Common plant problems in the Atlanta area
PESTS & PROBLEMS
Atlanta’s growing season provides plants with almost year around growth. Because of this long growing season pest populations can build to thresholds where plant damage can occur. The natural and man-manipulated environment in Atlanta can also cause stress and eventual decline in our landscapes and forests. The following is a list of some of the more common pests, cultural problems and environmental problems we may encounter year to year.

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Aeration - core aeration should be done each spring more...
Ambrosia Beetle - is a wood infesting beetle of numerous species of plants. more...
Annual blue grass - also called Poa annua more...
Army Worms - The 2010 army worm attack has been the worst in 25 years.  Will Hudson, with UGA, has written a great informational sheet on these rascals! more...
Azalea - reduced blooms can be a result of late freezes more...
Azaleas with spongy leaves - see Exobasidium leaf gall more...
Bermuda Turf Problems - Take All Patch can occur during periods of high heat, no rainfall and improper watering. more...
Bermuda Winter Patch - These large circles are caused by Rhizoctonia fungus more...
Boston Ivy Leafspot - Boston ivy is very susceptible to various leafspots especially cercospora. more...
Botryosphaeria Canker - Botryosphaeria Canker is a stress related disease more...
Boxelder Bugs - Boxelder bugs are basically a nuisance pest not causing any real harm to plants. more...
Boxwood bronzing - usually occurs during the winter more...
Boxwood leafminer - a common pest of boxwoods more...
Brown Patch lesions - on Fescue turf more...
Brown spots in turf - Is it Disease or Dry? more...
Camellias with spongy leaves - see exobasidium leaf gall more...
Chipmunks - A cute, adorable nuisance in many cases! more...
Circles In Your Turf? - If you are seeing circles in front of your eyes on your warm season turf the culprit is probably your lawn mower. more...
Compacted Soil - Compacted soil reduces the effectiveness of your lawn care program resulting in, not only poor quality turf but recurring weed problems.  Cultural practices such as sanding and reel mowing can further increase compaction. more...
Core aeration - should be done each spring more...
Cottony Maple Scale - Cottony Maple Scale actually can attack various hardwood trees including dogwoods.  Though quite showy and should be treated, it is not an aggressive spreader. more...
Crown Cleaning - One very important but often overlooked spring chores is the clearing of debris from around the crowns of your shrubs. more...
Cryptomeria - The cryptomeria can grow to more than more...
Cryptomeria Cold Damage - Severe cold winds can damage Cryptomerias more...
De-icer - We don't get much snow or ice in the South but occasionally we have to deal with some icy sidewalks.  Many snow melt products are not good for plants, pets, concrete or metal.  Avoid using NaCl (rock salt and table salt) especially.  If possible use one of the newer "environmentally friendly" products such as more...
Deer, Rabbit and Goose Management - These critters can really reek havoc on your landscape plants more...
Dieback In Landscape Plants - Your landscape plants seem fine one day then suddenly they die or decline severely.  Does this sound familiar? more...
Disease or Mower Scalping? - If you are seeing circles in front of your eyes on your warm season turf the culprit is probably your lawn mower. more...
Dogwood with Cottony Maple Scale - Cottony Maple Scale actually can attack various hardwood trees including dogwoods.  Though quite showy and should be treated, it is not an aggressive spreader. more...
Dollar Spot - a disease of warm season turf more...
Dove Weed - This weed is easily confused with Virginia Buttonweed more...
Drill/Soil Aeration - Drill/Soil Aeration is used around the base of large trees more...
Drought - surviving drought conditions more...
Dry spots or disease? - Hot weather can result in dry burned areas in the lawn more...
Emerald Zoysia - Late Green Up Problems more...
European Hornet Nest Building Activity - The European hornet excise small strips of bark more...
Exobasidium leaf gall - makes your camellia or azalea leaves look like sponges more...
Fairy Ring - This disease is caused by a fungus more...
Fall Color - Winter and Spring is the time to plant you fall color trees and shrubs more...
Fall Fertilization - Our proprietary mixture aids the plants in recovery from the harsh summers. more...
