Plumleaf hawthorn 'Prunifolia' is an award-winning ornamental Hawthorn that produces bright colors throughout the year, with heavy white flowers that bloom in spring and dense clusters of bright red berries in the fall. The leaves also change from green to varying shades of red, purple, and yellow in fall, explaining the name, which means "purple-leaved." This hybrid grows up to 9 m tall and is larger than the parent tree, which reaches 6 m.
Hardiness Zones
5 to 9
Care Guide for Plumleaf hawthorn 'Prunifolia'
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Watering Care
Average water needs, watering when the top 3 cm of soil has dried out.
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Common Pests & Diseases About Plumleaf hawthorn 'Prunifolia'
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Common issues for Plumleaf hawthorn 'Prunifolia' based on 10 million real cases
Brown spot
This infection can cause brown spots or patches to appear on the plant.
Solutions: In minor cases of brown spot, there isn’t any need to treat the disease. However, if much of the foliage is affected and defoliation occurs, the plant will benefit from getting rid of the infection. It is recommended to start by applying organic treatment options, working up to the more potent synthetic, chemical fungicides if necessary. Organic options won’t kill the fungus, but will prevent it from spreading. Dissolve ½ teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of liquid soap in a gallon of water. Using a spray bottle, spray on tops and bottoms of leaves until the mixture drips off. Repeat every two weeks until existing spots stop enlarging and new spots no longer appear. Spray a copper-based fungicidal soap on the leaves, coating the top and bottom leaf surfaces. Reapply as directed on the product label. Copper penetrates the leaf surface and prevents germination of spores so the fungus cannot spread. Apply an all-purpose fungicide to the entire plant, following the label instructions carefully.
Sap-sucking insects
Sap-sucking insects can create dense clusters of small yellow or white spots on the leaves.
Solutions: Sap-sucking insects can be hard to spot, as they are often small and attach to the undersides of plant leaves. If you see signs of an infestation, follow these steps to eradicate it. Hand-pick bugs and remove eggs: Inspect your plants for insects and drop any you find in a container of soapy water. Look carefully at the undersides of plant leaves and squish any egg clusters you find. Use Insecticide: Targeted spraying can take out sap-sucking insects. Small infestations can be controlled with insecticidal soap, though larger outbreaks might require a stronger spray. Introduce natural predators: Many insects, including ladybugs and praying mantises, love to feast on sap-suckers. You can purchase them at garden stores and release them near infected plants, or encourage wild ones by creating habitat space.
Longhorn beetles
The longhorn beetle is a medium- to large-sized insect with very long antennae and strong jaws. Both its adult and larval stages gnaw on tree trunks, leaving small, round holes.
Solutions: Some longhorn beetles species are native insects, and they cause little damage. Therefore, these don't warrant control. Other longhorn beetles species are invasive pests that were recently introduced from other areas. These species can cause a great deal of damage to hardwood trees. Apply an insecticide containing imidacloprid as a soil injection or trunk injection following product instructions. This will enter into new grow and kill adults who feed on foliage. This will not help save trees that are already infested with large amounts of larvae, but it will save trees located near an infested tree. Contact an arborist for best control practices regarding infected trees. To properly control longhorn beetles, all host plants in a given area must be treated. Contact a local extension agent or state agency. Tracking the spread of longhorn beetles is a key component of their control.
Gall
Insects or diseases can cause strange protrusions on the leaves, sometimes manifesting in a range of colors and shapes.
Solutions: While galls may look alarming, the physical structures themselves pose little threat to the plant or tree and do not require chemical treatment. If the galls are unsightly, they can be removed using sterilized (10% bleach solution) pruners or loppers. Discard or destroy all removed plant parts. It is important to treat the underlying cause, as insects or diseases can create long-term damage if left untreated. After identifying the pest, natural or chemical may be used, depending upon individual gardening preferences. To treat pests naturally apply an insecticidal soap. Dilute 1 tablespoon of soap per quart of water in a spray bottle and mix gently. Spray the entire plant until the leaves are dripping, making sure to coat the underside and tops. Re-spray every 2 to 3 days. To treat organically apply neem oil, a naturally occurring pesticide, per label directions every 7 days until pests are eradicated. To treat chemically apply an insecticidal foliar spray. Follow the dosing instructions provided by the manufacturer on the product label. For fungal or bacterial causes, apply a bactericide or copper-based fungicide in the spring, following the dosing instructions provided on the product label.
