In September, we start receiving calls from our concerned customers about their Pine and Spruce trees “turning brown”. This needle browning occurs every fall and is normal as long as the tissue that is changing color is the older needle tissue and not the current year’s growth. “Fall Needle cast” in Spruce and Pine trees is […]
Tree Top Times
Winterize Checklist For Tree Care
During the fall months, trees are doing a lot of hard work preparing for the harsh winter ahead. There are a few simple steps you can take to make this transition easier on the trees you love. Pruning: Prune dead, diseased and overlapping branches in late fall. This will strengthen the tree, encourage new strong […]
Pine Wilt Disease in Colorado
Pine Wilt Disease found in Scotch, Austrian and Mugo Pines in Colorado Springs As summer wanes, dead Scotch Pines have been appearing with more frequency in communities along the Front Range of Colorado. The culprit has been found to be the Pinewood nematode, a native to North America. It does not generally cause death in […]
Bacterial and Fungal Diseases
Throughout the spring and summer we have watched the increase in fungal and bacterial diseases all across the Denver Metro Area. High incidences of Bacterial Leaf Scorch in Ash trees have caused significant leaf drop and branch dieback. Fire Blight has infected Apple and Crabapple trees in every community without regard to age or variety. Just this […]
Japanese Beetles and Leaf Spot Disease
As we enter August we are seeing another season of Japanese beetle with increasing adult populations and expanding area. This year we are finding adult Japanese beetles as far east as Havana Street, and as far west as Wadsworth Blvd. This expansion may be attributed to the excess spring moisture supporting a larger population. As […]
Summer Observations from the Springs
2015 is on track to be the wettest year recorded in Colorado Springs. This along with an early Arctic freeze last November and cool/cold temperatures in May have created some unique problems for trees and shrubs. Following are some of Mountain High’s observations this summer. Douglas-Fir tussock moth populations blew up on Cheyenne Mountain and […]
Adjust with the weather patterns
This spring and summer has been even more unpredictable than usual. February was both the warmest and snowiest February in the past 50 years. May only offered us five days without rain. June’s humidity has been more reminiscent of Georgia than Colorado. We even had the misfortune of a heavy Mother’s Day snow storm that […]
Hot weather! Lawn care tips
Lawns Lawn Care When the Temperatures Go Up After the spring growing season, summer brings quite a bit of stress to lawns. Lawns that were lush and green in the spring now have to deal with less water, longer days, and more heat. While we all would love to keep the lushness of spring, lawns […]
Douglas-Fir Tussock Moth!
Douglas-Fir Tussock Moth (Orgyia pseudotsugata) and Spruce Budworm (Choristoneura hebenstreitella) Populations of these two defoliating caterpillars continue to expand this year in the Colorado Springs area. Blue Spruce, Douglas Fir and White Fir are hosts to these insects. Larvae were observed hatching in early June and evidence of feeding on new growth is just starting to show […]
How will the current weather patterns affect our trees?
The month of May brought cooler temperatures than Colorado landscapes are used to in spring. Additionally, we received twice the average amount of moisture in the month of May, and humidity levels barely dropped below 60% all month. These three factors of temperatures in the 50’s, excess moisture, and consistently high humidity have come together […]