1. Anthracnose

Anthracnose is an umbrella term for multiple fungi that attack leaves, twigs, flowers and fruits of many trees and shrubs. It can be found on many species throughout most of North America. Anthracnose on most species is cosmetic, which means generally not a cause for concern. Some leaf necrosis followed by defoliation will occur, but the plant typically recovers. There are two species that anthracnose can cause a twig blight in addition to the defoliation, and those are sycamore and flowering dogwood. Because of this, sycamore and flowering dogwood can decline significantly due to this disease and are therefore recommended for management.

For management of sycamore anthracnose, begin foliar applications of fungicides two weeks before bud break. Alternatively, trunk inject with a systemic fungicide. In the case of dogwood anthracnose, foliar applications must begin at bud break and continue all through the growing season to protect the tree. Good sanitation practices can also help reduce disease inoculum.

2. Apple scab

Apple scab is an early-season fungal leaf disease that affects crabapples in the urban landscape. Some crabapple cultivars are more tolerant to the disease than others; however, currently there is no fully resistant cultivar available. Symptoms of apple scab are velvety brown lesions on the leaves that are quickly followed by chlorotic leaves and defoliation.

While mostly aesthetic, homeowners may find apple scab objectionable. It can be managed with fungicide applications beginning at budbreak.

3. Cedar rusts

Cedar rusts are common fungal diseases of rosaceous plants, such as hawthorn and crabapple. As with apple scab, some cultivars and species are more susceptible than others. Rust diseases require junipers as an alternate host; however, removal of this host to break the life cycle is not recommended as rust spores can travel from far distances. Symptoms of rust on key host plants are orange or rust-colored leaf spots that form on hawthorn and crabapples in the spring. Particularly in hawthorn, twig cankers and galls can develop and cause dieback. On the juniper species spore-producing structures form on the branches but are typically not harmful to the health of the plant.

Due to this, disease management is typically only recommended on the crabapple and hawthorn species. This disease can be managed with fungicide applications on these hosts beginning at budbreak or when orange spore masses develop on junipers. For the juniper host, pruning out rust galls when noted can help with aesthetic value of the plant.

4. Diplodia tip blight

Diplodia tip blight is a very common fungal disease of Austrian and other pines. This disease infects when candles and needles begin to expand in the spring. Key symptoms include dead shoot tips with needles half elongated, the presence of resin and witches brooming. Black fruiting structures are present at the base of needles and on cones.

Management includes pruning to increase airflow and applying fungicides beginning at bud swell.

5. Dothistroma needle cast of pines

Dothistroma needle cast is a fungal disease that causes a premature defoliation in mature trees and stunting and death of young trees. It can be found in more than 35 pine species and hybrids throughout North America. This disease is specifically prevalent in non-native species of pines.

Symptoms of this disease are yellow or red bands on needles from the previous years’ growth, followed by necrosis. Even though the symptoms of this disease appear on older needles, it does affect during budbreak.

Therefore, for management, begin applications of a fungicide at budbreak. Pruning out severely infected branches can also help in managing the disease.

6. Lethal Bronzing of palms

Lethal Bronzing of palms is a disease caused by an unculturable bacterium that has no cell wall called a phytoplasma. This organism is spread by a vector. The vectors are planthoppers which pierce and suck plant tissue and transmit the pathogen from plant to plant. Primarily found in the state of Florida and Texas, this pathogen affects mostly Phoenix palms; however, it can infect others as well. (16 confirmed species).

The pathogen infects via the phloem of the host and cannot survive outside a plant or insect; therefore, it cannot be mechanically transmitted by pruning tools or infected roots touching new roots. This organism causes problems with vascular flow. Symptoms from LB are variable: if fruit is present, the first symptom is generally premature fruit drop. If fruit has not set, inflorescences will become necrotic. The spear leaf (newest, unfolded frond) will collapse, then the middle ring of fronds will display a reddish-bronze color (hence the name). Length of time between infection and symptoms is approximately four to five months. Symptom progression occurs at varying rates in different palm species.

Management includes removal of infected palms and preventative injection of remaining viable palms in the area with an antibiotic. These treatments will need to be administered every three to four months for the life of the palm. If a palm looks healthy but has received a positive test through tissue sampling, it is considered lost and should be removed immediately.