Brown spot
This infection can cause brown spots or patches to appear on the plant.
Overview
Discolored spots on the foliage of plants are one of the most common disease problems people observe. These spots are caused by fungal and bacterial diseases, with most infections related to a fungal pathogen.
Brown spot can occurs on all houseplants, flowering ornamentals, vegetable plants, and leaves of trees, bushes, and shrubs. No plants are resistant to it, and the problem is worse in warm, wet environments. It can occur at any point in the life stage as long as leaves are present.
Small brownish spots appear on the foliage and enlarge as the disease progresses. In severe cases, the plant or tree is weakened when the lesions interrupt photosynthesis or cause defoliation.
Symptom Analysis
In most cases, brown spot only affects a small percentage of the whole plant, appearing on a small amount of the leaves. A small infection only puts minor stress on the plant. However, if left untreated and the disease progresses over numerous seasons, it will severely impact the health and productivity of the infected specimen.
Sporulation begins (reproduction of the fungal spores), and tiny spots appear on leaves.
Placement is often random and scattered as diseases are spread through raindrops.
May appear on lower leaves and the interior of the plant where humidity is higher.
Brown spots enlarge and grow large enough to touch neighboring spots to form a more prominent blotch.
Leaf margins may turn yellow.
Tiny black dots (fruiting bodies of the fungi) appear in the dead spots.
Blotches grow in size until the entire leaf is brown.
The leaf falls off the plant.
Severe Symptoms
Partial or complete premature defoliation
Reduced growth
Increased susceptibility to pests and other diseases
Disease Cause
Brown spot, or leaf spot, is a common descriptive term given to several diseases affecting the leaves of plants and trees. Around 85% of diseases exhibiting leaf spots are due to fungus or fungus-like organisms. Sometimes brown spot is caused by a bacterial infection, or insect activity with similar symptoms.
When conditions are warm and the leaf surfaces are wet, fungal spores being transported by wind or rain land on the surface and cling to it. They do not rupture the cell walls but grow in the space between the plant plasma membrane and the plant cell wall. As the spores reproduce, they release toxins and enzymes that cause necrotic spots (i.e., dead tissue) on the leaves, allowing the fungi to consume the products released when the cells degrade.
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Sap-sucking insects
Sap-sucking insects can create dense clusters of small yellow or white spots on the leaves.
Symptom Analysis
Your plant has developed tiny yellowish spots scattered across the leaves that look like mold or mildew. If these marks won't wipe off, they are likely caused by sap-sucking insects like aphids, squash bugs, scale bugs, leafhoppers, whiteflies, mites, mealybugs, and more.
Each of these pests uses mouthparts to pierce leaf tissues and suck the sap. uses mouthparts to pierce leaf tissues and suck the sap. Signs of damage are difficult to spot at first, but a large infestation can quickly compromise the whole plant. You're most likely to see sap-sucking insects during the hottest months because plants make easier targets when already weakened from heat or drought.
Though sap-sucking insects are unlikely to kill your plant on their own, they can severely weaken it and make it more susceptible to disease. They may also spread viruses from one plant to another as they feed.
Solutions
Sap-sucking insects can be hard to spot, as they are often small and attach to the undersides of plant leaves. If you see signs of an infestation, follow these steps to eradicate it.
Hand-pick bugs and remove eggs: Inspect your plants for insects and drop any you find in a container of soapy water. Look carefully at the undersides of plant leaves and squish any egg clusters you find.
Use Insecticide: Targeted spraying can take out sap-sucking insects. Small infestations can be controlled with insecticidal soap, though larger outbreaks might require a stronger spray.
Introduce natural predators: Many insects, including ladybugs and praying mantises, love to feast on sap-suckers. You can purchase them at garden stores and release them near infected plants, or encourage wild ones by creating habitat space.
