I don't know where you live, but some diseases are particularly common in certain regions on certain plants.

Thus, I suggest that you ask a knowledgeable source about the diseases in your region, also which are its most common victims. Then you can select plants which resist, or at least tolerate, the disease.

Bottom line is that you can't stop the disease when you have susceptible plants. Your only opportunity is to keep it down to a low roar.

I live in New York City. I already have quite an extensive roof garden with many, many trees. Everything is doing very well, and my purple sand cherry is 20 years old...so something must be alright.
Just this year for the first time ever, it got bacterial leaf disease from an infected plum and a peach tree I brought at the end of last summer.
I finally returned both of them last week, and now I want to save my sand cherry. That's why I got the Agrimycin.
I would like to know the best method of application.
Would it be best to cut off the branches that are affected?
It's about half the tree. Or would spraying suffice?
Next season I'll spray my whole garden with it as a preventative measure. BTW - Thanks for your tip on the soil.

This is a streptomycin, an antibiotic used for many years to treat tuberculosis that is now being used to treat for some bacterial diseases of plants. I would look carefully at this material before using it since some sources indicate serious problems in humans exposed while others kind of gloss over these problems.
Like any other antibacterial that gets into the environment this can allow disease pathogens to develop immunities to it, and others, as these disease pathogens have been doing over time due to small quantities in the environment.

Thanks for the warning. I've never used anything but neem oil
and ladybugs before, but that is not taking care of the bacterial leaf disease. That is why I am resorting to agrimycin. Since this is a roof garden, it will not be going into the ground or a water supply and will be used sparingly. I just wanted to know the effective dilution.

missminni, all (and I mean ALL) of the information you need for the mixing, application, storing, etc., of this product will be found on the label. If you can't understand the label, or it is missing, then call the help line number which will be on line or on the packaging.

Hi rhizo
I know, but that information is for use with livestock, not
agricultural use. For livestock it seems to be about 1 tablespoon to a gallon of water (from what I've read) but I don't know if that same ration applies for spraying on plants. Is there a specific one for plants?

You need to call the toll free number you'll find on the label or on the packaging. That's what it's there for! I've called such numbers many times over the years, whenever I had questions.

If there are no directions for plant use on your product, then perhaps it is not intended to be used for that purpose. You cannot 'guess' how to use a chemical such as this....you need to find some precise directions. And no one on these forums can guess for you, without seeing the label.

Call that phone number and let us know what they say. I'm curious.

The typical life span of your purple leaf sand cherry is around 15 years, just in case you didn't know. Some battles aren't worth waging, if you know what I mean.

I will call tomorrow and let everyone know what they say.
Thanks for all the advice...very much appreciated....
As for my beloved sand cherry...It's a battle worth waging..
It threw off some lovely new branches this season, and then the leaf disease hit it...I have to give it a good try before giving up on it. I love this bush. When I got it
it was in a gallon pot. It is now about 7 ft tall and
almost that wide too...all in a planter on the roof.

It might be a little 'more' worthwhile if it were a young tree and not at the end of a natural life cycle. That was my point. Trees (and all plants) have a finite life span....genetics has a great deal to do with it.

Perhaps the 15 yr lifespan is due to the fact that the sand cherry is unusually susceptible to disease. That's the genetics.
Since I've had mine for 21 years it's already defied it's expected lifespan by 6 years and it's genetics by never having a disease of any kind until this August.
Why would I give up on it now?

After all, if you were 85 years old and took ill, how would you like the doctor telling your mate that since the average life expectancy is 81.6 years, you're not worth saving.
I had a vet tell me to euthanize my dog 3 years ago because she'd be dead in 6 months. Well she's laying by my feet as I write this, very much alive and very healthy.
I rest my case.

Even a roof top garden can have overspray as well as drainage that can contribute pollutants to our water supply.

I've never used any chemicals ever in my garden. The only thing I ever used is neem oil. Gimme a break. This is getting ridiculous. I'm talking about spraying ONE tree
with sgrimycin.

OK OK, let's regroup! I didn't mean to make you feel backed into a corner...and I would probably feel the same way as you do about you tree, considering it's very unique location. I apologize.

I do hope that you'll post here or even to me personally about what you learned when you called the Agrimycin people. I am sincerely interested in what they have to say. I do know that this chemical comes in many different formulations and wonder if what you have purchased 'can' be mixed properly so that it can be applied to trees.

Sort of like dishwasher detergent and dish soap. You can't use either of them for the other's purpose.

Let me know if there is anything I can be helpful with. NYC roof gardens fascinate me.

Dorie

Hi Dorie
Thanks for understanding.
BTW A long time ago I did switch Dawn for the dish washing detergent and ended up with bubbles foaming out the dishwasher.
I called the mfg and they knew nothing about using agrimycin for agriculture. I then called Cornell School of Agriculture but could not get in touch with anyone who
could help me.
I next called the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
and spoke with a very accommodating gentleman who is
going to speak to the head horticulturist there and get back with me. He told me that although they are against using antibiotics or chemicals there are times that they do use them or they would lose the collection.
I'll post the response when I hear back from him.

I just got a call back from the gentleman at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and he said the head gardener told him they never used agrimycin. He then proceeded to suggest I call a man named John Ameroso, who used to be with Cornell,
but recently retired. He specializes in urban gardening.
By some miracle when I googled him his private phone number came up - so I left a message and will let you know when and if I hear back.

Boy, talk about being hot on the trail! Johm Ameroso sounds very interesting. (I googled, too.)

Yes, he does.
Have not heard back from him, however I did figure out how to dilute it...and since it is called Agrimycin, AGRI being
the operative part of the name, it actually is for agriculture use. Here is what I read about it at the North Carolina State University College of Agriculture:
Agricultural streptomycin (Agrimycin, Agri-Strep) in sprays at 100 parts per million (8 oz/100 gal or 1 teaspoon/gal) applied at 5-day intervals beginning when 5-10% of the blossoms are open and continuing until petal fall with 2-3 sprays after petal fall at 7-10 day intervals will reduce blight. Streptomycin should not be applied closer than 50 days to harvest on apples and 30 days on pears.
I think I am going to go ahead an try it.

I diluted agrimycin 1 tsp to 1 gallon of water and, after removing all infested leaves and small branches,sprayed the sand cherry and another plum tree I have that was showing signs of the disease.
This morning I received a call back from John Ameroso.
I told him what I did and he said I did the correct thing.
He told me to spray it one more time before winter, and then to spray it again in the spring before and after the first sign of leafing.
Thanks to all for your concern.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. You'll know something one way or another by late spring/early summer.

Good for John Ameroso for getting back to you!

Thanks, I thought so too...a really nice man.
I'll post back with an update and pictures in the spring.