The genus Ilex, holly, plays a significant role in the beliefs and traditions of the winter season. To the Romans, hollies were the trees of the god Saturn and wreaths of holly were gifts during his holiday, Saturnalia. In Celtic legends, evergreen hollies with their beautiful red berries, announced the ascension of the Holly King who ruled the forest with his green leaves in summer. For Christians, the pointed leaves of the holly are associated with the crown of thorns worn by Jesus and the bright red holly berries symbolize drops of his blood.
For arborists and plant health care technicians, hollies are among the most important landscape plants and they require special attention due to the presence of a few egregious scale insect plants.
Soft scales injure hollies in two ways. First, by removing the vital products of photosynthesis, soft scales rob hollies of nutrients. In heavy infestations, leaves become chlorotic and sometimes drop prematurely. Chronic infestations can result in dieback of branches. Second, to obtain adequate nutrients for development and reproduction, these scales imbibe large volumes of sap. Processed sap is excreted in the form of a sugar-laden liquid called honeydew.
As honeydew accumulates on leaves beneath the scale, a black fungus called sooty mold colonizes the sticky liquid and uses the sugars as a substrate for growth. Sooty mold does not harm the holly directly, that is, it is not pathogenic. However, sooty mold’s grimy appearance is disagreeable and one can imagine that enough sooty mold might cut down on the plant’s ability to gather energy from sunlight. Fortunately, once the scales are controlled, sooty mold is easily removed with a vigorous plant wash.
Managing soft scales on holly
As with all pest and abiotic problems, early detection is the key to effective management. During the regular inspection of hollies, make note of discolored leaves or branches with dieback. Carefully inspect the lower surface of leaves for signs of soft scale nymphs or white waxy ovisacs. The presence of honeydew and ants, wasps and bees that forage on honeydew are good indicators of soft scale infestations. Accumulating sooty mold is another dead giveaway of the presence of these pests.
by Michael J. Raupp, Tree Care Industry Magazine, Vol. XXLL, Number 1-January 2011
The number of research proposals submitted to the Tree Research and Education Endowment (TREE) Fund each year far outstrips the funds available to implement them. For example, research grant requests over the past year totaled more than $815,000 and the TREE Fund was only able to support about 18 percent of that. Business and academic researchers are not at a loss for problems to solve or questions that need an answer. The voices of the industry that communicate these needs to researchers are definitely being heard.
“Research grant requests over the past year totaled more than $815,000 and the Tree Research and Education Endowment (TREE) Fund was only able to support about 18% of that.”
Rob Williamson, owner of Trees Plus, Northwest Florida’s premier full-service tree and landscaping company, was named the Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce (SRCCC) “Emerging Leader of 2010”. The award recognizes his business accomplishments, his demonstrated leadership and his personal and professional contributions to the betterment of the Santa Rosa County Community.
“Trees Plus believes the giving of time, money and resources can only better the community in which we live, work, and prosper,” said Mr. Williamson. “I am grateful and humbled by this honor and truly appreciate the chamber recognition for this special award.”
The award was given at the SRCCC Installation of Officers and Directors Banquet held January 29, 2011, where Rob was also installed as a new member of the SRCCC Board of Directors.
A noted speaker, author and civic leader, Mr. Williamson’s other community involvement includes serving as the secretary of the executive committee for Leadership Santa Rosa, Student Advisory Council Member at Bagdad Elementary and numerous other local charitable organizations. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and his professional affiliations include the ISA, TCIA, Florida Urban Forestry Council (FUFC), Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) and the Society of Municipal Arborists.
In 2010, Mr. Williamson was named as a finalist in the ISA's True Professionals of Arboriculture award, for the second consecutive year. Mr. Williamson was one of twenty-one finalists out of more than 20,000 ISA certified arboricultural professionals from around the United States. Mr. Williamson was also named The State of Florida's 2009 "Outstanding Professional" by the Florida Urban Forestry Council (FUFC).
Mr. Williamson currently lives in Bagdad, Florida with his wife Amie and their two children, Annabelle and Hilton.
Travis Morales with Trees Plus, Northwest Florida’s premier full-service tree and landscaping company since 1992, recently demonstrated professional experience and competency by successfully completing the Certified Arborist examination administered by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).
“Trees Plus is proud to support Travis and his commitment to personal and professional development,” said Rob Williamson, ISA Certified Arborist and owner of Trees Plus. “We continue to focus on education and professional standards that allow us to give valuable service for our clients. With another ISA Certified Arborist on staff, Trees Plus continues to separate ourselves as the leader for knowledgeable tree care in NW Florida.”
The purpose of the ISA certification program is to improve the level of knowledge and standard of practice within the tree care profession. It is designed to assist the public in identifying those professionals in arboriculture (tree care) who have demonstrated, through a professionally developed examination and education program, a thorough knowledge of tree care practices.
"I am proud to be able to follow my years of knowledge in this industry with an ISA Arborist Certification, and be able to better serve the individual needs of Trees Plus clients,” said Mr. Morales.
The International Society of Arboriculture is a scientific and educational organization devoted to the dissemination of information in the care and preservation of shade and ornamental trees. ISA's certification program is designed to promote the professional development of those involved in the field of arboriculture tree care. When contracting for your tree care needs, contact individuals who are certified through this voluntary program.
About Trees Plus
Trees Plus is a full-service tree and landscaping company, covering the needs of residential, commercial, municipal customers across Northwest Florida since 1992. Their services include tree pruning, tree planting, tree treatment, bracing and cabling, tree removal and stump grinding. Landscaping, hurricane preparation, post storm emergency tree care and arborist consultation services (expert witness, tree preservation, land development, construction site planning and tree appraisal services)
Their service area includes Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Navarre, Pace, Mary Esther, Fort Walton Beach, Shalimar, Niceville, Crestview, Destin, Sandestin, Santa Rosa Beach and Miramar Beach in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties. Rob Williamson and Travis Morales can be reached at 850-939-9979 or rob@treesplusonline.com. To learn more about Trees Plus, visit www.treesplusonline.com