Paclo Observation

[macrocarpa]

I just noticed yesterday this river birch I treated with paclo a couple years ago is the only one in this neighborhood that still has most of its leaves, and the leaves are still green. All the other river birch in this neighborhood have dropped their leaves, or have few yellow remaining. There’s a river birch in the background of this photo you can see is very sparse.

I don’t know why landscape architects put river birch so close to the foundation of the house, but it’s very common. The alternatives are total removal, or repetitive pruning which can be prolonged with a paclo treatment. I think it extends the pruning cycle by one interval. Customers that chose not to growth regulate have me back out pruning twice as much it seems.

Just an observation of the effects.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I learned the hard way that river birch DO NOT like more than about 5% crown reduction on any limb. Do more than that and whole limbs die. Very hard to subordinate them successfully.

 

[macrocarpa]

I learned the hard way that river birch DO NOT like more than about 5% crown reduction on any limb. Do more than that and whole limbs die. Very hard to subordinate them successfully.

I haven’t even tried. Every-time I visualize doing it I come to the conclusion I wouldn’t be proud of the results

 

[ATH]

We use TGR more for tree health than stunting growth. Good to see it doing that job!

PS: you may be assuming a bit much with "landscape architect" (just based on my experience...). Not that they are immune to planting things too close, but at least they have a plan in mind vs. "We have this tree to plant. If we put it 10-15' from the house it looks like it is standing alone out in the middle of nowhere. Let's scoot it a little closer... No a little bit closer still. Yes, that looks really good right there today which is when I expect to get my check."

 

[oldoakman]

Landscape architects are a lot like civil engineers, can't live with them and you can't shoot them.

 

[macrocarpa]

While on the topic….does anybody know if there are more affordable paclo options out there yet? Or is it still $400 a gallon?

 

[ATH]

I've not found it cheaper...

 

[macrocarpa]

I've not found it cheaper...

I liked it better when I could buy shortstop by the half gallon.

 

[Nish]

While on the topic….does anybody know if there are more affordable paclo options out there yet? Or is it still $400 a gallon?

Generic stuff is widely available and much cheaper. Same AI percentage but not labeled for trees like Shortstop or Cambistat.

 

[macrocarpa]

Same tree pics taken today. Still holding green leaves. Two river birch in the neighboring property almost completely bare. Just interesting noting what paclo actually does.

Re-applied paclo last spring 2024 (three years after the first application)

 

[Nish]

Very cool. Do the leaves look physically deformed in any undesirable way?

 

[macrocarpa]

Very cool. Do the leaves look physically deformed in any undesirable way?

No. Just smaller and darker green. Strange that sometimes it seems to help with iron chlorosis and other times I don’t notice any difference in leaf color. For this tree, it helped.