Making sure the trees on your commercial property remain healthy should always be one of your top priorities. The health of your trees can impact the overall health of your landscaping. Plus, trees are often the most visible feature of your business’s landscaping, which means they make the first impression with your visiting clients, potential residents, or new customers. If your trees look like they’re one step from death, what does that say about your business?
Unfortunately, tree care isn’t easy, especially when it comes to spotting tree diseases. However, knowing the most common tree diseases in Southern California can help businesses and commercial property owners better recognize when a tree on their property is suffering from an ailment.
Most Common Tree Diseases in Southern California
There are a wide range of tree diseases both throughout the world and here in Southern California. The following are the most common tree diseases in Southern California:
- Sudden Oak Death – This disease stems from a specific water mold. It was first discovered in the 1990s. The mold spreads to trees via rain and wind. When trees develop Sudden Oak Death, cankers form on them. The cankers produce a red-colored sap that breaks down the tree’s health. This alone can kill the tree. However, if the tree survives the cankers and sap, Sudden Oak Death often attracts pests, such as beetles, which kill the tree. Trees with Sudden Oak Death also spread spores, which can lead to other trees developing the disease.
- Fire Blight – Fire Blight impacts pome fruit trees. Examples include pear, quince, apple, and loquat trees. It is a bacterial disease that thrives in warm weather and often strikes in the spring when the trees are blooming. Fire Blight can devastate trees, including causing cankers, killing fruit and leaves, deforming branches (turning branches dark and hook-shaped), and making a tree’s exterior appear as though it has been scorched. In addition, bacteria oozes from trees with Fire Blight, allowing rain, wind, and insects to pass it on to other trees and infect them with the disease.
- Dutch Elm Disease – This tree disease was accidentally brought to North America in the 1930s. The disease decimated millions of elm trees nationwide. Dutch Elm Disease can cause a tree’s branches and leaves to wilt. It can also cause a tree’s leaves to turn yellow, curl, and later turn dark brown. In addition, Dutch Elm Disease can cause a tree to develop brown streaks in its vessels, which are visible if the bark is removed. Younger elm trees can die of Dutch Elm Disease within a couple of months, and the disease can kill older trees within a couple of years. Humans can unintentionally help spread Dutch Elm Disease from tree to tree. Beetles can also help the disease spread. Because of how easily the disease can spread, only professionals should handle dealing with a tree with Dutch Elm Disease.
Get in Touch with Our Tree Care Experts Today!
For over half a century, Stay Green has been a go-to commercial landscaping service for countless businesses throughout Southern California. Our tree care specialists have helped many customers whose trees were suffering because of diseases, pests, or drought. We understand what it takes to properly care for trees at their best and worst. The following are the commercial tree care services we provide:
- Tree health assessments
- Annual tree care and management plans
- Drought defense
- Pest control
- Tree feeding and fertilization
- Tree pruning
- Tree hazard evaluations
- Cabling and bracing
- Tree and stump removal
For more information about tree care, or to discuss your situation with our tree care experts, give us a call at (800) 741-9150 or contact us online today. Complimentary estimates available. Check out our reviews and photo gallery to learn more about Stay Green and why our customers love us!