Identifying Common Diseases

Common Tree/ Shrub Diseases and Fungus

Whether they are indoor/ outdoor plants or trees, they are all very susecptible to all different kinds of diseases. The good news is that if you can identify the issue as it is just beginning, we can most likely get one of our arborist’s to come out and fix the problem. There are quite a few of the more commonly seen diseases, listed below.

• Oak Wilt - Also known as Bretziella fagacearum or Ceratocystis fagacearum. This problem can spread very easily between healthy trees. It is most commoly seen in red and white oak trees. There are many symptoms, though the easiest way to tell is the shedding of all leaves. The leaves on live oaks will have yellow veins that eventually turn brown. appearances An important thing to remember when trying to avoid oak wilt is to avoid pruning these trees between April 15 - July 15, this will greatly reduce the chance of your tree contracting this disease. If you have any questions about the health of your trees or notice leaves dropping out of its regular dormant period, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

• Sooty Mold - This usually affects the ornamental plants such as your azaeleas, crepe myrtles and laurels. Black spots will cover the leaves and trunks of the trees it has infected. However, even though it looks like something terrible, it usually does no harm to the plant its feeding off of. Usually just a cosmetic issue, but sometimes it can cause the trees leaves to yellow up or block the sunlight from getting to the tree.

• Powdery Mildew - A powdery, white coating on the leaves of its host, this fungus loves high humidity and lots of shade. Unfortunately the only way to prevent it is to choose resistant varieties. Eventually the leaves will be distorted, turn yellow or red and drop.

These are just a few of the diseases that can affect your trees and shrubs. There are many, many more that can have much worse symptoms, so if you notice anything funky going on with your trees, be sure to give us a call for a free estimate by one of our certified arborists!

Call now! (770) 554-9406

Increase your property value with these helpful tree care tips!

View fullsize

Increasing your property value can be done in a number of ways. Marble countertops, renovating bathrooms and adding hardwood floors are all great things to add to a home, but what about the landscape? A beautiful landscape can increase the value of your home 6-15%. That means REMOVING all the dead trees and taking care of the healthy ones. No one wants to buy a house with a huge liability in the front yard when that tree decides to fall over.

Here’s a few things you should look out for when determining whether your property is sell ready.

• Are there any dead tree’s in the yard? First, and foremost, let’s remove the biggest liabilities and then worry about the smaller stuff. Dead trees are like ticking time bombs, you never know when they are going to go off! Tree removal is a must for any dead trees.

• Are there signs of disease/decay in my trees? Diseases can sometimes be treated if found early and depending on what type. However, decay, is tricky. Decay lies on the insides of the tree trunks and sometimes won’t show any signs or symptoms until its too late! Mushrooms around the base of a tree is NEVER good and always an indicator that there is some form of root rot/decay that needs to be addressed. Diseases come in all different forms including cankers, slime, fungus, etc. In a nutshell, if it looks funky, it most likely IS FUNKY.

• Is my tree too close to my house? Improper planting is becoming a very common thing these days. Before deciding to purchase a tree to plant, always look up the ID card online to make sure your not putting an 80’ mature tree right next to your front porch, as you’ll likely need tree removal later on down the road. If you don’t have access to the information on the tree or simply cannot identify it, a general rule of thumb is nothing within 20’ of the house. Even trees with a narrow form can still have HUGE roots protruding out 20-30 feet from the base. This can mess with water/gas lines or anything underground.

• Are my trees leaning towards a target? If a tree is leaning in a huge field with open grass, fine. If a tree is leaning towards the beautiful house of your dreams you just purchased, run. This is a huge liability as storm damage usually is alot more expensive than taking the preventative measures on your trees to begin with. Please give us a call if you notice any of these symptoms and think you may be in need of tree pruning.

• Do you notice any dead limbs or leaves? Dead limbs aren’t always a good indicator of the health of a tree. Some usually just need a good prune. However, it’s best to have tree pruning performed as soon as you see them as the health of the tree is under stress trying to repair the dead/broken limb. The more routine pruning on your tree is performed, the better.

• Call us today for a completely FREE inspection by a certified Arborist!

  (770) 554-9406

Welcome to our blog!

Thanks for stopping by! We will be updating our blog with very helpful tips and tricks on various tree health and landscaping information. Please stay tuned for some great how-to’s that will be posted over the next week! Thanks!

Amanda Watson