This spring, keep trees and shrubs healthy by learning what you can do to fight the most common diseases and fungi that infect and damage your Akron area landscaping. Tree and shrub diseases will typically become evident in the spring as they come out of dormancy, making this the ideal time to take steps to prevent spread and protect your treasured trees.
While some diseases cannot be cured, especially in cases where the disease is advanced, most are readily manageable if you are proactive. This is because disease can only take hold if conditions are just right, according to tree experts.
The disease triangle
Arborists agree that three conditions must exist for disease to develop: the presence of a pathogen, such as fungi, a favorable environment for the pathogen to thrive, and a susceptible host tree or shrub, typically one that is in marginal health. This is known as the disease triangle, and without any one of these conditions, disease will not occur. Proactive steps as well as treatment options will always target eliminating at least one of these conditions and lessening the other factors if they cannot be eliminated to reduce the chance of severe disease and give your tree the best chance to recover.
Common tree diseases – Northeast Ohio
Recognizing signs of disease or stress in a tree can be your best weapon to keep your trees thriving. Since the pathogens that sicken our trees and shrubs cannot be completely eliminated, keeping trees healthy, creating unfavorable conditions for pathogens to spread, and treating signs of disease early are critical steps in tree care. Watch for the following common tree diseases in the Cleveland and Akron areas:
- Apple Scab – Infects apple, crabapple, pear, and mountain ash trees; leaves curl and develop olive green spots, eventually turning yellow and falling; spores lie dormant on these leaves and then spread in the spring by traveling through the air to new growth.
- Anthracnose – Infects dogwood, maple, oak, and other hardwood deciduous trees; brown and tan dead spots appear on leaves, which eventually curl and fall early; spores lie dormant on fallen leaves through the winter and spread by rainwater or air to new growth in the spring.
- Cedar-Hawthorne Rust – Infects hawthorns, junipers, and other trees; rusty, dark spots appear on leaves, fruit and twigs as new growth develops; infection spreads from tiny black bodies on the dark spots that release spores.
- Needlecasts – Various fungi that infect the new needles of evergreens, including pines, spruce and Douglas fir; fungi forms on infected needles, spreading spores and eventually causing needles to discolor and fall off.
- Powdery Mildew – Infects the leaves of a wide variety of plants and trees; the powdery white film that appears on leaves is actually tiny fungal spores.
- Thousand Cankers Disease – Infects walnut trees; walnut twig beetles burrow into the bark, carrying a fungus that leads to cankers forming on the trunk and branches; cankers interrupt water and nutrients traveling through the tree, causing weakness and death.
GP Tree Service can help fight tree disease
Healthy trees and good growing conditions are always our goal when we treat your trees. Our experts inspect your trees and shrubs in the spring, provide appropriate fertilizer and advise you as to how to maintain the best growing conditions for your variety of tree or shrub. We also use clean tools and equipment to avoid spreading disease from an infected tree to a healthy one.
For many of the common area diseases, dampness and fallen leaves and debris provide a breeding ground for the dormant spores of fungi that will begin to spread in the spring. At GP Tree, we suggest removing fallen leaves and debris from your yard right away, especially if you see signs of any common diseases infecting your trees.
If you have questions about keeping your trees healthy or you are concerned that your trees are showing signs of disease, contact GP Tree for an inspection and treatment.
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