Slugs are a common garden pest that can wreak havoc on many plants, including stately bald cypress trees Their nocturnal feeding on foliage leaves behind a telltale silvery slime trail and ragged holes in leaves An infestation can quickly defoliate and weaken cypress trees, marring their beauty. Getting rid of slugs on bald cypresses takes diligence, but is definitely achievable through integrated pest management techniques.
Identifying Slugs on Bald Cypresses
Before treating slugs, it’s important to scout and identify them properly. Look for the glistening slime trails on leaves, branches, trunks and soil around the tree. Inspect the undersides of leaves for slugs hiding during the day. They may range in color from gray to black and can grow over 4 inches long. Their soft, slimy bodies lack an outer shell. Finding egg clusters under mulch or pots confirms their presence. Act promptly once slugs are detected to prevent extensive feeding damage.
Cultural and Physical Controls
For mild infestations, altering conditions around the cypress tree along with physical barriers can effectively reduce slug populations
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Eliminate daytime hiding spots by removing weeds, grass and thick mulch near the base of the tree. Slugs seek moist, shaded areas.
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Allow soil around the root zone to dry out between waterings. Excess moisture attracts slugs.
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Traps like overturned pots or boards placed near plants provide refuge for overnight slug hunting. Collect and dispose of them in the morning.
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Crushed eggshells or diatomaceous earth around the tree trunk forms a gritty barrier that deters slugs. Reapply after rain or irrigation.
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Copper tape wrapped around pots or tree trunk repel slugs due to a mild electrostatic charge.
Biological Controls
Natural predators can be enlisted to feast on slugs:
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Attract birds like ducks, geese and chickens that consume slugs.
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Ground beetles and their larvae are voracious predators. Avoid insecticides harmful to them.
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Encourage garden snakes that eat slugs by providing habitat areas in your landscape.
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Nematodes are microscopic worms that parasitize slugs when applied around plants. Reapply regularly for control.
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Domestic ducks penned around infested trees will greatly reduce slug populations through feeding.
Organic Baits
When natural controls aren’t providing adequate slug management, iron phosphate baits can be used. Scatter bait pellets on soil around the drip line of the cypress tree, as slugs are active at night. Reapply as the bait is consumed or dissolves. Follow all label directions carefully. Monitor for dead slugs and remove them to prevent secondary issues like botflies.
Beer Traps
For inexpensive but messy slug control, sinks containing beer will attract them to drown. Use plastic containers sunk into the ground around the cypress tree. Keep the beer level shallow, change liquid regularly, and dispose of dead slugs promptly. While not the sole solution, this method can supplement other organic controls.
Avoiding Problems with Slugs
Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to avoiding slug devastation. Here are some key bald cypress tree care tips:
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Prune lower branches for sunlight and airflow penetration to reduce slug habitat.
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Select slug-resistant plants like ferns, sedums, daffodils or lavender to surround the tree.
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Amend soil with lime annually to raise the pH which deters slugs.
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Water early in the day to minimize moisture availability for nocturnal slugs.
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Use drip irrigation rather than sprinklers to limit damp surfaces slugs prefer.
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Check new plants thoroughly for egg cases before installation around the cypress.
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Inspect after wet weather and treat any detected slug outbreaks immediately.
Be Vigilant
Getting rid of slugs on prized bald cypress trees requires persistence and a willingness to try multiple methods. Early intervention using cultural practices, physical barriers, traps and organic baits allows for better control. Avoid overuse of pesticides that might harm beneficial organisms in the garden ecosystem. Remain alert for reinfestations, especially during cool, wet conditions favorable to slugs. With integrated slug management, beautiful bald cypress trees can thrive unmarred by the pesky invaders.
Cypress Twig Gall Midge: Taxodiomyia cupressiananassa
Recognition: Heavy, spongy galls of varying sizes are created when female flies lay their eggs on newly developing leaves. The oval, green galls are heavy enough to cause branches to droop under their weight if there are too many on the branch. Each gall may contain up to 15 yellow-orange maggots in individual cells. In the autumn, the galls turn brown and drop to the ground with the leaves, and the larvae over-winter in the gall. The adults emerge as flies and can be found for about a month beginning in mid-May. There are two generations per year.
