# best pine blight fungicide



## Jace

This link mentions a few sprays for treating pine tip blight.

http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Trees/Pines/Sphaeropsis Tip Blight of Pines.asp


I have to spray quite a few austrian pines that have mostly dothistroma, but a few have diplodia tip blight it seems. I was gonna just mix up my own bordeaux, but am considering using one of these. Anybody used these, or have any other preferences....thoughts?




.


----------



## ATH

"Time of chemical application: Third week in April. Second application in 10 to 14 days".

Sounds a little late for treatment. With most fungal infections, it is not like 'better late than never' applies. Once the fungus is in the plant tissue, the fungicides generally can't get it out. They are primairly preventative and a few are slightly curative. Read the labels - I am pretty sure Cleary's 3336 has some curative properties but Banner Maxx and bordeaux do not. Generally a curative needs to be applied within 96 hours of infection.

I'm not sure an application 2 weeks late is going to get the results you want... But I guess to answer your question, since you are treating late, I'd use one with curative properties.


----------



## Jace

ATH said:


> "Time of chemical application: Third week in April. Second application in 10 to 14 days".
> 
> Sounds a little late for treatment. With most fungal infections, it is not like 'better late than never' applies. Once the fungus is in the plant tissue, the fungicides generally can't get it out. They are primairly preventative and a few are slightly curative. Read the labels - I am pretty sure Cleary's 3336 has some curative properties but Banner Maxx and bordeaux do not. Generally a *curative needs to be applied within 96 hours of infection*.
> 
> I'm not sure an application 2 weeks late is going to get the results you want... But I guess to answer your question, since you are treating late, I'd use one with curative properties.





Im not sure how to tell a tree all the sudden has blight, and then treat it within 96 hr.'s. I assume maybe youre speaking of right after bud break and then tip blight hitting it..?? Please school me on whatcha mean exaclty...on the within 96 hrs

From what Ive read, the tip blight shouda been treated 1st in 3rd week of April (as U said) but as far as dothistroma it gets treated 1st in May, lest I missread somehow..


----------



## Urban Forester

Jace said:


> From what Ive read, the tip blight shouda been treated 1st in 3rd week of April (as U said) but as far as dothistroma it gets treated 1st in May, lest I missread somehow..



You are correct, these are 2 VERY different diseases with VERY different infection periods. Diplodia infects at candle elongation from pine cones holding spores from previous seasons. Dothistroma infects last years growth and is basiclly dormant until new growth has fully matured. Dothistroma CAN infect very late in the seaon (sept/oct. if conditions are right). When dealing with funguses like these it is best to use a systemic and a contact in combination. I recommend 3336 (16 oz per 100 gal) and Chlorothalonil 720 SFT (22 oz per 100 gal). Fungus can become resistant to fungicide. Products like Banner Maxx are in a group of fungicides called DMI (dimethylase inhibitors) they attack only 1 enzyme in the fungus controlling it. HOWEVER what happens when the fungus is "born" without that enzyme, thats resistance. If you use DMI's you should use them at the max labeled rate and rotate them with contact fungicides. Chlorthalonil has been around since 1945 (or so) and there has never been a recorded case of resistance. Good luck with the diseases...

P.S. Neither 3336 or Chlorothalonil have kickback (curative) on active diseases. Only Banner Maxx (and some other DMI's) can attack actively growing lesions. Our treatment window for Diplodia is now, with dothistroma in about 2 to 3 weeks


----------



## Jace

Whatever I order, it'll take a few days to get here. So in the meantime, I was thinkin about mixin some Bordeaux and spraying for now till the fungicide that I order arrives. Might help the Diplodia just a little even tho the window is probably too late. And its coming into time to treat Dothistroma.

I was thinkin about trying the CuPRO (kocide) 2005 T/N/O. And maybe mixing it with the Chloroathonil ...?? Thoughts?


Here are some photos of the Diplodia: It is everywhere around here right now. Not sure exactly why it has hit so hard.


----------



## Jace

#1. Dothistroma photo. Altho Diplodia seems to be the main fungis killin most of the trees(about 25 total).

#2. Is this normal looking?

#3. Found these bugs all over the small new shoots on a tree. ?


----------



## ATH

Jace said:


> Im not sure how to tell a tree all the sudden has blight, and then treat it within 96 hr.'s. I assume maybe youre speaking of right after bud break and then tip blight hitting it..?? Please school me on whatcha mean exaclty...on the within 96 hrs
> 
> From what Ive read, the tip blight shouda been treated 1st in 3rd week of April (as U said) but as far as dothistroma it gets treated 1st in May, lest I missread somehow..


To address the last question first: Ooops...I was just paying attention to the Diplodia - missed Dothistroma

As for applying a curative within 96 hours: Frankly, I don't know how we are supposed to know within the hour. You could microscopically monitor samples. Or...just remember the disease triangle. We know the HOST is there, we are assuming the PATHOGEN is there, so we can have pretty good certainity that when ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS are right, that infection _will_ occur. (Certainly, somebody somewhere has documented the necessary conditions (temperature, timing, wetting period, etc...).) I think the bigger point is (at least this is what I assume, and kinda what I was implying): Have the fungicide on *before* that clock starts ticking.

Regarding what to use that has curative (kickback): ACCORDING TO THE LABELS, Cleary's 3336 does while Banner Maxx makes no mention of curative/kickback. Not saying it won't just saying what I read on the label. Myclobutanil (Eagle, et. al.) also has curative and is labeled for Diplodia, but not Dothistroma (same applies for 3336 and Banner Maxx...). Captan is generally a good pretectorant (NO curative), but it does not list pine on the labels.


----------



## Urban Forester

You have a pretty major problem there. First API's planted in a row become a row of dominos. The Dothistroma is much more of a problem than the Diplodia. Pines should hold 4 to 5 years of needles. Non-functioning established needles cause reduced sugar/carb storage stressing the tree. It would seem that a disease like diplodia that attacks new growth would be more of a concern, but in this case Dothistorma is doing some rather IMPRESSIVE damage, I could see lesions in about every close-up. I would start treating in late April (for diplodia) at 2 week intervals and continue to late May, take a break and do 2 more treatments in mid to late July. The US forest service has the best fact sheet on Dothistroma. There is a sexual and asexual "version" of it. So far the sexual strain has only been found in the pacific NW. (_Siccira pini_). The fungus moves fast and has a LONG infection period. it is in the largest family of pathogenic fungi Mycosphaerella. In some info it is still refered to as _M. Pin_i Bordeaux will work, if started in mid-may. I don't know how effective it would be against Diplodia.


----------



## Adara

Austrian pines are spaced 8' - 12' within a row and 12' - 18' between rows. Large, fast growing deciduous trees should be spaced far enough (20' - 24') between rows to prevent shading pines.


----------



## jefflovstrom

They are just a troublesome tree, if you like them cut them all down and go to a Pinus japonica. In a landscaped area, they dont do well from what I see.
Less water, Jeff, CTSP


----------



## Jace

I bought clearys 3336(thiophanate-methyl) and Eagle 20EW(miclobutanil), and was gonna also use "homade" bordeaux mix.

I was plannin on mixin up all 3 of them together and spraying. So someone tell me, can I do that with a regular (full)amount per directions of each, or do I need to cut it down since Im mixin multiple stuff to spray?

They each both say to keep from the fungis building an imunity to the them, it is helpful to mix them with other fungicides, so I am.



I'm gonna spray next week if it ever quits raining.


----------



## Urban Forester

3336 + Eagle will do a good job, adding the bordeaux is redundant it will not add anything to the mix. Like taking a shower w/a raincoat on...


----------

