Trees are very beneficial. But they are vulnerable to illness. Some diseases are unsightly but don’t necessarily harm your tree, while other diseases can kill a tree. Trees get more susceptible to contracting diseases when they are stressed. If a tree is already weakened, contracting a disease can kill it. Our team at Five Star Tree Services want to go over some common tree diseases and how you can prevent them.
Common Tree Diseases
Black Knot
This disease produces swelling and discolouration on branches and twigs. This can cause girdling and dieback of these branches and sometimes even the trunk.
What to look for:
-knots that are light brown, watery swells, roughly 1 cm long on fresh shoots.
-after a while, the knots turn coal black and can encompass an entire limb.
-sometimes you can see boring insects in the knots
Ash Anthracnose
This is a disease caused by fungus and it targets ash trees.
What to look for:
-water soaked patched develop on young leaves and branches
-around the margins of leaves, spreading inward are brown and black stains.
-you can notice the lower canopy being affected first, with the infection spreading upward.
Cankers
There are a few different varieties of cankers that affect a wide variety of trees. These can be bacterial or fungal. An entire tree can be encircled, leaving it more susceptible to pests and other diseases.
What to look for:
-You can see them on trunks, branches, and stems.
-They look like dark lesions, possibly leaking and discolouring the bark.
-They can also be dark, flat patches that have fractured borders.
-deciduous tree leaves can wilt
-conifer needles can darken and fall off, with resin flowing out that turns white.
Fire Blight
This disease is devastating and damages a lot of trees and also plants.
What to look for:
-leaves darken, wilt, and curl into a candy cane shape.
-twigs can develop ooze droplets.
-dark canker lesions can appear.
-deformed fruit can develop.
-trees can look burnt.
Beech Bark Disease
This is another severe disease that targets beech trees. It’s caused by beech bark scale, insects, and fungus. Wounds are created from the scale weakening the tree, this leaves it vulnerable to fungus entering through the wounds, it then spreads throughout the tree, and eventually kills it.
What to look for:
-a white fuzzy wax appearance.
-this wax will cover the tree.
-discoloured white wax.
-the tree will exude a brown slime.
-leaf size will be stunted.
-the leaves will then turn yellow and brown.
Dutch Elm Disease
This disease is the most damaging for elm trees. It’s a fungus that causes the tree to get sick and it is transmitted by beetles.
What to look for:
-leaves wilting, curling, and yellowing.
-leaves will fall off until there is none remaining.
How To Prevent Tree Diseases
If you want to help prevent your trees from contracting any of these diseases, there are a few things you can do.
Enough Watering
Trees need water to live. This means making sure they are getting enough water is important, you can’t always rely on the rain. In order to make sure they are getting enough water, make sure to provide them with deep and thorough watering. You should be watering them in the morning or evening from a constant drip line that encircles the tree roots evenly.
Using Mulch
When you use an adequate amount of mulch, this helps to prevent things like your water from evaporating, soil erosion, and also helps to regulate and maintain a good temperature around the roots. Not to mention it keeps weeds away from the base of your tree. All of this is going to help your tree develop a good root system.
Pruning
The development and structure of your tree is based on pruning. It’s always good to maintain the structure of your tree. This is going to help reduce the chances of damage and eliminate weak branches, so they don’t fall. The weight distribution is also assisted with pruning.
Avoid Damages
Be careful using machinery around your trees. This includes yard maintenance or construction projects. You don’t want to accidentally damage your tree. A tree needs its bark to help protect it from infections, infestations, and diseases. It’s a natural barrier and protectant. If you damage the bark, it will expose the tree and make it vulnerable. This can allow fungal diseases an opportunity to infiltrate the tree and infect it.
Clean Yard
It’s important to keep your yard clean, and not just for aesthetic purposes. This is going to enhance the appeal, while preventing tree diseases. If you already have an infected tree on your property, it’s even more imperative to get rid of anything that falls off or it, in order to stop the spread. This means picking up any leaves, branches, and debris.
Use Fungicide
An easy way to help prevent the spread of any fungus is to spray fungicide. Doing this has the ability to halt the development of tree disease before it has the chance to spread to other nearby trees. When you use this spray, it also helps to kill ant living insects, their eggs, or larvae.
How Five Star Tree Services Can Help
Tree diseases are a serious thing and need to be treated by professional arborists. If you suspect that you have a tree that needs help, our team at Five Star Tree Services can come assess the situation and administer treatment or remove a tree, if necessary. Contact us at (416) 990-3355 if you are interested in our tree care services in Toronto!