Junipers vs. Cercospora Needle Blight - Surrender or Fight On?

TBm

LOL

And point taken regarding the advisability of waiting to decide until Oct 15.

Thanks for the reply and I look forward to reading your insights later on.

Tom

TBm

Well, the NRD agent stopped by today.

He said my junipers are in surprisingly good shape (compared to the norm) but that's only because I've devoted my life to spraying them over the past two summers.

When I asked him to take a close look at a dying bough that appears different than Cercosprora Needle Blight symptoms, he just kinda laughed and said, "Why? It doesn't matter 'cause their all gonna die anyway..." He says there is not one known example of a RockyMtn Juniper surviving on its own in the entire state.

His recommendations:
Once CNB takes hold of any Rocky Mountain Juniper located in Eastern Nebraska, it can't be stopped. It will kill the tree. The best I can hope to do is slow it down. He recommends that I stop spraying and just leave the trees in place while I sell the house. Cut out any that die off (cut them even with the soil and let nature rot out the stump) and tell potential buyers that the junipers will have to be replaced with something else, probably sooner than later.

Unfortunately, my NRD agent is suffering from bone cancer - a good guy, too, and very knowledgeable. He's convinced the cancer is the result of his spraying Agent Orange as part of his forestry work in the past. So he strongly suggests not spraying any chemicals, anymore, ever.

I'm taking his advice.

I spent a lot of time this week talking with and emailing several fungicide (suicide?) mfrs, trying to figure what, if anything, really can stop CNB in Rocky Mtn Juniper (in Eastern Nebraska). After two years of searching and struggling, I conclude that NOTHING will cure the disease, and nothing will even control the disease. The best I can hope for is to slow the disease, but that means I have to take a five-hour chemical shower every ten days from May through October.

I'm done with it. Let go, let God sez I. I'm gonna sell my remaining CLEVIS Fungicide on Ebay and stop worrying about all this. I just hope I don't start glowing in the dark several years from now

Tom

Brent Ferris

Hi Tom

Generally when I dig out small stumps (like yours) I leave a 6 ft length of trunk to help with leverage. THe job can be a challenge.

Glad to hear you've given up on the chemicals - I think the copper fungicide was the best bet, but disease is almost impossible to control. No doubt your agent was skewed on chemicals after his experience. There is a product that shreds the fibre found in pectin, and allows it to be absorbed into the bloodstream that helps to slow and contain cancer cells. MIght want to pass info on to him,.

Prob the main reason we can't control disease is we don't put enough research into finding how the disease works and what it is sensitive to -- natural agents. Most $$ go for chemical warfare.

Good Luck with the house sale.,

__________________
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)

TBm

THN/Brent ==

You know I'm flying entirely "by the seat of my pants" but your suggestion for leaving a 6-foot stump is exactly what I've been doing when cutting out smaller trees on this property (I started doing it after finding how easy it was to push over a tree that had died relatively recently). The juniper trunks split into multiple small trunks/branches about 18" up, so I can't use the technique in their case.

I'm not "green" but I am a student of cause-and-effect, and I see no point in "fighting nature" because Nature always wins in the end. With that in mind, years ago I just let Nature grow whatever trees she wanted to, and annually cut out the ones that don't suit my needs. Recently I realized just how much trees compete for sunlight. They do some amazing things to dominate (and destroy) their competition. So this fall I've been cutting out a LOT of smaller trees (up to 3" trunks) to make room for the remaining trees to grow properly. There are twelve 6-foot "sentries" scattered across the property right now. LOL, great minds think alike!

PHILOSOPHY:
As I've watched the trees battle one another, and watched wife-planted wild flowers kill off the grass they replace (unintended consequence) and watch vines potentially kill entire trees in their quest for sunlight (I always intervene on behalf of the tree) I realize that competition is absolutely natural. It's an intrinsic aspect of living on the planet and therefor is probably a life lesson required by The Almighty. Those in society who attempt to stamp out competition in the interest of Political Correctness and "leveling the playing field" are fulla crap. We need to speak out against their nonsense and promote good-natured competition in our children. I believe this is happening naturally through an awakening in the U.S population and throughout the world. I hope so. As I stated before, Nature wins in the end...every time.

EPILOGUE:
It's very hard for me to give up entirely on the Junipers, despite knowing they're doomed. I think I might cut out every other tree to provide needed light and air, the lack of which is conducive to Cercospora Needle Blight flourishing. Then maybe spray the CLEVIS (which is actually supposed to be pretty innocuous) on a 14-day schedule. The spraying chore should be a lot less taxing and time consuming with just half as many trees - and being able to circle around each tree should make the spray coverage more effective, maybe...

I agree with you regarding the misspending on chemical "solutions' to agro and human diseases. I frequently experiment on my self with good homeopathic results (knock wood). And I think you're probably right regarding the NRD agent's anti-chem perspective. That's one reason I might try cutting out every other tree - because I wonder if his perspective is somewhat negative overall, due to his personal health concerns. Perhaps the Junipers are not quite as terminal as he thinks...

And thanks for the well wishes on selling this place. I've been workin' me arse off all through the autumn and it's shaping up nicely. If only I could figure out where to live after the sale...

Brent Ferris

I believe thinning the trees out to minimize the conditions conducive to the disease is a great start. And just because there are no known cases of junipers surviving, doesn't mean yours can't be the first. After all, they used to say if you were diagnosed with cancer, you died. And then some people said no, and some of them survived. Your diligence may yet pay off.

Stump wise - you can either keep the biggest stem (if the diameter is at least 60% of the diameter of the original grouping) or tie the stems together to act as a single stem.

As far as the house sale, where to go is easy - go where there are jobs. Just hard to say where that is. The recession (at least in Canada) is supposed to have been over since June 2009, but I've just seen things get worse.

Best of Luck, Brent

PS What kind of work do you do?

__________________
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)

TBm

Thanks, Brent. Fingers crossed re positive results from removing every other tree.

I've been a Jack of All Trades all my life. Residential remodeling, millwork sales, teaching, web design, editorial illustration, audio editing, industrial design/new product development... I know it sounds KER-AZY. My only explanation is that I'm highly creative and get extremely restless/bored doing "the same old thing".

It's been a rough ride financially, but sitting at some desk without benefit of worthwhile challanges would eat me alive. I work hard and always take pride in what I do. My wife and I ran a successful business for 13 years based on her unique credentials, but in our recent divorce, she took the business with her.

That bites, and unfortunately Obama's intentional destruction of the US economy (see Cloward-Piven Strategy) has dried up every potential opportunity I can think of (so far).

THAT, my friend, is why I'm at a loss as to where to relocate once this house is sold. Onward and Upward is my only choice, and I am a guy who wants challenges, so I can't complain. Of course, if you have any suggestions, fire away. I consider long shots just as seriously as so-called "sure bets"...

Tom

PS. Regarding the Recession in Canada and most other socio-political-economic issues, here's a great Canadian source of alternative information. Many Americans look to CFP for straight talk about U.S. issues - information our own propogandist media withholds from us.

Brent Ferris

Sounds liked you can do pretty much anything you set your mind to -- gives you a lot more choices than most people.

__________________
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)

TBm

It's a double-edged sword at best, but I sure appreciate the positive perspective!