Tree Disease Treatment

Avoid your trees falling or dying from a disease that can often be treated. Knowing how to identify and treat tree diseases will prevent avoidable death, and help you encourage healthy, robust tree growth.

toddsmariettatreeservices.com gathered information on identification and treatment of anthracnose, canker diseases, and Dutch elm disease, all of which attack, weaken, and kill trees.

3 Tree Diseases

The following three tree diseases can be tricky to treat. However, once you identify a disease and know how it affects your tree, you can take immediate action to treat it. The following are three common diseases found on trees in the US and around the world:

Anthracnose Tree Disease

Anthracnose is a common fungal disease infecting shade trees. The disease causes the following symptoms:

• Bud death
• Twig death
• Leaf cupping/curling
• Dead, irregular spots on leaves
• Dead tissue along leaf veins
• Dead blotches between leaf veins
• Unseasonal or premature leaf-drop

Treat an anthracnose disease infection by:

Avoiding Spraying Tree Foliage – Anthracnose fungi depend on splashing water and wind to carry them from one host to another. If you try to wash the disease off the foliage, you contribute to the fungi’s perpetuation.

Collecting and destroying fallen leaves – Dead leaves (when left on the ground) provide an optimal location for fungi to lie dormant.

Pruning – The fungi and acervuli (fruiting structures) found in blighted twigs should be pruned back and destroyed. Crown thinning allows more air and light to reach inner branches and foliage; this helps fight against the fungi.

Note: In extreme cases of infection, excessive pruning may be required. When this is the case, contact a professional tree service to evaluate the situation.

Tip: Destroy pruned portions of the tree and its leaves in a fire pit or have a bonfire.

Tree Canker Diseases

Cankers are localized areas of bark and cambium necrosis (dead spots commonly exhibiting an open wound) on stems, twigs, branches, and/or the trunk caused by bacteria or fungi. Canker disease causes trees to display the following symptoms:

• Leaf chlorosis
• Reduced twig and smaller leaf growth
• Dead leaves remain attached to the tree
• Dead branches or limbs (dieback)
• Water sprouts growing from the trunk, large limbs, or roots
• White, decayed sapwood in the tree’s cankered areas
• Outer bark sloughing off of branches and/or trunk

Treat cankers on limbs and branches as follows:

• Carefully prune affected limbs and branches from the tree.
• Wood infected by any bacteria or fungi should be handled cautiously.
• Do not run these limbs and branches through a wood chipper.
• This wood can and should be burned.

Treat cankers on tree trunks as follows:

When cankers reach the tree trunk, there is little to nothing you can do to prevent the tree’s eventual decline and death. However, if your tree was healthy and robust when the infection occurred, it is possible that the tree compartmentalized (isolated) the infected wood on its own.

Note: Hire a professional tree service to carefully evaluate and determine a course of action for your tree.

Dutch Elm Disease

Dutch elm disease (DED), caused by a fungal pathogen (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi or Ophiostoma ulmi), is responsible for the decimation of native American elm species. This disease is most often vectored by European (Scolytus multistriatus) and North American (Hylurgopinus rufipes), and banded elm (S. schevyrewi) elm bark beetles. However, the disease may pass from tree to tree via root grafts with infected trees. Symptoms typically include:

• Leaves on one or more branches in the outer crown turn yellow, wilt, and eventually turn brown.
• Fallen leaves are noticeable in spring or summer.
• Symptoms often appear in late spring and/or early summer but may occur at any time during the tree’s growing season.
• Leaf yellowing and wilting continues down infected branches toward the tree trunk.
• How fast the signs spread down the tree depends on the tree species’ health and susceptibility. Infected trees may die in a single growing season or over multiple years.
• Brown streaking can be seen on the sapwood of wilted branches when the bark is stripped away.
• Confirm a DED infection by sending a sample of branches with leaves displaying symptoms to your University’s local extension for analysis.

