The value of your property is affected to a certain extent by the health and well being of your trees, since a property with sick or diseased trees will present as much less desirable. For that reason, it is vital that you keep the trees in your yard as healthy as possible. If you would like to learn more about how to identify and combat one common form of tree disease, read on. This article will provide a useful overview of information about the disease known as anthracnose.
The Basics
Anthracnose does not indicate one specific type of tree disease; rather it encompasses a wide range of diseases with common symptoms. All of the diseases under the anthracnose umbrella are caused by a different type of fungi. Each specific species of fungi tends to affect only a certain type of tree. All of the following trees may fall prey to anthracnose if you are not careful:
- ash
- birch
- black walnut
- buckeye
- elm
- maple
- oak
In other words, anthracnose is capable of debilitating most of the common shade trees found in America.
Identifying Anthracnose
Anthracnose will first become noticeable as irregular brown spots forming on the leaves of the tree. These spots tend to be located close to the leaf veins. They may cause the shape of young leaves to become distorted, curling or cupping in on themselves. If the infection is severe enough, it may ultimately cause the tree to begin dropping sick leaves in spring; a second growth of leaves will then follow by midsummer.
Likewise, the disease may cause changes in the appearance of green twigs. Here you will notice either a series of small orange-ish blisters, or a dark brown band that completely encircles the twig. When this happens, shoot death is fairly inevitable. Infections of this sort are most commonly encountered on oak and ironwood trees.
Treating Anthracnose
The first thing you want to do for a tree suffering from anthracnose is reduce any other potential stressors. In other words, ensure that the tree remains adequately watered and, if soil tests deem it necessary, fertilized. When watering, try not to spray the tree directly, as this will make it easier for the disease to spread along the lower canopy. Light pruning by a knowledgeable tree company can also help to slow the disease's spread.
You can greatly reduce the likelihood that your tree will continue suffering from anthracnose next season by raking up and destroying all of its fallen leaves in the fall. This will keep any fungal spores from lying dormant in the soil and re-infecting the tree when it begins to grow again next spring.
