Dutch Elm dropping all branch tips

jo88gta

I live in central Florida and it's November, temperature is mid-70s to mid-80s. I have (what I was told) a Dutch Elm and over the past month it has been dropping all the tips of the branches, before turning color. As well, for a couple of years the bark gives the appearance of peeling and there are a few holes in the bark around the trunk in some areas. One last observation is the presence of a air-plant looking growth, that seems to be attached in various spots around the tree. (please see attached pictures-img 0615.jpg)

Could someone tell me if there is a problem and what I can do to help my sick tree? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

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derwoodii

I think you have a Chinese elm there and so unlikely affected by dutch elm disease as not a known species for such. Unsure what the leaf shed issue is? they are semi deciduous trees in certain climates so it may be running up to your winter. The weird growth I will leave to others parasitic likely.
The bark peels in seasons and should be no issue the spots dunno
I'll let a local chime in as kinda to far away to be sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_parvifolia

Garry Brockley

Yes its a lacebark elm! the strange growth is what some people call an air plant or Epiphytic bromeliad they grow non parasitically but some times damage the outer cambium on smaller branches.
the tree looks to be buried a bit deep as the root flare is not fully visible,
as for the holes they look man made but local arbs will be able to give you a correct diagnosis.
hope this helps

__________________

jo88gta

Thank you so much for the replies. It obviously helps a lot to know exactly what kind of tree it is.

In regards to the tree beeing buried a bit to deep, it appears that way because I have put down one of those rubber mulch mats and real wood mulch over the top of that. I did this in an effort to fight back the weeds and St. Aug grass. Should I remove that rubber mulch mat and explose the root?

My biggest concern after your replies is the shedding of the branch tips, as you will notice it's not just dropping leaves, it drops the entire branch tip while still perfrectly green.

Again, THANK YOU!! You all are awsome.

Jeffrey Lovstrom

Not a fan of the rubber mat, they have problems and can hurt the tree. I have seen Lacebark elms look dead and later look great.
Jeff

GREENEE

Yes,
Remove the mat. Roots gotta breath to. Help with nitrogen into the soil from percolation.

jo88gta

Fantastic, on my way out to trash the mulch mat as soon as I'm done responding. Any additional tips or comments on the air plants and leaf droppings is appreciated.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Brent Ferris

Branch droppings looks a lot like wind damage. Are the ends of the twigs solid, brittle, softer/harder than normal. Do they look cut, chewed, broken ....COuld also be a small animal cutting off ends for a nest. Bigger branches, likely storm damage or vandalism.
The first pic reminds me of sapsucker (kind of woodpecker, that bangs a hole takes a sip of sap, bangs another, and so on) -- they typically put in holes horizontally like that, can damage the tree is there are a lot of holes eg around the trunk, or en masse. Mountain ash seems highly favoured in our area, and if the bird likes the tree can come back year after year. Doesn't seem to affect the tree's health or growth much in small numbers, just the owner.

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jmcg.insight.gardens

Hi jo88gta,

the air plant is most probably Tillandsia recurvata.

jo88gta

Ok, you all are fantastic. I was confused when a few of you said the problem was vandalism, well you were right. I finally caught the vandals in the act. Squirrels!!! A whole family of young squirrels are breaking off all the branch tips. A am using a all natural repellant that seemed to work for a few days, but I believe they are jumping from the neighbors roof and bypassing the repellant. I don't want to hurt the squirrels, just keep them away. Any ideas?

Also, will the Tillandsia recurvata hurt the trees? My yard maintenance person says he has something to kill them and that they will eventually destroy the branches/trees if I don't do something.

Seasons Greetings!

Jeffrey Lovstrom

Attach a fake owl in the tree.
Jeff

Brent Ferris

You could trim the tree branch(es) to interrupt the highway; sometimes a piece of galvanized steel on the roof will deter them, since they can't hold on; maybe fake owls work for jeffswede - I have never noticed a lasting effect. But a real owl or a hawk or a tree snake -- even a cat - they all work really well.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

Eden Keeper

Chinese elm, Ulmus parvifolia Jacq., also known as lacebark elm due to the bark pattern, is planted for Dutch elm disease resistance, fast growth, and quick profit due to the ease of propagation (more on that later). The lack of species diversity in street plantings was the reason Dutch elm disease became so infamous when about 99.995% of the contiguously planted American elm, U. americana L., trees died.

Sapsucker wells are used by hummingbirds, attract supplemental insect prey, and probably even led to the discovery of maple syrup. The messy squirrels are after the clusters of winged seed (a type of fruit known as a samara), and will be gone once the wind scatters the samaras, but a bigger concern may be the resulting seedlings since Chinese elm is weedy (thus I would never plant it). Similarly winged elm, U. alata Michx., a (less) weedy elm native to North America, is considered an invasive exotic in parts of Europe. Most elms fruit before the leaves emerge in the spring, but September elm, U. serotina Sarg., is another exception that fruits in autumn thus this is the most definitive way to identify it. Interestingly I finally found one to nominate for the Alabama State Champion this fall because squirrels had cut twigs the same way.

The epiphytic bromeliads, including Spanish moss, are generally not a concern unless trapping excessive moisture on branches thus causing problems like mulch touching the trunk would. There could even be a native epiphytic orchid. In tropical rain forest some trees actually depend on epiphytes to help develop and hold soil on the branches where the trees then grow roots that are able to extract more nutrients than possible from the ground where the soil is leached by rain.

It is a red flag to me anytime somebody eagerly recommends an optional service, or (if requested) willingly performs unnecessary services especially if there are potentially detrimental consequences such as for spraying and illegitimate services like tree topping (lopping all large branches). The worst example I've encountered is an unlicensed landscaper who includes time released fertilizer activation in an omnibus contract thus obligating clients to pay $50 (USD) per week just for that service even if they later want to opt out after realizing it consist of only spraying a few gallons of water. The same goes for those who sell exotic weeds. If a license or permit is required to offer a service always check for and only hire those with the credentials, otherwise, few honest and knowledgeable professionals can stay in business.

jo88gta

WOW! Thank you so much for the in-depth analysis on what is going on with my Elm. In regards to my yard maintenance guy mentioning a substance to eliminate the epiphytic bromeliads, I pressed him for help. His response was this was not his area of expertise and that he would check into removing them. I had a couple of branches (seen in picture) that appearred to have died because of the epiphytic bromeliads. I didn't want him to get a bad rap because of my ingnorance.

This forum is great and you all are awsome. Happy Holidays and thanks again.