Plant Health Care
Plant Health Care (PHC) programs help to maintain or improve the landscape’s appearance, vitality, and safety using the most cost-effective and environmentally sensitive practices and treatments available. PHC involves routine monitoring, preventive treatment, and a strong working relationship between the arborist, property owner, landscaper, and irrigation company.
Lethal Yellowing
Lethal yellowing (LY) is a phloem-limited disease caused by a Historically, LY has occurred only in the southern one-third of Florida. The disease was observed for the first time in Sarasota and Manatee Counties on the west coast of Florida in 2007 and in Indian River County on the east coast in 2012.
Lethal Yellowing symptoms are highly variable among Cocos nucifera (coconut) cultivars and other palm genera. Palms with greater than 25% leaf discoloration or a dead apical meristem (bud) due to Lethal Yellowing should be removed.
Management of LY includes trunk injections of oxytetracycline HCl (OTC) every four months, and planting of palm species that are not hosts of LY. phytoplasma and transmitted by a planthopper.
Lethal Bronzing
Lethal bronzing disease (LB) used to be called the Texas Phoenix Palm Decline (TPPD). Lethal bronzing (LB) disease was discovered in Florida in 2006 and is caused by phytoplasma—a type of bacteria that lacks a cell wall and cannot be cultured with
artificial media. The LB phytoplasma is similar to but genetically distinct from the phytoplasma that causes lethal yellowing (LY) disease of palms. The LB phytoplasma is limited to the phloem (sap) of the palm and cannot survive outside a plant or insect; therefore, it cannot be mechanically transmitted (e.g., by pruning tools or infected roots touching new roots).
Once a palm shows symptoms and tests positive for the LBD phytoplasma, it should be removed immediately. Healthy palms near infected palms should be tested to verify they are free of infection and injected with oxytetracycline HCl (OTC) every three to four months as a preventative for at least two years.
Turf Management
Turf management is the science of maintaining turf using proper fertilization, insect, weed, and disease control to maintain a healthy lawn. Please give us a call today to get started!
Soil & Disease Testing
Soil samples are used to figure out if there are nutrient deficiencies, and what other nutrient values are in the soil to help prescribe a healthy fertility program. Disease testing can be taken from the soil, stems and foliage to help identify pathogens so we can recommend the correct course of treatment options.
Consulting
At King Tree Service of South Florida, as expert arborists, we can help you determine the best course of action. Please give us a call today to get started on your next project!
