Hi, I have a Styrax Japonica (japanese Snow Bell Tree) in my back yard that is 2 years old, and about 10-12 feet tall now. It has been very healthy since we planted it, with blooms within the first year! I have noticed today, that there are some white blotches on the bark/trunk of the tree. Anybody know what this means? Otherwise, the branches look good and as of the fall, there were no problems with leaves, blossoms or anything. There are no visible pests either....Could this be a mineral deficiency? Perhaps some fertilizer spikes? Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!
could be slim flux. my tree has been infected with this bacteria this year. hopefully the tree will live.
I would guess a crustose lichen by the description of blotches. Google something like Phlyctis argena to see if your blotch is reminiscent.
Hi, thanks for all the suggestions...now, my Japanese snowbell has just gone and died. While it was lush and many blossoms last spring/summer (it's first full spring/summer after planting in 2006), it has not budded, nor grown one single leaf this spring. We did the snap test of a small branch and indeed, not a drop of moisture, sap or anything....dead as dead can be. What is really weird is that it had a second bloom of flowers late in the summer/ towards fall. Once the leaves started falling off the tree in fall, the blossoms that had not fully opened just seem to freeze on the spot. Today, there are some of the little pre-blossom flower buds hanging there, all brown and dead. Any idea what could have killed what appeared to be an otherwise healthy baby tree? It is now 2 years old, in the ground for almost 2 years. It has been well-watered, fertilized appropriately, good light. Strange for last year to be so good, and for no apparent reason, seems to have died this winter. Was it diseased to begin with and just needed time for it to take hold? Could we have bought a tree that had been inappropriately pruned too early? Just wanting to know what it could have been!
Similar problems here. My tree was planted three years ago this coming fall, and has been thriving for the past two growing seasons. Last year I noticed an abundance of suckers at the base, and the beginning of some kind of green lichen growing on the bark. This year, the green lichen is more pronounced on the trunk of the tree, with white blotches on some of the branches. There are no leaves above the lower third of the main trunk, and these are mainly suckers. If this is some kind of lichen (phlyctis argena has been suggested earlier in the thread), would there be a fungicide that anyone could suggest to remedy the condition?