Dutch elm disease can be treated when caught in very early stages by:

• Reducing the number of beetle breeding sites by promptly removing dead or dying trees.
• Immediately pruning away DED infected branches.
• Immediately removing trees with many DED infected branches.
• Burying, debarking, burning, or chipping wood from DED infected elm trees.
• Severing root grafts between neighboring elms before the infected tree is removed to prevent infection.

Tip: When considering injectable fungicides to prevent DED, hire a certified arborist to apply the injections.

Note: This disease affects native American elm species, like American (Ulmus americana), slippery (red) (Ulmus rubra), rock (Ulmus thomasii), September (Ulmus serotina), and cedar (Ulmus crassifolia) elms.

Treating Tree Diseases

In this article, you discovered essential information on how to identify and treat anthracnose, canker diseases, and Dutch elm disease before they weaken and kill your trees.

Taking swift action to help your tree and prevent its death will help you save thousands in potential physical and property damages.

Your failure to recognize a tree disease in its beginning phases can result in the swift death of your tree and infection of other surrounding trees.

Sources:
uaex.edu/environment-nature/forestry/health/disease-problems.aspx
ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-tree-04
extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/anthracnose-trees-and-shrubs
s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/687/2015/06/MG-Canker-and-Wilt-Diseases-3.27.15-01.pdf

Todd’s Marietta Tree Services

200 Cobb Pkwy N Ste 428 Marietta, GA 30062
(678) 505-0266

Originally published on: http://www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com/tree-disease-treatment/

Reasons Your Tree Changing Colors in Spring or Summer is a Bad Sign

Is your tree changing color when it should be green? Tree foliage will change color for several reasons. Some of those reasons may lead to the death of the tree, while others are merely seasonal.

toddsmariettatreeservices.com gathered information on why trees change color, and when a color change signals severe problems with trees.

Deciduous vs. Evergreen Trees

In a very general sense, trees may be classified in one of two categories; deciduous or evergreen. When their foliage changes color, it can be interpreted as:

Deciduous Trees – A deciduous tree keeps its green color throughout spring and summer. During autumn, its leaves will change from green to vibrant yellow, orange, red, or purple before falling to the ground.

This color change occurs as the days shorten and temperatures drop. As the leaves cease their food making process, the chlorophyll breaks down, the green color fades away, and so begins the fall color change and leaf drop spectacle.

This process also enables the tree to conserve energy as it prepares to enter dormancy throughout late autumn and winter.

Evergreen Trees – As the name suggests, these trees remain green throughout the year. Typically, they will drop small amounts of foliage as new growth takes its place during the spring and summer months.

While healthy evergreen trees slow down considerably during autumn and winter months, they retain their foliage and green color.

Diseased, Infested, and Dying Trees

When a deciduous tree changes color during spring or summer months, or an evergreen changes color at any time, there is cause for concern. One or a combination of the following may be causing the tree to decline in health or die:

Drought – Drought conditions can happen any time throughout the year, and trees viscerally respond to hydraulic failure.

When there is a lack of water within a tree, the entire crown may be affected in the following ways:

• Chlorosis (loss of color) of the foliage
• Wilting
• Premature leaf drop
• Hardening of branches and twigs
• Self-pruning (shedding of entire branches)

If a regular water supply is not restored to the tree at the onset of drought symptoms, the tree will likely die.

Solution: Maintain a watering pattern throughout the year, increasing the frequency during dry stretches and decreasing during rainy seasons.

Root Rot – Excess water may deprive tree roots of getting the air that they need, leading to decay. To avoid root rot, it is best to only water trees when the soil becomes dry, and to plant the tree in well-drained soil.

Symptoms of root rot are very similar to those of drought, including chlorosis, and premature leaf drop, as both ailments cause hydraulic failure within the tree.

One of the significant differences between drought and root rot is the destabilization of a tree affected by root rot. Without firm roots to anchor the tree, the lightest of storm activity may cause it to topple.

Solution: Avoid overwatering trees and plants located in poorly drained soil. If root rot has already occurred, contact a tree service professional to evaluate the situation and recommend a course of action.

