Homeowners often have questions about what they see in and on their trees and wonder if they should be worried.
Rotten areas on the bark are cause for concern. A rule of thumb is that if 50% or more of a branch or trunk is rotted, its strength is dangerously compromised. The branch or tree should be removed.
If there is only a small area of rot, use a sharp clean knife to remove the loose bark and scrape the rotted area back to clean wood. Dipping the knife in a 10% bleach solution several times during the process will ensure that bacteria and disease is not spread into the wound. Large cleaned areas can be painted with a 50/50 mix of white latex paint and mouthwash after the rotten wood is scraped away. Eventually the tree will grow around the wound and it will close.
Rotted areas have several causes. One is insects burrowing in the wood. Another is improper pruning which may have stripped away bark under a branch that was cut. A common cause of rot just a few inches above the ground is from string trimmers hitting the trunk.
Moss growing on a tree’s bark indicates that there are wet conditions which are ideal for rot. While moss doesn’t always mean that your tree is rotted, it is a signal to look further.
Bracket fungus is a hard woody fungus that looks like a plate stuck into a tree. It comes in many sizes, shapes and colors. The part you see is the fruiting body of the fungus. There is much more fungus under the bark. Since bracket fungus likes to grow on rotting, weak wood, its presence almost always indicates a problem.
You may find seedlings or small plants growing in the juncture of branches and the trunk. The seedlings indicate that the branch union is wet all the time, an ideal condition for rot. In addition, as the plants grow, their roots often creep under the bark, providing openings for disease to enter.
Lichens grow on tree bark and are conglomerates of algae and fungi that won’t harm your tree. In fact you should welcome their presence – they usually grow in areas with clean air and little pollution.
An insect called scale may be found on tree bark. Actually they don’t look like insects at all, but like little hard bumps. They have hard waxy shells, either reddish gray or brown, that protect the insect while it feeds off your tree.
If you discover the scale before there are too many, scrape them off with your fingernail or with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. If the pests are numerous, spray the tree with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and insecticidal soap every three days for two weeks.
Make it a habit to inspect your trees monthly so small problems don’t become big ones.
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