Do you have a sick tree in your garden? They are often dangerous for your home and the surrounding area. Make sure you keep an eye on your tree, do the effective sick tree treatments every now and then to avoid it dying out completely. Here is the ways to stop a sick tree from dying completely:
1. Do not water too much. It's common sense that plants need proper watering, but with too much of something, you can actually end up killing it. When applying hydration (water), make sure the soil is soaked properly but not soaked nevertheless over-saturated .
2. Use natural pesticides with caution. If you want to use pesticides, please remember these things:
- Pesticides should be used with caution; they are not toys.
- Never neglect any safety instructions on the pesticide label.
- Use pesticides only to achieve results stated on the packaging. Do not use them gratuitously or to please your whim.
3. To make sure if the cause of sickness is really a disease, try removing parts of the bark, branches and leaves and place these in a container of water mixed with bleach. After one day you should notice some tree fungus growing or new insects appearing; if there's nothing new growing after a few days than it might be something else than fungus and/or insects that's causing illness in your tree. If all signs point towards fungus then use an organic fungicide such as Bordeaux mixture. Or better still contact a professional or tree disease specialist.
4. If the test done in the previous point reveals that some insects are causing sickness in your tree, try removing any of them and place them on a container with alcohol, if they don't die then it's not insects that is causing harm to your trees or plant and you should read all other points before submitting your tree for treatment.
5. Common insects responsible for harming trees/plants:
- Aphids
- Caterpillars (especially oak processionary moth)
- Mealybugs (look like small pieces of cotton wool)
- Red spider mite (brown patches on leaves) (eats essentially anything, but prefers hot, dry places)
- Thrips (very small, black insects that can fly or move short distances)
- Whitefly (white powder on leaves)
6. Provide the right conditions for your plants/trees to grow. Sick plants are usually underfed and may also lack warmth. It is therefore important to make sure they have the best growing conditions possible. Here are some examples of how you can do this:
- Plant them in a good soil with plenty of nutrients if they are not growing in their natural environment; especially if it's an exotic plant .
- Make sure they are given enough water, but never over water them so much that their roots will drown. This often happens when there is too much water in the container or if there's no drainage.
- If it's too cold near where you live, try placing your plants next to a window , but don't put them in direct sunlight all day long. Sick trees suffering from fungi are often placed next to windows that face South or West to provide warmth and light .
7. Sick trees suffering from blights may need treatment with Bayer DOUCHE GEL® Bayer Blight Fighter® to kill spores responsible for causing infection. Once the tree is treated, make sure you keep applying fungicide every 2 weeks until winter comes to prevent re-infection.
8. Sick trees suffering from oak gall wasp are sometimes given Sick Tree Treatment involving a specialised entomologist . Sick trees suffering from oak gall wasp may need to be injected with a substance which should kill the larvae that causes this sickness. If it is left untreated, the larvae will eventually eat into the cambium and xylem of the tree, destroying these important tissues.
9. Sick trees might need staking if they cannot sustain themselves on their own anymore due to gravity pulling them down or a disease weakening them too much. This can be done using a strong wooden pole wedged in between the roots and where the trunk breaks, only placing as much pressure as necessary on your plant so as not to further weaken it. Treatment and some extra care are always needed even after being staked as well as treatment to ensure a full recovery.
10. Sick trees may start losing leaves because of many reasons such as not enough nutrients or just being sick in general. You can solve this issue by making sure they receive the correct treatment and that you also water them correctly and make sure they are placed in a suitable environment, especially if it's an exotic plant. Also make sure there's no infestation going on inside the tree by checking for signs of insects according to point 5 above.
11. Sick trees might need repotting once they start growing too big for their current pot, but only do this after treatment. This is done by removing your tree from its container and putting it in a bigger container. Treatment is still needed even after being repotted to ensure a full recovery.
12. Sick tree supplementation is also essential for wood treatment. Here's what you can do:
- If your trees are healthy, do not over feed them and treatment will be useless and the problem may get worse.
- When you fertilise your plants that have been affected by fungi with a fungicide to kill the fungus and stop them from spreading to other plants. If this is done, repeat after 2 weeks because some fungi can remain active in the soil or on dead leaves for this period of time before they make contact with any new plant material.
13. Sick trees that are already damaged by Sick Wood disease might need extra treatment, which involves injecting the tree with Biofungicide. Make sure you read and follow all instructions before treating your plant otherwise the treatment will be useless and the problem may get worse.
14. Sick trees might also need some general treatment in order to recover after being staked or repotted. Treatment not only depends on how well they're looked after but also if they receive enough sunlight or if there is no infestation going on inside them such as insects eating away at their roots for example, causing them to become weak due to lack of nutrients.
Having a healthy tree is important for many reasons. Whether it’s to provide shade or just because you love the look of them, trees are not something that should not be taken lightly. They can help your property value and they have been shown to increase mental health by lowering stress levels among those who live around them. As such, taking care of your tree shouldn’t be an afterthought; rather, it needs to become part of regular maintenance routine like mowing the lawn or trimming bushes. But what if I told you there was another way? What if we could make sure your trees were always happy and thriving without much effort? Well guess what? We at Tree Doctor offers professional arborist services at affordable price. Fell free to contact us and get your landscape beautiful and healthy.
