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canewgarden

Protecting a treehouse bay with antifungal ...

canewgarden
9 years ago

Hello,

We live in coastal northern california which is populated with a lot of california live oak and California Bay Laurel (Umbellularia) - both of which are susceptible to "sudden oak death" (SOD).

We have a *huge* bay tree - bigger than I have ever seen - which we drilled four treehouse attachment bolts (TABs) into.

So far so good.

However, since we now have a lot invested in this tree and want the treehouse to be viable for a very long time, we would like to protect the tree from sudden oak death, and I think the first step would be to address the actual wounds we put into the tree.

The holes we drilled for the TABs are mostly filled up by the bolts themselves, but each of them has a little bit of exposed inner wood not covered by bark.

This article on sudden oak death:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3059.2008.01894.x/abstract

indicates that the trees are "highly sensitive to copper hydroxide".

So, I bought this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ITVY5U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(CuPRO 5000 - 61.3% copper hydroxide) ... it appears to be a Kocide generic.

So, my questions...

- My plan is to simply paint the wounds of the tree with this antifungal. Good plan ? Any tips on doing that, or is it as simple as it seems ?

- what is in this package ? Is it a powder, or granules that I mix with water ? Or is it already in a gel or liquid that I can paint with ?

- Is there such a thing as "too strong" ? Can I hurt the tree if I barely dilute it ? I am not spraying with it, I am just painting the wounds directly, so I was planning on diluting very little or none...

- How often should I repaint ? Any reason not to paint all the other wounds the tree has, or should I stick with the exposed wood from the holes I drilled ?

Many thanks.

Comments (6)

  • georgeinbandonoregon
    9 years ago

    as a general rule 'all fungicides/pesticides are sold with very precise labeling/instructions as to how much to apply and how to apply it for whatever listed pest they are to control---in other words, consult the product label for all directions on how to use the product correctly and safely. you can also contact your local county extension agent and find out their recommendations as to how to protect your tree----they should have the most current info. finally, "SODS" generally appears in distinctive patches of infected trees----if there are no infected plants in your area (i.e. within a couple of miles) you likely should have no especial concerns for your plants even if you are in the general area where the disease has been found. to the best of my knowledge the disease is spread by direct contact NOT by airborne vectors so no infected plants nearby in the first place little chance of infection. hope this helps. good luck.

  • Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
    9 years ago

    I thought I read sudden oak death caused the use of protectant on trees to be recommended after a certain time of year.

  • wisconsitom
    9 years ago

    Tor, that may have been an oak wilt reference. The by-now largely dismissed tree wound dressings still retain one-and exactly one-legitimate use-the painting of any wounds on oaks, ie, pruning cuts, mechanical injury, etc. during the growing season, to repel the picnic beetle from spreading the fungus from tree to tree at that time of year. This SOD is a different item. And not one with which I'm all that well-versed, not living or working on the W. coast.

    +oM

  • canewgarden
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ok, thank you for the advice to call the county - I will do that.

    In advance of that, however, let me ask my question a slightly different way:

    Is there any reason *not* to just add some water to this copper-hydroxide and paint it on ? What's the worst thing that could happen ?

    Presumably it would be quite a strong solution, since the base starts at ~60% concentration, and I would only add enough water to make it paintable...

    Thanks.

  • akamainegrower
    9 years ago

    Copper compounds are generally not effective against phytophthora infections. SOD is caused by phytophthora ramorum. What may be worth using is one of the relatively new phosphorous acid based fungicides which can prevent, but not cure infections. Agri-Fos is one trade name and is produced by Monterey Lawn and Garden. The CA agriculture department does seem to endorse this type of fungicide - often combined with another compound which allows it to be absorbed through a tree's bark - as a useful prevention strategy.

  • georgeinbandonoregon
    9 years ago

    again, IF there are no infected trees NEARBY and IF infection is by contact with infected trees, you may not have to worry about SODS for your tree.