Sir Speedy

Heys guys and gals.

I have been looking around the yard trying to find a J. Virginiana to adopt and train. All the ones I can find right now have this strange orange crust and grey dead branches. I did some looking around on the web and it doesn't look like apple cedar rust, not globby/wooden balls.

I will try to get back out there and take a picture of it, but it will probably be tomorrow before I can do that.

Hopefully someone can help me out.

Michel

Hi,

probably a fungal infection;

a picture would help, though . . .

__________________
Greetz,
Michel

dankone

it is a fungal infection, and it is extremely common in red cedar. it probably is cedar apple rust. it will form galls and powder spores on the twigs and crotches of the branches. it can also be found as a gelatinous form. e.r.c. also is subject to tip blight which could be the cause for some of the dead branches. another pesky problem with e.r.c. is the bagworm, they are an insect that eats the needles and uses them to make a casing that looks like a ''pine cone''.

Sir Speedy

I can't upload pictures from my phone but will try to get some soon on a real camera.

If it turns out to be fungal, or rust, is any way of getting rid of it other than moving the tree or the offender? Neither are viable options partly because there is no way of knowing who is the offender.

dankone

the rust is fungal. does it look like an orange powder? there are fungicides that can help. if the outbreak isnt bad u can wash it off and remove the spores, but it will most likely come back. vigilance is good. if it is in gall form remove them as soon as u detect them. these species of trees almost always have this. it is almost symbiotic. i have collected tons of e.r.c. and have seen this on almost 85% of the ones i collected. they are all now free of the fungus, but i do notice from time to time that it tries to come back, and i just keep removing it. they are all healthy and doing extremely well. i dont have a camera otherwise i could show. in my area of the country these trees number in the billions it would seem. i also air layer realy nice branches on older more matured foliage from very old e.r.c.

Sir Speedy

I have millions of these around here as well, at least 9 that I have seen in my almost 1 acre of property. All varying sizes from about +20 ft al the way down to less than 1ft.

I was able to get most of the crust off using an old toothbrush. I found some recipes for natural fungicides online that I am going to try hopefully stop it spreading.

You mentioned airlayering E.R.C.'s, how long does it typically take for the roots to form and harden?

dankone

depends usually only like 6-7 months, sometimes longer.