Rose rosette is a devastating viral disease that is a threat to roses, including rose cultivars known for their exceptional disease resistance and cold hardiness. Symptoms can vary greatly, depending upon cultivar, plant age, and growing conditions. Symptoms are often…
Blog Archives
Rhizosphaera Needle Cast May Lead to Skimpy Spruce
Rhizosphaera needle cast is often to blame for brown or thin spruce in the landscape. In Kentucky, Rhizosphaera needle cast is the most common disease of spruce; it also affects some pine species. This disease causes needle drop on lower…
Posted in Landscape Trees & Shrubs
Bacterial Leaf Scorch Can Torch Landscape Trees
Kentucky’s landscapes are populated by many trees that are susceptible to bacterial leaf scorch. This disease may not kill trees instantly, but over time, it can have devastating effects. Pruning and reducing stress can prolong the life of infected trees;…
Posted in Landscape Trees & Shrubs
Hanging by a Thread
Dead, curled leaves dangling by fungal “threads” are typical of a disease called thread blight. This disease is more common in eastern Kentucky, where it has been observed on apple, cherry, and viburnum. Other potential hosts include cotoneaster, dogwood, gooseberry,…
Posted in Fruit, Landscape Trees & Shrubs
Yellow poplar looking yellow? It must be summer…
Have you noticed that our state tree, yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), is looking less than stately right now? All around the bluegrass, yellow poplar leaves have been turning yellow and dropping. Interior leaves seem most affected, but this yellowing is…
Posted in Landscape Trees & Shrubs
Laurel Wilt Disease: A Threat to Kentucky Sassafras Trees
Laurel wilt is a new disease that was recently detected in southwestern Kentucky. This disease, which is transmitted by the redbay ambrosia beetle, has the potential to rapidly kill sassafras trees. Currently no management options are available for this disease.…
Posted in Forest Trees, Landscape Trees & Shrubs
Dieback in Landscape Trees – Could it be Verticillium Wilt?
The stress of hot, dry conditions in midsummer can prompt leaf scorch in many landscape trees. However, extensive canopy dieback or tree collapse, particularly on one side of a tree, may indicate Verticillium wilt disease. Numerous cases of this vascular…
Posted in Landscape Trees & Shrubs