Prevention
Healthy plants are less likely to suffer from sap-sucker attacks. Keep them fortified with fertilizer and the right amounts of water and sunlight. Plants that receive excess nitrogen are also more susceptible to attack, so don’t overfertilize. You should also remove weeds and tall grasses surrounding your outdoor plants so as not to create habitat space for the pests.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
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Longhorn beetles
The longhorn beetle is a medium- to large-sized insect with very long antennae and strong jaws. Both its adult and larval stages gnaw on tree trunks, leaving small, round holes.
Overview
Longhorn beetles are characterized by extremely long antennae which are often as long as, or longer, than the beetle's body. Adult longhorn beetles vary in size, shape, and coloration, depending upon the species. They may be 6 to 76 mm long. The larvae are worm-like with a wrinkled, white to yellowish body and a brown head.
Longhorn beetles are active throughout the year, but adults are most active in the summer and fall. Larvae feed on wood throughout the year.
Both larvae and adults feed on woody tissue. Some of the most susceptible species include ash, birch, elm, poplar, and willow.
If left untreated, longhorn beetles can kill trees.
Symptom Analysis
Longhorn beetles are attracted to wounded, dying, or freshly-cut hardwood trees. Adults lay their eggs in the spring, summer, and fall on the bark of greenwood. There may be sap around egg-laying sites.
Once the eggs hatch, larvae called round-headed borers burrow into the trunk to feed. They may tunnel for one to three years depending on the wood's nutritional content. As the larvae feed, they release sawdust-like frass at the base of the tree.
Eventually, the larvae turn into pupae and then adults. When the adults emerge, they leave 1 cm holes in the bark on their way out. Adults feed on leaves, bark, and shoots of trees before laying eggs.
After a few years of being fed upon by longhorn beetles, a tree will begin losing leaves. Eventually, it will die.
Solutions
Some longhorn beetles species are native insects, and they cause little damage. Therefore, these don't warrant control.
Other longhorn beetles species are invasive pests that were recently introduced from other areas. These species can cause a great deal of damage to hardwood trees.
Apply an insecticide containing imidacloprid as a soil injection or trunk injection following product instructions. This will enter into new grow and kill adults who feed on foliage. This will not help save trees that are already infested with large amounts of larvae, but it will save trees located near an infested tree.
Contact an arborist for best control practices regarding infected trees.
To properly control longhorn beetles, all host plants in a given area must be treated.
Contact a local extension agent or state agency. Tracking the spread of longhorn beetles is a key component of their control.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants and unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Scan the QR code with your phone camera to download the app
Gall
Insects or diseases can cause strange protrusions on the leaves, sometimes manifesting in a range of colors and shapes.
Overview
A general symptom of plant irritation, a gall is a spherical or lumpy, tumor-like growth that appears on leaves, stems, branches and trunks of various plants, especially trees. Galls form around a potential problem or irritation, like a pearl forming around a bit of sand in an oyster shell, to separate the cause from the rest of the plant. Many form around insect damage or a localized infection.
Symptom Analysis
Abnormal growths appear on leaves or other parts of the plant. The brown or brightly colored bumps may be simple or complicated structures.
Leaf galls appear on most herbaceous plants and trees. They are more prone to develop on new growth and following mild winters in which insects and diseases were not killed by the cold.
Leaf galls look like leaf curls, nipples, blisters, or erineums (hairy growths) and can occur on upper or lower leaf surfaces.
Bud or flower galls cause these parts to be deformed in size or shape.
Stem and twig galls cause deformed growth on twigs and stems, with symptom severity ranging from slight swelling to large, knot-like growth.
Stunted plant growth is possible, as galls steal nutrients from the plant.
Long-lasting damage can occur if there are many galls or galls present for a long period of time.
It's important to note that galls, especially leaf galls, are extremely common. Noticing galls is not a cause to panic – most plants will have galls from time to time. However, it is when they are widespread or long-lasting that steps will need to be taken to remove them.
Disease Cause
There are many different processes and organisms that produce galls. Some appear when sap-sucking insects feed on leaves; some shelter developing insect eggs; some develop as a response to fungal or bacterial infection.
