Questions

[Jace]

If an individual has cut lower limbs(up to say, 6') off the bottom of a blue or white spruce(flush with the trunk) will they regrow new limbs from the trunk, if the disease that caused the limb death is stopped?

(My neighbor had his lawn mower guy do that to his blue spruce tree because it had dead lower limbs(most likley Rhizo)

 

[Jace]

I just sprayed some Chlorothonil(Echo Ultimate) on some spruce trees with Rhizo. Hadnt been done 2 hrs and a 1 hr. downpour thunderstorm came thru. Weatherman said rain was unlikely...go figure. Anyhow, I dint use a sticker because I was out. But now since then I bought some and thot I'd re-spray them again. The "chance" of rain for the rest of the week is exactly as it was today, small chance(yeah right!) So my question is, how long does the chloro need to be on there B4 a rain?

 

[Urban Forester]

It needs about 1 hour drying time, then you will get 10 to 14 day residual.

 

[Jace]

It needs about 1 hour drying time, then you will get 10 to 14 day residual.

Thank you(& good deal!). I couldnt find an answer to that, guess I somehow wasnt lookin in the right place.





Today I looked at a white pine about 8'-9'tall. Been planted 2-4 years I believe, by a nursery. Guy wanted me to see if I could help it out. Problem is I'm pretty sure its behond help, dead as a doornail. No current years buds, let alone new shoots.
The whole tree is now beginning to turn yellowish color and looking very wilted. I found this Longhorned Beetle that Im posting a photo of, on it as well. So Im thinking maybe this LH Beetle(or another maybe) carried a Pine Wilt nematode aboard, which in turn killed the tree. I saw no signs of anything on the branches, trunk, or trunk collar, or around the root area, as far as any damage.





(Similiarly, I had removed a dead white pine a few weeks back that was the same way in that the whole tree turned colors and wilted. Only clue of damage I found was when I cut off the trunk it had the "blue stain fungis" I think its called, all the way around it. Guess maybe that did it unless it was something in the roots I couldnt see. It was a well established tree about 15' tall.)

Anyway....heres that LH Beetle I found.

 

[Jace]

If a white Pine fails to bud break, NO new shoots at all, it is absolutley for sure dead?

Its starting to wilt, but the limbs still bend easy without breaking and it still has sap flowing out of it(borer holes) up high.

 

[Urban Forester]

That is a sawyer beetle, but white pines are native and have not been shown to get pine wilt. Basal trunk splitting is not good. You may want to google White pine decline, aka Leptographium Procera.

 

[Jace]

I thought I had read somewhere that a few white pines in the midwest got the pine wilt, but maybe I didnt.
Here is another Pine that I thought was Pine Wilt, tho maybe it was White Pine Decline. Only possible clue I found was when I cut off the lower trunk, it had blue stain fungi all the way around it, and atleast 2/3 deep into the heartwood. I thought maybe the blue stain itself, or the nematodes that I think feed on the stain, killed it.

I never did look at the roots to see if it could maybe have been signs of the white pine decline. Didnt notice any sap leakage in the limbs of this tree either, but I did notice it(sap leak) in the other tree....(I posted close-up photos of it)

Anyhow theyre dead, and I hope more do not die. (I removed the dead ones.)

 

[Urban Forester]

Blue/black stain fungus can be passed by any number of bark beetles and its presence alone does not indicate the presence of pine wilt. If you found staining in the tree then most likely it WAS the cause of death. Those fungi can block water conducting vessels leading to death.

 

[Jace]

Blue/black stain fungus can be passed by any number of bark beetles and its presence alone does not indicate the presence of pine wilt. If you found staining in the tree then most likely it WAS the cause of death. Those fungi can block water conducting vessels leading to death.

OK
Thanks a million UF for taking the time to "give me some schooling" on all this stuff, it is very much appreciated!

 

[Urban Forester]

Anytime... that's why I visit this site, the info exchange (w/o recrimination) is outstanding!!!