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Verticillium Wilt Tree Disease - Prevention and Control

By Steve Nix, About.com Guide

Jody Fetzer, New York Botanical Garden, Bugwood.org
A soil-borne fungus called Verticillium sp. causes a serious vascular disease. The fungi enters a tree through its roots. It attacks ash, barberry, catalpa, elm, magnolia, maple, Russian olive, redbud, smoketree, tuliptree, and viburnum.
Light colored leaves with a dull appearance are seen in early summer. The leaves then begin to wilt and whole branches die. It is primarily a disease of the landscape and not a real problem in the natural forest.

Prevention:

You need to purchase disease-resistant seedlings and saplings when planting plus keep plants healthy. Use proper transplanting practices, water the tree, apply fertilizer in appropriate amounts and prune. Good plant health care management practices should help keep the "wilt" away. Do you know how to keep your tree healthy? Take This Test.

Control:

There is no known cure once the disease is present. It may take as long as a decade or only several years to kill a tree.

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