Your phone or tablet can be a useful tool for identifying and diagnosing problems in the field. Here are a few tree care apps that can be handy when asking the questions, “What the heck is that, and what the heck can I do about it?”
ID Weeds: FREE, iPhone/iPad, Android
While arborists may not have to know the names of weeds too often, when you are asked, it’s good to have an answer! This free app from the University of Missouri Extension service has a fairly extensive list of crop, forest, right-of-way, and backyard weeds along with a useful identification key. It does not contain any info on the best control methods for these weeds, but a quick Google search can often yield those answers once you have properly identified them. Like many apps produced by universities, this app is more useful the closer you are to the school, but for most of the Midwest, this app’s info is pretty accurate.
Content provided courtesy of Brandon M. Gallagher Watson who is the director of communications for Rainbow Treecare Scientific Advancements. He is also a certified arborist, non-certified home brewer and certifiable mobile technology geek.