Keep trees healthy

I wasn't a big fan of shots.

As a kid, I was sick a lot. Ear infections, tonsillitis, mumps, even scarlet fever. Shiny hallways, white uniforms or the smell of disinfectant made me nervous. No visit to the doctor was fun, no matter how many suckers I took home.

The worst part was the shots. Oh, Lord, the shots. The needles were long and sharp and evil. My bottom muscles became rigid steel that could deflect bullets, which only made it worse.

Before one surgery, I asked the nurse why we were waiting. She said, and I quote, "a little stick to make your mouth dry." Five minutes later, the longest needle invented by man arrived. She stuck it in me, it hurt and then afterward told me that curling my toes would help prevent clenching.

She told me afterward.

Twenty-five years later, I'm giving the shots. To trees. Insects were difficult to control on trees back then. When necessary, a high-pressure nozzle would be used to shower the canopy.

Charlie, an old farmhand, gave me my first lesson with an old Bean sprayer that leaked down his arm while he smoked a cigarette. I could feel the pesticide drift over us.

Nowadays, pesticides can be administered through injections or implants. The equipment is simple, lower amounts of pesticide is used and there's a much lower risk of exposure to the applicator, the environment or other nontargets. The product is placed at the base of the tree just under the bark into the vascular system. Pesticides move upward with the sap into the canopy where they become concentrated in the leaves and stems.

Insects consume the pesticide along with foliage. The residual effectiveness depends on the product, but it can last from several weeks to an entire season.

Aphids, Japanese beetles, scale and most other insects can be controlled.

Some insects, such as borers, however, feed below the outer layers of the tree where the insecticide does not reach. Consulting professional arborists can identify the type of insect and whether injections would work.

Fungicides, fertilizers and growth regulators also can be injected. Don't like the spiky gumballs hanging off sweetgum trees that litter the yard like a minefield? Growth-regulator products, such as Tree Tech's Snipper, can be injected into the trunk in early spring to cause flower drop to avoid the development of those spiky balls loaded with seeds.

No matter what the product, injections need to be done when the tree is actively growing so the product in translocated with sap.

There is some concern for the effects of injuring the tree during an injection, but most professionals think this is insignificant. And many injectable products require a professional due to equipment cost or training.

Mauget (www.mauget.com) is a longstanding product used by professionals. Holes are drilled through the bark for feeder tubes to be inserted and capsules pressurized. The capsules remain until empty.

Tree Tech (http://treetech.net) is another product similar to Mauget.

Arborjet (www.arborjet.com) and ArborSystems (www.arborsystems.com) both require costly injection equipment in addition to the pesticide to be delivered. And both remind me a lot of a doctor's needle. Arborjet still requires holes to be drilled before injection. ArborSystems, however, uses a punch and plug system before the needle is inserted.

Implants, such as Acecaps (http://acecap-medicap.com), are imbedded with product and do not require delivery equipment. Instead, holes are drilled and the implant is set inside the tree to dissolve.

Training is advised, and in some cases required, to properly locate and set injection points at the right depth. As with any pesticide product, follow the label for directions on use and rates.

Shots don't bother me as much now. I can't say I enjoy them, but I can deal with them. I just have to remember the sage advice: Curl the toes.

Tony Bertauski is a horticulture instructor at Trident Technical College. To give feedback, e-mail him at tony.bertauski@tridenttech.edu.