The most common culprits include:
Feeding or egg-laying mites and insects - the saliva and other secretions cause the plants to produce more growth hormones.
High hormone production resulting in increased cell numbers or cell size (because of this, mature plants tend not to be affected).
Fungal infection
Galls forming on leaf blades and sheaths are more often caused by viruses or bacteria.
Nematodes can also cause galls to form on plants, but these tend to form in the roots.
Parasitic plants such as mistletoe can cause galls on their hosts.
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Care Guide
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Pests & Diseases
Plumleaf hawthorn 'Prunifolia'
Crataegus persimilis 'Prunifolia'
Plumleaf hawthorn 'Prunifolia' is an award-winning ornamental Hawthorn that produces bright colors throughout the year, with heavy white flowers that bloom in spring and dense clusters of bright red berries in the fall. The leaves also change from green to varying shades of red, purple, and yellow in fall, explaining the name, which means "purple-leaved." This hybrid grows up to 9 m tall and is larger than the parent tree, which reaches 6 m.
Hardiness Zones
5 to 9
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Common Pests & Diseases About Plumleaf hawthorn 'Prunifolia'
Feedback
Common issues for Plumleaf hawthorn 'Prunifolia' based on 10 million real cases
Brown spot
This infection can cause brown spots or patches to appear on the plant.
Solutions: In minor cases of brown spot, there isn’t any need to treat the disease. However, if much of the foliage is affected and defoliation occurs, the plant will benefit from getting rid of the infection. It is recommended to start by applying organic treatment options, working up to the more potent synthetic, chemical fungicides if necessary. Organic options won’t kill the fungus, but will prevent it from spreading. Dissolve ½ teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of liquid soap in a gallon of water. Using a spray bottle, spray on tops and bottoms of leaves until the mixture drips off. Repeat every two weeks until existing spots stop enlarging and new spots no longer appear. Spray a copper-based fungicidal soap on the leaves, coating the top and bottom leaf surfaces. Reapply as directed on the product label. Copper penetrates the leaf surface and prevents germination of spores so the fungus cannot spread. Apply an all-purpose fungicide to the entire plant, following the label instructions carefully.
Learn More About the Brown spot
Sap-sucking insects
Sap-sucking insects can create dense clusters of small yellow or white spots on the leaves.
Solutions: Sap-sucking insects can be hard to spot, as they are often small and attach to the undersides of plant leaves. If you see signs of an infestation, follow these steps to eradicate it. Hand-pick bugs and remove eggs: Inspect your plants for insects and drop any you find in a container of soapy water. Look carefully at the undersides of plant leaves and squish any egg clusters you find. Use Insecticide: Targeted spraying can take out sap-sucking insects. Small infestations can be controlled with insecticidal soap, though larger outbreaks might require a stronger spray. Introduce natural predators: Many insects, including ladybugs and praying mantises, love to feast on sap-suckers. You can purchase them at garden stores and release them near infected plants, or encourage wild ones by creating habitat space.
Learn More About the Sap-sucking insects
Longhorn beetles
The longhorn beetle is a medium- to large-sized insect with very long antennae and strong jaws. Both its adult and larval stages gnaw on tree trunks, leaving small, round holes.
Solutions: Some longhorn beetles species are native insects, and they cause little damage. Therefore, these don't warrant control. Other longhorn beetles species are invasive pests that were recently introduced from other areas. These species can cause a great deal of damage to hardwood trees. Apply an insecticide containing imidacloprid as a soil injection or trunk injection following product instructions. This will enter into new grow and kill adults who feed on foliage. This will not help save trees that are already infested with large amounts of larvae, but it will save trees located near an infested tree. Contact an arborist for best control practices regarding infected trees. To properly control longhorn beetles, all host plants in a given area must be treated. Contact a local extension agent or state agency. Tracking the spread of longhorn beetles is a key component of their control.
Learn More About the Longhorn beetles
Gall
Insects or diseases can cause strange protrusions on the leaves, sometimes manifesting in a range of colors and shapes.