Fall fescue seedings face many challenges - Excessive rainfall can cause saturated soil conditions which can lead to disease activity. more...
Fall Pruning - You can prune in the fall but do it gently and correctly! more...
Fescue - Why is my winter fescue not dark green? more...
Fescue - Why isn't my fescue growing? more...
Fescue Core Areation - must be done each year more...
Fescue slow green up - cold soil temperatures more...
Fireweed - appears in late spring more...
Freeze Damage - Freeze damage does not always appear as brown or black leaves.  In may cases it can mimic disease. more...
Freeze Damage on Indica Azaleas - If you are seeing poor blooming on your azaleas it may be freeze damage versus poor nutrition more...
Girdling roots - Girdling roots can kill a tree or shrub over time. more...
Girdling Twine or Straps - girdling twine or straps left on newly planted trees or shrubs can kill them within three years. more...
Goose, Deer and Rabbit Management - All these critters can be a nuisance more...
Gray Water - Trying to figure out what exactly is "gray water" and can it be used to water your plants?  Hers is an excellent website. more...
Gypsum - Commonly believed to increase soil drainage, structure, ph and decrease compaction it must be understood that this only happens in some soils. more...
Hawthorne - dwarf hawthorne is extremely susceptible to leafspot more...
Heat Related Take All Patch - more...
Heat tolerance - Though many cold hardy plants are listed for our planting more...
Hemlock problems - Hemlocks face several problems more...
High Temperatures and No Rainfall And Incorrect Watering! - This is a recipe for problems with your landscape if you are not watering enough or not watering correctly.  If you are seeing brown leaves or leaf drop you are in trouble but there is hope! more...
Holes In The Trunk Of Your Tree? - This could be the work of your local Red Bellied Sapsuker! more...
Ice Melt - We don't get much snow or ice in the South but occasionally we have to deal with some icy sidewalks.  Many snow melt products are not good for plants, pets, concrete or metal.  more...
Irrigation problems - dry spots more...
Japanese Beetles - these beetles have a ravenous appetite for your trees and shrubs more...
K - Potassium , Potash - K is the elemental symbol for potassium.  more...
Keeping Your Plant Crowns Clean. - One very important but often overlooked spring chores is the clearing of debris from around the crowns of your shrubs. more...
Lace Bug - pest of trees and shrubs more...
Lawn Pests - Our common lawn pests more...
Leaf Galls - There are a myriad of agents that can cause galls on the leaves of our plants.  Very few cause much damage and actually need to be treated. more...
Leaf Spot Diseases - can be hard to control more...
Leyland Cypress: Seiridium Canker Reduction - Simply watering your Leyland Cypress can virtually eliminate canker development. more...
Lichen on bark - If you have patchy growths on the bark of your tree or shrub it is probably lichen. more...
Lightning Damage To Trees - Lightning can strike trees anytime of the year but especially during violent summer thunderstorms. more...
Liming - adjusting pH more...
Maple Leaf Spot - Maples tend to develop many different leafspots during the spring and summer, none of which are fatal. more...
Moles - Moles are small animals of various sizes more...
Moss - Moss can be a persistent problem in lawns more...
Mowing - Weekly Mowing Is A Must Especially for Warm Season Turf more...
Mowing height - for warm hybrid, bermuda and fescue more...
Mulching - Proper mulching is essential for producing and maintiianing healthy plants more...
Mushrooms - there are a myriad of mushroom species more...
Nitrogen - Nitrogen is one of the essential elements for plant nutrition. more...
pH - do you need lime? more...
Plant Die Back - Occasionally one of your landscape plants will suddenly die.  The suspected culprits are many! more...
Poa annua - also called annual blue grass more...
Potassium - Also known as potash. more...
Proper Shrub And Tree Nutrition Is Essential For Healthy Plants - Without a proper and timely nutrition program plants become weak and more susceptible to agents of decline. more...
Proper Shrub and Tree Watering - more...
Pruning - Pruning can really be an art form.. more...
Pruning and mulching - corect timing more...
