks. Cut back, then allow the second push to grow a bit before wiring again.

If you haven't re-potted recently, soil moisture is appropriate (not too wet or too dry), and those candles are just extending, I'm going to say it's normal. I'll go as far as saying that those are vigorous candles and your tree is growing strongly. I'll change my opinion if the candles droop...