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Loving Your Little Landscape

I have never been a natural gardener. For years, I struggled to keep basic houseplants alive, only to kill them at the first opportunity. It was difficult and stressful to buy a home with a yard, but I knew that I might be able to learn what I was doing wrong and correct the problem. To start off, I focused heavily on the lawn, and tried hard to keep it trimmed and well-maintained. Next, I cleaned up the flowerbeds. It was a lot of work, but I knew that it would pay off in the end. When I was done, my front yard was gorgeous, and guess what--it even stayed alive. This blog is all about loving your little landscape.

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Loving Your Little Landscape

4 Signs Of Dutch Elm Disease

by Charlotte White

If you have a yard full of elm trees, you probably love relaxing in their shade. You also probably know that elm trees are susceptible to dutch elm disease, but you might not know what a tree diseased with dutch elm disease looks like. You should know the signs and symptoms of dutch elm disease in your elm trees.

Yellowing Or Wilting Of Leaves

Dutch elm disease is a vascular disease, and it prevents the proper nutrients from getting from the leaves to the roots of the tree. One of the earliest signs that your tree is infected with dutch elm disease is the yellowing, wilting or both of your tree's leaves. As the disease progresses, the leaves will eventually turn brown and fall off of the tree. If you notice that there are large swathes of dead, brown leaves in your yard and it's not fall, your tree is probably infected with dutch elm disease.

Wilted Branches

As the disease progresses, it starts to impact the branches. Large bunches of branches that are infected with dutch elm disease will start to bend downward and wilt much like the leaves start to wilt. You will start to notice wilting branches after the leaves have started to wilt as the disease progresses from the leaves of the tree to the branches.

Dark Streaks On Bark

As the disease progresses, you might start to notice dark streaking across your tree's branches. This is because dutch elm disease causes the vessels that conduct water in the tree to turn a dark brown color, resulting in dark brown streaks. These streaks can also be observed if you peel back the bark on the trunk of the tree, but usually will not be visible on the exterior of the tree's trunk.

Dead Roots

If you don't catch the disease fast enough, your tree's roots will die. This is due to the wilting and death of the leaves, not allowing the roots to get adequate enough nutrition to keep them alive.  

If you catch dutch elm disease soon enough, it can be treated. However, it can have progressed so far that your tree can't be saved. If that is the case, you need to remove the tree either by yourself or with the help of a tree removal service. If you notice that any of your elm trees have dutch elm disease, start treating them before it is too late and the tree must be removed. Contact a business, such as Mead Tree & Turf Care Inc, for more information.   

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