I have a eight year old white birch tree and it has holes in it and its dyeing?
Question:Last year there was some kind of flying insect around it and we sprayed a few times but they kept comming back we thought they were hornets but not sure of that.There is holes in the tree I thought were from a woodpecker cause I seen one in the tree but a friend said he didn`t think it was from that.Is there a diesease that white birch get?The tree did leaf out this year but it looks awful.
Answers:
You should wittle a piece of wood to the shape of the hole and hammer it in.
It sounds like maggots or lavea of some sort. I've seen this on Birch and Rowan and solved it as above. Anything living in there will die.
If the tree survives it will grow a scar over the hole on 5 years or so.
We have some birch that are 40 years old so not too sure about the life span mentioned in the answer above.
Birch trees do not last very long. Reach maturity in 8-10 years and hen they die. Your got attacked and it is gona die before its tiime. Which is usually 12-14 years. When you cut it down. Don't let it hit the house on the way down...
White birches have issues. Japanese beetles love to eat their leaves and Bronze Birch boreres love to eat just under the bark. The holes could be Bronze Birch Borer. If you have Bronze Birch Borer then you may already have lost your tree.
If your tree survives to next year, you can use Imidacloprid, a systemic, (Bayer Advanced Tree Care) to control both Bronze Birch Borer and Japanese Beetle.
Birch trees need moisture. They also like acidic soil. Alkaline soils, summer heat and the lack of moisture can all combine to create a cholorotic condition in your birch. You can determine if your tree is chlorotic by looking at the leaves. If they are yellow with green veins they are chlorotic. Severe chlorotic conditions will cause a tree to decline and ultimately die. It's best to deep water your birches every 2-3 weeks. Appling a cheleated elemental iron fertilizer may also help.
More Related Questions & Answers...