• In all likelihood your crab tree has been infected with apple scab, this fungus is normally brought on by a moist warm spring and it affects the leaves and fruit on your tree, then they fall off. Once the leaves have turned color and started to fall off its not possible to treat apple scab.

• To treat for apple scab, you will need to rake up the fallen leaves and throw away. Do not use these leaves in compost. The next season you should spray your Crabtree with a broad-spectrum fungicide. You can get pretty good results by following the manufacturer’s application schedule.

• We carry many apple scab resistant crab trees, but no tree is 100% immune and may need periodic treatment in the future depending on the spring.

• The white powder on the leaves of lilacs and perennials is normally caused by a fungus called Powdery Mildew.

• The control of powdery mildew is a lot like controlling other fungi. When you water, you should try to water in the morning and avoid watering the leaves. If your plant has had powdery mildew, we recommend you apply a fungicide once the new leaves have come out and turned their normal color prior to blooming. Follow manufacturer’s schedule. At the end of the season you should rake up the leaves of the lilac and remove dead foliage from your perennials, however, do no compost the debris.

This is a fungus called Tar Spot and rarely harms the tree. To control Tar Spot, rake up the leaves in fall and either burn or discard the leaves, do not compost them.

This damage is normally caused by a Japanese beetle. They are about ½”, greenish with bronze wing covers. They eat many different plants, devouring fruit, flowers and leaves. They eat the tissue between the veins of the leaf. Normally they appear in June and live 30 – 45 days. Later females try to lay their eggs in the lawn and when hatched, become grubs coming out at beetles next Spring.

• The bumps themselves are called Gall, caused by a small mite. The mite feeds on the leaves and then migrates back to the bark of the tree around July. The next year they will attach to the leaves again. Once you see the red bumps (galls) on your leaves there is no treatment.

• Gall mites do not do serious damage but if you want to prevent the unsightly leaves the following year, you should spray the trunk, branches and buds with an oil spray before the buds start to open.

Yes. There are so many different types of insects and diseases that can have an effect on your landscape. Although we may not be able to answer all your questions or identify every insect, bring in a sample if you can and we can offer solutions to common problems.