Shogun610
Masterpiece
Dang.. are all Beech destined for this fate? I have American Beech and European Beech
Hand me down J. beech----help
- Thread starter ABCarve
- Start date
ABCarve
Masterpiece
It was discovered in 2012 around Cleveland OH. It has been spreading rather quickly. It was first thought only American beech could get it and J. Beech were immune as they had naturally overcome the disease previously. However, the DNA is different and all varieties are vulnerable. Google it and see its current range to see if near you. Good luck.
just.wing.it
Deadwood Head
Sad end to this thread....but with the possibility of a better future for all my beeches in the hood.
Shogun610
Masterpiece
Beeches be crazy… but on a more serious note , this could be catastrophic, I’m hoping a cure is found soon… I was going to collect American Beech in a national forest I got a permit for in spring that is out near those new affected counties in N.W Central PA, now I don’t think I will.
ABCarve
Masterpiece
Hopefully Julianna will continue this thread and give us all some hope for our beeches.
ABCarve
Masterpiece
Well......Admin at Holden Arboretum had a different opinion than the staff about starting a bonsai collection......so it's back in my possession .
However, they think it can be cured by interrupting the life cycle of the nematode. It's possible since the tree is in pot and can be moved.
They've discovered the nematode lives in the veins of the leaf ,munching away all summer. It has to move out as the leaves die off in the fall. So it moves out through the stomata under the leave and down into next years bud, where it reemerges in the spring as the leaves unfurl. To move from the leaf to the bud it needs a water film i.e. rain or dew. Holden had been keeping it in a greenhouse and watering it only from the bottom, keeping the leaves dry. I had another idea.......remove the little critters before they have a chance to infect the buds. It's pretty late in the growing season and defoliation shouldn't hurt the tree an undue amount. The question is (Holden can't answer this) has the nematodes already moved down into the bud? When does this take place?
If the new leaves emerge infected in the spring I will simply do a mid-June defoliation and see what happens. Stress of defoliation again!!!! I have nothing to lose. I do worry about getting reinfected from the trees around my house which is another question. How does it spread? I may try an open front, miniature greenhouse to keep water droplets from drifting in from blowing rain. It will make itself evident!
A couple of photos of infected leaves. First is F. Grandifolia (American) and second is F. Sylvatica (Eurpoean). @Aeast
However, they think it can be cured by interrupting the life cycle of the nematode. It's possible since the tree is in pot and can be moved.They've discovered the nematode lives in the veins of the leaf ,munching away all summer. It has to move out as the leaves die off in the fall. So it moves out through the stomata under the leave and down into next years bud, where it reemerges in the spring as the leaves unfurl. To move from the leaf to the bud it needs a water film i.e. rain or dew. Holden had been keeping it in a greenhouse and watering it only from the bottom, keeping the leaves dry. I had another idea.......remove the little critters before they have a chance to infect the buds. It's pretty late in the growing season and defoliation shouldn't hurt the tree an undue amount. The question is (Holden can't answer this) has the nematodes already moved down into the bud? When does this take place?
If the new leaves emerge infected in the spring I will simply do a mid-June defoliation and see what happens. Stress of defoliation again!!!! I have nothing to lose. I do worry about getting reinfected from the trees around my house which is another question. How does it spread? I may try an open front, miniature greenhouse to keep water droplets from drifting in from blowing rain. It will make itself evident!
A couple of photos of infected leaves. First is F. Grandifolia (American) and second is F. Sylvatica (Eurpoean). @Aeast
Shogun610
Masterpiece
I can uh do some scientific research for you on that Beech if you’d likeWell......Admin at Holden Arboretum had a different opinion than the staff about starting a bonsai collection......so it's back in my possession .
They've discovered the nematode lives in the veins of the leaf ,munching away all summer. It has to move out as the leaves die off in the fall. So it moves out through the stomata under the leave and down into next years bud, where it reemerges in the spring as the leaves unfurl. To move from the leaf to the bud it needs a water film i.e. rain or dew. Holden had been keeping it in a greenhouse and watering it only from the bottom, keeping the leaves dry. I had another idea.......remove the little critters before they have a chance to infect the buds. It's pretty late in the growing season and defoliation shouldn't hurt the tree an undue amount. The question is (Holden can't answer this) has the nematodes already moved down into the bud? When does this take place?
If the new leaves emerge infected in the spring I will simply do a mid-June defoliation and see what happens. Stress of defoliation again!!!! I have nothing to lose. I do worry about getting reinfected from the trees around my house which is another question. How does it spread? I may try an open front, miniature greenhouse to keep water droplets from drifting in from blowing rain. It will make itself evident!
