Tree Diseases

Diagnosing tree diseases is more difficult than determining the cause of damage by other pests (ex., Ips beetles). It is necessary to understand how the trees grow and know the signs and symptoms of tree diseases. Also you need to remember that similar signs and symptoms can be caused by biotic and abiotic (nonliving) disorders.

Symptoms are the external and internal reactions to disease. Leaf spots, blight, mosaic, stunting, distortion, canker are symptoms that will help

aspen leaf spot

in diagnosing tree diseases.

Biotic tree diseases are caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and other living nematodes. Abiotic factors that cause tree problems are:

• Moisture imbalance
  Temperature extremes
  Nutrient imbalance
  Pesticide/chemical injury
  Improper planting and pruning
  Mechanical damage
  Root girdling
  Poor soil drainage
  Soil compaction
  Natural aging of plants

It is important to diagnose tree disease before starting any control. Here are few observations you can make:
•What parts of the plant are injured?
•Has the damage spread?
•When did the damage occur?
•What signs and symptoms are visible?
•Where are signs and symptoms located on the plant?
•How severe are the signs and how often do they occur?
•Are there signs and symptoms on other plants?

When observing a diseased tree, it is always good idea to compare it to a normal tree. All trees should be examined.

wind desiccation

Disease distribution is an especially useful diagnostic tool:

Symptom distribution on Woody ornamentals

Distribution                      Possible Causes
One sided Root                 Damage from digging or disease, wind desiccation, herbicide drift, vascular   wilt
From top to bottom         Mechanical damage to trunk
From bottom to top         Transplant shock
From inside to outside    Normal needle drop, oxygen starvation to roots, desiccation, transplant shock
From outside to inside    Blight, root damage, transplant shock, herbicide damage

These are some of the clues you can use in diagnosing tree diseases.

If you find any signs of tree diseases around your property, call or contact SprayTech today to see if we can treat your trees.