Heart Rot – Trees are susceptible to heart-rotting fungi that produce a lightweight, soft, spongy, stringy, or powdery heart decay. Signs that a tree is rotting from the inside are:

• Leaf chlorosis
• Wilting
• Premature leaf drop
• Dead and brittle branches
• Mushroom conks growing from the trunk
• Bark abnormalities (swelling, deep cracks, or holes)

While trees are very good at compartmentalizing (isolating) damaged or diseased portions of themselves, some fungi can cause massive amounts of potentially fatal damage before the tree can react.

Solution: The following will help a tree avoid heart rot:

• Promote the tree’s health (watering, pruning, fertilizing, mulching)
• Prune in late fall or early winter
• Avoid bark damage
• Remove storm-damaged branches

Trees with symptoms of heart rot should be evaluated and treated or removed by a tree service professional, as soon as possible to avoid severe damages should the tree topple or collapse.

If your tree is dying, learn more about what you can do at toddsmariettatreeservices.com/my-tree-is-dying-what-do-i-do/

Anthracnose – Anthracnose can attack a tree (fruit trees are more susceptible) at any stage of its growth and can affect leaves, stems, pods, fruits, and roots. The symptoms of anthracnose are:

• Small irregular yellow, brown, or black spots that expand and merge together on foliage. Severe infections can affect entire portions of the crown.
• Cankers on stems and branches that cause extreme defoliation and rotting of fruit and roots.
• Fruits develop sunken circular spots that darken with age, eventually producing gelatinous pink spore masses.

Solution: The following can help prevent an anthracnose infection:

• Promote your tree’s health (watering, pruning, fertilizing, mulching)
• Transplant only healthy seedlings
• Remove and destroy infected tree parts
• Harvest unripe but mature fruits
• Plants species that are resistant to anthracnose disease
• Keep the landscape free of weeds

If your tree has become severely infected with anthracnose, the best containment of the disease may be the complete removal and destruction of the tree. Hire a tree service professional to evaluate the tree’s situation, and risk to surrounding vegetation before deciding on a course of action.

You can learn more about tree diseases and treatment at toddsmariettatreeservices.com/5-marietta-ga-tree-diseases-identification-treatment/

Insect Infestation – Severe infestations by honeydew-producing aphids, leaf-consuming caterpillars, trunk burrowing beetles, and other opportunistic insects can lead to a tree being overstressed and dying. Symptoms of an insect infestation may include:

• Chlorosis of the foliage of a portion of or the entire crown
• Wilting and leaf drop
• Damaged or eaten foliage
• The appearance of sooty mold on infested foliage
• The presence of ants (colonizing and tending to aphids)
• Severe premature leaf drop
• Burrowed circular holes in branch or trunk bark

Solution: Upon detection of an insect infestation, the infected and surrounding trees should be treated and protected with:

• Insect traps (tree bands, ant traps, beetle traps, etc.)
• Neem oil spray
• Insecticide

In cases where beetles and other burrowing insects are involved, a tree service professional should be contracted to survey the tree, property, and surrounding landscape to attempt to gain full control over the infestation.

Climbing Vines – If left uncontrolled, climbing vines are capable of ascending to the top of a tree and spreading across its crown. As the vine spreads its foliage, it absorbs the sunlight otherwise intended for the tree, leading to the following:

• Leaf chlorosis
• Wilting
• Premature leaf drop
• Nutrient deficiency (weakened health)

When vines take over the canopy of a tree, you may see green, healthy foliage (from the vine) mixed with wilting or dying foliage (from the tree). As the tree weakens, it will become susceptible to insect infestation and disease, compounding its health decline and hastening its death.

Solution: Sever the vine from its root system near the ground and let it die off. However, don’t try to remove the vine from the tree. As the vine was climbing, it anchored to the tree’s bark, any attempt to pull the vine down may severely damage the bark, resulting in the girdling of the tree.

To learn more on how to save your tree from clinging vines, read toddsmariettatreeservices.com/saving-trees-clinging-vines/

Trees Changing Colors

Is your tree turning yellow or brown when it’s supposed to be green? There are several reasons that trees will change color, and many of those reasons may indicate serious problems that can kill the tree.

