All, I purchased this Beni Kawa from my local Lowes (Louisville, KY) about 3 weeks ago. The top section of the tree had lost it's leaves and withered from a late frost but the bottom section looked fine (they sold it to me for $10.00 ;-)). I pruned away the dead section (I know now that I did not do it properly) and it seemed to be doing fine until I noticed a lot of aphids on the tree. I purchased some Seven spray and applied it to the tree. While doing this I noticed that the areas that I had cut were turning black and spreading. What can I do to correct this properly and save my tree? Here are some photos of the tree (the white stuff is the Seven that has not washed off yet). I have planted the tree this past weekend so it is not in the plastic pot anymore.
Would you have used dirty pruners? Also, my information is that pruning cuts should always be sloped away from a bud and be clean (no ragged edges to allow disease to enter) If the plant were mine I would wait for a month or so to see how the tree develops You will then see how it is settling in, and be able to judge yourself how much more to prune to remove diseased wood (if any)
whis4ey, Thanks for the info. I used a new pruner but did not clean it first or after each cut. should I use alcohol or what to clean it between cuts. Is there anything that I should be putting on the cut to seal it up and protect the exposed wood?
