Question
Are there any household products out there that will help with the treatment/ prevention of leaf spots in my quaking aspens?  We have this and its getting out of control.  I have heard that antibacterial soap might help. Should I try this?  Any advice would be great.
Thank you so much

Answer
Sandra:
I am not aware of any documented references from university or company tests- only hearsay on household materials. Injury to the leaves and stems can result from improper mixtures. There is more information about baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) on the internet. Baking soda has a limited number of target microorganisms- mostly the powdery mildew diseases on plants.  If you elect to try some of these products, best to try them on a small portion of leaves, rather than the whole tree- that way, you can look for injury- usually w/in a week after application. For spraying a tree, complete coverage of the entire tree is important in conjunction with timing (usually as new leaves are emerging in the spring). Often, most homeowners don't have the necessary equipment that will reach to the top of the tree.  This is a big limitation for the homeowner. Disease control products will not make spotted leaves get well, just protect new emerging leaves, so it may often be necessary to make several spray applications during the growing season. One effective method of disease management for leaf spots on trees is raking up and burning (if allowed by community)leaves during the winter and for sure just before spring gets here.  Many leaf spotting organisms survive on those fallen leaves. Destroying or burying those fallen leaves can be effective and in many cases is feasible to do. This practice can reduce disease incidence. This in conjunction with appropriate nutrition and water to promote vigorous growth is also very useful. Leaf spot diseases tend to be worse on trees and ornamentals anytime there is significant rainfall and cloudy days during the months of Feb.-April.

Hope this information is useful.

Steve

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