In this article, you discovered why trees change color in the fall, and problems that may lead them to change color and suffer leaf drop in the spring or summer months.

While it is normal for deciduous trees to change color in the fall, ignoring an off-season color change or leaf drop can lead to the death of your tree.

Sources:
https://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.htm
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/chlorosis/
http://www.oisat.org/pests/diseases/fungal/anthracnose.html
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/be_careful_where_you_spray_that_stuff

Todd’s Marietta Tree Services

200 Cobb Pkwy N Ste 428 Marietta, GA 30062
(678) 505-0266

Originally published on: http://www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com/reasons-tree-changing-colors-spring-summer-bad-sign/

Hickory Tree Facts, Diseases, and Care

Is the lack of information impacting your ability to care for and fight disease on the otherwise resilient hickory tree?

Hickory trees are among the most durable trees native to the United States. Any of the hickory tree species should be considered for your mid-sized or large landscape for their beauty and ease of care.

toddsmariettatreeservices.com gathered hickory tree facts, diseases, care tips, and answers some frequently asked questions.

Hickory Tree Facts

Hickory trees are a member of the Carya genus. There are about twenty species of hickory that comprise the genus, of which, 12 species are native to the United States.

Trees in the Carya genus are blooming and bearing tree species. Hickory trees are tough and durable, among the most long-lived, and are a frequent favorite in Southern landscaping.

Tree Name	Hickory
Scientific Name/Species	Carya tomentosa (most abundant of the hickories)
Family	Juglandaceae (walnut family)
Genus	Carya
Nickname/Other Tree(s)	Bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis), pignut or black hickory (Carya glabra), sand hickory (Carya palida), red hickory (Carya ovalis), and mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa) are all species within the Carya genus
State Tree	Texas (pecan – Carya illinoinensis)

 

Lifespan	Can live up to 500 years or more when planted in optimal conditions
Type	Deciduous
Hardiness Zone(s)	from 4 to 8
Soil Requirements	Tolerates most soil types but in all cases, prefers well-drained soil with full sun exposure
Planting Spacing	20ft between trees
Watering Requirements	Regular (to keep the soil moist) when young or planted. Minimal (during dry spells) thereafter

 

Height	60 to 100ft
DBH	1 to 2ft at maturity
Crown Span	40ft or more at maturity (the shape may vary depending on the species)
Root Spread	Hickory trees are known for their deep, expansive, and robust root systems which help them from being uprooted during the strongest of winds and storms
Fruit Production	Hickories require a 10-15 year period of growth before they will bear fruit
Uses in Landscaping	Hickories make a magnificent specimen, screen, or large shade tree, and are well suited for more spacious landscapes
Winter/Fall Colors	Golden yellow before leaf-drop in the fall

Hickory Tree Diseases

Hickory trees are extremely tough and resilient to disease when they are healthy, and the following are some of the diseases to watch for:

Hickory Anthracnose/Leaf Spot – The symptoms include large reddish spots on leaf tops and brown spots underneath. When an infection is severe, early defoliation may occur.

Many of the fungi that cause this disease will survive the winter on fallen infected leaves. When these leaves fall, they should be carefully disposed of.

For more info on the anthracnose disease, visit toddsmariettatreeservices.com/how-to-identify-treat-prevent-anthracnose/

Verticillium Wilt – Symptoms of this infection include entire branches or a whole section of a tree dying off. The foliage on affected parts of the tree will wilt and turn brown.

Help your tree remain healthy by pruning out infected branches, watering during dry weather, and seasonal fertilization.

Powdery Mildew – This disease causes a white “powdery” growth on the leaves. When this disease occurs early in the growing season, it can be treated using the following:

• In one gallon of water, mix one tablespoon of baking soda with a one-half teaspoon of liquid soap (non-detergent).
• Spray liberally on affected foliage.

If this infection occurs late in the season, control will not be required. Make sure that fallen leaves are collected and disposed of.

Witches Broom – This disease will typically follow a leaf spot disease. Symptoms include yellow spots on leaf surfaces with white spots on the underneath side.

