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- Drought: Drought
conditions have persisted in the St. Louis area for the last several growing seasons. Regular, properly applied supplemental
watering is needed to ensure the survival and optimal health of your landscape plants.
- Diseases: The
most serious and prevalent disease problems in our area currently are fire blight on pear trees, oak wilt, and Dutch
elm disease. Anthracnose disease is a fungal disease affecting diciduous and flowering trees. Look for spotting
of the foliage, and sparse new growth in spring and early summer. Accurate Identification and individual case assessment are
needed to determine an appropriate course of action.
- Mites: Mites
pose a serious threat a wide variety of plants, and can seriously impact the visual appearance of a plant. Mites favor warm,
dry climates, and are an extremely serious issue for many homeowners. In our area mites are commonly found on burning
bush and dwarf Alberta spruce.
- Borers: Borers are attracted
to unhealthy trees, burrowing in and laying eggs inside the trunk. The best defense against borers it keep your trees healthy
and unstressed.
- Scale Insects: These insects target
primarily hardwoods and conifers. Some signs of an infestation include abnormal leaf and shoot growth, yellow or red leaves,
and branch gouting.
- Leaf Eating Insects: Infestations of damaging leaf eating insects are clyclic:
Every few years a particular insect may emerge in numbers great enough to defoliate trees and shrubs to an extent serious
enough to damage the health of the plant. Japanese beetles were especially bad last season, especially on linden trees. Other
insects to watch for in our area are aphids, tent caterpillars, and canker worms.
- Winter Injury: Even during mild winters, evergreens can lose moisture and not be able to replenish it. Thus, make
sure your evergreens have sufficient soil moisture.
- Decline: Tree decline is a term which describes
the decline in health over time, and ultimate death of a tree, due to the accumulated effects of age, environmental stress,
insect damage, and disease. Proper cultural practices, such as watering, mulching, and deep-root fertilization can reduce
the damaging effects of tree decline.
TREE CARE TIPS - To avoid malnutrition, be sure to give your trees an adequate amount of
micronutrients, such as magnesium sulfate, limestone, gypsum, iron, and zinc. However, trees need very limited amounts of
these compounds, and an overabundance can be harmful. Have a certified arborist advise you on the correct amounts of each
you should provide.
- Frost damage can be prevented if your tree’s leaves stay hydrated during a period of severe
cold. Additionally, frequent watering and fertilization in anticipation of a cold night can also “harden” the
cells of certain plants.
- Borer insects are very hard to anticipate or eliminate. The best defense is simply marinating
your tree’s general health so it can bounce back if it does develop an infestation.
- Overwatering or poor drainage
can cause root rot in your trees. Fungicides or manganese treatments can be effective as treatments or preventative measures
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