Removal wasnt intially an option for me, but when you (and the other half, she refered to it as "letting it die a slow and natual death") put it that way, it makes sense. The tree is spotty all the way around. The only real area it is providing shade to is that back corner(back right in the picture). There arent any other shade trees in the area, so a replacement would definately be necessary. Throwing good money at bad, more than likely. Cutting it down and replacing with a properly placed, planted and taken care of tree may be a great option. Anyone have any ideas on how much it would cost to chop this sucker down and get some fire wood? I could also use some browns for the compost pile, or maybe some nice mulch? Another thing I have to consider is that my city does not like trees being removed An inch of replacement tree for each inch of DBH removed or "30 inch or greater DBH, $50.00 per inch removal" Unless: The tree is diseased or injured to the point it will ultimately expire or no reasonable remedy exists The tree is in immedite danger of falling and no economically praticable remedy exists The tree is significantly endangering existing structures so that its continued presence will ultimately cause damage and no remedy..... In the citys professinal opinion the tree is substantially endangering existing pavement or utility services in a manner that threatens to damage property or life The tree creates unsafe visibility that pruning will not rectify It is found by the city to be in the interest of the general publics health, safety and welfare that the tree be removed. I will be making a call to thecity tomorrow...

My orange tree has sprouted a whole bunch of leaves from the trunk (the first leaves it's grown since I bought it in mid-January). I'm just afraid that they're from the rootstock and not the grafted leaves. But I'm not sure where the graft is on this tree. Can someone help me find it? Thanks! This is right underneath where the branches begin to branch out. Is this part the graft (the lump about a third up from the bottom of the picture of the trunk)? The leaves are growing well below that, not close to the ground, but about halfway down the trunk. Thanks!

In my world view, it makes no sense to treat so temporary a tree as a willow-any willow-with a broad-spectrum insecticide like Sevin. It's not that the tree has no value-all trees do-but that you're using heavy artillery for a plant that is short-lived under the best of circumstances. And BTW, an insect eating the foliage of a tree in mid-summer is not "killing" that tree. Trees are equipped to handle such things, which after all have been going on long before we monkeys showed up with our toxic sprays and whatnot. No, I'm not anti-pesticide, I'm just against using them inappropriately, and in my opinion, this is not appropriate. +oM

In the photo, the jade doesn't look bad at all - but sometimes it is difficult to judge. Were the leaves on the bottom? - could they be just old leaves that are falling off? - but even old leaves don't look that dark and soft. Dents on the leaves could have been physical damage to begin with, or the leaves are water-logged and slowly rotting. Do they feel too soft and sort of slimy? Was the plant in lower light and suddenly put into much stronger sunlight? - the reason I am asking is that there seems to be lots of space between the leaves and that suggests low light. All brand new growth (on very top of branches) looks much more compact. If there was such sudden change in sunlight exposure, it is possible that some leaves got sunburned and fell off. What kind of pot are they potted in - is it just a saucer or pot with drainage? What kind of 'soil' are they potted in? Is it water retentive? The stems, if healthy, should be strong enough to support themselves without sticks. How often do you water?