Solutions: While galls may look alarming, the physical structures themselves pose little threat to the plant or tree and do not require chemical treatment. If the galls are unsightly, they can be removed using sterilized (10% bleach solution) pruners or loppers. Discard or destroy all removed plant parts. It is important to treat the underlying cause, as insects or diseases can create long-term damage if left untreated. After identifying the pest, natural or chemical may be used, depending upon individual gardening preferences. To treat pests naturally apply an insecticidal soap. Dilute 1 tablespoon of soap per quart of water in a spray bottle and mix gently. Spray the entire plant until the leaves are dripping, making sure to coat the underside and tops. Re-spray every 2 to 3 days. To treat organically apply neem oil, a naturally occurring pesticide, per label directions every 7 days until pests are eradicated. To treat chemically apply an insecticidal foliar spray. Follow the dosing instructions provided by the manufacturer on the product label. For fungal or bacterial causes, apply a bactericide or copper-based fungicide in the spring, following the dosing instructions provided on the product label.
Learn More About the Gall
Brown spot
This infection can cause brown spots or patches to appear on the plant.
Overview
Discolored spots on the foliage of plants are one of the most common disease problems people observe. These spots are caused by fungal and bacterial diseases, with most infections related to a fungal pathogen.
Brown spot can occurs on all houseplants, flowering ornamentals, vegetable plants, and leaves of trees, bushes, and shrubs. No plants are resistant to it, and the problem is worse in warm, wet environments. It can occur at any point in the life stage as long as leaves are present.
Small brownish spots appear on the foliage and enlarge as the disease progresses. In severe cases, the plant or tree is weakened when the lesions interrupt photosynthesis or cause defoliation.
Symptom Analysis
In most cases, brown spot only affects a small percentage of the whole plant, appearing on a small amount of the leaves. A small infection only puts minor stress on the plant. However, if left untreated and the disease progresses over numerous seasons, it will severely impact the health and productivity of the infected specimen.
Sporulation begins (reproduction of the fungal spores), and tiny spots appear on leaves.
Placement is often random and scattered as diseases are spread through raindrops.
May appear on lower leaves and the interior of the plant where humidity is higher.
Brown spots enlarge and grow large enough to touch neighboring spots to form a more prominent blotch.
Leaf margins may turn yellow.
Tiny black dots (fruiting bodies of the fungi) appear in the dead spots.
Blotches grow in size until the entire leaf is brown.
The leaf falls off the plant.
Severe Symptoms
Partial or complete premature defoliation
Reduced growth
Increased susceptibility to pests and other diseases
Disease Cause
Brown spot, or leaf spot, is a common descriptive term given to several diseases affecting the leaves of plants and trees. Around 85% of diseases exhibiting leaf spots are due to fungus or fungus-like organisms. Sometimes brown spot is caused by a bacterial infection, or insect activity with similar symptoms.
When conditions are warm and the leaf surfaces are wet, fungal spores being transported by wind or rain land on the surface and cling to it. They do not rupture the cell walls but grow in the space between the plant plasma membrane and the plant cell wall. As the spores reproduce, they release toxins and enzymes that cause necrotic spots (i.e., dead tissue) on the leaves, allowing the fungi to consume the products released when the cells degrade.
Solutions
In minor cases of brown spot, there isn’t any need to treat the disease. However, if much of the foliage is affected and defoliation occurs, the plant will benefit from getting rid of the infection. It is recommended to start by applying organic treatment options, working up to the more potent synthetic, chemical fungicides if necessary.
Organic options won’t kill the fungus, but will prevent it from spreading.
Dissolve ½ teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of liquid soap in a gallon of water. Using a spray bottle, spray on tops and bottoms of leaves until the mixture drips off. Repeat every two weeks until existing spots stop enlarging and new spots no longer appear.
Spray a copper-based fungicidal soap on the leaves, coating the top and bottom leaf surfaces. Reapply as directed on the product label. Copper penetrates the leaf surface and prevents germination of spores so the fungus cannot spread.
Apply an all-purpose fungicide to the entire plant, following the label instructions carefully.
Prevention
Like many other diseases, it is easier to prevent brown spot than cure it, and this is done through cultural practices.
Clear fall leaves from the ground before winter to minimize places where fungi and bacteria can overwinter.
Maintain good air movement between plants through proper plant spacing.
