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Marti
Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 14 Location: England
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:10 pm Post subject: plum tree: green bugs, blackening leaves, rotting branches!! |
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Hello,
My plum tree looks terrible. It has tiny green bugs crawling on it, some blackening leaves and some rotting branches. What do I do to save this tree?
HELP!!!
Marti |
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kated
Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 1843 Location: norfolk
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Well the green bugs are aphid and the black is sooty mould which is feeding on the sticky residue which the aphid leave. Thus control of the aphid will cure the sooty mould. You will need to be vigilant and spray with malathion based (if you can still get it) aphid killer several times to get shot and the sooty mould will probably still remain for some time after the aphids have gone. On house plants they tell you to clean it off with a cloth but that's not practicable on a tree. Not sure about the rotting branches but it sounds serious. It could be die-back which needs you to cut off all the branches that are showing this symptom and paint Arbrex or something similar over the cuts. Suggestion also to improve the drainage as it is affected by too much water......fat chance this summer eh? |
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Marti
Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 14 Location: England
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank you! I will source out some aphid killer! You are right about a residue being there -- the wasps are all on the tree! Poor tree! |
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Marti
Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 14 Location: England
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh, here's another thing. When I google searched aphid killers I came across some ideas about using oil/water in a squirt bottle and I thought I'd try that tonight. Must buy some ladybirds someplace.... |
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