Systemic Aphid And Scale Treatment Applied - Magnolia and Lindens - April 2023

One of the things that I've had on my last few annual 'to do lists' in the garden is to keep up with various seasonal tasks like feeding, treating, pruning, etc.  Basically....good garden and tree maintenance.  This year, it came in at #16 on the list and included items like feeding the roses (which I did last week for the first time this season) and dividing perennials, protecting everything from winter and rabbits and... treating trees.  For the past few years, I've had the fine folks at Davey do an annual deep-root feeding treatment of everything in the yard (in the fall) and I've complemented that application with one of my own on a few select trees.  

Start back in 2020, I noticed that our Greenspire Lindens were being covered in Yellow Jackets and upon inspection, it appeared that the trees were inhabited by aphids - which in turn created honeydew - which was what the Yellow Jackets were after.  In order to get rid of the Yellow Jackets, I had to get rid of the aphids.  

There are two ways to deal with aphids:  spraying them.  Or getting ahead of them via a root-applied systemic treatment.  Starting in Spring 2021, I've opted for the systemic, root-applied treatment.  You buy a bottle of concentrate, mix it with two gallons of water based on the caliper of the trunk, pull the mulch aside and soak the rootball.  Over the next few weeks/months, the tree takes up this insecticide and distributes it across the branches and leaves.  Last year (Spring 2022), I applied the same product.  

About the same time that I noticed the aphids on the espaliered Lindens, I noticed (what I'm pretty sure was) Scale on the Saucer Magnolia. Turns out, the same product for aphids also controls Scale on Magnolia trees.  Starting last year (2022), I added the Saucer Magnolia to the treatment, too.  

This year, I went out and applied the same stuff - via a two gallon watering can - see below for the greenish color of the mixed concentrate.

I have two Lindens and a multi-trunk Saucer Magnolia to treat.  This bottle will treat 4 small trees (think....trees that are under 4" calipers).   It is also a fertilizer (see "Feed" on the bottle), so each of these three trees gets a secondary dose of food.

Below is the Saucer Magnolia - I pulled the mulch aside and made a sort of well in the middle.  I drenched the trunks.  One note....the 'center' of this multi-trunk tree has sort of 'fused' together and is now above the mulch line.  That's...a new (I think) development in the growth of the Saucer Magnolia.

Below is the application of two gallons of mixed insecticide on one of the Greenspire Lindens.  

I'll revisit these trees in a month or so to see if they've taken up the treatment and/or if there is an infestation that needs additional treatments - like perhaps a spray or an additional soil/root application.