Pest Notes Vol. 3 - Cupressus sempervirens - Italian cypress

June 17, 2025

Italian cypress reminds me of the Queen of Hearts and her castle in Alice in Wonderland. They line the property boundaries of fine estates, work as an excellent screen species and require minimal maintenance.


With their upright, erect structure, pruning is typically only needed to maintain a uniform shape when a branch over-elongates.


Watering once established is minimal – a couple of deep watering events in the summer and you are good to go.


It is, however, common for this species to develop secondary pests when improperly installed and maintained.



Planting depth and water is crucial – this species can contract root rot, which commonly occurs when planting depth is too deep and watering cycles too frequent and shallow. They can also deal with a canker that produces toxins, wreaking havoc on mineral-and-water conducting tissue.

When cypresses are mature and browning canopies begin to emerge suddenly, it is most likely a mite, bark beetle or tip miner that has come in to town, especially if no notable traumatic event has occurred in recent months. It is possible that a recent pruning event, or other traumatic event, resulted in the contraction of something like Seridium canker. It is also possible to contract root or crown rot (Phytophthora sp.) and in fact there is a newfound (or, one that has been dormant for a bit and re-surged) Phytophthora affecting Italian Cypress.

However, when plantings are new and establishing, or slightly juvenile, yellowing and browning could point to a multitude of issues.


Having a reliable and honest representative is key in the tree and plant world. 


Tree Health Care services are largely intangible. 


Was the right material used? 


Was a sufficient amount of material applied? 


I should notice results pretty quick, right? 


How should I water? What can I do at home to help?

All of these valid questions go through a client’s head when taking on a plant health care service. Moreover, the answers to these questions that a client employs as part of their care for their trees are critical. 


Answers to questions can be found online. However, you can find many articles from the same geographic area regarding the same issue with completely different and contradictory conclusions.


Review your trees and plants with a professional you trust.

TreeLife CA is the perfect fit.

Pest Notes – Vol. 2 - Greedy Scale

May 27, 2025
Greedy Scale

Tree Life Investigator: Vol. Two -Tree Snatchers

May 9, 2025
My duties as a tree consultant include being hyper-aware of how trees respond to human activity around the county, in general. For example, it's important that I notice if a particular species is exhibiting symptoms of a widespread problem, such as insect infestation or foliar disease. Or as another example, it might be equally important for me to understand how different collection of tree populations are affected by certain pruning methods. Insight that I might glean from potentially any property could be shared with a client or implemented on a project. Therefore, I am always looking at trees closely wherever I go. It's a TreeLife for me. Because I'm on the road much of many days, I use this as an opportunity to look at trees while traveling routine routes. Truly, I get to know all the varieties of trees along the I-15 and 78 freeway, and even keep an eye out for tree hazards along the CalTrans right-of-way. There are a many remnant Eucalypti that peak my curiosity. Though they are generally not planted these days, they will always be an emblematic and stately tree, for me. Long ago, they were selected for their hardiness and planned usefulness, but times have changed and now they're neglected and even despised. Then one day, I noticed that a particular type of Eucalypti had been pruned in locations that I knew had no tree budget, and thus, no tree maintenance monies to use for pruning.  I was puzzled by signs that random silver dollar gums (Eucalyptus polyanthemos) had been stripped of foliage while nearby red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) were untouched, with branches still overhanging the roadway. Even if there was a budget, I thought to myself, why did tree crews prune the wrong trees?
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