Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Wednesday - June 07, 2006
From: Coppell, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Diagnosis of problems with Texas ash
Answered by: Joe Marcus and Dean Garrett
QUESTION:
Our 15 year old Texas ash has less leaf production this year. It also has a small amount of algae on the trunk, and some of the branches have small white spots on it. Also, a few of the branches closest to the trunk have died. Any suggestion would be appreciated.ANSWER:
Possibilities:Fusicoccum Canker could cause branches to die and might be responsible for the white spots on the branches.
If by “algae” on the trunk you mean a fungus, a fungal rot like Varnish Fungus Rot or Sulfur Fungus Rot could be responsible; they can also cause limb death.
There are several foliar diseases of ashes that might have caused leaf loss, anthracnose being only the most common. It, however, has many symptoms that don't seem to match yours, based on your description.
This list of ash pests with diagnostic descriptions can help you match your symptoms with known ash diseases and get ideas about how to control them, and this discussion of White Ash contains an informative section toward the end about common diseases of that tree. Texas Ash (Fraxinus texana) is so closely related to White Ash (Fraxinus americana) that many taxonomists consider it to be just a variant of White Ash, so any information you find about White Ash will probably apply to your Texas Ash.
You might consider having your tree diagnosed by the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. You can contact your county office of the Texas Cooperative Extension to determine how to send a sample. Having an arborist look at your tree is another idea.
More Diseases and Disorders Questions
Mosquito repellent plant?
September 01, 2008 - I would like to know if there is a plant that keeps mosquitoes away. Thanks
view the full question and answer
Small tan balls on oak from Pipe Creek TX
May 21, 2014 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, our spanish oak is growing tan colored lumpy balls about the size and weight of a marshmallow..sometimes just one at the end of a short stem and sometimes 2-3 clumped together....
view the full question and answer
Failure to bud out of Shumard oaks in Floresville TX
April 16, 2010 - Question: I have a Shumard red oak (9-10ft tall) that I planted last October as its leaves were turning a brilliant red color. However, it's the only tree that did not bud this spring. I scraped t...
view the full question and answer
Redbud leaves turning yellow in mid-summer
July 13, 2012 - The leaves on our redbud trees are turning yellow. The yellow leaves are pale with no other spots and no dark veins. I don't know for sure which variety of redbud they are or how old they are (more t...
view the full question and answer
Controlling nematodes on lantana from San Antonio
September 19, 2012 - Can anything be done to "fix" root knot nematode on older lantana. Next to other lantana. Pull them out or try organic fix?
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |