How Do You Prevent Dutch Elm Disease?
Dutch elm disease (DED) is a fungal disease unique to elm trees which is spread by elm bark beetles. The trees first wilt and yellow in the uppermost branches and eventually die. Once one tree in an area is infected with DED, it spreads quickly throughout the neighboring population. Preventing DED is part of basic elm tree care, and is not difficult as long as you have the knowledge to go about it the right way. Care for your elm trees properly with water and fertilization. Once established, only water your elm trees in a drought from April to mid-August. To figure out where to water, look at the outermost edges of the tree and water outside of that point. Fertilize the tree once a year with a special elm fertilizer. An ordinary fertilizer will weaken the tree’s system and actually promote DED. Prune mature trees once every three years in the early spring. This gives them enough time to heal “wounds” incurred from pruning before the elm bark beetles come around. Remove any dead or dyin
