Who doesn’t love to step out into your backyard one sunny morning and be welcomed by peaceful greenery? As Danger Twins said, “It’s a thing of beauty.” However, this beauty can be destroyed by tree disorders and poor health.
Tree health is essential for natural tree growth and beautiful landscaping in your yard. But if your favourite tree, usually bursting with vibrant leaves, looks droopy, with a few leaves turning yellow and some branches appearing bare, it could be sick.
Trees can suffer from various ailments due to pests, diseases, or environmental stress. And early diagnosis is key to successful treatment and recovery.
But how can you diagnose tree disorders, and when must you call in experts? Keep reading to know more.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Diagnosing Tree Disorders
Diagnosing tree disorders requires you to recognize the symptoms, identify the causes, and seek expert help. Here’s how you can start the process:
Recognizing the Symptoms
Diagnosing a tree disorder starts with close observation. You have to look for clues that reveal what’s ailing your leafy friend. Here are some key factors to check:
- Changes in Leaves: Look for discolouration, wilting, falling prematurely, unusual holes, abnormal growths, or spots on leaves. These indicate nutrient deficiency, scorching, overwatering/underwatering, etc.
- Changes in Branches: The branches of an unhealthy tree could be dying back, breaking off, or showing signs of decay. These could be the signs of an infected plant or point to a serious structural issue.
- Changes in Trunk: Look for cracks, wounds, or cavities in the trunk. Check if there are signs of fungal growth from the trunk or if there’s peeling. These can be dangerous, affecting the tree’s stability and overall health.
- Signs of Root Damage: Roots remain hidden from view. So you will have to look for signs above the ground. Watch out for dieback, rotting smell, or plant instability. Fungal growths around the tree base.
- Signs of Pest Infestation: Look for holes in the bark, sawdust trails, or actual insects. White powdery mildew on the undersides of leaves, gnawed leaves, trails, etc., are also signs of pest infestation.
- Abnormal Growths: Look for unusual growths or deformities like swellings, woody burl growths, or dense clusters of branches. Be aware of insect infestations or fungal growths on infected branches, leaves, trunks, and the base.
- Overall Changes: Observe the entire plant’s overall appearance. See if it looks unhealthy or stressed or if the tree’s growth has slowed. If something looks off, it might be the first indicator that something’s wrong.
While these are the common diseases or problems to look for, every individual plant has individual needs and issues. Consider the tree’s species, age, location, season, and more.
Identifying the Cause
Once you’ve observed the symptoms, the next step is to identify the cause behind it. There’s a wide range of tree disorders, and they generally fall into two categories, as mentioned below:
- Biotic Disorders: These disorders result from living organisms. Biotic causal agents include insects, fungi, bacteria, viruses, viruses, phytoplasma, nematodes, mites, and animals. Some of these can be spotted easily, while others are invisible enemies.
- Abiotic Disorders: These tree disorders are caused by non-living factors, primarily environmental stressors. Drought, extreme temperatures, soil compaction, pollution, etc., can all take a toll on tree health.
Accurately identifying the cause is crucial for effective treatment.
Seeking Professional Help
Once you have identified that your tree is diseased, it’s time to contact a professional arborist. They are tree experts who can correctly diagnose plant diseases and recommend the right treatment to improve poor plant health.
It is not always possible for a layman like you to correctly diagnose tree disorders and their causes. It requires specialized knowledge and experience that only experts have. Besides, the solution to the problem may require special tools, chemicals, etc.
That’s why you should contact a professional arborist. They have the expertise to differentiate between various diseases and pests, assess structural issues, and analyze soil conditions. They can help with pest management, plant care, tree removal, etc.
They can conduct a thorough assessment, identify the cause of the problem, and recommend the best course of action. They also have access to specialized equipment and treatments unavailable to the average homeowner.
Contact Stumps ‘R’ Us
Is your beloved tree looking unwell? It’s time to contact an expert. You must also note that some problems are invisible to the naked eye. You may think your tree is perfectly healthy even though it has a deadly disease inside. Hence, regular tree checkups are required.
At Stumps ‘R’ Us, you’ll have access to the best tree services in Ontario. Our services are provided by top experts in the country. So contact us TODAY!