Who Should I Call for a Sick Tree?

Like people, trees are susceptible to disease, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. You’ll need to know who to call for a sick tree if it demonstrates signs of illness, such as leaves falling prematurely, becoming discolored or blistering, or peeling or holed bark. While it may be evident that you need to call a doctor when you’re sick, you may wonder who to call for a sick tree. 

When you see these symptoms, hire an arborist or a local tree maintenance pro so they can diagnose what’s wrong with your tree and recommend or administer the best course of action to treat the problem.

Benefits of Hiring a Tree Maintenance Pro for a Sick Tree

Tree maintenance professionals are experts in tree care who study and work with trees of all shapes and sizes, and they’ve dealt with trees that have a wide range of issues. If anyone can figure out what’s wrong with your tree, it will be a tree maintenance pro. They know the best solutions for their service area’s most common diseases, bacteria, and tree fungus types. Tree maintenance pros should also have access to the best fungicides and pesticides to correct these issues.

When trees are infected with a deadly, highly contagious pathogen, they can tell you how to kill a tree without spreading the disease further. Tree maintenance pros can also show you how to straighten a tree if it is growing crooked and when to stop watering new trees so they don’t suffer from root rot. Plus, not only can tree maintenance pros help to identify the tree’s issue, but they can immediately start working to implement the solution, thanks to having the skills, tools, and experience to do so.

Can I DIY Heal a Sick Tree?

Possibly—if you can correctly identify the problem and have the knowledge and products necessary to treat it. However, the sooner a tree maintenance pro can examine your tree, the sooner they can diagnose the problem and start to treat it. If your DIY efforts don’t work and you wait too long to call a professional, the tree may become so weakened by disease that you’ll need to remove it.

Going the DIY route could work if you immediately recognize common symptoms of a tree issue and implement the proper solution correctly. However, to avoid prolonging or furthering the problem, it’s best to hire a pro.

Can I Hire an Arborist for My Sick Tree?

Hiring an arborist to evaluate and diagnose your tree is also a great option. While landscapers are knowledgeable about a wide variety of plants, only arborists specialize in trees. These pros are well-versed in many types of tree diseases and issues, helping you determine the exact cause of your tree’s sickness. Arborists can also recommend a treatment plan based on the tree’s problem, which is why it’s better to hire a specialist with the right tools and expertise. In contrast to tree maintenance pros, arborists may not have the tools and team size necessary to remove dead or sick trees if necessary.

How Do Tree Maintenance Pros Help Sick Trees? 

The first thing a tree maintenance pro will do when they look at your sick tree will be to evaluate the situation, including the cause of the problem and your tree’s overall health. Using this information, they can determine the best course of action, which could include:

• Pruning infected branches

• Treating the soil with fungicide

• Spraying the tree with insecticides

• Introducing beneficial biological organisms

• Addressing soil deficiencies with fertilizers

• Removing the diseased tree

How Much Does Diagnosing a Sick Tree Cost?

If you need professional help diagnosing a sick tree, you should schedule a tree inspection. A tree inspection costs $450 on average, but prices range from $100 to $600. The total cost of this tree service depends on the type of inspection, with basic check-ups costing the least and a full arborist report costing the most. You will also need to account for the number of trees being diagnosed, as well as their ease of accessibility for the tree professional.