Defoliation may occur from severe infections, and when the disease successfully enters the stem, a witches broom will form.

Leaves on the witches broom stems will be small, yellowish, and fall prematurely. When witches brooms form, prune them away, and call a tree service to evaluate the overall health of the tree.

Cankers – Cankers occur when a tree’s bark is wounded, and an opportunistic fungus finds its way into the wound. As the fungus grows and multiplies, it stops the tree from compartmentalizing the wound and can eventually spread throughout the tree.

Cankers that appear on twigs and branches should be pruned out, cutting all the way back to the trunk when the infection is severe. Cankers that form on the trunk of a tree should be inspected by a tree service to determine the best course of action.

To prevent cankers from forming, keep your trees healthy by watering them when the weather is dry, seasonally fertilizing them, and pruning them during their dormancy.

To be best prepared for preventing potential danger, read signs and symptoms of a troubled tree.

Hickory Tree Care

Caring for trees of the hickory species is easy and includes:

• Watering when the weather is dry.
• Pruning during the dormant season.
• Annual fertilizing.
• Treating fungi when affected.
• Scheduling an annual inspection.

For more valuable information on tree watering and soil needs, visit toddsmariettatreeservices.com/tree-watering-rich-soil-healthy-trees/

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Do all hickory trees produce nuts?
Answer: Yes. Hickory trees comprise the genus Carya (Ancient Greek for “nut”).

Question: Are hickory nuts edible for humans?
Answer: Yes. However, the flavor will vary from species to species.

Question: Are Hickory trees related to pecan trees?
Answer: Yes. In fact, the two are so closely related, they grow within the same hardiness zone and require the same care.

Question: How long do hickory trees live?
Answer: Hickory trees are known to live beyond 500 years.

Question: What is hickory wood good for?
Answer: Being one of the strongest and hardest woods native to the United States, hickory is frequently used where shock-resistance and strength are required, such as wood flooring.

Hickory is also popular for smoking cured meats and cooking barbecue.

The Hickory Tree is a Perfect Landscape Specimen

Hickory trees from the Carya genus are easy to care for, and many of the species are native to the United States. These easy trees are among landscapers favorites for their resilience and ease of care.

In this article, you discovered hickory tree facts, diseases, care tips, and uncovered answers to frequently asked questions.

If the hickory tree isn’t a part of your landscape, you are missing out on a slow growing, beautifully shaped shade or screen tree. They are easy to plant and require minimal care efforts.

Sources:
http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/carovaa.pdf
http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/Survival/Pages/hickory.html
http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2013/10/25/the-hickory-tough-and-durable-landscape-trees/
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/pecan-planting-fertilization/

https://plus.google.com/+Toddsmariettatreeservices

Todd’s Marietta Tree Services

200 Cobb Pkwy N Ste 428 Marietta, GA 30062
(678) 505-0266

Originally published on: http://www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com/hickory-tree-facts-diseases-care/

5 Marietta Ga Tree Diseases – Identification and Treatment

That concerning tree in your yard may be diseased and risky to leave unaddressed. However, inaction is what often leads to severe and avoidable damage.

While diseased trees can pose a threat to your landscape, property, and surrounding people, identifying and treating such cases properly can mitigate and prevent disastrous tree fall situations.

toddsmariettatreeservices.com names five common tree diseases in Marietta GA, how to identify, treat, and when to have the tree evaluated by a professional.

Fire Blight Symptoms and Treatment

Fire blight is a disease that flourishes in humid, rainy weather when the average temperature rises to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and above.

Symptoms – As the name implies, symptoms of this disease cause the appearance of fire scorching or burning. When inspecting your tree, look for these signs:

• Infected flowers turn black and die.
• Twigs and stems turn black and curl over.
• Branches appear scorched as their leaves turn black and shrivel up.
• Cankers will appear on branches and the trunk.

Transmission – Fire blight is easily transmitted to other trees, shrubs, and plants by birds, animals, splashing water, and unsterile gardening tools.