A couple of photos of infected leaves. First is F. Grandifolia (American) and second is F. Sylvatica (Eurpoean). @Aeast View attachment 400106View attachment 400107View attachment 400108
… kidding that’s great it’s back in your collection, hoping you figure it out for the rest of us Beeches
ABCarve
Masterpiece
Well the fall defoliation seems to have worked and Holden Arboretums hypothesis is turning out well. The leaves are emerging disease free.......so far! A diseased bud would have black nasties on the leaves as they unfurl. The disease is spread by blowing water droplets from infected trees and the new healthy leaves must have a water film on them in order to be infected, hence my make shift greenhouse. The open end is facing away from the infected forest trees. Not sure whether to get this to someone in an uninfected area or just try to live with this precarious lifestyle. This is the third bullet the tree has dodged for certain death and is an amazing survivor. Might be hard to get rid of.
misfit11
Omono
This is very encouraging. Hate to see you lose such a great tree. Congratulations on the apparent success!
ABCarve
Masterpiece
First time in 3 years I was able to do a cutback. Wired up the apex for some more height. Large leaves were cut in half. The road to recovery, but I'm gonna get rid of it if anyone is interested. Somehow having to display it in a little box loses something.
Shogun610
Masterpiece
How much
ABCarve
Masterpiece
The first thing you should do is find out if this beech leaf disease is in your area or you'll end up with the same problem. PM me when you find an answer.
ABCarve
Masterpiece
Well it seems this beech still has or had BLD (beech leaf disease) depending on the results of this total defoliation. The close up of the leaf shows a very atypically shaped dark, green, color and some odd wrinkles at the outer margins as well as the large size. This is not typical of an American beech with the same disease which are striped and severely wrinkled between the veins of the leaf. see post #86.
So to investigate further I got a small pocket size microscope capable of 60X and a petri dish. I took the funky leaf, tore it into small bits and put it in the petri dish with a small amount of water (1/16" deep). It sat for 24 hours, enough time that the little buggers have to come out of the leaf if they're in there. I removed the bits of leaf from the dish and scanned with the microscope. A real microscope would be much easier. I did find a few of the little worm like wigglers (foliar nematode).
My previous defoliations were done in the fall (late September) which they have found to be too late as the nematode start moving into next years bud in mid to late August. This is why I've performed this total defoliation June 9. Prior to the defoliation I administered two applications of a foliar phosphite fertilizer in early and mid-May. It has been shown to improve the health of the tree but not cure it. All that's left to do is wait and wait and wait to see the new leaves. This is a last ditch attempt at saving this tree. It has been brought back from the throws of death numerous times.
So to investigate further I got a small pocket size microscope capable of 60X and a petri dish. I took the funky leaf, tore it into small bits and put it in the petri dish with a small amount of water (1/16" deep). It sat for 24 hours, enough time that the little buggers have to come out of the leaf if they're in there. I removed the bits of leaf from the dish and scanned with the microscope. A real microscope would be much easier. I did find a few of the little worm like wigglers (foliar nematode).
My previous defoliations were done in the fall (late September) which they have found to be too late as the nematode start moving into next years bud in mid to late August. This is why I've performed this total defoliation June 9. Prior to the defoliation I administered two applications of a foliar phosphite fertilizer in early and mid-May. It has been shown to improve the health of the tree but not cure it. All that's left to do is wait and wait and wait to see the new leaves. This is a last ditch attempt at saving this tree. It has been brought back from the throws of death numerous times.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
I had never heard of this disease until now. We have a lot of mature beech in my area, but I’ve not seen any problems on them so far. I’d think if it started in Cleveland 12 years or so ago we’d be seeing it here. Anyone in central/south Ohio had any experiences with BLD? I’m so sorry for your tree that seems to be a fighter! I hope your efforts with defoliation can find you a way around this, as it’s a nice tree.
ABCarve
Masterpiece
Here’s a current map of affected areas and when it was discovered there. It seems you’ve been spared from this…….so far. Might have to do with prevailing winds. I have quite a few of mature old trees and they have all been infected since approximately 2015.
There’s also a link to an article from Holden Arboritum about it and some of their research.
Beech Leaf Disease » HF&G
Learn about what causes beech leaf disease, available treatments, what you can do to limit the disease's spread and how to identify resistant trees.
holdenfg.org
pandacular
Masterpiece
Aside from this tree being a great specimen, this thread will serve as a piece of education for this disease. Perhaps you will even find a way to effectively treat it as well!
NashsMan
Shohin
I haven't seen it here in Northern Virginia, but according to the map it's been in my county a couple of years now.
I have several beech tree as bonsai, but none of your's caliber.
I really love beech trees of all sizes and I see from the map that the disease has probably hit my favorite beech forest on Cape Cod.
Thanks for documenting this!
I have several beech tree as bonsai, but none of your's caliber.
I really love beech trees of all sizes and I see from the map that the disease has probably hit my favorite beech forest on Cape Cod.
Thanks for documenting this!
ABCarve
Masterpiece
So far the new leaves are emerging nicely. I'm going to wait until they harden off before testing again.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
best of luck, hop they are free.
