As his profile tells us, ash maple is one of the non-native maple species. Acer negundo is correspondingly susceptible to European plant diseases. This guide highlights typical symptoms of common infections with tips for combating them in a practical and understandable way.
What diseases affect the ash maple and how do you combat them?
Typical diseases of the ash maple are powdery mildew, which appears as white-gray down on the leaves, and maple scab, which is recognizable as black spots with a yellow edge. Fight mildew with milk water, remove infected wood and destroy fallen leaves to prevent wrinkled scab.
White-gray down on the leaves signals fungal infection
What a horror when the distinctive pinnate leaves on the ash maple are covered with a whitish-gray coating. If the fuzz can be wiped off with your fingers, there is no longer any doubt as to the cause of the problem. Powdery mildew is one of the most common diseases that can be complained about on Acer negundo and its beautiful varieties. How to combat fungal infestation:
- Cut back affected plant parts down to he althy wood
- Dispose of infected leaves and shoots in household waste or burn them
- Make a solution from 1 liter of water and 1/8 liter of fresh milk
- Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid and pour into a spray bottle
Treat the entire tree with the milk water two to three times a week. In the early stages, the home remedy has proven to be effective in combating powdery mildew.
Maple wrinkle scab also speaks American
Its North American origins do not protect ash maple from widespread maple disease. The symptoms look more dramatic than the disease actually is. This is how you recognize the infestation and react correctly:
- Slightly raised, black spots with a yellow edge appear on living leaves
- The affected tree initiates an early autumn with massive leaf fall
The cause of tar spot disease, as maple scab is often called, are fungal spores from the group of ascomycetes. Since the pathogens can only reproduce on the fallen leaves, you can prevent a new infestation with a simple measure. If you collect and destroy all the leaves, the development cycle will be interrupted and your ash maple will be spared in the coming year.
Tip
There is little hope for an ash maple if leaves and shoots wilt in places while neighboring regions of the crown appear he althy. This symptom is typical of the dreaded Verticillium wilt. The fungal pathogens attack the tree from the roots and block the supply channels. The subsequent disease cannot be stopped by any known fungicides.
