Taking proper care of your trees can become slightly more difficult when an undiagnosed disease is spreading through your garden. A diagnosis can be difficult to understand unless you are a plant pathologist. The key to prevention and control can be found in the ability to identify what exactly may be going on in your garden. Follow along with this month’s blog to read about the three most common types of tree diseases and how to control them!

Anthracnose

If you are the owner of a sycamore tree, this may be the disease that is hindering your garden. Anthracnose is a type of fungi that lives on the leaves, flowers, fruits, or twigs of your sycamore. It can make home on a variety of different types of plants, but your sycamore is most at risk. A good way to tell if your tree is infected is to check out the surface of the leaves. If the anthracnose is claiming your tree as its host, you’ll be able to see a layer of the fungi growing on the leaves. While good sanitary practices are the best way to prevent and control fungi, once your tree has it, the best thing you can do it begin antifungal treatments.

Cedar Rusts

Hawthorn and crabapple trees are particularly at risk for cedar rust disease. Unlike other fungi that pick trees as their host, cedar rust is usually easy to spot. When the leaves have yellow and brown specs and spots, there’s a good chance that cedar rust has set in. This disease, depending on the host tree, can cause other growth setbacks. Prevention and control for cedar rusts includes more antifungal treatments.

Thousand Canker Disease

If you’re growing walnuts, this disease is something to look out for. Thousand canker disease is commonly found on walnut trees. While it was exclusively found in the Western United States, as of late it has been found working its way to the east. Unlike the other two previously mentioned diseases, canker disease is caused by the walnut twig beetle. The bug creates these cankers all along stems and branches. If you see little holes or spots that resemble a sore on your walnut tree, there is a good chance it’s suffering from thousand canker disease. Unfortunately, there are no chemical cures or control options for walnut twig beetles. It’s known that once your tree develops the cankers, it only has a few years left before it’s declined beyond production.

Conclusion

While many tree diseases are curable with an antifungal, there are some that are incurable. Keeping a close watch on your trees, including their leaves and branches, can help you spot a fungi quicker, which in return will allow for you to seek treatment sooner. For any other tree questions or concerns, visit The Palm’s Tree Service, Inc!