We had our hemlocks, of varying maturity, sprayed for two or three years by Bartlett Tree Experts. We lost none of the trees and the problem is gone. The cost was not exhorbitant, at least in comparison to the maintenance of our birch trees with fertilizer soil injections and protection from birch borers. My understanding is that it depends on how bad the adelgid problem is in your surrounding area - not just with your immediate neighbors - and that if you keep your trees sprayed while the adelgids work their way through your area you'll be fine. I recommend contacting them for further advice specific to your location. They don't charge a fee for inspecting the trees and putting together a proposal.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'd like to try saving the trees. I've been looking around in our public parks, and talking to coworkers. It appears that almost everyone's hemlocks are showing signs of it, but no one's had to do any cutting down yet. I'll call in the tree people.

How heartbreaking! Hemlock are my favorite trees. I haven't seen signs of it where I live yet, so I don't really know anything about the spray. I hope you can stop this awful disease. Please keep us posted.

I have had Bartlett come and inject the roots of my hemlock, rather than spraying (since i live next to a wetland, I think the localized injection is marginally less bad than spraying.) Have done this for 2 years now and the rather bad infestation is gone and the tree has put out lots of growth this year with the rain. I would definitely recommend them.

Spraying for adelgid usually involves the use of horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. Both methods suffocate soft-bodied insects, rather than poison them. While root injection is a better method for very tall trees which are difficult to cover thoroughly with a spray, I would question whether drenching the soil around the roots with a pesticide is more environmentally sound than using a relatively harmless spray to kill the adelgid by mechanical means.

Injecting the trunks of the trees is another method, but there is some question as to whether the pesticide can spread effectively via sap in trees already compromised by infestation, and whether drilling the trunk to apply the chemicals is harmful to the tree.

I have a long row of hemlocks, ranging in height from 15 to over 30 ft. tall. I've been spraying once a year, when I see adelgid on the trees, with pretty good results. I've used a couple of different tree services, including Bartlett. I don't use them anymore after they did a lousy job of pruning for me a few years ago. Beware of small local tree companies. One in my area is reported to be using diluted baby oil to spray for adelgid (I know someone who works for them).

We had our hemlocks in North Haven sprayed every year for quite a few years by a professional tree company (Bartletts at one point, Total Tree Care (formerly Cheshire Tree, I think?) at another -- they were both very good); we had excellent results, no signs of adelgids, and we considered the cost (which I recall as being quite reasonable) well worth it, as the trees were large and the screening they provided invaluable. I would check BBB with any tree company, but I second the recommendation for Bartletts and add one for Total Tree, based on our experience. You might also give the CT Agricultural Experiment Station a call in New Haven and ask about outbreaks or infestations in your particular area. I know they have literature they can send you, and they might be able to advise you as to the best measures to take for your particular area.

Good luck! Adelgids are certainly something for which proactive treatments are both available and effective, fortunately for those of us who love hemlocks...

its not a great situation either way, really. its a really big, inaccessible tree.
maybe one day they will let go the adelgid eating beetle here...

All of mine had to come out a few years ago, at least a dozen or more of them including an 80 foot double trunk "specimen" planted about 10 feet from my house. The 30' tall "hedge" along the back of my property had been planted on 3 foot centers so those trees were doomed at some point anyway. By the time I even knew what wooly adelgid was they were all too far gone. We really need the screening and felt very exposed after most of the trees came down. Where there was enough sun and space I planted Thuja 'Green Giants' but I still have a few spots that are too shady for most evergreens and I can't use yews because I have little dogs who like to eat everything they find on the ground. Lately I've been thinking about taking a chance and replanting a couple of Hemlocks. Now that I know they have to be sprayed I figure I can get them on a regular schedule. Should I be slapping myself silly or what?

Sue

Sue - A little OT, I'm curious about the Green Giants. We've been considering using them as a screen between our house and a new monster house that's gone up next door. They'd be in an open meadow. I was told by the folks at Youngs that the deer would eat them (though Wayside Gardens claims they are "deer proof") and they'd need to be sprayed with a repellent (we're in Litchfield County), so I've steered clear of them, but am tempted by the rapid growth. What's your experience been? How close did you plant them and have they done well? Any deer munching?

Marty, I planted the Green Giants on 6 foot centers. They have been in the ground just over two years. I bought them as maybe 3 footers in two or three gallon pots. Some of them get more sun than others and they are not planted in the greatest soil. I'm using them as a screen and a transition between an invasive weed infested field next to my house and a shrub border I reclaimed from part of that field. This weekend I actually have to go out and beat the field back a few feet behind the trees and add mulch. Although the 3-5 feet a year growth claim may be a bit optimistic, the trees in the most sun are now over my head-8 feet perhaps. So far I'm very happy with them.

Deer have never been a problem for me. I think my neighborhood is just too densely populated with not enough cover. Occasionally though they cut through the field next to the house. Last year I saw tracks in the garden once and had a hosta disappear and last weekend I came face to face with one for the first time very early in the morning just as he was getting ready to go into the field. Hopefully that isn't a sign of things to come.

Sue

Thanks, Sue -- sounds like they might be worth a shot. They'd certainly be in full sun, which ought to help. I'll have to research the whole deer thing a bit more -- we certainly have deer, and though most of the damage we've seen (and only to the vining euonymous) has been during the winter (knock on wood!), those Green Giants would be right on one of their winter "routes" across our meadow. I also had one nurseryman tell me I would "hate" the look of the Green Giants, but I saw quite large specimens at another nursery recently and I thought they were very attractive -- more cypress- than aborvitae-like, I thought.

Thanks for the response! (PS: The Miscanthus you brought to the spring swap are doing GREAT, especially the Morning Light -- what a beauty! Thanks again!!)
Marty

OK, I know I'm not crazy but I posted a fairly long message onto this topic this morning. Jo (Saypoint) had posted also and now both of those messages are gone. This has been happening to me alot on GW lately...I wonder why?

Sue

I've noticed this server, forums.gardenweb.com, has been having a lot of trouble lately. Forums2.gardenweb.com has been fine, but I couldn't get to this forum most of yesterday, and had the same trouble a couple of days ago.

Hi everyone.

Since we moved into our home, we've had Samuel Kinder & Sons Tree Company spray our mature hemlocks with oil each year. They look entirely healthy. (By the way, I was not very impressed by the Bartlett representative, who faked his way through a lot of our walk-thru, incorrectly identifying lots of trees rather than saying, "I'm not sure", etc, but it may have been bad luck). Sooooooo...

this year I bought 2 new hemlocks. I figure, if they need spraying, it's happening here anyway, plus, the nurseryman indicated that these were cleared from the original source to be free of the pest, and he believes that the trees in our area that were going to succumb to the adelgid are long gone. He seemed to think all is well here, now. He's pretty knowledgeable, but I'm still keeping up our spray program, just in case. good luck!