What is Dutch Elm Disease and how do you combat it?
Dutch Elm Disease is a fungus which is spread by a beetle that blocks off the water system of an infected tree killing it off
According to the Royal Horticultural Society, Dutch Elm Disease is caused by a fungus which blocks the tree's water system which causes the branches to wilt and die.
The fungus, Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, is spread by elm bark beetles which can fly for up to a mile.
When infected, the damage normally shows in summer and early autumn.
Infected trees can see the foliage turning yellow during the summer before wilting and dying off.
Also, the wood under the bark shows brown streaks
Such is the threat posed by DED that the RHS advises against planting native elm trees.
According to the RHS: ' Resistant hybrid elms have appeared on the market in recent years, but gardeners should note that whilst these are attractive trees, they usually have a different growth habit to those that have been lost and do not exactly replace them.'
The disease was accidentally introduced into the UK from the United States in the late 1960 from imported elm logs.
The adult beetles breed in dead and dying elm trees. The larvae tunnel through the healthy wood spreading the disease. Once the fungus is established it blocks off the tree's vital waterways, killing it off.
Source: Royal Horticultural Society
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