Treatment – The following measures should be taken immediately to eliminate and prevent the spread of fire blight:

• Apply a copper fungicide before the flowering season.
• Extensive pruning of all affected areas.
• Take pest control measures to eliminate ants and other insects which may transmit the disease.
• Convert your watering method to drip lines. (Avoid sprinklers or spraying)
• Sanitize gardening equipment with a water and bleach solution after use on infected landscapes.

Call a Professional – When more than 25% of a tree must be removed, seek the advice of a professional tree service or arborist. It may be necessary to remove the tree altogether. Likewise, when multiple trees, shrubs, and plants are infected, a professional can help you devise a plan to halt the disease.

Powdery Mildew Symptoms and Treatment

Much like fire blight, powdery mildew thrives in the springtime when temperatures range from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. There are several fungi which can produce powdery mildew.

Symptoms – As the name suggests, powdery mildew can appear on any part of its host and resembles white or slightly off-white mildew. Numerous spores begin to emerge as the fungi mature.

Transmission – Insects such as aphids are the principal means of transmission. However, when spores are released, splashing water or wind may spread the fungi.

Treatment – The following measures will help you control and eliminate powdery mildew from your landscape:

• Apply non-chemical organic fungicides such as milk, bicarbonates, and oil. An effective solution is diluted at 1 part fungicide to 10 parts water. This fungicidal mix produces outstanding results when used for preventative measures or sprayed directly on the infected plant.
• Applying a neem oil solution disrupts the fungus’ metabolism – preventing spore production.

Call a Professional – When topical treatment can’t stop powdery mildew, or when it eliminates powdery mildew, but your tree’s health continues to decline, there may be another pathogen or insect at work. Request an inspection and evaluation from a tree care professional.

Anthracnose Symptoms and Treatment

Anthracnose thrives in the springtime with prolonged periods of rainfall and when temperatures are consistently mild.

Symptoms – The symptoms of anthracnose include the following:

• Bud and twig death
• Dead spots on leaves
• Dead tissue or blotches along and between leaf veins
• Unseasonal or premature leaf-drop
• Lesions known as cankers in tree bark (open wounds)
• Dark colored pimple-like fruiting structures (acervuli) on the underside of leaves.

Transmission – Similar to fire blight, anthracnose is easily transmitted to other trees, shrubs, and plants by wildlife, splashing water, rain, and unsterile gardening tools.

Anthracnose fungi (there are several fungi which can cause anthracnose) can survive the winter months in fallen leaves, or in cankers formed in the bark of branches or the trunk.

Treatment – The following measures should be taken immediately to eliminate and prevent the spread of anthracnose:

• Extensive pruning of all affected parts.
• Utilize a fire pit or bonfire to destroy affected clippings and foliage.
• Convert your watering systems to drip lines. (Avoid sprinklers or spraying)
• Sanitize gardening equipment with a water and bleach solution after use on infected landscapes.

Read the following article for more on How to Identify, Treat, and Prevent Anthracnose.

Call a Professional – When 25% or more of a tree must be removed, seek the advice and assistance of an arborist or reputable tree service.

It may be necessary to remove the tree altogether. Without treating anthracnose, you will be leaving your tree susceptible to other infections and infestations.

Root Rot Symptoms and Treatment

Changes in landscaping, soil compaction, soil composition, or persistent rains may cause root rot.

Symptoms – Severe and fast branch die-back, premature color change of the leaves, widespread leaf spots, sap coming from the bark, and mushrooms around the root flare may all indicate root rot.

Transmission – Root rot is typically the result of poor drainage or changes in the soil composition and texture. This either kills the roots or allows access to pathogens, which weakens and eventually kills them.

Treatment – If your tree is diagnosed with root rot, the recommended treatment is to have the tree removed.

To prevent further cases of root rot, ensure that the soil in your landscape is well-drained, and that roots are protected from soil compaction.

Call a Professional – If you suspect that a tree is suffering and dying from root rot, call a professional to have the tree evaluated immediately. Depending on the size of the tree and the amount of damage to the roots, the tree may fall at any time.

