Pam - gardengal wrote:


"Mike LaMana" fake@MikeatHeartwoodConsultingdotnet wrote in message
...
I am no fan of chemicals - by a LONG shot - but I respectfully disagree.
It
is most possible to bring declining flowering dogwoods around. The disease
organism seems to be on the decline in many parts of the east in native
woodlands. I am guessing that there may be a hyporvirulizing agent that
attacks the fungus, as is often true of American chestnut blight.

Feel free to disagree all you want - however, your experience with dogwoods
springing back from this disease does not match mine. Or any number of local
certified arborists, tree diagnosticians or forestry personnel. Perhaps it
may be due to regional differences with this specific pathogen, however a
mature eastern or native dogwood in this area infected with anthracnose is
merely a casuality waiting to happen despite whatever treatment options one
chooses to follows. Once contracted, the trees never recover, although the
actual decline and death can be delayed with proper care. If you could in
fact bring them back to health, I'd say your services would be very much in
demand.


Some notes from coastal N. Carolina....

Here, the large majority of C. florida in landscapes are sick,
seemingly from a combination of anthracnose, alternating
drought and overly wet conditions, and occasional salt spray
and winds from hurricanes. I have never seen one come back,
though I *have* seen a specimen or two in sheltered areas that
have not succumbed. (Probably someone should clone one of
them.) Also, when one drives away from the coast 30 to 40
miles, the proportion surviving is much greater.

To my amazement, people are still adding them to new beds or
landscapes. They die.

I would like to believe that as Mike L. said, the disease may
be diminishing, at least in some habitats. These are
beautiful trees. However, the recovery is not yet in evidence
here on the coast. We recently removed 8 specimens that were
getting sicker after a few years of care (though not
application of systemic fungicides). It probably doesn't help
that there are plenty of sycamores nearby, all of which seem
to carry some level of anthracnose or something similar.


Mike Prager
Beaufort, NC (on the coast in zone 8a)
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