“Ask the Plant and Pest Professor” is compiled from phone and email questions asked the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), part of University of Maryland Extension, an educational outreach of the University of Maryland.
Question #1: Something is eating the leaves of my cherry laurels. The leaves are riddled with tiny holes. Perhaps it is some type of caterpillar. What can I do to stop this damage?
Answer #1: Cherry laurels are susceptible to many leaf spot diseases. One is commonly called ‘shot hole’ because the infected tissue dries up and falls out causing the tiny holes you describe. Mild, wet spring and early summer weather promotes this leaf spot. Rake up and dispose of infected leaves that fall off the plants. The disease is not serious but causes cosmetic damage. Spraying with a fungicide is not practical as the spraying regiment begins when the new leaves emerge and continues every two weeks or so throughout the summer.
Question #2: I have a fig tree that is about 15 years old and about 15 feet tall. It was very healthy and I never had any problems with it. In fact, last summer it produced bushels of figs. This spring the branches are totally brown and they break off easily. It didn’t leaf out at all and seems completely dead. Is there any chance that it could recover from the roots or should we consider it a loss?
Answer #2: Many calls and email questions (you can send us questions through our website) have been coming into our office concerning fig trees. The harsh winter has caused severe die back as figs are marginally hardy in Maryland. If you do not see any new growth from the branches or the base of the tree it is most likely dead. If the tree produces new growth from the base in the next few weeks, remove the dead branches and nurture the emerging young shoots. It will take at least until next summer for the tree to produce a crop of figs. Provide winter protection to the new shoots in December.
Question #3: Two years ago my silver maple lost a limb in a storm and left a large opening in the side of the tree. Now I am seeing carpenter ants crawling up and down the tree near where the damage is. What can I do to treat the tree so the carpenter ants do not cause further problems?
Answer#3: Carpenter ant activity in your tree can be an indication that your maple has some type of rot. Carpenter ants do not target healthy trees. The ants are a secondary problem and an indication that you should have the tree looked at by a certified arborist. The major concern for the tree is that there may be internal decay. This can be a serious problem and even a reason to have the tree removed.
To ask a home gardening or pest control question or for other help, go to https://extension.umd.edu/hgic Or phone HGIC at 1-800-342-2507, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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