Increase air circulation through the center of plants through pruning.
Thoroughly clean all pruning tools after working with diseased plants.
Never dispose of disease plant material in a compost pile.
Avoid overhead watering to keep moisture off of the foliage.
Keep plants healthy by providing adequate sunlight, water, and fertilizer.
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Sap-sucking insects
Sap-sucking insects can create dense clusters of small yellow or white spots on the leaves.
Symptom Analysis
Your plant has developed tiny yellowish spots scattered across the leaves that look like mold or mildew. If these marks won't wipe off, they are likely caused by sap-sucking insects like aphids, squash bugs, scale bugs, leafhoppers, whiteflies, mites, mealybugs, and more.
Each of these pests uses mouthparts to pierce leaf tissues and suck the sap. uses mouthparts to pierce leaf tissues and suck the sap. Signs of damage are difficult to spot at first, but a large infestation can quickly compromise the whole plant. You're most likely to see sap-sucking insects during the hottest months because plants make easier targets when already weakened from heat or drought.
Though sap-sucking insects are unlikely to kill your plant on their own, they can severely weaken it and make it more susceptible to disease. They may also spread viruses from one plant to another as they feed.
Solutions
Sap-sucking insects can be hard to spot, as they are often small and attach to the undersides of plant leaves. If you see signs of an infestation, follow these steps to eradicate it.
Hand-pick bugs and remove eggs: Inspect your plants for insects and drop any you find in a container of soapy water. Look carefully at the undersides of plant leaves and squish any egg clusters you find.
Use Insecticide: Targeted spraying can take out sap-sucking insects. Small infestations can be controlled with insecticidal soap, though larger outbreaks might require a stronger spray.
Introduce natural predators: Many insects, including ladybugs and praying mantises, love to feast on sap-suckers. You can purchase them at garden stores and release them near infected plants, or encourage wild ones by creating habitat space.
Prevention
Healthy plants are less likely to suffer from sap-sucker attacks. Keep them fortified with fertilizer and the right amounts of water and sunlight. Plants that receive excess nitrogen are also more susceptible to attack, so don’t overfertilize. You should also remove weeds and tall grasses surrounding your outdoor plants so as not to create habitat space for the pests.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Longhorn beetles
The longhorn beetle is a medium- to large-sized insect with very long antennae and strong jaws. Both its adult and larval stages gnaw on tree trunks, leaving small, round holes.
Overview
Longhorn beetles are characterized by extremely long antennae which are often as long as, or longer, than the beetle's body. Adult longhorn beetles vary in size, shape, and coloration, depending upon the species. They may be 6 to 76 mm long. The larvae are worm-like with a wrinkled, white to yellowish body and a brown head.
Longhorn beetles are active throughout the year, but adults are most active in the summer and fall. Larvae feed on wood throughout the year.
Both larvae and adults feed on woody tissue. Some of the most susceptible species include ash, birch, elm, poplar, and willow.
If left untreated, longhorn beetles can kill trees.
Symptom Analysis
Longhorn beetles are attracted to wounded, dying, or freshly-cut hardwood trees. Adults lay their eggs in the spring, summer, and fall on the bark of greenwood. There may be sap around egg-laying sites.
Once the eggs hatch, larvae called round-headed borers burrow into the trunk to feed. They may tunnel for one to three years depending on the wood's nutritional content. As the larvae feed, they release sawdust-like frass at the base of the tree.
Eventually, the larvae turn into pupae and then adults. When the adults emerge, they leave 1 cm holes in the bark on their way out. Adults feed on leaves, bark, and shoots of trees before laying eggs.
After a few years of being fed upon by longhorn beetles, a tree will begin losing leaves. Eventually, it will die.
Solutions
Some longhorn beetles species are native insects, and they cause little damage. Therefore, these don't warrant control.
Other longhorn beetles species are invasive pests that were recently introduced from other areas. These species can cause a great deal of damage to hardwood trees.
Apply an insecticide containing imidacloprid as a soil injection or trunk injection following product instructions. This will enter into new grow and kill adults who feed on foliage. This will not help save trees that are already infested with large amounts of larvae, but it will save trees located near an infested tree.
