Hickory leafstem gall

[Guy Meilleur]

Have ID'd this pest in 2 hickories. controls include spraying w oil and Merit soildrench. The latter seems a heckuvalot easier. Any experience with this stuff?

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Phylloxera caryaecaulis

is the pest's name. It's been eating up a little hickory of mine for years, and now a client has it too so it may be time to act on it.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

We had a similar insect, a petiole borer on quite a few maples last year. By the time you see it, it's too late. Not much of a problem anyway because it's a late season leaf thing. Don't know if we'll see it again, in the same trees anyway.
Is it a perennial problem?

 

[Guy Meilleur]

It's been eating up a little hickory of mine for years,
Like i said. Spraying oil before budbreak is the old advice, and buds will be broken before I get to them.
A drenching I will go, a-drenching I will go....

 

[ORclimber]

Isn't it too late in the year for merit soil application? Pretty sure that's a fall/winter application here. The Wilbur Ellis rep recommended I buy some Digone and a koritz injector for spring soil applications. The main target being those pesky aphids. Can't have honeydew on the shiny new cars .

 

[ORclimber]

Ha! That pest is an aphid... Found this on a google search.

"Now here's one of the interesting characteristics of Merit... it will provide season long control if it's applied in late fall or early spring. It takes about two to three months after application for it to become fully effective in the control of foliar pests on large trees. It takes about a month after application on small trees and shrubs to become effective. With this time lapse between application and full effectiveness, it's obvious that it must be applied prior to the time that the anticipated pests will be at their peak. Foresight is much better than hindsight when using Merit. Fall application would logically be the best time to treat shade trees for aphid problems."

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

What do you all think about using a systemic on a nut tree? We gatta think about wildlife.

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by Mike Maas
What do you all think about using a systemic on a nut tree? We gatta think about wildlife.

Good point. Guess I'll climb the sucker with my little spray bottle of oil. It'll take a lot of time, but the client is a physical therapist so I'll save her $ by bartering half for massaaaaages.

 

[ORclimber]

Ooops Neither Merit nor Digone are labeled for hickory. Merit isn't labeled for any crops according to the CDMS site. They ought to have a search by host function there.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

When I was doing sprays for hickory petiol borer, Orthene was all that worked good. I've seen tree defoliated by them.

Spray 2 years they wait for the populations to build back up again. or the scales will start to show up.

I hate organophopsphates.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

from what ive read hick leaf stem gall yes unsightly as with a lot of galls...going to kill a mature no way .so why bother with sprays of this kind sprays of that...leave them to nature a preditor or disease of somekind will knock em out at some stage