Home / Jobs / Mistletoe

Mistletoe Removal in Placerville

Spotted green balls hanging in your oak this winter? Dial (530) 240-2208. A tree trimming company around Placerville will swing by and walk you through the choices. Mistletoe removal in Placerville is part of normal tree trimming.

Mistletoe isn't the end of the world for a tree. But left alone on a tree that's already struggling, it can do real harm.

What mistletoe looks like on Placerville trees

There are two kinds you'll run into, according to UC's pest guide.

Broadleaf mistletoe

This is the leafy kind on oaks and other trees that drop their leaves. It has green stems and thick, roundish leaves. The clumps can get up to 2 feet across or more.

Winter is when it's easiest to see. UC says the evergreen clumps really stand out in bare trees. Female plants make small, sticky, whitish berries, usually from October to December.

Dwarf mistletoe

This kind lives on pines and their cousins, like firs. It's small and hard to spot, with little scale-like leaves in yellow-green to tan. The first sign is often a swelling on the branch.

UC flags dwarf mistletoe as a nuisance where yards meet the forest, naming the Sierra Nevada foothills. In other words, here. Badly infested trees sprout dense, twisted knots of twigs known as witches' brooms.

How mistletoe hurts a Placerville tree

Mistletoe is a parasite. UC says it takes water and nutrients from the host tree. A healthy tree can handle a few clumps. A heavy load can mean stunted growth, dead branches, and sometimes a dead tree. Drought or disease makes all of that worse.

A UC Master Gardener talk on county oaks is a bit gentler. It says mistletoe shouldn't kill a healthy oak, and that it can be pruned out but usually grows back. It even points out that birds and bugs feed on it.

Dead limbs from mistletoe are a fire worry too. UC notes that dead and dying limbs are a big fire danger, especially in forested areas.

How it spreads

With broadleaf mistletoe, birds are the gardeners. After eating the berries, they leave sticky seeds behind on whatever branch they perch on. Since birds favor tall perches, UC says older, bigger trees tend to get infested first. Young trees beside a badly infested one can catch it quickly.

Dwarf mistletoe shoots its own seeds. UC says the fruit can fling them onto trees up to 40 feet away.

That's why one cleaned up tree next to a loaded one won't stay clean for long. UC says removing mistletoe from all the trees on the street helps the most. Maybe talk to the neighbors.

The right way to do mistletoe removal in Placerville

Pulling off the green part doesn't kill it. UC says the plant has rootlike parts growing inside the branch, and new shoots usually come back from them.

UC's remedy is removing the whole infested branch, cutting no less than a foot below the point of attachment. Ideally, get it done before seeds form.

What if the clump is on the trunk, or on a main limb you can't spare? UC's workaround is to clip off what you can see, then wrap that section in heavy black plastic so no light gets in. That wrap can stay on as long as 2 years while the mistletoe starves.

A tree that's covered top to bottom may be too far gone to prune. UC says those are better taken out. A pro can tell you which camp your tree is in.

Normal pruning rules apply on top of that. Collar cuts, no topping, and never over a quarter of the crown in one visit, as the arborist group puts it. Oaks add a timing layer: leaf-droppers in winter, evergreens in summer.

Sprays?

UC says plant growth regulator sprays only knock mistletoe back for a while. They don't kill the plant. The Master Gardener talk agrees that sprays have to be repeated. Most folks around here stick with pruning.

Replanting? Pick a tree mistletoe skips

If you're planting new, UC lists trees mistletoe rarely bothers. A few of them are Chinese pistache, crape myrtle, ginkgo, liquidambar, sycamore, cedar and redwood. UC says to avoid alder and Modesto ash, which get hit hard.

What mistletoe removal costs for Placerville homes

Most guides price it like branch work. These are national ranges.

Sources: Homeyou (updated November 9, 2026) for rows one, two and four; Fixr (updated January 31, 2025) for row three.

A few clumps low in a small tree is a quick job. A big valley oak loaded right to the top is a much bigger climb. The pro quotes it after seeing it, before any work.

Why call us for Placerville mistletoe removal

The pro hears from us up front that it's mistletoe, and in what tree. Neighbors want theirs cleared too? Mention it. Several yards on one street in one day can work out well for all of you.

Step by step: Placerville tree trimming

1. Give us a call at (530) 240-2208, or drop a note through the visit form.
2. Tell us the tree and roughly how many clumps you see.
3. A tree pro from nearby gets scheduled to take a look.
4. On site, they point out which limbs would go and in what month.
5. The price comes from them, and the yes or no comes from you.

Related: oak tree pruning and pines and bark beetles.