Pythium in fescue - Pythium is a fungus whicjh can cause "melting out" in turf especially seedling fescue stands more...
Quercus - Quercus is the genus for oak trees.  We have over thirty oaks indigenous in Georgia.  Most of these trees grow in very specific habitats. more...
Rabbit, Deer and Goose Management - All these critters can cause significant damage to your landscape more...
Rhizoctonia - blight on Hybrid Zoysia more...
Rhizoctonia blight - on Hybrid Bermuda more...
Rhizoctonia blight - on fescue more...
Rhododendron Problems - Update soon more...
Rodent damage to plants. - Rodent gnawing can cause severe, irreparable damage to plants. more...
Rose Leaf Spot - roses are extremely susceptible to leafspot more...
Sanding issues in warm season turf - Compaction + Reel Mowing + Sanding + Low Winter Mowing Height + Herbicide Resistant Poa = Uncontrollable Poa more...
Sanding/topdressing - you need to know the difference more...
Sasanqua with spongy leaves - see Exobasidium leaf gall more...
Scale Problems Worse During Droughts - Scale populations can explode during dry, mild winters and during drought conditions. more...
Seiridium Canker Reduction In Leyland Cypress - Simply watering your Leyland Cypress can virtually eliminate canker production. more...
Shower Water - Shower water is just another form of gray water and can be used for watering your landscape plants. more...
Shrub and Tree Pests - Common pests of Atlanta shrubs and trees more...
Spring Dead Spot - These spots can appear in warm season turf in the spring more...
Spring Warm Season Turf Scalping - is essential to healthy turf more...
Sprinkle Overthrow - problems with irrigation heads more...
Stem Blight - can occur on may plants. In most cases, more...
Stem Canker - usually caused by fungal activity more...
Sudden Dieback In Landscape Plants - Causal Agents for these sudden diebacks are varied. more...
Sweetgum defoliation - brown or stripped leaves may more...
Take All Patch - This is a heat related problem in our warm season turf but mainly associated with bermuda. more...
Top Dressing/sanding - of warm season turf more...
Tree and Shrub Watering - more...
Tree Leaf Galls - Galls on the leaves of our trees are very common.  Though they appear severe no permanent damage is done to the leaf. more...
Tree Problems: Yellow leaves in summer? -   If you begin to see yellow leaves and leaf drop on your trees in the summer it has to do with lack of water. more...
Tree problems: Leafspots, burned leaves? - When we have rainy, cool springs we see an abundance of leafspot on many of our trees, especially, oaks, maples and beeches.  These leafspots many times coalesce into large areas that appear burned, shriveled, blackened or distorted. more...
Verticillium Wilt - This is a vascular wilt, similiar to Fusarium Wilt, that is encountered occasionally in trees and shrubs.  It is usually not a problem with woody ornamentals but can be quite vexing for vegetable crops such as tomatoes. more...
Volcano Mulching - We've all seen it!  Large mounds of mulch piled up around the base of a tree in the form of a volcano! more...
Voles - These are small mouse like rodents that grow to 3-7 inches, depending on the species reatures that eat roots unlinlike moles which are meat eaters.  more...
Water Stress - can mimic disease more...
Watering - Correct Tree and Shrub Watering more...
Watering guidelines for turf - Proper watering is critical more...
Webs on the shrubs - are usually the result of spiders not mites more...
Weekly Mowing - Is An Essential Practice Especially for Warm Season Turf more...
Winter patch - usually occurs in warm season turf more...
Yellow Leaf Drop In Summer? - This time of year we always see quite a lot of yellow leaves in our trees, especially on flowering cherries, poplars, birches, dogwoods, sycamores, sweetgums and even pines. This is normal. more...
Yellow Leaf Drop On Magnolia - If you are seeing yellow leaves develop on your magnolia, do not fear. This is normal for magnolias as they transition from spring to summer.  Do check your watering schedule to be sure they are receiving adequate water. more...
Zoysia Late Green Up Problems - Emerald zoysia problems more...
Zoysia Winter Patch - These large circles in the turf are caused by Rhizoctonia more...