7. Oak wilt

Oak wilt is a fungal pathogen that causes vascular problems for oak trees. The fungus can be transmitted two ways: vectored by a sap beetle or through root grafting. The tannins released from open wounds attract the sap beetles. Therefore, pruning oaks should be avoided during the spring and summer. Fungal mats form under the bark of infected trees and the sap beetles are also attracted to those, which is where they pick up spores for transmission. It is important to note that 90% of infections occur from root grafting and only 10% vector. Trees can transfer the fungus through the vascular system of one tree to another if their roots fuse together.

Oak wilt, Bretziella fagacearum, causes disruption of the xylem tissue, causing symptoms such as leaf discoloration, leaf necrosis, tip dieback, flagging, vascular discoloration and, ultimately, death.

Red oaks and live oaks have no curative treatment options once infected; however, white oaks can be treated if less than 20% of their canopy is showing symptoms. All oaks can be treated preventatively with injections of propiconazole. If an oak tree is infected and there are other oaks surrounding it, you can create a root graft barrier and inject remaining trees with the proper fungicide to prevent further spread.

8. Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease caused by different species of fungi that grow on the outer, upper leaf surface of many trees and shrubs. This disease does not directly penetrate the foliar tissue; however, it can cause leaf distortion, premature defoliation and decrease in photosynthesis production. The fungus can be easy to identify due to the white mycelium growing directly on the upper surface of the leaves. It is mostly an aesthetic problem and will not cause the tree too much stress.

There are fungal foliar sprays if infection is heavy, but they are not always necessary. Another option to decrease disease pressure is to slightly prune dense canopies. This can increase airflow, which creates a less desirable environment for the fungus to grow.

9. Armillaria root rot

Armillaria root rot is a group of fungi that cause decay in infected trees. These species will infect when trees are already stressed and susceptible to secondary problems. Armillaria is a leading contributor in oak decline, a group of issues coming together to cause oak trees to die off.

Some Armillaria species can produce three different fungal signs- Rhizomorphs, mycelial mats and clusters of mushrooms. These signs are all helpful identification tools.

These fungi have two ways to cause infection- via spores and/or through roots via rhizomorphs.

It is argued that Armillaria can be curatively treated with phosphonates and/or growth regulators. However, the efficacy of these treatments is not clear. Preventative treatment can be as simple as general plant health care and avoiding wounding of trees.

10. Black knot

Prunus trees, such as plums and cherries, are coveted in our landscapes for their flowers and their fruit. Unfortunately, they are susceptible to a destructive fungus called black knot, Apiosporina morbosa. Black knot of prunus causes a unique canker that can block vascular movement through cankers/galls.

Black knot cankers/galls release spores in the spring and are either blown or splashed to a new host site. New growth on trees and shrubs is particularly susceptible to infection. Once infected, the twigs start to swell and turn an olive-green color. Due to the initial canker color lacking contrast with the natural color of tree twigs, most black knot infections are not noticed until the second year of infection. In the second season, the swollen cankers turn a dark black color, which is also when they start to release spores.

If black knot is noticed before the cankers are out of control, pruning out of the fungus is possible and effective. When pruning out cankers, it is important to prune at least six inches below the swelling, but 12 inches is ideal. It is important to sanitize your tools between each cut, so you don’t actively spread the fungus. When pruning is complete, make sure to remove all debris. If black knot is detected too late, meaning there are too many cankers to prune out, then there are no treatment options.

The authors are technical advisors for The Davey Institute at The Davey Tree Expert Co.

Gabriele Lasco started his landscaping company in 1995, at one point managing roughly 500 clients in his area of Texas and employing four people.

But 2020 was particularly difficult for Lasco. Over the last few years, he reduced his staff to just a one-man operation, and he’s found a steady decline in the amount of work he once booked. The pandemic served as his company’s death sentence: He didn’t have the resources on his own to navigate COVID-19.

Larger businesses in his area could equip their employees with proper PPE and disinfect their materials after use, and Lasco found he lost nearly all of his clients who seemed “terrified” to meet with him. Other companies had better resources allocated toward advertising, while Lasco says he never garnered an audience on social media like some of his peers at larger companies.

Earlier this summer, Lasco decided to close up shop. His company that earned him money through thick and thin — even the Great Recession in 2007-2009 — could no longer support him. Lasco is still deciding what’s next for him. He could go work for another landscaping company, or he might end up leaving the industry altogether.

“That’s life. There’s nothing you can do about it,” Lasco says. “It is what it is, and it’s nobody’s fault. Nobody wants this. I guess everybody’s struggling.”

COVID might not have decimated most companies like it has Lasco’s, — in fact, some had record breaking years — but uncertainty remains around what’s next in this pandemic that remains. The State of the Industry research indicates most contractors are worrying less about COVID than they were in the year prior, but as phrases like “Delta variant” and “booster shot” become more common, so does the precariousness of the pandemic.

“(I went) months and months and months with no money,” Lasco says, adding he just recently sold his truck as well. “I just couldn’t keep hoping something happened.”

Managing amidst COVID.

While Lasco’s company faded during COVID, Ben Whanger in Virginia decided to start his own. In June 2020, Whanger opened the doors to Rivah Lawn and Landscapes and says he has no regrets starting a company in the pandemic.

That’s not to say there aren’t still struggles. Whanger says his company didn’t receive the same grant money other small, local businesses received at the very beginning of the pandemic, and of his initial four employees, two have already left the company. Finding new labor is a chore, and even after some unemployment money from the government dried up, Whanger says he still hasn’t seen a good number of applications come in.

Even through that, Whanger says his company has managed to succeed. But COVID itself — and not just the lingering economic consequences — has also caused issues at his company. Just recently, Whanger spent $500 to put one of his employees up in a hotel because the rest of the employee’s family tested positive for COVID. Whanger spent more money to help his employee get a test and then paid his employee for two workless days while they awaited test results.

The test came back negative, and the employee returned to work. Still, Whanger says he’s going to continue to roll with the punches as COVID has forced him to do several times already.

“I’m concerned,” he says. “COVID’s not gone, and I don’t know when it’s going to be gone. I think we’ve got some serious issues coming down the pipeline.”

Whanger says that he’s balanced being a responsible employer during COVID with also allowing his employees to get the job done without being overbearing.

“I’m not overprotective, but I keep a mask with me, and we’re not usually together a lot,” he says. “We usually drive separate, and they’ve got masks.”

Lingering effects.

Ted Glaser’s company has managed to return much of their daily processes to normal. Operating out of Lincoln, Nebraska, Summit Lawns is back to working fully in person, including in the office. There are exceptions, like when the team needs to buckle down to prevent the spread of COVID. When Glaser was interviewed for this story, he was working remotely because he was exposed to someone who tested positive.

“We follow whatever local mandates are in effect,” Glaser says. “If we know someone had direct exposure, we keep them out of the office.”

He added that getting supplies and equipment has been more challenging than in years past, but there could be plenty of other contributing factors in 2021 than just COVID. Weather is a big factor, like the Texas freeze, and hot, dry climates causing problems with low grass seed numbers in Oregon. But Glaser says his company is definitely feeling the pinch: He’s kicking himself for not ordering tractors he needs for snow removal season because now he’s not sure he’ll get them in time.

“…scenarios like this will put you in a place where you go, ‘YOLO. Let’s huck it.’ I would say we’re probably a little more open to making big changes quickly (since COVID began).” Ted Glaser, owner, Summit Lawns

“Here I am trying to get tractors for snow removal that’ll be here when the grass is green in the spring,” he says.

Of course, like Whanger mentioned, the other issue is labor. Glaser laughs when his friends from other industries bring up their recent labor shortages that arose because of the pandemic. In the green industry, that problem’s long been plaguing companies.

“We’ve been in a shortage for several years — welcome to the party,” he says. “Labor has been extremely difficult, and COVID has not made it any easier.”

Looking ahead.

It’s uncertain whether things are getting better — Glaser says his city just reimplemented a mask mandate — but operating in COVID also doesn’t feel as foreign as it did when the pandemic first began.

“We’re working pretty day-to-day,” Whanger says. “We just don’t know what’s going to happen with COVID.”

While Whanger started a company in the pandemic, Glaser has improved his. He doesn’t know if he can directly attribute his company’s aggressive growth path to COVID or to improved processes — he admits that maybe it’s a bit of both. He has owned Summit Lawns for the duration of its nearly 10 years in operation. With roughly 20 employees helping the company earn $2 million in revenue this year, Glaser says his company has evolved dramatically in the last 12 months.

“On one hand, people have said since people aren’t traveling, people are investing in their homes. On the other hand, we’ve built up on the infrastructure of our business… our processes are better. We are a better company,” Glaser says. “I think being in a scenario where if you’re going to survive, you need to adapt and adapt quickly…scenarios like this will put you in a place where you go, ‘YOLO. Let’s huck it.’ I would say we’re probably a little more open to making big changes quickly (since COVID began).”

