With its green foliage and shining red and pinkish flowers , the eastern redbud Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ( Cercis canadensis ) is a ocular delight . The eastern Cercis canadensis ’s other blooms of bright colour hail the commencement of spring . But the tidy sum of shrink leaves and die branches can cause a gardener ’s middle to clench because these are the sign of canker ( Botryosphaeria ) . The U.S. Forest Service states that canker is the " biggest problem " for the easterly Cercis canadensis . If left untreated , canker can at last kill the affected tree . There is no chemical treatment for canker on an easterly redbud Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . But a nurseryman is not without hope : If caught early , canker sore can be cease in its tracks by aggressive pruning , saving the tree .

Step 1

be after to prune in the early spring , before the leaf buds break undefended . If pestilence is comment after the tree has started riff , prune in mid - June after newfangled leafage are fully grown . Cover the ground under the pruning domain with a large tarp to catch cut branches and leaves .

Step 2

desexualise your pruning equipment between each stinger to assist in end any ecstasy of canker sore to other parts of the tree . shuffle 10 percent blanching agent to 90 pct piddle in a uninspired container , such as a bucketful . Dip pruning equipment in this sanitizing agent . Keep the pail of bleach and water at the pruning site .

Step 3

Locate involve field on the eastern redbud . study wilting or die branches to spot signs of canker . Canker in eastern Cercis canadensis tree can be unmanageable to place because the bark over the canker area often does not break . attend for sunken surface area at the substructure of the affected branches , where the subdivision link up the torso . utilize a sharp pocket tongue to peel away a low section of barque over the suspected area . The Natalie Wood will be discolored to a brown or ruby-red - brown under the barque of the affected area .

Step 4

manipulation sanitized garden or lop shears to rationalize off dead or snuff it branch . Make the cut in healthy tissue , not in the pestilence itself . clip the branch close to the luggage compartment of the tree diagram but do not cut too close to the trunk . Do not prune too far away from the trunk , leave a stub . Sterilize pruning tools between each and every cut .

Step 5

Fold the edges of your tarpaulin to hold pruned fabric . Collect any other pruned branches and folio . Dispose of them well away from the tree to avoid further contaminant .

Step 6

Prevent a return of canker by providing the eastern redbud tree with a levelheaded surround . Daniel H. Gillman , works diagnostician at University of Massachusetts , says that a healthy redbud will of course protect itself from being affected beyond the isolated canker situation . Watering , mulching , fertilizing and right pruning will go a long mode in maintaining the eastern redbud ’s wellness .

Tip

Warning

easterly Cercis canadensis trees severely involve by canker sore are unlikely to outlive . These trees should be removed and chuck out of well away from the garden or landscape area .

Things Needed

References