There are many threats lurking in your landscape that can pose a risk to your trees and shrubs. Among those threats, Needle Cast Disease is one that can cause serious trouble to your pine trees and evergreens.
At Oasis Turf & Tree, it is our goal to prevent problems with the proper care of your trees and shrubs. We want to be clear that we don’t actually treat fungal diseases on trees and shrubs so we aren’t writing this article to try and sell you a service.
Instead, we are writing this article about Needle Cast disease in Ohio because we truly do care about our clients and their landscapes. Even if we don’t treat a certain problem, we still want to help guide you toward the best choices so that you can get the most out of your landscape.
What is Needle Cast Disease?
Needle Cast diseases are caused by various fungi that infect the new needles of evergreens like Pines, Spruce, and Douglas Fir.
Needle Cast fungi form small structures on the infected needle in which thousands of spores form. Once infected, the needles will change colors and ultimately fall off.
You might notice the needles turning yellow and eventually falling off. This could lead to large bare areas on your trees.
Though a prevalent disease, this is not the only evergreen tree disease that could impact your trees. Pine Wilt, for instance, is another potential disease that could actually lead to a pine’s demise. This fatal disease is caused by the “pine wilt nematode,” a microscopic worm-like organism.
What is the Best Needle Cast Disease Treatment?
While there are fungal treatments out there, there are some good reasons why we don’t offer this service.
The main one is the fact that we know it’s just a matter of throwing a lot of money at a tree that might not even bounce back. If Needle Cast disease has taken a strong hold on your tree, it might be really difficult for it to recover.
We really do care about our customers spending their money in the wisest way possible and in most cases, it’s actually less expensive to start over with a tree species that isn’t susceptible to the same issues. Or, starting over with another evergreen but doing more to preserve its health over time.
Protecting Your Trees’ Health
Going forward, you might want to look into tree care services in Cincinnati, Dayton, OH, and Northern Kentucky to protect the future health of your trees and shrubs.
The investment in a tree and shrub health care program can add a valuable layer of protection to your landscape. When trees are healthy and thriving, they are naturally less susceptible to disease problems (and other problems, too).
Healthy trees and shrubs can better defend themselves against threats.
We like to think of it as a protection of your investment. By having highly trained professionals on your property, you can also feel confident that they are keeping an eye on potential problems and spotting problems early on.
But with our honest approach to disease control, you can also count on us to tell you if a tree can’t be saved…or if you’d be better off just replacing it. Not all disease situations can be prevented and you might find yourself fighting the same battles over and over again. In some cases, choosing a new species simply makes the most sense for your sanity (and your budget!).
We know this level of candor isn’t something that people are always used to. They’re just used to being sold services left and right….even when it’s not in their best interest.
We’ll admit we’ve gotten odd looks when we’ve told customers to save the money they’ve set aside for treatment and use it for removal (also a service we do not offer). We tell them to replace the tree with a better species for that location. We can even make some suggestions on what would work best.
Then, we tell them to call us next year if they’d like to be proactive in protecting that new plant with our Tree & Shrub Health Care program.
In the end, we know that you’re paying us for peace of mind. You want to know that the trees and shrubs on your property are protected against disease and other threats. We’ll offer exactly that—whenever we can. If it’s a situation where it’s too late, or a tree was installed where it will never thrive, you can count on us to be honest with you.
While a lot of companies don’t want to have that tough conversation, we want what’s truly best for you.
Contact us today for a free tree and shrub evaluation to learn more about how Oasis Turf & Tree can help improve and protect your trees.
Image Source: Needle Cast