Heart Rot Symptoms and Treatment

When a fungal disease causes the softening and decay of the wood found at the center of a tree’s trunk and branches, this is known as heart rot.

The softening of the heartwood leaves a tree vulnerable to the pressure of its own weight and prone to collapse.

Symptoms – A reliable indicator that heart rot is present within a tree is the presence of fungus conks or mushrooms growing from the tree’s trunk or branches.

Transmission – Heart rot is able to attack the heartwood of a tree through damaged bark or improper pruning.

Treatment – Control of heart rot is achieved by:

• Maintaining your trees healthy and vigorous.
• Using proper pruning techniques.
• Having the trees inspected by an arborist annually.
• Providing post-storm care and maintenance.

Heart rot affects trees across the world. When trees are healthy, they are able to isolate and stop this disease through a process called compartmentalization.

Call a Professional – If you suspect that your tree is suffering from heart rot, do not hesitate to call a professional tree service to evaluate the tree and recommend a course of action. Act promptly, as trees that suffer from this disease can cause catastrophic damages when they collapse unexpectedly.

Tree Disease and Landscape Health

Because diseased trees are susceptible to fall at any time, it is imperative to be educated and swift in taking action to treat these disease cases.

Discovering how to identify and treat the diseases that are common in Marietta Georgia is a great start.

Being informed and giving more attention to your trees may seem like extra effort, but sleeping well at night knowing your property and people are safe is worth the energy.

Sources:
http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1238&title=Common%20Landscape%20Diseases%20in%20Georgia
http://www.gfc.state.ga.us/community-forests/management/tree-care/insects-and-diseases/index.cfm

https://plus.google.com/+Toddsmariettatreeservices

Todd’s Marietta Tree Services

200 Cobb Pkwy N Ste 428 Marietta, GA 30062
(678) 505-0266

Originally published on: http://www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com/5-marietta-ga-tree-diseases-identification-treatment/

How to Identify, Treat, and Prevent Anthracnose

You may be unknowingly spreading disease all over your landscape. Those yellow, brown, or black spots on your tree may be anthracnose. Avoid hosing down your tree to try and clean it, you could be spreading this fungi everywhere!

Over time and repeated attacks, anthracnose can weaken your tree’s health and provide an opportunity for other disease and infestation. Once identified, tree anthracnose should be treated immediately.

toddsmariettatreeservices.com gathered this information to help you identify, treat, prevent anthracnose, and uncover the fungi responsible for causing it.

What Is the Cause of Anthracnose?

Tree anthracnose is caused by a fungal infection fueled by optimal weather conditions. The following are some of the fungi responsible for anthracnose and some of the tree species they infect:

• Apiognomonia Errabunda – Attacks tilia, Quercus, beech, oak, lindens, and Fagus (ficus) trees.
• Apiognomonia Veneta – Attacks london planes and sycamores.
• Colletotrichum Gloeosporioides – Attacks ash, tulip, and cacao or cocoa trees.
• Discula Fraxinea – Attacks maple, ash, and fringetree.
• Glomerella Fungi Species – Attacks banana, mango, papaya, and lemons.
• Gnomonia Fungi Species – Attacks oak, maple, sycamore, walnut, ash, and dogwood trees.
• Marssonina Fungi Species – Attacks aspen, poplars, and cottonwood trees.
• Stegophora ulmea – Attacks elm trees.

The above-mentioned fungi overwinter in either the leaves that have fallen to the ground, or in cankers on the tree’s bark. In springtime, the fungi’s reproduction process is favored by cool temperatures and prolonged periods of rain.

As the fungi generate spores, splashing rain, overhead watering, and/or the wind disperses them to leaf buds, shoots, or young leaves. The fungi then colonize the tissue of the new host and begin producing spores to be carried off in the same manner.

As long as temperatures remain mild and moist conditions persist, the fungi will continue to colonize leaf tissue, produce spores, and reinfect the same leaves or spread to others. Without intervention, this process can repeat itself throughout spring and into early summer.

