Today I attended a lecture with internationally renowned plant pathologist Olaf Ribeiro. And, boy did I learn a lot. Mainly I learned that my strong belief in continuing education means that I attend lectures like this in order to learn how much I really don’t know.
Okay, so I do know a few things about plants and their environment. However, there is so very much to know.
Today’s lecture was to help people in the field have a better understanding and diagnostic capabilities for plant failures and infestations with root rots. Yes, I learned more ways to identify problems like Phytophthera, but I also learned that there is a huge number of different varieties of Phytophthera out there. How do you know which one you’re dealing with? Basically, find a plant & soil lab and have someone look at samples under a microscope. How do you treat it? Well, there are a variety of ways, but without knowing which one you have, exactly, your treatment may not work. And, its easy to confuse one root rot with another. And, treatment for one may cause another one to thrive.
Yes, its frustrating.
Am I going to get out a black light and go hunting glowing armellaria? Probably not. (Well, maybe. It kind of sounds like fun.)
I will continue to encourage clients to avoid fast release fertilizers if for no other reason than that it seems they encourage the growth of these root rots. Yes, there are other reasons, but isn’t that enough?
When I hear that Armellaria may be the largest living organism on the planet, I wonder what would happen if it met up with the behemoth of the giant Aspen colonies in Colorado. Which is larger? And which would win in a battle of the plant titans?
Will I do a better job reinforcing to clients that to fully diagnose their problems they need soil/root sample/shoot sample testing. Yes, I will. I’ve been encouraging people to test, but I’m realizing that more tests may answer more questions better.
Sure, we’ve all been to the doctor and had batteries of tests done when maybe they weren’t necessary. What I’ve found with these tests is that you never come away without some bit of valuable information. You may diagnose a fungal (or fungal-like infection) or you may diagnose a nutrient deficiency (or excess). In any case, you will know more and do better at caring for your garden in the end.
 As well, I will be more selective and investigative about my mulch purchases. Many mulch producers test their products, but as I learned today some are cagey about sharing results. And, some don’t test consistently. And, it doesn’t sound like many (any?) test for soil pathogens like these fungi (and fungus-like) problems.
So, what can I do about this? I can start calling the manufacturers and ask for soil test results. I can refuse to buy from them unless they divulge their test results (or start testing in the first place). I can order tests of my own (ouch; at ~$50/each test that gets expensive).
So, the roundup is that we need to be more vigilant about knowing what we’re putting in the garden and why we’re putting it in. In past posts I’ve mentioned this in regards to random spraying. Today I’m putting forth that we need to be vigilant about what amendments we add and what we take away (diseased stumps, chips, logs, standing water, etc…) in order to maintain strong, healthy gardens.
[...] Root rots often show up first in the crown of the tree [...]
[...] career working with people working with plants, I have continued to study trees. I’ve taken classes with some amazing certified arborists, ancient tree rescuers such as Dr. Olaf Ribeiro, and plain [...]