Sycamores (Platanus sp.) Are deciduous trees prized as shade trees due to their fast growth rate, appealing, unusual bark and large, lobed leaves. Sycamore anthracnose, a disease caused by the fungus Apiognomonia venata, is generally the most serious disease of sycamore, causing the tips of small twigs, expanding buds, fresh shoots and immature leaves to die. Leaf blight also occurs, appearing as leaf browning and drying and possibly drop. On precious or highly-prized sycamores, an injection of fungicide into the sycamore’s root flare in late summer or fall can guard the tree in anthracnose for numerous years.
Pull dirt brush or back it off to reveal the sycamore’s root flare, the portion of the tree that broadens where the back meets the main system.
Drill holes about an inch deep into the xylem tissue of the sycamore, which makes holes perpendicular to the tree surface. Space the holes 3 to 6 inches apart and never drill into a canker or difference between 2 rebounds on the tree. Instead, drill a hole over the issue area then continue working around the tree, drilling at 3- to 6- inch periods into root flares whenever possible.
Insert an injection port, or tee, with attached tube into every drilled hole, gently tapping it using a hammer to produce a secure, airtight relation between the tee and the active xylem.
Gauge the width of the tree 4 1/2 feet above ground level using a diameter tape or use a normal measuring tape to measure the circumference and divide this number by 3.14 to determine the tree’s diameter. The width of the sycamore tells the quantity of fungicide you may inject.
Turn the pressurized injection system on, if needed, and adjust the pressure to 15 to 20 pounds per square inch. If there’s air in the machine, remove two tees from opposite sides of the sycamore and bleed any air out through them before reinserting them from the drilled holes.
Ready the fungicide utilizing the dilution rate recommended by the manufacturer and put it in the container of a pressurized injection system if it isn’t already there.
Inject the fungicide into the tree during the compressed system. Some systems have a valve or switch that you open or adjust to allow the chemical to flow into the holes while others have a plunger you have to depress. The amount that need to inject in the tree is dependent upon the size of the tree and is given by the fungicide manufacturer. For example, the fungicide label may recommend that you dump 8 ounces of chemical diluted with 20 parts water per every 5 inches of trunk diameter.
Eliminate the injection tees once you end injecting the fungicide.
Replace the dirt you removed before to reveal the tree’s root flare.