Shade trees and small ornamental trees may be affected by plant diseases. Although most of these issues are simply aesthetic problems and cause no long-term damage, some diseases can seriously disfigure trees and others can even be lethal. There are several things you can do to protect your trees from these diseases and keep them healthy this spring.
- When planting street trees, instead of lining your street or driveway with one species of tree, try to plant a dozen or more tree species that are well-adapted to your area. This prevents a lethal disease from taking out your entire row of trees at once.
- Mulch and irrigate your young trees to prevent infection from canker-causing diseases.
- Rake and destroy or compost leaves from trees with anthracnose or leaf spot diseases to prevent fungal pathogens from overwintering in leaf litter on the ground.
- Choose disease-free trees from a reputable place. Trees should be free of cankers, galls and other wounds to the trunk or branches.
- Use disease-resistant tree species or cultivars to avoid endemic diseases. Certain crabapple cultivars are resistant to diseases. Also, you may replace a tree that was killed by verticillium wilt with a resistant tree species.
- Choose a good planting site for your particular tree species. For example, trees that are susceptible to root rot should only be planted in well-drained soils.
- Prune out cankers caused by fire blight and other diseases and dead branches. Trees with serious disease effects may have to be removed.
Preventing and eliminating tree and shrub disease can be a tricky business. When planting new trees or dealing with mature trees, trust the experts with years of experience to help you make these decisions and keep your landscape healthy.
Advanced Lawn Solutions can offer systemic mature tree injections to help eliminate the cause of decline. We also offer disease and fungicide treatments and insect prevention for your plants and trees. Give us a call today to learn more and keep your trees and plants healthy this spring!