Tree – Hurt by Insecticide

Q: I need advice on nursing some sick trees back to health. I believe I severely hurt three very young trees when I treated them for Japanese beetles. I used a very strong concentration of Sevin on two cherry trees and a crape myrtle, along with a few azaleas. All have lost ninety percent of their leaves. What can I do now?

A: The power of prayer …..and keeping your fingers tightly crossed….may be the best hope you have. Insecticides always mention the weather conditions in which they can be applied. Leaf damage is likely if they are sprayed on a sunny, hot and humid afternoon. Once your plant leaves drop there is nothing else to do but wait. Good news, though: I wouldn’t be surprised if all of them survived and put out new leaves next spring.