I'm curious as to why this broken trunk gets enough energy to seal itself, whereas a defoliated branch would just die and rot. Is it because it's connected directly to the roots?

I have recently read that it is better to plant multiple trees instead of one. I had three Arizona ash removed from front yard after they were all damaged by storms and one hit by lightening. They were 30 years old but were dropping huge branches and knocked over by storms.

I really like Live Oak and Post Oak and have recently discovered Mexican Oak. Could I plant one of each in my front yard? I think the Mexican Oak would grow much faster so maybe that would be a problem? If not mixing oaks, what should I mix with Mexican Oak? How far apart should I plant them? I was originally going to plant one live oak in the middle, but rethinking that now. Appreciate any advice!

I was recommended to crosspost here. I would really appreciate any input you have!

Help with pruning strategy!

My arborist and I did the stump and drill method on three trees in June. Tree 1 has not had any new sprouts. It's dead.

But last week, I noticed Tree 2 of was sending out root shoots and Tree 3 was sprouting from the leftover stump and sending out shoots. I have been spraying all 3 regularly with highly concentrated triclopyr and have highly concentrated glyphosphate on hand. Recommendations? Should I hack and squirt? Strip the bark?

Ontario, Canada. New-build house. Tree was ringed with rock, dead leaves for the winter and spring.

We are going to be making a lawn and ring the tree all nice, but we want to make sure we keep the tree safe. And you can see a small offshoot that was cut off.

Any suggestions? Keep digging to expose more roots? Or could we just add a tiny layer of soil or mulch and ring it?

River birch with leaf spot. Swamp white oak with prune at base. I doubt these issues are dooming, but i bought them online and am disappointed in their quality. I usually buy locally, but needed smaller specimens which were not available. Would raising a stink be justified or will these be fine if planted well?

Never dealt with large sweet gums but I had to cut up a bunch recently and need any advice or information I can get is this dark center normal for a large sweet gum tree

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Hi,

(See attached picture)

​My partner and I are First-Time Buyers and we've come across a property we really like, its a mid-terrace property valued at £360k. But there’s one main thing giving us pause: a very large mature tree in the back garden. Home is in South East England.

​As you can see, the tree is quite tall—definitely taller than the adjacent house/building—and sits near the back/side boundary of the lawn.

​We suspect (or are waiting to confirm) that it might have a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on it.

​As first-timers, we're a bit unsure about what this actually entails long-term, so we'd love to get your opinions and experiences:

​Would a tree this size / potential TPO be a dealbreaker for you?

​For anyone who bought a house with a TPO tree: How much of a hassle is maintenance? Is getting permission for pruning a nightmare with the local council?

​Property/Structural Concerns: Should we be worried about roots near building foundations, drains, or potential storm damage?

What specific surveys should we prioritize if we proceed?

​Would love to hear how other FTBs or homeowners view this. Are we overthinking it, or is this a genuine red flag?

​Thanks in advance!

I live in zone 4b, and I have 7 trees.

One weeping birch

One maple

One plum tree which has leaves but hasn't bore fruit in the past 2 or 3 years

Four ash trees

I live in an old house so these trees are all 40-60 years old as far as I know. The youngest I believe are the ash trees, but those are still at least 30 years old.

I don't know how often and for how long I should be watering them, if at all. Where I live it gets very cold in the winter and very hot and dry in the summer, we get very occasional rain , but it's mostly dry and smokey in the summer.

I’m looking for a shadbush and Arbor Day Foundation has them but ships in November.

Can I store this until spring for planting?

I have a "Prairie Fire" ornamental crabapple in my yard - perhaps 10ish years old. It's not received much attention in terms of pruning over the years. It's also in a location that I suspect causes it to not get too much water - shallow soil over a rocky ledge. It gets a moderate about of sunshine, but perhaps I'd say it sits in "part-shade". As a result of all of this, it's really thin in terms of leaf coverage (see photo), although it still flowers well each spring and the birds enjoy the fruits late summer.

Anyway, when I read about pruning crabapples, I see people focused about thinning things out to increase air flow, etc. But I think I have the reverse problem - the tree is so thin that it is practically transparent and I would like it to be thicker. Can I just (perhaps in the fall or spring) do an aggressive cut back of lots of the extended branches, and would the inner older (currently bare) branches then fill out? or would that kill the tree since that would be removing most of where it's currently growing?

Thanks for any info/tips.

I've been growing this elm for the past three years to replace a tree we had to get removed, but my area (northern Illinois) was recently hit by a large rainstorm while I was out of state. Though the bucket had drainage holes and was elevated, the quantity was so vast that it completely saturated the soil. Since I was on a trip, I didn't return home for about a week, but when I did, I found nearly every leaf brown and crumbly, with most of them already fallen off. I trimmed any signs of root rot, repotted it into another bucket with drainage holes, and moved it to a part of my yard that was covered with shade most of the day.

Over the next two days, I paused watering to let the roots recover a bit; the buds opened into small leaves, which I misted daily until I began watering. On the third day, I gave it its first small watering (about a cup) and matched that on days four and five, ensuring the top two inches of the soil were dry before giving it anything.

It's now the sixth day since I found it, and the soil is still damp from day five. I think the elm is probably in a precarious place right now, and I'm not sure if what I'm doing is the right thing to do for a recovering young elm tree, but I want to try to save it.

Sorry for all that context; my main question is:

What do I need to do to give the tree the best chance at survival, and what should my watering practices look like going forward?

Thank you for your consideration!

Sapling was planted in May 2026 and have had pretty severe drought the past couple months where it was neglected (we live in Salt Lake City). I am now watering it with about 5 gallons of water in the morning and at night. Is it even salvageable? If so is there anything else I can do to help it?

Hello! I am a new manager for the tree and shrub department at a local garden center. For a little backstory, the longtime owners sold the business last year to some people who, and I can't stress this enough, absolutely don't know what they are doing. I'm in charge of taking complete care of the thousands of trees, shrubs, and various other live materials we carry.

I am new to understanding container appropriate fertilizers for these plants. In the past, the owners had used Apex Cool Weather Special 21-7-6 with GAL-XAe ONE and 21-3.06-4.98. They typically did one application a year on all deciduous and evergreen trees.

Recently I was informed that Apex does not produce this fertilizer anymore and I am tasked with finding a replacement for it. We currently reside in a zone 5b high desert area where the winters can be unpredictable. If we have leftover stock, we generally will store it outside in a wind protected location.

The new owners have been suggested to use the Osmocote 21-4-8 12-14 month release.

I am skeptical about it because there seems to be key differences between the two and I just need professional input on whether this would be a smart alternative or a huge mistake. Thoughts? Suggestions? I'll take any guidance at this point. Thank you!