This cherry laurel in Newtown Square, PA, was underperforming. The cherry laurel also sits on a foundation bed, screening a backup generator.
- Symptoms: The leaves had holes and showed signs of chlorosis (yellowing of leaves) and necrosis (leaf tissue death, blotches of dead tissue on leaves). The laurel also exhibited stunted growth and dieback.
- Diagnosis: Upon inspection, we diagnosed the cause of necrosis to be cherry leaf spot (also known as shothole fungus). We also found poor root establishment and a nutrient deficiency in the soil, along with a mechanical burn from the generator.
- Treatment: For the soil, we used 3 soil disease suppression treatments, improved conditioning, and applied a pH adjustment. We also applied 3 treatments of foliar fungicide, flushed the root with potassium phosphate, treated the area with a biostimulant blend, and pruned branches.
This particular tree is a blue atlas cedar in Newtown Square, PA that was suffering from browning needles, a fairly common problem for these evergreens.
- Symptoms: The tree was showing foliar browning, as well as needle drop.
- Diagnosis: Upon inspection, we diagnosed the causes of the needle browning/dropping to be transplant shock, general stress/failure in vascular flow, and poor planting depth.
- Treatment: Our treatment consisted of suppressing diseases in the soil, flushing the root with potassium phosphate, treating the root zone with a biostimulant blend, and a root collar excavation.
This pachysandra bed in Gladwyne, PA is another good example of our plant health care transformations. The bed consisted of a groundcover with a sugar maple and a stone feature.
- Symptoms: The pachysandra showed signs of chlorosis (yellowing of leaves), stunted growth, and patchy development in the bed due to poor plant fill.
- Diagnosis: We found that the pachysandra tested positive for phytophthora root rot and Volutella Blight. We also found a nutrient deficiency in the soil, along with a high pH level.
- Treatment: Our treatments consisted of 3 separate treatments of soil disease suppression, granular soil amendment, and reducing the soil’s pH level.
This topless maple that we worked on in West Chester, PA, is a hybrid maple, likely an autumn blaze.
- Symptoms: The tree exhibited delayed or failing upper crown development and had an excessive amount of spotted lanternfly egg masses
- Diagnosis: Our diagnosis found that the tree had an insufficient planting depth, developed girdling roots, and suffered from general stress and failure in vascular flow. The tree may have also suffered from “psylla shock” from spotted lanternflies feeding in 2020.
- Treatment: For the soil, we suppressed diseases and used systemic spotted lanternfly control treatments. Our other work involved the root. We flushed the root with potassium phosphate, treated the area with a biostimulant blend, and excavated the root collar to remove the girdling roots
