Larch needle cast

[RyanCafferky]

I’ve got a client who has a few larch trees that are turning brown in the middle of summer. We have been having a lot of hot weather but it seems unrelated. The southwest side of the tree I looked at seemed ok and that is where we normally see sun and heat damage on trees in our area. We did have a very long wet spring and cool wet early summer which contributes to the fungus that causes this.

Larch (Larix spp.)-Needle Cast

Cause The fungus Rhabdocline laricis (formerly Meria laricis) overwinters in fallen needles and dead terminal tufts of needles that adhere to seedlings. Spores are...

pnwhandbooks.org

Anyone have any treatments they would try other than just good housekeeping by cleaning up all the dead needles?

Thanks for any advice

 

[evo]

I lean towards good house keeping. Maybe some thinning to increase air movement.

I don’t know enough about spraying or fungicides, but targeted spraying will likely be in the wet season, which presents a efficacy challenge.
Maybe a soil drench or systemic? But can’t see how that would be good..

 

[Basswood]

Mancozeb is very effective at treatment of needlecast. I wouldn’t expect to get much control this year, but I’m unfamiliar with treating Larix for needlecast as it’s not a super common plant in the landscape here.