I learn and watch my arboist comrades in a four state area do many things which they sometimes explain and sometimes not. I observed a Post Oak of 64" dbh be injected with Alamo due to signs of early decline with the leaves just starting to become void at the tips. I know some about Micro and I can do math. I saw 25 units being administered when my math said that it would take about 22 units. But who am I; I don't go to take my ISA exams until next month. Anyway, I noticed the leaves curl some on day two and take on a different tint than the exact tree next to it.My comrade does not answer every question I have. but only tells me that this reaction is not "totally" unusual and the tree would be fine. He scheduled slow water or it and went about his way. I only saw this for three days and saw no leaf drop so I take it he has it under control. Someone tell me, was this a milliliter to much or is this a radical way to treat a sick tree? I see him do some amazing stuff, but I wonder if this treatment was planned to go as it did. Someone with experience in Micro use would help me deal with this so I can understand the data input I recieved. Thanx

Just as some people experience adverse reactions to certain drugs, trees also may experience adverse reactions to chemicals in microinjections. It is rare , but does happen.

There are two ways to look at this. First, “if a little is good, more is better.” This is an all-too-common approach to treatment, thinking that a little more than the prescribed dose will help solve the problem faster/better. The success of this will depend on the ‘side effects’ of the treatment, and what the margin of tolerance is for the tree.

The second way to look at is that the recommended doseage is often the same, per diameter inch, for large and small trees. The larger the tree, the greater the volume of tissue that needs to be treated. Will the standard doseage be sufficient in these situations? Should a higher doseage be applied. The doseage is based on surface area of the trunk. Since a larger diameter tree is also likely to be somewhat taller, there is more area per diameter inch to be treated.

In your case, adding 3 extra capsules is about a 14% increase. I don’t know if that is enough to cause problems. My best guess is that the tree will tolerate it, but that doesn’t mean that the increased dose is right for the tree, or that it will provide any additional benefits other than a higher invoice for the applicator.

It’s good that you question things.

Good luck on your exams.