How Do You Identify Root Rot In Trees And How Do You Save A Tree That's Infected?
If a tree on your property looks stressed from drought and isn't recovering no matter how much you water it, it may be suffering from root rot. Root rot is caused when fungus in the soil starts eating the tree's roots. It's often the result of too much moisture in the soil, which causes the soil to swell and suffocate the tree's roots, preventing them from taking up any oxygen and causing them to die. Fungus starts to eat the dead roots and spreads further throughout the root system. To learn how you can identify root rot in trees and how you can save an infected tree, read on.
How Do You Identify Root Rot?
Since root rot slowly kills the root system of a tree and stops it from taking up enough moisture from the soil, it causes symptoms similar to drought stress. A tree's leaves will become small and discolored, and its crown will start thinning out. New leaf growth will be slow to come in since it's not able to get enough water from the soil.
When a tree has root rot, you may also see it spreading up the trunk of the tree. The fungus can cause brown or black lesions near the base of the tree as it spreads up the trunk. You may also see fungus popping up from the soil around the tree or from its trunk. Finally, if you dig up some of the roots around the tree, they'll appear discolored and shriveled if the tree has root rot.
How Do You Save a Tree That's Infected With Root Rot?
You can easily save a young tree that has root rot by digging it up and transplanting it to better soil. Removing the entire root system and cutting off all of the rotted roots will stop the fungus from spreading, and planting the tree in soil that drains better will prevent the roots from decaying and leading to a new fungal infection.
Saving older trees is more difficult since you can't dig up their entire root system. To stop the infection, you'll need to make the soil around the tree less hospitable to fungus. Stop watering the tree so that the soil can dry out and apply a copper-based fungicide to the soil around the tree's trunk. If you start treatment early and stop fungus from growing on the roots, you can often save the tree.
If you think that one of the trees on your property is suffering from root rot, call a tree service in your area and have it checked out. A tree service will dig up some of the roots around the base of the tree to see if they're infected by fungus. If the tree is infected, they'll come up with a treatment plan that can slow down the spread of the fungus and give your tree a chance of recovery.
Contact a local tree service to learn more.