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Anthracnose and Sycamore Trees

13 years ago

Is Anthracnose a really big problem with American Sycamore trees or is it more of a regional problem? I am considering planting a couple of sycamore trees, but I am somewhat concerned about this Anthracnose disease. I live in South Central Kansas and there are hundreds of American sycamore trees in this part of the State. I have not seen a single sycamore tree with any symptoms of Anthracnose nor have I heard any reports of it in this area, and I have lived here most of my life. Many of these sycamore trees are over 100 years old. I know that this does not mean that there is no danger of Anthracnose in my area, but does this mean that there is not a high probability of there being an outbreak in my area?

Most people do not take care of their sycamore trees. They don't water them during droughts. They don't mulch them, fertilize them or even treat them with a fungicide. Could this mean that this part of the State doesn't have the right set of elements to support an outbreak?

I hear a lot of people talking about Anthracnose and sycamore trees as if you plant one then you are bound to get the Anthracnose disease eventually.

Some people even suggest planting London plane trees instead of sycamores, but I have heard that they are susceptible to the Anthracnose disease as well, plus I donÂt like the look of the London plane tree as much as the sycamore tree.

Do you think it is safe to plant an American sycamore tree?

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Comments (10)

Tim
Original Author
13 years ago
I think I may have found my answer. The temperature in my area when leaves sprout in the Spring may be above 55 degrees. See below.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02930.html

Weather Influences
Weather determines the severity of anthracnose. Frequent rains and cool temperatures promote the disease. If the average temperature during the two-week period following emergence of the first leaves is below 55 degrees F, the shoot-blight phase of the disease will be serious.
Disease intensity decreases as the average temperature increases from 55 to 60 degrees. Little or no anthracnose will occur if average temperatures during this susceptible stage are above 60 degrees
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gardningrandma
13 years ago
It varies from place to place. I don't know how much truth there is to the weather influences you quoted above. Where I am the sycamores don't get it but I have seen them in warmer climates get it.
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hey garlic you can not post two answers in a row .. w/o changing the title ... but i would await confirmation here .. i made a SUGGESTION ... i claim no expertise in diagnosis .... back in the 60's or 70's .. in my neighborhood.. the city had to repeatedly spray the 30 foot sycamores for such ... God knows what they did to us kids ... in my world ... if the ID is confirmed.. i would be done with the tree .... as i would not want to deal with spraying at height .... nor willing to invest to have it done professionally ... it only gets harder and more dangerous as the tree gets taller ... your best bet.. to confirm the ID is to contact your COUNTY extension or Ag office.. and ask them to come out.. or make an apptment to meet with the tree guy for a local hands on diagnosis ... i would not rely for diagnosis on the guy who wants to charge you money for a remedy ... once you have such .. then you can contemplate aerial application of chemicals ... eh??? good luck ken ps: i guess you dont have to mow the lawn .... but then you dont have the cooling effects of a green grass ... what do you have to do to maintain rock .... backpack blower????
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lol... thank you for confirming the diagnosis. Is there any kind of health risk, or just allergies that would be affected by the trichomes? Also, I understand that one resolution would be to pay an arborist to inject the tree with something that would protect it for two years. I've seen mention that this can be risky or very difficult to do. Does anyone know how much this would generally cost, and is it advisable? Thank you again for your response.
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There is absolutely no reason not to plant it now. As to how close to the house should you plant it, that depends on how you want to configure the shade qualities it will eventually produce and on its mature size. Depending on species, most sycamores can get to be very large trees with wide spreading canopies. Typically, you would not want to plant any closer to the structure than half the expected mature canopy spread but calculating shade production may increase that distance. You can check online for formulas to help you with that calculation. There is no need to do any pruning at this point so I'd suggest you read up on structural training for shade trees to know when to begin and how to go about it. This link should be very helpful in that regard. And for clarification, sycamores will develop a decurrent growth habit so focus in on training/pruning methods that address that characteristic.
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gardningrandma
13 years ago
I will say that oddly enough I have a london planetree that is supposed to be more resistant to anthracnose and it has had it this year and the sycamores haven't. Go figure.
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Tim
Original Author
13 years ago
Interesting... Maybe I should just stick with the oaks...
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Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
13 years ago
I believe in watering while the transplant is getting established then very little. If my lot is too dry for a sycamore i should not plant a bottom land tree. An extreme example: Imagine the water bill from watering a 90 foot tall sycamore to keep it alive in phoenix!
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laceyvail 6A, WV
13 years ago
Sycamores here get it often in spring, but it always clears up and never harms the trees.
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brian_zn_5_ks
13 years ago
If you have not yet come across the information available from the Kansas Forest Service, this list of preferred trees may be of use to you in your selection process.

brine

Here is a link that might be useful: Preferred Trees for South Central Kansas
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gardningrandma
13 years ago
You can also try a london planetree. They are hybrid sycamores essentially. The yarwood cultivar that I have grows extremely rapidly. Some don't grow as fast.
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Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
13 years ago
Planetrees are highly allergenic, from the trichomes on the undersides of their lvs. If you have allergies, this tree will set them off. Jus sayin.

Dan
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Tim
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you, brian_zn_5_ks. I didn't know those charts were out there. That is very helpful. I was actually leaning towards planting a shumard oak, a northern red oak, and a chinese pistache, all of which are included on those charts. Thanks again.
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