Great military capability is often paired with significant weakness .
The mighty Superman is weakened by Kryptonite , a powerful vampire is burned by sunlight , and a gorgeous dogwood can suffer harm from a smorgasbord of diseases .
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Photo by Joseph OBrien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org, via CC BY-SA.
For The Man of Steel and vampires , preventing harm is as unsubdivided as avoid exposure .
But pull through for the occasional transplantation , species of dogwood are stuck in place , and escape from disease is not an option .
While these plant are n’t completely helpless – theycanlaunch immune responses to pathogen – it ’s up to us gardeners to keep our dogwood tree as healthy as possible .
Photo by Joseph OBrien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org, via CC BY-SA.
But how ? How can a green thumb treat a morbid dogwood ? And how can one keep these diseases from striking in the first position ?
All these questions and more are answered in this guidebook . Upon reading it , you ’ll be more than ready to keep the health and vivacious appearing of your dogwoods for the long haul .
Let ’s get to it :
Common Dogwood Diseases
Each of the following diseases come with their own causal pathogen , symptom , and management technique .
But there are by all odds some general practices that ’ll assist keep your dogwoods goodly , no matter the particular disease that they face .
select only hefty seeds , cuttings , and transplants for use in your garden . Be certain to apply disease - innocent stain , and always unsex your tools before making any pruning cuts .
But the above tips wo n’t make much of a difference of opinion if your plant are n’t well care for , or if they are n’t place in the right spot to begin with .
secure that your dogwoods are given the right exposure , dirt , irrigation , and fecundation , situated in hardiness zone that they ’re suit for .
All of this , of course , depends on the species that you ’re cultivating .
For more tips , be sure to take a gander atour dogwood tree forethought usher .
1. Armillaria Root Rot
Dogwood diseases come in many different forms , and Armillaria root rot , because of fungus in theArmillariagenus , is a particularly nasty one .
After the onset of contagion , disease symptoms manifest themselves all over the plant . smite leaf deform xanthous , are smaller than normal , and prematurely drop .
Branches die back , light fungal threads lie beneath the crest ’s bark , dark-skinned fungal strands lie on or in the grime , and dearest - hued mushroom get near the tree ’s fundament in fall .
There ’s no known cure , and after the tree inevitably declines and ultimately die , you ’ll eventually have to remove and ruin the infected specimen .
And since the fungal pathogens can persist in the grunge for yr , you wo n’t be able to apply the same growing website for a good long while , at least not until you sanitise or insolate it .
bar is well achieved bynotdoing certain things . Do n’t aim dogwoods in badly - drain soil , water to a fault , or damage the tree .
And since this pathogen is often found in newly - cleared soils , avoiding planting in said dirt for at least a year is often urge .
2. Botrytis Blight
triggered by various fungous species within theBotrytisgenus , Botrytis blight afflicts dogwood tree and an miscellanea of species from other genera , such asbegonias , chrysanthemums , andtulips .
winter in dead plant debris , the causal fungi variant spore in springtime , which spread via gentle wind currents and/or swash water onto flower bract and leafage .
Any septic structures are left with brown , wrinkled , and irregularly - shaped patches of tissue . In wet and humid bout of cool atmospheric condition , gray mould can constitute over these patch , hence the disease ’s soubriquet “ gray molding . ”
As you could think , these problem lead to abnormal growing and growing of the afflicted structures , and honest-to-goodness flowers are prone to rotting rapidly .
Since warm , ironic weather halts the disease before it can turn serious , any infection will most in all likelihood be a irregular decorative issue .
For prevention , scan up and dispose of nearby flora rubble , which will extinguish the fungi ’s overwintering internet site . Prune away infect tissues to slow down further paste .
To permit for ample moisture - dry out airflow , properly space out plants and prune within the canopy .
Avoid squish the flowers and leafage with water system to prevent extra wet , and do n’t over - fertilize with N , which can stimulate the maturation of sore , vulnerable tissues .
For extra prevention , utilise fungicides every 10 twenty-four hour period during susceptible periods in spring . cop , sulfur , and Captan are all hunky-dory choices .
3. Crown Canker
The trademark symptom of this disease is in the name : a discolored , oozing pestilence at the tree ’s crown near the soil line .
In time , the canker becomes more and more sunken and exposed asthe barque falls aside , and can deaden the luggage compartment or root crown . Eventually , the tree can countermine , become susceptible to other pathogens , and even perish .
But before all that occurs , you ’ll in all likelihood notice diminished vigor and rock-bottom leaf – both in size and in number .
Additional leafage symptoms let in a lighter - than - normal hue , untimely fall and color variety , and overall torture .
An infected tree may even bring on more flower than usual , which is an unusual way to react to infection . Twigs and branch can also die back .
The causal pathogen , Phytophthora cactorum , overwinters in plant rubble , spreads via nothingness or piss , and typically enroll the tree via trunk wound , but it can also enter the root system .
For bar , void wounding the trunk during transplanting and lawn care , as the smallest of exposure can lead to total dying , Death Star - fashion .
likewise to Botrytis blight , you should n’t splash the leaf and flush with water or result flora debris nearby .
If your hands are steady and you have a crisp sword , feel free to take away small canker from the trunk during period of dry weather in summer .
To do so , remove all the diseased barque and sapwood you may , as well as two additional inches of healthy tissue as insurance . After the surgery , leave the arena exposed to dry melodic phrase .
If an contagion propagate throughout the majority of the tree , you should hollow and shift it .
4. Discula Anthracnose
Portobello mushrooms , hallucinogenic ‘ shrooms , the red and green mushrooms from “ Super Mario Bros. , ” – there are plenty of renowned fungi out there .
