Mistletoe Removal in Bakersfield, CA

Mistletoe removal is one of the most practical things a Bakersfield homeowner can do for an older shade tree. Leafy mistletoe is a parasitic plant that roots into a tree's branches and draws water and minerals from them. UC Cooperative Extension in Kern County describes it as affecting many trees in the county, especially valley shade trees such as ash and maple. Once the leaves drop in late fall, the evergreen clumps are easy to spot, and in some neighborhoods you can see whole canopies dotted with them.

Why it matters in the valley

A few clumps will not kill a large tree. A heavy infestation is different. Mistletoe keeps drawing water through the summer, adding stress to a host that is already coping with heat and limited rain; Extension notes that it keeps its pores open during summer drought, which adds to drought stress, and that heavy infestations appear to contribute to tree death in oaks. Branches beyond a large clump often weaken and die back, and the swollen spots where mistletoe attaches can become weak points.

Breaking off the clump is not enough

Pulling or snapping off the green part removes what you can see but leaves the mistletoe's root-like attachment inside the branch. According to Kern County Extension, shoots come back within nine to twelve months. Lasting control means removing the infected wood itself: pruning the branch at least a foot below the clump, back to a healthy side branch or to the branch's point of origin.

Planning cuts on a heavily infected tree

When mistletoe is spread through a tree, taking out every infected branch at once could strip too much of the canopy and expose the trunk to the summer sun. In those cases we prioritize: the largest clumps, branches over the house or walkways, and limbs already dying back. The rest can be taken out over a second winter. Some trees are so heavily infected and declining that removal and replacement with a less susceptible species makes more sense, and we tell you when that is the case.

Timing

The Kern County landscape calendar from UC Cooperative Extension lists December for controlling mistletoe in shade trees, alongside December and January for pruning them. Winter is when clumps are most visible in bare trees and when the tree is dormant. A growth-regulator spray called ethephon can knock off mistletoe shoots and berries for a time, but Extension notes it does not clear the infection, so it is a stopgap rather than a cure.

Dwarf mistletoe on pines

In the higher foothills and mountains of Kern County, a different parasite, dwarf mistletoe, attacks pines, cypress and junipers. Extension calls it more destructive than leafy mistletoe and notes that removing the whole tree may be the best option. It is rare on the valley floor.