Contributing Factors: The main contributing factor of cypress twig gall midges is previous infestations of this insect.
Management Recommendations: To reduce the number of galls in a new season, rake and destroy the fallen leaves and galls. Sprays can be directed at adults when they are scouted, but there are many natural enemies and biological controls of this insect (Gomez and Mizell 2013).
Recognition: Mealybugs are soft-bodied insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts and a wooly, white, waxy covering. A byproduct of mealybug feeding is sticky honeydew, which coats infested foliage and provides a medium for growth of black sooty mold fungi. Mealybug reproduction is increased in humid and hot environments.
Contributing Factors: Contributing factors for mealybugs, specifically for Baldcypress, is unknown.
Management Recommendations: Predators (like lady bug larvae) can control many mealybug infestations in the landscape. The waxy covering protects the insects from sprays. Horticultural oils or systemic insecticides can be effective in controlling mealybugs, but because Baldcypress is very sensitive to horticultural oils, extreme caution should be used when making the decision to apply (UF/IFAS 2015).
Recognition: The Baldcypress Rust Mite is a microscopic eriophyid mite, most active during the warm season, which causes browning of interior needles. It overwinters in bark crevices, ready to reproduce and infest new growth in the spring. The mites mouthparts rasp the leaf cells, causing the needles to become yellowish and then brown. Mites can be seen with a 10-power hand lens, and their white cast skins are the best diagnostic.
Contributing Factors: Warm weather causes very rapid reproduction.
Management Recommendations: Carbaryl, dicofol, and oxythioquinox will knock down this mite with thorough foliage coverage (Nixon and Sheltar 1998). Please consult the most up-to-date regulations before applying any pesticides.
Cypress Leaf Beetle: Systena marginalis
Recognition: Foliage will appear discolored, turning into a bright to dark red with small, linear gouges (approx. 1/10-inch long) in the needles. Adult beetles are small (approx. 1/5-inch long) with a pale-yellow head and body and black markings on the outer margins of the body. They congregate in large numbers in tree crowns and feed on needles. Larvae feed on roots of grasses and weeds.
Contributing Factors: Adults are active in June and July. Drought or other stress factors can bring on similar needle color change, so it is important to properly scout and identify beetles.
Management Recommendations: In the nursery, direct sprays at adults when they are found or apply larvicide to soil in grass and weeds around the nursery. In landscape trees, trees will usually refoliate in the same growing season and no control is needed (Jacques 1987).
10 Best & Cheap Ways to Get Rid of Slugs in Your Garden
FAQ
How do you get rid of slugs on trees?
How to get rid of slugs permanently?
How to stop snails and slugs from eating plants?
Does baking soda get rid of slugs?
How do you stop slugs from crawling over plants?
One of the most obvious methods is to create a gritty barrier between your plant and the slugs. Spread grit, gravel, nutshells or crushed eggshells around your plants and the slugs will avoid crawling over it. Slugs love to feed on fresh green growth such as seedlings, so the younger the plant the more susceptible it is.
How do you care for a bald cypress tree?
It’s not difficult to provide your tree the best bald cypress care if you select an excellent planting location, starting with a spot in full sun. When you are planting a bald cypress tree, ensure that the soil has good drainage but also retains some moisture. Ideally, the soil should be acidic, moist and sandy. Irrigate regularly.
Do bald cypress trees get chlorosis?
Although bald cypress information may tell you that the tree has no serious insect or disease issues, it is likely to get chlorosis in alkaline soils. You’ll make Mother Nature happy if you start bald cypress growing. These trees are important to wildlife and help hold soil in place.
How long do bald cypress trees live?
When you start planting a bald cypress tree in your backyard, try to imagine the tree several decades in the future at 120 feet (36.5 m.) tall with a trunk diameter of 6 (1.8 m.) feet or more. The other piece of bald cypress information to keep in mind involves their longevity. With appropriate bald cypress care, your tree may live 600 years.