Do This Now, and It Might Save Your Tree Later
Have you heard of this monster? That's no glammed up grasshopper.
This nightmare and family are responsible for decimating hundreds of millions...that's
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
...of ash trees in North America alone.
Photo via emeraldashborer.info
As an adult, the Emerald Ash Borer is just a leaf nibbler...the damage occurs in its wormy larva stage, when the borer feeds it's way to adulthood.
That non-stop dinner results in these winding paths through the inner bark of ash trees...
which impede a tree's ability to transfer nutrients and water, causing permanent damage and eventual death to the tree.
via USDepartmentofAgriculture
If you live in a red dotted area, EAB is already damaging trees there.
We have quite a few large ash trees on our property in western New York...like this beauty next to our driveway.
Once the trees are infested they're difficult to save, so prevention is key. This is the right time of year to treat Ash trees...just before they break their winter dormancy.
Why?
Simplified, when the tree "wakes up" in spring, it seeks a full load of water from the soil... if it that water is augmented with the pesticide, it will get the best possible dose of protection to ward of the green invaders.
Do you have ash trees? One of the identifiers are opposing branches (also found with maples, dogwoods and horse chestnuts.
Red dots
A quick list of symptoms is:
- D-shaped holes in the outer bark
- Excessive attention from woodpeckers
- Dead branches in the upper canopy
- Loss of leaves in the topmost branches
- A sudden sprout of new leafing toward the lower area of the tree.
Professional treatment options are available, but at $10 per inch of circumference, that would cost more that $3500 per year just to treat my favorites. Sadly, unaffordable!
We needed a DIY solution...and while it, too, offers no guarantees...at least I feel like we're doing SOMETHING to try to save them...or at least stall the progress of these monstrous munchers.
Soil drenching treatment around the base of the tree is about the only DIY option thought to help. It's best done in the spring when the trees break dormancy and can soak up the protection.
Yes, it involves pesticides, and YES, I'd prefer NOT to use them...
However, I'd also prefer not to lose these beautiful trees.
Professionals are able to use stronger chemicals than consumers, but most of the websites we surveyed mention Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control for consumer use.
We added one ounce of product for every inch of tree circumference and mixed it well with water (one gallon for trees under 50"; two gallons for larger trees).
We cleared away between 18-24 inches of mulch and surface soil to create an inverted volcano shape around the base of the trunk...
and poured the mixture around the base.
Once it was absorbed into the cleared area, I replaced the surface soil and mulch.
I treated 320 inches of tree circumference this past weekend.
Now we'll cross our fingers and hope for the best until next spring, when we we'll repeat this process...for years to come or until the borer wins.
I'm not a professional, so I don't have all the answers. But for a summary of all the steps we followed; the best time to treat; any answers I could find regarding the pesticide risks; and links to all the information and videos we used to guide us, kindly check out the full post at the link below.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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It is also a good idea when or if you get loose tree limbs and trims or pulled up weeds. Make a burn pile making sure after coals and embers to water ash thouroghly with water to then feed your tree. Its really not good to add veggie compost as that attracts bugs. I just love a 5 gallon bucket.
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Yes. Bayer always tested. And reliable.
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