Have An Emerald Ash Not Doing Well? Insects Or Disease Could Cause Problems
Emerald ash trees are beautiful and look great in any setting. If you have an emerald ash and it is not doing well, there are many insects and diseases that can cause this. Below is information about two of these so you can get the tree treated.
Emerald Ash Borer
The emerald ash borer is bright green and can damage an emerald ash tree. They have two pairs of wings and adults are about 1/3 inch long. These insects live for about a year and start to emerge in early summer through July. The insects feed on leaves and then start to mate. Eggs hatch in a few days and feed on the leaves.
Some symptoms your tree will have it has emerald ash borer include a thinning canopy, sprouts on the trunk, splitting bark, and holes in the bark. You will see holes shaped like a D and an S. If you lift off the bark, you will see the adult borers.
Do not try to treat this problem yourself. Instead, hire a tree service company. The tree service company uses insecticides that are not available to you to treat the tree. This insecticide will kill adult borers as well as eggs. They may have to treat the tree more than once just in case not all eggs are killed.
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew affects emerald ash trees, as well as other trees like dogwood, maple, lilac, and oak. Powdery mildew is a fungus that grows on the leaf surfaces, stems, flower buds, and blossoms. If your tree has this problem, it will cause the leaves to turn yellow and brown. Leaves will prematurely die and drop to the ground. A tree that gets a lot of moisture is most susceptible to powdery mildew, such as if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain.
To treat powdery mildew, make sure your emerald ash gets enough sun and that it has good air circulation. Hire a tree service company to prune the tree if it has not been done in some time. The canopy may be full not allowing the sun to get through. Pruning involves removing dead leaves and branches and thinning the canopy.
The tree service company will treat your emerald ash with a fungicide to control the powdery mildew. Fortunately, this mildew generally does not kill these trees.
Contact a tree service for more information about powdery mildew treatment or emerald ash borer treatment.