Anthracnose and other fungal diseases that attack trees need water (moisture) to grow, propagate, and colonize new hosts. These diseases are less common in warmer regions that have less rainfall.

What Are the Symptoms of Anthracnose?

While anthracnose can be caused by several different species of fungi, the symptoms are the same. Here is how to identify an anthracnose infection:

• Bud death
• Twig death
• Dead spots on leaves
• Dead tissue along leaf veins
• Dead blotches between leaf veins
• Unseasonal or premature leaf-drop
• Lesions known as cankers in tree bark (open wounds)

A common symptom among all of the anthracnose diseases is the presence of acervuli. Use a magnifying glass to examine the underside of infected leaves. You are looking for dark colored pimple-like fruiting structures (acervuli).

In infected trees, these structures may also be found peppered along dead twigs.

How Do You Treat Anthracnose?

While damages resulting from anthracnose infections are generally inconsequential to the overall health of a tree, repeated attacks from the disease year after year can weaken a tree’s defenses enough to leave it susceptible to other diseases and insect infestations.

The following measures will help to treat the disease and reduce the potential for infection in the coming springtime:

Don’t Spray the Foliage – Anthracnose fungi depend on splashing water and wind to carry them from one host to another. If you try to wash off the foliage, you are doing more to help the fungi live than to save your tree.

Fallen Leaves – Collect and destroy fallen leaves. These dead leaves (if left on the ground) provide an optimal location for fungi to overwinter.

Pruning – For the fungi and acervuli found in blighted twigs, these areas should be pruned back and destroyed.

Crown thinning will allow more air and light to reach the inner branches and foliage, which in turn will help fight against the fungi.

Depending on the extent of the infection, excessive pruning may be necessary. If this is the case, contact a professional tree service to evaluate the situation.

Tip: To destroy the pruned portion of the tree and/or leaves, light up the fire pit or have a bonfire.

After pruning any diseased plant, shrub, or tree, make certain that your tools are sanitized before storing them or using them again. Use a 1 part bleach to 6 parts water solution to wash your tools.

Fungicides – In areas or with trees that have a history of anthracnose infections, fungicides can be used to further curtail its spreading.

Knowing the species of your tree will help you select the right fungicide. Many of them are labeled for use against specific fungi, and the fungi which cause anthracnose are typically host species specific.

How Can Anthracnose Be Prevented?

By providing plants and trees with well drained and enriched soil, nutrient-rich fertilizer, sufficient water, and annual pruning, you will help them maintain a vigorous defense system and enable them to resist diseases more handily.

If you use a sprinkler or overhead watering system, consider modifying it or replacing it with a drip system. Drip systems don’t create the splashing effect necessary to carry fungus spores from host to host.

Finally, take action against other fungal invaders and pests to prevent the tree’s health from weakening.

Tree Health and Disease Prevention

There is more to preventing tree diseases than just hosing down your trees. To stop the spread of anthracnose and prevent its return, it takes an understanding of what it is and how it spreads from host to host.

In this article, you discovered what causes anthracnose, how to correctly identify it by common characteristics, how to treat it, and the steps to prevent it.

Anthracnose, through repeated attacks, will eventually weaken your tree and allow other more invasive diseases and tree pests to attack. Treatment and prevention measures should begin as soon as this disease is positively identified.

For more signs and symptoms of a troubled tree, visit http://www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com/troubled-tree-signs-symptoms/

Sources:

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7420.html
https://extension.psu.edu/anthracnose-on-shade-trees
https://wiki.bugwood.org/HPIPM:Anthracnose_Diseases
https://www.ppws.vt.edu/content/dam/ppws_vt_edu/extension/plant-disease-clinic/files/clinic-report-2013.pdf
https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/25356

Photchana Trakunsukharat, Department of Agriculture, Thailand [CC BY 3.0 au], via Wikimedia Commons

https://plus.google.com/+Toddsmariettatreeservices

Todd’s Marietta Tree Services

200 Cobb Pkwy N Ste 428 Marietta, GA 30062
(678) 505-0266

Originally published on: http://www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com/how-to-identify-treat-prevent-anthracnose/