Tree Spraying Services

Rich Mathey, Arborist - M&M Tree Care

Spraying Trees for Disease, Infestation, and Pests

Tree Spraying is one of the services we offer for tree care, and it is a useful way to treat many pests and diseases on most trees.

It is important to note that often you will not need to spray your tree.  A lot of what we see affecting our trees are cosmetic or non-deadly issues, such as downy leaf spot. 

A lot of tree issues can also be treated by encouraging proper health.  We can inject around the tree by the roots with medicines to kill many bugs such as emerald ash borer.  We can fertilize and prune a tree to encourage good health allowing a tree to better fight minor infections.  Also, simple things, like keeping dead leaves away and proper mulching, can go a long way toward keeping a tree healthy.

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Types of Spraying

Sometimes, only the trunk of a tree needs to be sprayed while other times the whole canopy needs to be sprayed, depending on the problem you are trying to treat for.  If you have a large tree, most people don’t find the cost of spraying all the branches worthwhile to treat a large tree for a non-deadly issue.

When Should You Choose Spraying?

First, you should always know exactly what disease or pest you are dealing with before you spray.  This just makes sense because some infections look the same, but they are very different pathogens. One disease responds better to one product, and another responds better to another product.  If you use the wrong treatment, money is being wasted and the infection is not cured.

Second, we prefer only to spray trees when a tree is in danger of dying, but it is not so far gone that it can be saved.  We are not here to waste your money.  If we see significant die off, and it is unlikely your tree will ever thrive again, we will make the hard recommendation of replacing your tree, even though we would prefer to save as many trees as we can.

Third, it has to be the right time of year.  Because of the lifecycle of pests and diseases, there are only certain times of year spraying will work. Most spraying will be done in the spring to keep pathogens from getting a foothold on your tree.  By summer, most tree diseases have set-up shop and you won’t kick them out, no matter how much you spray the tree.

Please note that some spraying treatments will need to be done multiple times in one year to keep a disease away. Think again to the downy leaf spot mentioned earlier, a disease that almost never kills a tree.  It often takes three treatments in the spring to prevent downy leaf spot from infecting your tree and, because other nearby trees may be infected, you may need treatments every year.  If you have a large tree, the cost is just not worth it for what is mostly a cosmetic issue.

How Should I Know if I Should Spray My Tree?

The truth is, you should talk to an expert about whether or not spraying your tree is a good option. The good news is, we will come inspect your tree for free! All it takes is a quick, no-obligation phone call to setup an appointment. We will have one of our professional certified arborists come out to your property to complete an inspection. We will share what may be good treatment options and why so you can make the smartest decision about your trees.

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Call 414-355-3420 or contact us online with questions or to get a free estimate on tree trimming and pruning services.

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