SDDavid

Good call. Not something I'm familiar with, in fact, as I'm almost entirely working with broadleaves, this is the first experience. Many thanks!

If it is, it's unlikely any other Inonotus I've ever seen.

Any help identifying this fruiting body hosted on Sorbus intermedia would be very welcome...thanks.

Unusual for what appears to be Meripilus both in colour and the fact that it is attached to the actual stem, rather than roots. It's not obvious in the photos as my camera hasn't rendered the colour very accurately, but the bodies were quite a dark brown, more so than any I have seen before. If it wasn't for the spore bearing surfaces, I'd have thought it was something else.

Originally qualified to level 3 extended diploma (Distinction), I have been self employed in partnership with my wife for the last ten years, undertaking residential tree and garden work. I have since gained a Foundation Degree (Distinction) in Arboriculture with the aim of moving towards more consultancy type work. I am very happy to discuss any vacancies you may have that you feel would be suitable. I hold a full, clean UK driving licence and live North of Belsay in Northumberland. My name is David and I can be reached on 07799 383011; if I am unable to answer, please leave a message and I will get back to you ASAP. Thank you very much.

I live in Northumberland and might be interested in taking your stem. Msg me.

As the title says...Planted a fairly large, (4-5m) Acer rufinerve for a customer last year, at which point it seemed very healthy and was apparently sourced from a reputable nursery. This year it has failed to come into leaf, and while some buds still look healthy, there are dark lesions all over the stems and some dieback, I think it's probably Verticilium wilt, but i've yet to cut a stem to check for discolouration. I'm not particularly familiar with this pathogen; as it's a recent planting, is it likely to have been infecte when purchased? I ask because the customer paid £700 for the tree, and is understandably unhappy. I know the disease spread from the soil to the roots, but there were, and are, no signs of disease in other plants in the area. Thoughts please?

Ranger. Had mine a year now and can't fault it. 2008 model with 81k on when bought, paid £5k. A right deal. Got it from an finance underwriter in Newcastle. Have seen them come up with reasonable mileage for less than £4k. Try and get one with the plastic arch guard kit fitted.

Get the pro's in. Nice herbaceous border by the way!

I'll try and get over there in the next day or two and get some. Couple of the tree in it's entirety, and a close up of the affected leaves/twigs say?

No burn patches, will try drenching it though, anything's worth a try at this point, though the gradual nature of the tree's deterioration makes me wonder whether the problem may be biotic rather than abiotic, though i'm totally stumped regarding possible pathogens.

Used to usea Silky Hayuachi, until it got nicked. Excellent, as was the Sintung lopper head. Couldn't afford a second one, so bought the Stein set-up. All good, in fact the Stein lopper was perhaps even better, bnut the blade is poor in comparison. It is possible to buy an adaptor though , to allow a silky blade to be attached to the Stein/Jameson poles, (which are identical, by the way) Hope this helps.

None of those things apply here i'm afraid. The only environmental factor i can think of is perhaps chemical treatments used on the lawn that surrounds it. There are two other Birch in the vicinity, but they are situated in flower beds which extend as far as their RPA's, while the one in question is surrounded by lawn. Also, i have noticed that they are shallow rooted, even for birch, though there does not appear to be any mower damage-no roota are actually right at the surface. Are Birch particularly susceptible to chemical fertilizers? or might it be poisoning from any weed/moss treatment possibly mixed in with the product? As far as i know, the customer has used regular lawn treatments for several years, with no problems up until now. Is some kind of cumulative effect possible?

Bump. Could really do with some help with this one guys. Customer is very concerned and other than continuing to monitor it, i've no idea what to tell him.