Contact an arborist for best control practices regarding infected trees.
To properly control longhorn beetles, all host plants in a given area must be treated.
Contact a local extension agent or state agency. Tracking the spread of longhorn beetles is a key component of their control.
Prevention
Keeping trees healthy, uninjured, and unstressed will help prevent beetle infestation. Water trees appropriately, giving neither too much nor too little.
Check with local tree companies about which tree species have fewer problems.
Avoid moving firewood as this can introduce exotic longhorn beetles.
Routine spraying of persistent, broad-spectrum insecticides will help prevent re-infestation of previously affected trees or infestation of unaffected trees.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Gall
Insects or diseases can cause strange protrusions on the leaves, sometimes manifesting in a range of colors and shapes.
Overview
A general symptom of plant irritation, a gall is a spherical or lumpy, tumor-like growth that appears on leaves, stems, branches and trunks of various plants, especially trees. Galls form around a potential problem or irritation, like a pearl forming around a bit of sand in an oyster shell, to separate the cause from the rest of the plant. Many form around insect damage or a localized infection.
Symptom Analysis
Abnormal growths appear on leaves or other parts of the plant. The brown or brightly colored bumps may be simple or complicated structures.
Leaf galls appear on most herbaceous plants and trees. They are more prone to develop on new growth and following mild winters in which insects and diseases were not killed by the cold.
Leaf galls look like leaf curls, nipples, blisters, or erineums (hairy growths) and can occur on upper or lower leaf surfaces.
Bud or flower galls cause these parts to be deformed in size or shape.
Stem and twig galls cause deformed growth on twigs and stems, with symptom severity ranging from slight swelling to large, knot-like growth.
Stunted plant growth is possible, as galls steal nutrients from the plant.
Long-lasting damage can occur if there are many galls or galls present for a long period of time.
It's important to note that galls, especially leaf galls, are extremely common. Noticing galls is not a cause to panic – most plants will have galls from time to time. However, it is when they are widespread or long-lasting that steps will need to be taken to remove them.
Disease Cause
There are many different processes and organisms that produce galls. Some appear when sap-sucking insects feed on leaves; some shelter developing insect eggs; some develop as a response to fungal or bacterial infection.
The most common culprits include:
Feeding or egg-laying mites and insects - the saliva and other secretions cause the plants to produce more growth hormones.
High hormone production resulting in increased cell numbers or cell size (because of this, mature plants tend not to be affected).
Fungal infection
Galls forming on leaf blades and sheaths are more often caused by viruses or bacteria.
Nematodes can also cause galls to form on plants, but these tend to form in the roots.
Parasitic plants such as mistletoe can cause galls on their hosts.
Solutions
While galls may look alarming, the physical structures themselves pose little threat to the plant or tree and do not require chemical treatment. If the galls are unsightly, they can be removed using sterilized (10% bleach solution) pruners or loppers. Discard or destroy all removed plant parts.
It is important to treat the underlying cause, as insects or diseases can create long-term damage if left untreated. After identifying the pest, natural or chemical may be used, depending upon individual gardening preferences.
To treat pests naturally apply an insecticidal soap. Dilute 1 tablespoon of soap per quart of water in a spray bottle and mix gently. Spray the entire plant until the leaves are dripping, making sure to coat the underside and tops. Re-spray every 2 to 3 days.
To treat organically apply neem oil, a naturally occurring pesticide, per label directions every 7 days until pests are eradicated.
To treat chemically apply an insecticidal foliar spray. Follow the dosing instructions provided by the manufacturer on the product label.
For fungal or bacterial causes, apply a bactericide or copper-based fungicide in the spring, following the dosing instructions provided on the product label.
Prevention
To prevent the common causes of gall:
Rake up all fallen leaves at the end of the growing season, and dispose of the leaves and all other plant debris to get rid of sites where gall producers can overwinter.
Avoid over-fertilizing plants, as it induces stress, making them more susceptible to pest problems.
Apply dormant oil in early spring to control leaf-eating insects.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Treat and prevent plant diseases.
AI-powered plant doctor helps you diagnose plant problems in seconds.
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