After performing a few recent spring clean ups for clients and discovering some problems with their landscapes, I decided to share my findings with you.
This weekend I was involved in pruning shrubs, mulching beds, and renovating lawns. While pruning some euonymus and cleaning the debris from beneath the plant, I found the corky growths of crown gall on some stems and at the base of the plant. Crown gall is a bacterial disease which often afflicts euonymus and many other plants. The bacteria cause the plant tissue to grow grotesquely out of shape and eventually stems and root systems can be choked. I cut away as much of the galls as I could, but treatment is difficult. Some experts recommend using an antibiotic treatment if practical, but that can be expensive. So I informed the homeowner that this particular euonymous might eventually die from the disease. Though my client was disappointed, she appreciated knowing in advance what problems her plants might have.
At another job site, while refreshing the mulch around a house, I noticed evidence of animal digging. I probed into the mulch and discovered a huge termite colony. I usually don't worry much about termites in the landscape, but I was concerned this time because of the great number of insects I found and their close proximity to the client's house. This is one reason for keeping wood mulch products away from a home's foundation.
While examining plants at still another site, I noticed a dogwood tree with numerous watersprouts growing from the trunk. Some folks might think this is healthy growth and evidence of a happy tree, but such is not the case. Upon closer inspection, I noticed swollen bark on the trunk of the tree at the mulch line. I pushed away the mulch and exposed a large cankered area on the trunk. The trunk was almost completely girdled by the canker and the poor tree was making a last ditch effort at survival by sending up watersprouts. The canker was caused by damage to the trunk, possibly from boreres or a string trimmer. There is no cure for this disease either, since the canker was too large to repair and the damage was done. I informed the property owner of the tree's health and recommended that he keep the tree as stress free as possible by watering when necessary and also keep that mulch away from the trunk.
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