Two widespread fungal infections target most maple species and do not spare the sloth maple. Find out here which symptoms can be used to identify the diseases with tips for ecological control.

Powdery mildew can be combated with milk

Verticillium Wilt - Tips for Diagnosis and Control

Fungal spores of the genus Verticillium get into the slotted maple via the soil and clog the pathways. Visible signs of infection include wilted leaves and dead branches. The disease spreads from the base to the top, eventually dying an Acer palmatum. If you cut through the affected branches, you will see dark brown ring-shaped discolorations. Effective fungicides are not yet available. How to fight Verticillium disease:

  • Cut back all diseased shoots down to the healthy wood
  • Burn the clippings or dispose of them with household waste
  • Transplant slotted maple to a new location

At the new location, prepare a spacious planting pit, at the bottom of which you create a drainage of sand or fine gravel. Mix one third of the excavation with rhododendron soil. The more permeable and airy the soil, the better the chances that the diseased maple tree will regenerate on its own.

Recognizing and combating powdery mildew - this is how it works

Deeply dissected leaves in beautiful colors are the most beautiful adornment of the Acer palmatum. How devastating when the ornamental leaves are covered with a mealy-grey growth of fungus as a result of infection with powdery mildew. As time goes by, the leaves turn brown and sadly fall to the ground. It doesn't have to come to that, because you can fight the disease with fresh milk. That is how it goes:

  • In the first step, cut off all affected leaves and shoots
  • Add 125 ml of fresh milk to 1 liter of rainwater, plus a drop of washing-up liquid

Pour the solution into a hand sprayer. At intervals of 2 to 3 days, spray the remaining leaves on the upper and lower sides with the milk water until no more symptoms of the disease appear.

tips

The symptoms of Verticillium wilt and frost damage look confusingly similar at first glance. There is one crucial difference: wilting fungi cause a slotted maple to die off slowly and in places. Frostbite causes overnight leaves, leaf shedding, and limp shoots throughout the plant.

Category:

Trees