Trees can come down with an illness, much like humans. Unless tree care is a hobby of yours, you may not know how to treat diseased trees properly. You often won’t know a tree is sick until it shows signs, at which point it’s crucial to act quickly. These signs can include discolored leaves, fungal growth, and even visible leaf scars that indicate past stress or damage.
Rather than fretting over tree health, turn to Top Tier Tree Specialist, your reliable arborist in Gainesville, FL. We’ll inspect your tree to determine the best way to care for it and handle the recovery process from start to finish for your peace of mind.
Prune Appropriately
When learning how to treat diseased trees, you’ll find that pruning is one of the best things you can do. There are several ways to go about it:
- Remove weak or diseased limbs: This will prevent diseases from spreading and reduce weak points in the tree.
- Hand trim the roots: Exposed roots become easy access points for diseases, as lawnmowers can cause wounds. Trim the roots by hand to intentionally remove the ones you don’t want, and keep the rest of the root system covered to protect it.
- Don’t prune too much: While pruning is effective, overdoing it creates too many wounds that could contract diseases. Learn how to prune and trim just enough to benefit the tree rather than hurt it — or, better yet, leave it to a professional.
Proper Water Management
Trees need water to survive, so if yours isn’t getting enough naturally, water it yourself. Plants become weaker in a drought and may contract diseases, often due to pests. On the other hand, too much water will rot the wood, leading to more tree pests and diseases.
Avoid using too much mulch. You may have seen “mulch volcanoes,” where mulch and soil amendments are built up around the tree’s base. This is a bad practice because it holds too much moisture around the tree. Keep mulch about five inches away from the base and focus on covering the roots.
Be Careful With Treatments
Fertilization is important for trees, but too much can stress the plant and lead to diseases. Speak to an arborist if you’re unsure what kind of fertilizer they need and how often you should provide it.
The same caution should be used with pesticides and fungicides, especially if you’re treating nearby plants. Be careful where you apply these treatments, and ensure they don’t touch your tree. Harmful chemicals could lead to reduced health and diseases.
Call Top Tier Tree Specialist
Schedule an annual inspection with Top Tier Tree Specialist to check the health of your trees every year. Our arborists can answer questions like, “Why is my tree trunk turning black?” and identify diseases. If you don’t know how to treat diseased trees, our team can help and offer tree care tips to keep your trees happy all year.
Call (352) 472-8733 to schedule us for a tree health visit. We can inspect multiple trees on your property to ensure they’re in good condition.
