Trees Susceptible to the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer

...to grow and expand. Avoid excessive pruning, over- or under-watering, and planting inappropriate companion plants within the dripline. If trees are infected, systemic insecticides generally are poor for treating ambrosia beetles. Prophylactic spraying of the bark could be used to protect uninfected trees in some situations. Sterilize pruning tools between uses to avoid spreading the fungus. This handout can guide you through deciding when to remo...

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How to kill your palm tree

...ee: Never Water It. Palm trees grow in the desert, yes, but they are oasis plants. They grow by open water, or above underground water. They are tough, but tough is not the same as invincible, and they don’t show stress as clearly as other trees do, so you may not know that it is thirsty until it is too late. If it gets no water, one day your palm may just droop over, like a spent flower, and that is that. As the drought in Southern California con...

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On the Possibilities and Problems of Groups

...“connectivity.” People can connect to feed the homeless, rescue animals or plant trees. Unfortunately, people can also connect to promote racism and hate, something the internet has made worse. I wish I had an easy set of points on how to form positive, long lasting and effective groups or just how to be a better member of a group. I don’t. But, as in most worthwhile tasks, perhaps the answer is to take things one step at a time. We, in Western co...

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Saturday Tweets: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

...blela) March 16, 2018 Happy belated birthday to the "plant wizard" Luther Burbank. See my tribute to his life love of plants here: https://t.co/rnPMhrszzj — Fruit Cornucopia (@ValenzuelaJohn) March 15, 2018 The Florida International Bridge Collapse Is About So Much More Than a Failed Structure https://t.co/6YiMCjEqjg via @StreetsblogUSA — Root Simple (@rootsimple) March 17, 2018 How Can Vision Zero Work When L.A. Continues to Prioritize Speed? htt...

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Saturday Tweets: Hogweed, Newcastle Disease, and Crochet Hyperbolics

...ly hazardous Giant Hogweed has now been found in Virginia. If there were a plant to lure me into a toxic trap, this gorgeous umbellifer would be it. https://t.co/cWTXa0n8Ya — Thomas Rainer (@ThomasRainerDC) June 22, 2018 If my essay about fascist engineers could stop garnering on-the-nose examples that'd be great. https://t.co/fxZjdeUnfc pic.twitter.com/Q788LyQdIS — david a banks (@DA_Banks) June 21, 2018 New Video: Is your car battery dead? h...

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