By Web Editor
February 15, 2020
Find out what works and what does not in the battle against fungi.
Colorado blue spruce)
Much of our country has been inundated by flooding this spring. Nothing has been able to hold back the waters. Levees, dams, and sandbags have failed to stem the deluge. “Water wins!” Mary Beth Cunningham, a friend, neighbor, and lake-dweller, said while watching lake waters swell over docks and property.
All residents can do is sit by powerlessly while their lives sink under water. What is going on? What can we do about this, especially when fungus and mold follow on the heels of the floodwaters?
While on tour at Conifer Kingdom, Boring, OR, during our recent 2019 National Meeting, Tom Cox asked me what I wanted to know about conifers. As we walked among the rows of plants, I told him about what has been going on with needle cast on some of the conifers at my home in Adrian, MI; where, to date, it has rained more than 2/3 of the days of each month since April. His answer was simple, profound, and immediate: “It’s a drainage issue.”
Strategy Development in Conifer Fungal Warfare
A drainage issue? On the plane ride back to Detroit from Portland, OR, I passed some of the time going over what Tom had said. I live in USDA Zone 6b. Decades ago, my zone was listed as 5. The springs have become wetter.
The summers are now characterized by prolonged droughts. The winters are dotted with repeated polar vortexes. Are these elements of climate change, or is nature just running its course? Whatever the causal agent(s), what do I do to combat the negative effects of too much water on my conifers, if I can?
We humans are resourceful. Anthropologists and archaeologists have traced the progression and survival of humankind from isolated clusters of people, to migrations, to the development of tools, to the founding of cities and nation-states. Brainpower and knowledge are what have propelled us to where we are, and brainpower is what will save us, and our conifers.
With the help of others, I have developed a new planting strategy that should help all conifer lovers facing climatic changes. I came by this through trial and error and good luck.
Connecting the Black Dots: Fungal Diseases in Conifers
Several years ago I saw black dots on the
needles of several of the conifers that I had planted in low-lying areas of my property. Experts told me that fungus was the culprit. One nurseryman even performed an unsolicited inspection of my garden. He offered to “take care of the fungus” for
$4,700 dollars per year. He also told me that there would be no guarantee that the conifers would survive the anti-fungus treatment.
My go-to horticulturist, Steve Courtney (ACS National Office Manager), responded to my query about the
value of the fungus-eradication program with, “It is a waste of money!” I abandoned the expensive remedy and bought two chainsaws instead, one regular one and one on a pole. However, the question lingered as to how this fungus problem started. What
was the beginning?
The Relationship between Fungi, Conifers, and Humans
I threw myself into fungus-research. Fungi have been part of the life of the Earth for over a billion and
a half years. There are close to 3.5-million species of fungus on the planet. That is a daunting number. Fungi attack plants and humans alike. For example, Claviceps purpurea (rye ergot fungus), causes ergot poisoning, which, in turn, has
been linked to the historical cause of aberrant and hallucination-induced behavior in humans, specifically in those individuals labeled witches and werewolves.
Temporal and secular records of trials from such post-flood areas along the
riverbeds of Medieval Europe and into the 16th Century provided researchers the bases for their findings. The Berserker of Scandinavia were subject to the hallucinating effects of fungus, too. Those warriors consumed the mushroom Amantia muscaria (fly agaric), known for its mind-altering effects, in order to rev up their battle-frenzy, der Berserkergang. They fought like men possessed. Fungus on conifers causes the trees to go berserk, so-to-speak, performing a Totentanz, a dance of death.
The needles of conifers turn purple, brown, and then abscission drops the needles to the ground where they re-infect the trees.
Needle Cast Fungal Disease in Conifers
Two specific fungi, Rhizosphaera kalkhoffii (Rhizosphaera
needle cast) and Stigmina lautii (Stigmina needle cast) are needle cast agents. The fungi grow after excessive water, warmth, and lack of sufficient drying time. However, there may be remedies.
Jack Wikle, ACS member and bonsai
curator at Hidden Lake Gardens (Tipton, MI), advised me in 2009 to plant conifers high. He even suggested that I bury drainage tile around the rootballs of conifers to keep the trees from sitting in a clay-bowl of water. I followed his advice.
Then I met Jared Weaver, ACS member, former Board member, and City Arborist/ Forester for Bowling Green, KY. Jared has written about the natural dropping of the seeds of trees onto the surface of the ground by birds and wind. Roots begin growing
on the surface and, then, reach down into soil. His knowledge challenges the notion that rootballs of trees should be buried below grade or even at grade. Conifers stand a better chance of survival if they are planted high, not in volcanoes, but on
the top of slight mounds, above grade, 1-2 inches.
A 3-Pronged Strategy to Fungi Control in Conifers
Then came the analysis Tom Cox provided me. Combine that with the advice of
Jack Wikle and Jared Weaver, and we ACS members have and can share this three-pronged response to fungus-causing conifer demise with the general public.
We wrap conifers with burlap to ward off winter scald, erect screens around conifers,
plant the trees away from damaging environmental effects, correctly water the conifers in after planting, pay close attention to USDA zones. Now, we can recommend the need to provide proper drainage. If we cannot lick the water and fungus of the environment,
we can respond.
Plant certain species of conifers on a slope. Thank you, Tom.
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