There are some silver linings for all the contractors operating in COVID, even for Lasco, who had to shut down his company. He says he has no hard feelings about the tough luck, adding that he had fun running the company and it helped him learn lessons about perseverance.

“I realized my dream: a house,” Lasco says. “It’s all paid off. That’s what the sacrifice was all for.”

Rain gardens can have a number of benefits to a landscape, including an appealing look and being a sustainable component of an area. However, there are a number of variables that can cause the installation to go sideways. To find out more about rain gardens, we reached out to Brandon Haley, CGM – grounds project manager at SSC Services for Education, a provider of support services for educational institutions.

1. What are the basics a landscaping company needs to know about if they want to add rain garden installation as a service?

Rain gardens can be large or small. Their purpose is to slow runoff so it can infiltrate the ground instead of rushing into storm drains or streams. If the runoff ends up reaching surface water, it will be moving slower and will have many pollutants filtered out. Rain garden installation is more than just putting plants in the ground.

To get drainage effect, you want the soil to be sandy and have good drainage. It is also best to have the garden designed to hold water for up to 24 hours as it drains. This likely means that you will have to shape the land and replace the planting bed soil.

2. What type of maintenance is needed?

Rain gardens need management if you want them to grow and function as designed. Just planting some plants and walking away will leave you with a weedy mess that will not filter water, will be unattractive and could attract rodents.

Weed control programs will be critical for a rain garden to succeed. Rain gardens are prone to weed infestations. If you can, use pre-emergent programs to prevent the weeds from germinating and always check the product label to make sure it can be used in your circumstance. Also, use non-selective weed control methods to keep your planting area free of unwanted growth.

It is also important to keep debris out of the rain garden. Decomposing leaves may be a great form of organic matter in normal landscape beds, but they can alter the drainage properties of a rain garden. Make sure rain gardens are blown free of debris to prevent this. Quarterly visits outside of leaf season will be fine with as-needed visits during the fall.

3. Where is the best place to install one in a home or business?

The best place to install a rain garden is wherever you have drainage issues or have free-flowing water that reaches a drain, water body or impervious surface. The goal is to slow down water and filter it before it reaches ground or surface water supplies. The sky is the limit.

For typical residential properties, this place is likely near gutters. Look for washout areas in mulch as well. Commercial properties can really benefit from using rain gardens in their parking lot edges instead of curb and gutters. Retaining this water instead of directing it into storm drains will take a huge strain off the local watershed. For large properties or projects, reach out to local Riverkeeper organizations to see if they can provide insight into the watershed and the impact that your project can provide.

4. What are the best plants to use, and does that vary on geography?

The best plants are ones that can survive being temporarily submerged as well as survive droughts. The best soil conditions for drainage in rain gardens also causes drought conditions when rainfall is low. Oddly enough, these qualities can be found in the same plants. In many plants, the same root structures that can hold water during droughts can also hold oxygen when submerged. Plants native to prairie and wetland ecosystems perform great.

Exact plant types will vary by region but will typically be grasses and flowering perennials that are native to your area. Throughout much of the country, black eyed susans flag iris and coneflowers will work great. Check with your state extension service for local recommendations.

5. How big can they be; what is average time to install?

There is no size limit, large or small, for a rain garden. To estimate installation time, expect to excavate the soil a foot deep and replace with a sandy loam. Also, look to see if any berms are needed to contain the water. This may be a good use of the soil that you removed.

6. What type of equipment is needed?

Small gardens can be planted by hand, but anything with size will need either a skid-steer, mini excavator or compact skid-steer to be efficient. Remember that you may need to remove soil offsite.

“Rain gardens need management if you want them to grow and function as designed.” Brandon Haley, grounds project manager at SSC Services for Education

7. Any advice on how to sell the services to consumers?

Rain gardens are an opportunity to sell your clients a project that will add lasting beauty to their property while making a positive impact on their local environment. Having clean, clear water supplies is one of our basic human needs and installing a rain garden gives an individual the opportunity to make impact on their local water supplies.

Show your prospective clients the benefits that rain gardens can provide to their local watershed. Then, show them that they can make a difference through adding flowers to their yard and that you can provide the installation and management services to keep it thriving. Never mind the potential for increased property values. It is a win for everyone.

8. Anything else a landscaper should know about installing rain gardens?

Like any other installation, the final result will depend on the quality of plants and the technique used to install them. Take your time. Research your plant choices and visit some local installations to see what you like and do not like.