To take a closer look at a rather ill-famed one , let ’s turn our aid to theDiscula destructivafungus .
Discula anthracnose , or cornel anthracnose , both figure for the illness triggered by this fungus , is arguably the most dangerous disease for a dogwood .
After its arrival in the US from parts unknown , the disease has importantly harm and trim down native dogwood tree population across the state , so it definitely warrants being get hold of badly .
After trees leaf out in late spring , spots first cast on infected leaves and efflorescence bracts on lower branches before moving up the canopy .
These spots are tan to brown , with brown to reddish - purple security deposit , and are typically followed by sunken brown cankers as the disease spreads into the tree ’s woody tissues .
Said canker can girdle branchlet , branches , and the trunk , all of which ultimately kills the tree in most cases .
The disease spreads via spores produced within the leaf spots that are dispersed by dirt ball , birds , or splashes of H2O . move septic specimens into new landscapes can also conduct to scatter .
Preventing Discula anthracnose call for a multi - pronged approach .
Avoid shade and excess moisture by planting Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in sunny location avoiding splosh the foliage and flower .
Rake up fall plant dust , and prune away H2O sprout , which are prone to contagion .
Any septic tissues should be rationalize away as you happen to notice them . cauterize them to prevent further paste , or dispose of them in the trash .
Starting at bud interruption , you could apply fungicide every two weeks until the leaves are fully grown .
Additionally , you might want to choose immune plantings from the get - go , such as the kousa dogwood tree and hybrids from the Stellar series like ‘ Aurora , ’ ‘ Ruth Ellen , ’ and ‘ Star Dust . ’
Even the susceptible inflorescence dogwood has a few resistant cultivars – search for ‘ Appalachian Spring , ’ ‘ Cherokee Sunset , ’ and ‘ Spring Grove . ’
If your tree is a goner , remove and ruin it .
Kousa Dogwood
For a standard kousa dogwood , visit libertine Growing Trees .
study more about identify this disease here .
5. Fungal Leaf Spot
due to eitherCercospora cornicolaorSeptoria cornicolafungi , fungous folio fleck primarily occurs during wet summers .
no matter of the causal pathogen , the disease symptom are reasonably similar : the leaf spots are a quarter to an 8th of an inch in diameter , with sharp and irregularly - shaped border .
Cercosporaspots are tan to brown , whileSeptoriaspots are a dark brownish - purple that afterwards lightens or turn white-haired .
badly infect leaves can drop untimely , and multiple season of leaf spot can break trees , leaving them susceptible to other issues .
As the fungi overwinter in fallen leaves , these should be rake up and disposed of .
practice antifungal agent preventatively at bud break can be helpful , especially if your tree is particularly at danger or already infected with fungous leaf spot .
6. Powdery Mildew
have byErysiphe pulchraorPhyllactinia guttata , powdery mildew is a fungal disease that leaves foliage and tender newfangled maturation coated with a okay white powder .
It typically hap during summertime and fall in dapple where gentle wind circulation is pitiable .
Secondary symptom admit greensickness , red discoloration , bare leaf scorch , previous defoliation , and patches of dead tissue .
If powdery mildew strikes in later summertime , the impact is normally minimal .
The potential for early - season infections in specimens that you ’re fond of can justify the use of fungicides , but your first footmark should be scan up nearby leaf and branchlet debris .
Additionally , dress away dead or infected tissue as you remark them .
For powdery mildew - resistant plantings , judge specimens from the aforementioned Stellar serial , along with kousa dogwood cultivars such as ‘ Milky Way , ’ ‘ Milky Way Select , ’ and ‘ National . ’
Durableflowering dogwood cultivarsinclude ‘ Appalachian Joy , ’ ‘ Appalachian Blush , ’ ‘ Appalachian Snow , ’ and ‘ Appalachian Mist . ’
7. Spot Anthracnose
As if one type of anthracnose was n’t bad enough …
Elsinoe corniis the fungus to fault for this one . Surviving for years on infect tissues , the pathogen primarily strikes in wet spring conditions , leaving flower bract , leaves , and fruits with tan spots ringed with reddish - purple .
In severe infections , afflicted bodily structure can become wrinkled and warped , and the modest post an 8th of an inch in diam merge into turgid spots .
To manage this disease , prune infected tissue and rake up fallen plant dust . You ca n’t control the weather to make condition less moist , but youcanimprove inter - canopy airflow via pruning .
likewise to Discula anthracnose , you could utilise fungicides at bud break through full leafage expansion as a preventive measure in specimen infect the previous yr .
The disease normally does n’t kill the tree , but it can leave dogwood tree weakened and distort .
As potential transposition pick , resistive plantings let in the ‘ internal ’ and ‘ milklike Way Select ’ kousa cultivars , as well as the ‘ Cherokee Brave , ’ ‘ Cherokee Chief , ’ ‘ Welch ’s Bay Beauty , ’ ‘ Cherokee Princess , ’ and ‘ Springtime ’ flowering dogwood tree cultivars .
‘ Cherokee Brave’and‘Cherokee Princess ’ are available from Nature Hills Nursery , while‘Cherokee Chief’and‘Milky Way ’ can be purchased from Fast Growing Trees .
A Dogwood’s Health Is Its Wealth
A landscape painting tree like the dogwood await its best when it ’s healthy . By preventing and managing disease right , you could help to keep yours in mint candy condition .
Do n’t see an infected cornel as a disaster , but rather as a moral .
By memorize from our mistakes , we can ensure that we do n’t make the same ones again in the future , and become better gardener along the agency .
Interested in growing dogwood , now that you ’re ready to keep them healthy ? Here are some fantastical mintage to start with :
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Joe Butler
