Green ash trouble

gremlin246

I planted a green ash about 1 year ago, and it did great through the first year. This year however, over half of the branches didn't leaf out (mainly on the lower half of the tree), and much of the tree is covered in flaky scales.

I've included link to a couple of pics. Can anyone tell me what this problem is, and is there anything I can do to help the tree?

Thanks for the help.

Attached Thumbnails

     

pcarborist

You've got scale and a heavy infestation at that. If you don't do something quick the tree will die. Because the tree is small I would recommend try wiping the scale off with a glove or a rag. If you can't mechanically remove them all then I would spray what is left on the tree with horticultural oil. The most effective way to control scale is to monitor for the crawler stage then apply a contact pesticide like Astro. This requires constant monitoring and is time consuming. If you don't think you want to bother with monitoring for crawlers you could treat the tree with a systemic like Imidicloprid which goes by the tradename Merit. The sooner the better because systemics can take time for the tree to uptake. Hope that helps.

__________________
parkcityarborist

gremlin246

I was able to wipe most of the flaky scale off with a rag, and then I sprayed it down with a horticulture oil spray. The bottle says I can reapply in 30 days, so I'll try that and see how the tree responds.

How long do the treatment usually take before they began to take effect?

The lower branches haven't leafed out, but they're still green underneath the bark. Should I prune them off, or wait to see if anything happens later in the year?

Any other tips?

Thanks for the help.

Garry Brockley

is there any reason why the central leader has been removed and co dominants allowed to grow. as this tree gets to maturity it will probably get serious problems in the crown.

__________________

gremlin246

This is how the tree came from the nursery.

Garry Brockley

Ok and you will need to move the stake away from the tree to establish a strong tree, there are two ways of doing it either put a stake 1 ft either side and put a strap loosely from each one to hold it while it grows or put a stake at 45 deg from the top attachment point in the photo into the ground and attach loosely.

__________________

treevet

Also, that tree has no future if not rid of the scale. What you took off that was flakey was dead bodies. Live scale live under dead bodies and breed so persistence is needed to eradicate this or they will kill that young tree.

Eric Frei

We use a white oil here, spray the heck out of it really well, leave overnight and gently hose off ... repeat in a few days.

The oil coats the scale and they die (asphysixation). But like Treevet says, gotta repeat to get the dug in mongrels.
Don't go water blasting the tree either, hurts it!

__________________

gremlin246

Good advice. Thanks everyone.