How come the leaves in my cottonwood trees are developing holes and scorching?
It is very difficult for large trees to get enough water to the tops when we have this kind of weather. The taller the tree, the harder it is for that tree to get water to its peak. Therefore, leaf scorching often occurs on the sides of trees toward heat and the exposed sunlight and toward the tops. Make sure these trees are deep watered. Shallow lawn irrigations may not be enough for these trees even if they are sitting in a lawn. The holes are caused by the cottonwood shield bearer, but there really isn’t anything practical you can do to control it and it shouldn’t be a problem for the tree, provided the damage isn’t extensive. We have a fact sheet available on the shield bearer from our office. Q: I’m having trouble with squash bugs. What’s going on? A: Problems occurring now include squash bugs on squash and melons (we like to group these plants together and call them cucurbits), whiteflies on tomatoes, ant problems, the iridescent green fruit beetle, bird damage on fruit and veget
