Hi all, this seems like a great place to get information, and I've a few questions if that's okay.

I have three saplings that I planted in the fall of 2000, that have had various problems. One is a red maple, one a redbud, and one a weeping willow. I live in northern Florida, and the soil is mostly sand.

The willow had problems last year, with the tips of the leaves turning black. I could never find any evidence of insects on it, and it didn't seem to hamper its growth any. This year, it started off quite well but recently the ends of several branches defoliated and turned black in a short span of time. When I inspected the tree, I found several bugs that looked like leafhoppers - except they are black with a little bit of red, and much larger than a typical leafhopper found in a lawn or on a shrub. Each was at least an inch long, and would scoot around the trunk sideways when I tried to get a closer look. I didn't see these insects on any other tree or shrub nearby. I treated the tree and hope it will recover - my question is, does anyone know what these were? And is it safe to assume they were the cause of the sudden and rapid decline of the tree, or do I need to look for another cause as well? Is there anything else I should do to help its recovery?

The redbud's problem is that the leaves look dehydrated, sort of. They are still quite green, but they have almost a puckered appearance rather than a smooth one. The puckering is very slight, but it makes the tree look overall like it isn't getting enough water. I give it a deep watering about every ten days, provided we haven't had a good rainfall in between. I haven't seen any insect activity on the tree, and I treated all the trees about a month ago with a permethrin-based insecticide. This tree also did not bloom (well, it put out one blossom) this spring, nor the previous one either. It has grown however, has put on about 2-3 feet of growth overall since I planted it. Any idea what might be causing the puckered leaf appearance?

Thanks in advance, sorry so long but I tried to put in as much info that seemed relevant as possible.

Lynn

Reply to post by Lynn, on July 07, 2002 at 17:30:32:

The insect may be a cicada of some kind.
The willow may have a blight.

Reply to post by Mark Goodwin, on July 07, 2002 at 17:30:32:

Redbud leaves look rather puckered when they're dying due to stem canker. Look for cankers--swollen bumps--on the stems. Sorry there is no cure for this disease I know of (does anyone?), except to remove the branch.

Best to put away the insecticide and work harder to trap and ID (try your county ag extension) the insects. You may be killing your friends.

Reply to post by Lynn, on July 07, 2002 at 17:30:32:

This sounds like it may be related to the planting. Trees experience a lot of stress from being dug up and losing up to 95 percent of their root system. The roots may not be too well developed yet, or the trees may have been improperly planted.

I recommend that you contact a good local arborist to check them on site. The American Society of Consulting Arborists can recommend highly qualified arborists and consultants in your area. Their web site and database is at

http://www.asca-consultants.org

or contact the main office at

American Society of Consulting Arborists
15245 Shady Grove Road
Suite 130
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 947-0483

The International Society of Arboriculture maintains a current list of ISA Certified Arborists. The searchable list can be accessed at the ISA Web site, at:
http://www.isa-arbor.com

Good luck.