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 Trees, like all living organisms, usually need some care from time to time. Especially in the often harsh environment of a normal street tree, surrounded by asphalt and concrete, in often dry and compacted soils, the environment is likely quite different than where the tree species originally developed. When plants are under stress, they are more subject to insects and disease problems. It is a testament to the native soils of Santa Clara Valley and climate, that our urban forest can survive as it does. To give your tree proper care, it should be inspected to see how well it is doing given the environment it is growing in.
Watering
Young trees and those species that are from natural environments that have an abundance of rainfall may need occasional deep watering to survive our long dry summers. To do so, apply water slowly so that will percolate into the soil deeply, taking care not to apply it so fast that it runs off into the street. Water is precious and expensive; do not waste it. If the tree is in a site with turf or ground cover irrigation, it may be possible to change the timing of the irrigation once in a while as needed to provide deeper soaking. Tree roots are usually much deeper in the soil than turf grass roots, so if the tree only gets irrigation adjusted for the turf, the result might be an abundance of surface tree roots in the lawn.
Insect Problems
It is rare that there will not be some insects associated with trees, but most are not harmful and the natural balance can keep their populations in check. However, only when pest populations get out of hand and damage to the health of the tree is occurring is there a need to consider treatment options. It is very important to correctly identify both the insect and the host tree species and use the least toxic treatment available, usually called Integrated Pest Management or IPM, for these situations. Improper treatment, which can eliminate the predators feeding on the pests, may make the pest population soar even higher. More information can be found at: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/ (external link)
Disease Problems
Diseases are usually fungi or bacteria that will attack the trees and are often subject to variations in weather. That is why a disease problem can vary from year to year or season to season. They usually are linked with a specific tree species or family, so proper identification is needed before treatment options are considered. Many trees can tolerate some leaf problems that occur during the growing season by developing a new set of leaves after the weather conditions have improved that will sustain normal tree growth. For severe problems, consider consulting a trained arborist, horticulturist or plant disease specialist, such as a Plant Pathologist.
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