jomoco

Fascinating pictures and reading David. Thank you very much. Jomoco

Since such a large variety of trees with crossing upper structural limbs graft together naturally, why wouldn't those species' roots do the same? Forced grafting is something I'd like to tinker with at home. The few old timers I've spoken with about it, speak of matching polarity between the crossing branches. Which I assumed meant both branches must flow in the same general direction for grafting to occur? Any recommended reading David? Jomoco

It was the California Department of Forestry that came up with the Agri-Fos trunk drench treatment as a means of slowing the SOD onslaught, not me. I'm just following in their footsteps mate! Jomoco

If it were my tree? I'd fight for it's life tooth n wallet! Phytopthora ramorum's on a killing rampage here in CA, and it too is a mutated fungus that's been declared a death sentence for 3-4 species of oak. However I've had pretty dang good results keeping it at bay for three separate clients with moderately infected coastal live oaks, using a fungicide called Agri-Fos, as a systemic trunk drench, mixed at a one to one ratio with water, with an added 7 ounces of PentraBark surfactant to every two gallons of mix. Once in the spring, and once in the fall. All three clients' trees are still alive and putting on new growth in their canopies to date, one of them in the second year of treatment. I hate the way SOD likes to pick on the oldest trees! Jomoco

While I'm wary of folks who speak in absolute terms Kveld, I expect you're probably right. Hopefully the tree has no nearby targets, and a few more years left before the inevitable. Jomoco

Why would limiting spore viability be considered a bad thing? How do we know that exposing fruiting bodies to lethal levels of UV light has no detrimental affects on the mycelium attached to it beneath the bark? Jomoco

Some good reading on UV light's affects on wood decaying fungi here in this report. Spore sensitivity to sunlight and freezing can restrict dispersal in wood-decay fungi Results are on page 21, and discussions on the results on page 24. Jomoco

Worked for me, on ganoderma. Took two weeks, using halide bulbs, set to a timer. However just burning the fruiting bodies off the trunk's no guarantee of anything other than a few dead n desiccated fruiting bodies. All the PhD mycologists I've spoken to since about the idea, all get a curious look on their faces, then laugh at me, stating quite truthfully such treatment's no guarantee that the shoestring matrices that actually spread the infection beneath the bark are adversely affected in the least. IMHO it's worth trying if your buddy genuinely wants to save the tree, and is willing to gamble a couple hundred bucks in the attempt. Jomoco

Beat nicks out to make it rich... Jomoco

Burn them off the trunk with articial UV light lamps, in a tent, during the evening hours? Jomoco

While reading this article written from a Japanese tiny island nation perspective on the merits of globalized 'free trade', I couldn't help but think of my distant UK cousins, who have rather bravely in my opinion, thrown a well deserved wrench in the gears of chasing cheap labor internationally, at the expense of your nation's most vulnerable laboring class. Kinduva pick on the poorest amongst us so a handful amoral corp's profits are guaranteed. The future of globalism stands at a crossroads | The Japan Times Now bear in mind that this dude's globalist mindset's exactly that of Obama, the Clinton's and the Bushes. I'm an old school trade kinda guy that longs for the days when we limited trade to those countries with matching or superior rights n labor standards than our own. There's a glaring and vital distinction to be made between free trade, and fair trade, in my humble opinion. Fair trade has historic precedent to be gauged by. Whereas free trade's resulted in an explosion of homelessness, and plummeting living standards in both the US and UK. Shall we raise the world's standard of living by exploiting the most vulnerable strata of our fellow citizens mates? Jomoco

Horticultural vinegar at 20% acidity's what all self respecting hippies use mate. Jomoco

How is it such an advanced nation like the Netherlands, doesn't have local county plant pathology labs, where you can bag affected pieces parts, drop them off for analysis, and get a report on the lab's findings, via email and snail mail? These extremely valuable services are available for free here in Californy! Nothing like a hard copy lab report confirming your opinion of precisely what's ailing your client's beloved trees, to make you appear smarter, and more professional than you truly are, eh? Jomoco

Nicely done Chris. I like the way you dealt with the jammed piece by undermining it. Jomoco

Simply put a rope into the top of it and tug it from 3-4 directions to determine how wobbly it is. If it's wobbly? Fell it. If it's not? Climb it and piece it out already! It ain't rocket science mate. Jomoco

You must mean Guy, Guy, what are you talkin bout.. Jomoco

This article indicates that SOD's been active in the Netherlands for some time now Wolter, though not necessarily in Q. alba, but Rhododendrons for sure. http://www.mfc.ms.gov/sites/default/files/TB39_Sudden_Oak_Death.pdf I've had pretty darn good results treating Q. agrifolias infected with SOD far worse than your pics of Q. alba indicate, using a fungicide called Agri-Fos as a basal systemic drench. Agri-Fos is the only fungicide I know of labeled for use against SOD by the California Department of Forestry. I mix it at a one to one ratio with water, and add 7 ounces of PentraBark surfactant to every two gallons of mix. Simply spray the trunk till drenched from about ten feet high to the ground. Once in the spring, then again in the fall. Jomoco

I humbly suggest you go out and find a healthy mature oak of the same species, and dig up some soil from within its drip line, and transplant your saplings into it. The mycorrhizal fungi required for successful transplanting will be of great benefit IME. Jomoco

Yup, my thoughts on the inevitable as well mate. Kinda like a rope splicer's Fid tool, but pointier. I developed the habit of routing both my climbing line tail and rope lanyard tail through a biner on the back of my upper saddle, specifically to avoid gaffing them accidentally. Jomoco

I thought Inoculators had done that already! Which'd do the most damage if you nailed your climbing line tail dead center gaffing up a tree? Triangular edged standard gaffs, or single point round needles? That mating piece edge being about that of a standard screw driver should suffice to keep rope damage at a minimum, I hope. Jomoco

Thanks Silky. Having second thoughts bout just how sharp the edge of that splitting wedge like mating piece should be though? Sharp enough to cleave bark, but dull enough not to cut expensive climbing lines! Cuz you know Murphy's law'll get yu sooner or later. Jomoco

I'm Kinduva whimp without my boots n braces, but once they're on! You guys overheatin should try the high airflow MotoX pants with Kevlar knees. Do whatever it takes to stay cool and make it home. Jomoco

I'm very pleased with my new titanium needle housings. The pole set's got a 3/4" OD and a 1/4" needle ID, while the tree set's a one inch OD and a 3/8ths needle ID. Titanium's funky stuff from both a machinist and welder's perspective, requiring all kinds of rigid handling protocols being observed. A bit like magnesium in that it contains it's own oxygen supply, and will burn underwater. Ever get bark build up between your gaff n shank limiting penetration depths until cleared? By joining the needle housings to the shanks with titanium pieces milled like a splitting wedge with the blade edge pointing down, I hope to limit, perhaps even eliminate such bark build up from occurring entirely. So instead of a blunt half inch wide tight V between gaff body n shank for bark to build up at, it'll be a blade point edge pointing downward, with a wide blunt 3/4 inch mating point on the top. I fully realize I've gone a bit overboard with this set of gaffs, but it's too late to stop now.

Music from my early childhood circa 1966. Jomoco

What ever happened to hard boiled conservatives who actually believe in conservation of momentum physics? Do the trees you cut take the path of least resistance to the ground lads? Jomoco