Armillaria, commonly known as oak-tree fungus or shoestring root rot, is an incurable tree disease that seems to prefer wide-leafed hardwood trees like oaks. However, root rot has been found to infect conifer trees as well like spruces and firs. Learning more about how to identify oak-root fungus can help you prevent it from infecting your healthy trees.
Some Mushrooms Are Symptoms Of Oak-Root Fungus
During cooler, mild weather, the mushrooms associated with oak-root fungus begin to produce. You will see these types of mushrooms at the bases of the trees affected with oak-root fungus. Armillaria mushrooms are easy to tell from other, less harmful mushrooms because they grow in clusters, tightly woven together on the wood at the base of the tree. Armillaria mushrooms are yellowish-brown and their caps can grow up to six inches in diameter.
Detecting A Stealthy Fungus
If you find Armillaria mushrooms around any of the trees in your yard, checking to see if the roots have been infected is important. In trees with oak-fungus, long, stringy growths called rhizomorphs will be growing off the roots. Rhizomorphs resemble shoestrings. If a tree is infected badly, you should also see smaller leaves and more dead branches than you would normally see in a healthy tree. Leaves can also begin prematurely turning fall colors. The mushrooms themselves are only a symptom of a much more sinister fungi called mycelia, so simply destroying the mushrooms will not help stop the disease from progressing.
Saving Trees From An Incurable Disease
If a tree in your yard is suffering from oak-fungus and is posing an obvious danger of falling, you should take steps to have it removed as soon as possible. However, if you have a tree that is still strong, but suffering the first signs of oak-fungus, you can take steps to prolong its life while also preventing other trees in your landscape from getting it:
Managing tree diseases is comparable to managing a human disease like diabetes. If you manage diabetes, you can live for many years with it. If you do not manage diabetes, you could die prematurely. The same is true about oak-root disease in trees. By taking steps to manage your trees' affliction with fungi, you can look forward to enjoying them for many more years. If you suspect your tree has oak-root disease, consider contacting a professional like those at Robert Jefferies Logging & Tree Service for help.
Share5 December 2015
After we moved into our house, we knew that something had to be done about our trees. The branches looked off-kilter, and we could tell that someone had pruned them incorrectly at one time or another. Unfortunately, we weren't really sure how to repair the damage. A family friend talked with us about hiring a professional tree trimmer, and so we called them the next day. The difference that they made was astounding. They removed dead branches, trimmed up the shape, and let more sunlight through. My blog is all about improving the look of your trees by hiring a professional.