Help my ornamental tree is sick!
 

I have a beautiful ornamental tree, it looks like holly with red berries. It has been infested with these parasite burrs. The bark is falling off and limbs of the tree are dry and snap right off. Is there a reliable tree Dr. In The Villages?

Call 352 303 8610, I will drop by this week and look at it. Though a text of a picture may tell me all I need to know.

OP, you can also contact Master Gardener with one of the local universities, they have local meetings and contact info on their website. You will probably need to send a photo of the tree and the damage. Is it possible the tree was damaged by the 4-5 cold we had earlier this year? There are several plants at our house that appeared to be dead, until recently, and now have new growth.

Does the University of Florida still maintain an office at the Sumter sheriff's office on certain days ? I've gone there many times, but not recently, and the agriculture agent was so knowledgeable and helpful.

The Master Gardener program also has a Facebook page. In addition, an email address is on their page.

Much easier to send photos to either to get answers. I did that a few years ago with an issue I was having with one of my palms.

There's a guy at Ace Hardware on 301, (just north of 44) who has a degree in horticulture. He's quite knowledgeable about the local flora...

Do you know they name of the Facebook group? I’ve been looking to connect with a master gardener about non-toxic pest control options.

Any idea how to contact a Master Gardner at one of the universities or on Facebook. I have many questions regarding non-toxic pest control and organic gardening.

Once you logon to Facebook, in the search bar enter Florida Master Gardener Program.

Their website:

Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program - University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

And a contact person: Jsykes@ufl.edu

Bizarre as it sounds ...
 

We have a Sago that at one point became heavily infected (infested?) with a white fungus. Several nowledgeable people who looked at it intimated that it was doomed, that there was no cure for it, to enjoy the plant for as long as we could.

One day I was working outside when a passerby, seeing the plant, stopped, looked more closely at it, and said (I'm not making this up), "WD-40...." Wha'? Thinking that the plant was doomed anyway, I gave it a good spraying of WD-40.Today we have a vibrant, healthy, growing Sago!

I'm nor auggesting one-size-fits-all but rather that unless the horticultural folks have a definitive solution, it may be worth exploring, for lack of a better way to say it, a non-traditional approach. We would not have had penicillin when we did if not for a fluke, possibly like this.

Sago palms are prone to getting scale. Neem oil, which is readily available, is a great treatment.

All American Tractor & Tree (Ian is the owner) 352-460-1922

Again, I am in the area of just about everyone in TV on a daily basis, and will stop by for free.

Agreed, Neem oil is very effective for pests on plants.