Ok - I admit I'm not a huge gardener. But am facing dilemma as an obviously diseased sycamore tree in a next door garden appears to be passing it's disease into my garden. Now my bay tree has similar 'symptoms' - small white spots (looks like mould) have started to appear on the trunk. Leaves are now turning brown and falling off.

Does anyone know what this is and if there is anything I can do about it?

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 11:36:51 +0000, Boat Elf
wrote:


Ok - I admit I'm not a huge gardener. But am facing dilemma as an
obviously diseased sycamore tree in a next door garden appears to be
passing it's disease into my garden. Now my bay tree has similar
'symptoms' - small white spots (looks like mould) have started to
appear on the trunk. Leaves are now turning brown and falling off.

Does anyone know what this is and if there is anything I can do about
it?

Can you describe it a bit more? Size? Texture? Have you touched
these white spots which turn brown? Sounds like a type of mealy-bug
which I get some years onsome of my bonsai trees,(including acer which
is related to sycamore) which is controlled by an insecticide spray.

Pam in Bristol

Boat Elf wrote in message
...

Ok - I admit I'm not a huge gardener. But am facing dilemma as an
obviously diseased sycamore tree in a next door garden appears to be
passing it's disease into my garden. Now my bay tree has similar
'symptoms' - small white spots (looks like mould) have started to
appear on the trunk. Leaves are now turning brown and falling off.

Does anyone know what this is and if there is anything I can do about
it?


--
Boat Elf

Hi Boat Elf,

I have exactly the same problem with a sycamore overhanging my garden and my
mature bay tree.

Nothing you can do about the sycamore, therefore you'll always have the
problem with your bay. I clean up my bay tree's trunk by rubbing vigorously
whilst wearing strong leather gloves. It's simple, environmentally
friendly, and works. It's trickier doing the same thing with smaller
branches, but still worthwhile provided you can reach them.

Spraying may be possible, but not if you intend using the leaves in cooking.
If you really want to spray, ask your garden centre what they recommend.
Biofenthrin (sp?) used to be the insecticide of choice, but I don't know if
it's been withdrawn. Although I don't choose to apply chemicals, IF I did,
I would be looking for a water-on systemic insecticide. With a mature tree,
a contact chemical would be difficult to apply to higher branches.

Hope this helps.
Spider

Thank you for your replies.

The spots are small (less than a centimetre diameter) on my bay tree and grow a little larger on the Sycamore (maybe nearly 1cm) and look as though they do grow brown (not on my bay tree yet). I'll check out texture over the weekend.

I can certainly get rubbing and I'll speak to someone at a nursery to see what they suggest - I certainly do love me cookin' with fresh herbs.

I just hope they don't spread to my olive trees.

Hopefully the Sycamore will at some point get chopped down - working on that presently, as they are stopping my tan in this lovely weather!