I’ve been reading up on Black Knot—the fungal disease creeping over my precious plumcot tree. When you have plum trees, apparently, you know to look for Black Knot, but I’m new to all this. I don’t know anything. I know my limits; I contact a certified arborist who knows what to do. This expert can help with my winter pruning and treatment to get rid of the fungus.
(I just love that I live in a world with certified arborists. I’m an expert in grammar; the arborists knows trees. To each his own calling. I plan on asking my arborist to tell me the whole story of how he or she became a certified arborist. When did you know you wanted to become a tree expert?)
So far in my reading, what encouraged me about the terrible Black Knot problem is how trees learn to handle it. Sometimes, it doesn’t cause any real problems other than being unsightly. And good news! I might actually have grown a Black Knot tolerant tree! So far, this might be the case since it’s so healthy.
I’m waiting for my arborist to contact me. I’ll keep you posted on my new adventure into handling Black Knot.