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Birch in Trouble

  • Thread starter zac
  • Start date
Hey everyone,

I have a non-CP related post regarding my mother's poor birch tree. It began budding a few weeks ago and for some reason did not bud on the top half of the tree. It is only a few years old so it may not be strong enough to pull through on half power. Here's a pic of the damage:



Any suggestions or ideas as to what might be happening and how to fix it?

Thanks in advance,

Zac
 
Has anyone used any lawn chemicals nearby? Trees are just another broadleaf weed to a bag of weed & feed (the crack cocaine of the Lawn Ranger set).
 
haha her neighbours two doors down spray on an almost biweekly basis to keep their grass green. Any chance of that being the cause...

Zac

p.s. still open to more suggestions
 
What species?
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What zone are you in? these are important because there are certain problems that affect these plants pat a certain zone
 
Guelph is 5A as far as zoning goes, not really an expert on birches so I can't really do more than guess at the species. Since there are only a few birch species I would have to go with White birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.).

Thanks guys,

Zac
 
It could be a gray birch (although think it's a paper birch too) but either way Zone 5 should be fine. But how much sun does it get? I don't think paper birches like shade at all.
 
Full sun, if anything too much sun. It definately gets all it needs in terms of sun and water. She has two neighbours across the street who have 2 and 1 birch(es) respectively, and they're thriving.

A Very Puzzled Zac
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It looks to me like european white birch. Could you post a pic of one of the few remaining leaves? Aeither way, both are very succeptable to Bronze birch borer when growing in stressfull conditions. Check the trunk for borer exit holes. This borer is often fatal
 
I think you hit it right on the head Finch, Bronze Birch Bore. Typically the only way to stop them is by painting a band of Malathion around the trunk in the spring every year. It then travels through the vascular system and keeps the bore from wreaking total havok. There may be something newer that works like Merit but always check your labels of better yet call in a pro. Trees are just like CP's, you don't know exactly what will work for you until you kill a few !
 
  • #10
Definately sounds like the borer after a little background reading. Here is the leaf if you want to confirm the species:



Guess we lost this one guys. Thanks everyone for your input,

Zac
 
  • #11
Yup, European white birch, one of THE most succeptable to this native pest as it has no resistance.

As a replacement, if you are looking for another birch, plant native, as our natives are more resistandt.

Plant River birch. It is the only birch completely resistant to borers

I reccomend the superior clone 'heritage'

Read this link here - here is a quote from it "The three most common birch species grown in urban environments in America are paper birch, European white birch and the heat-tolerant river birch. River Birch, or Betula nigra, seems to be the only birch truly adapted to the hardships of urban conditions. Especially the Heritage™ or "Cully" cultivar. This tree stands up to heat and a deadly birch borer which can become a real problem with other birch species planted under city conditions and subject to pruning and other intrusive forms of landscape management."


River Birch 'Heritage' - The 2002 Urban Tree of the Year
 
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