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Tree - Mistakes Planting


Tree Problems

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FIREWOOD AND MULCH

If you’ve already had trees die, can you use the wood for firewood and mulch? Since the fungal mats form on red oaks only, not on live oaks, the live oak wood can be used for firewood without any worry of spreading the oak wilt disease. Red oak wood needs to be stacked in a sunny location and covered with clear plastic to form a greenhouse effect to kill the beetles and fungal mats. When oaks are shredded into mulch, the aeration kills the pathogens and eliminates the possibility of disease spread. That goes for all species.

About the nitidulid beetle. Is this beetle the only vector of the oak wilt disease? I doubt it. How about mechanical damage to tree trunks, wind, squirrels, hail, sapsuckers and other insects? Fire ants seem to prefer weaker trees over others and could also be part of the disease spreading problem.

FORMULAS

Garrett Juice:  Garrett Juice is available commercially or you can make your own. Per gallon of water: 1 cup manure compost tea or liquid humate, 1 ounce molasses, 1 ounce apple cider vinegar, 1 ounce liquid seaweed. For added disease control add ¼ cup garlic tea. The commercial product now contains leachate of lava sand and beneficial microbes.

Garrett Juice Concentrate: Mix the following: 1 gallon of compost tea or liquid humate, 1 pint liquid seaweed, 1 pint apple cider vinegar, and 1 pint molasses. Use 1½ cups per gallon of water for the spray.

Tree Trunk Goop: 1/3 of each of the following mixed in water: soft rock phosphate, natural diatomaceous earth, and manure compost. Slop it on the trunk. Note: fireplace ashes can be substituted for the soft rock phosphate. Replace it if rain or irrigation washes it off. For any physical damage to trunks, spray with hydrogen peroxide and then treat wounds with Tree Trunk Goop.

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