THOSE PESKY PORCUPINES
Rodents likely behind damage to bark on homeowner's trees, plant specialist says
Q Thanks for your weekly column. I have three spruce trees about eight feet tall planted in 2014. I recently purchased the property and they don't look as healthy as I'd like. There's some type of infection or blight that I can't identify. Can you help me? A Sometimes in this business I outsmart myself. As can be seen in the photo the damage looked like bark damage caused by what I thought was a fungus. I thought I would confirm my suspicions with Dr. Ieuan Evans, my plant pathologist friend. His reply had me laughing and telling myself to stop looking for the difficult answers and concentrate on the obvious. His reply said, “The tree bark damage is most likely from porcupines.” There you have it.
Q We live in Edmonton. We have gorgeous spruce trees in our yard approximately 60-75 years old. This year some have lost their needles. First the branches/needles turn orange/ brown then the needles drop off. Our neighbours across the street have lost a few trees and we notice other neighbours trees are starting to turn orange.
Is it possible that the squirrels are carrying some kind of fungus? Or does it have something to do with all the rain we had this summer? We have taken down three trees this week and are hoping we don't have to take down more. We hope that maybe the cold of this winter will stop whatever is happening to our trees so we don't lose them all.
When the arborist took down the trees we found a light blue ring inside the trunk. He mentioned to me that he has seen these rings before in poplar trees, never in spruce trees.
A I sent your question off to
Dr. Ieuan Evans as well. I have to say having Ieuan as a reference when it comes to plant diseases is invaluable and I thank him for his help. Here is his reply, “Sounds like the trees were attacked by the shoestring fungus Armillaria. This infection could have taken place a few years back.
“The fungus can spread underground from tree to tree and kill off whole stands. This year's wet summer may not have helped but it's not the cause of the damage since this year's flood damage would not show up until next year.
“In the fall infected trees will have lots of gold-coloured mushrooms at their bases. The Armillaria fungus is also called the honey fungus.”
Armed with this information might I suggest another call to the arborist to inquire if they have any treatment options in their arsenal.
Q Thank you for your wonderful column! It makes the winter a little less daunting. I hope you can help me. I was given a houseplant by a friend. I think it is an Aloe vera. When I opened the wrapping when I got home, one leaf was rotted and most of the others are droopy, or just lacking any `water' in the leaf. My friend packed it carefully with newspaper around the pot to protect the plant. When I got home about two and a half hours later, it looked bad and there was a brown rotted leaf. The soil was dry to the touch. I should have watered it last night, but I was too busy unpacking to tend to it right away. The soil is now moist from a recent watering. My question is: How do I revive the plant?
A Thank you for being a faithful reader. It sounds like the plant may have been exposed to low temperatures. Aloe vera is very sensitive to temperature change. Some will just turn to mush if exposed to freezing temperatures. Even though it was wrapped it still may have been exposed. The only thing you can do is hope for the best. Keep it in bright but indirect light. Do not overwater the plant. Give it a drink only when the soil feels dry to the touch. Aloe vera is a succulent, and as such, stores a large quantity of water within its leaves and root system. During the winter months, the plant will become somewhat dormant, and utilizes very little moisture. During this period watering should be minimal.