Rubber Trees

[hank69]

hi, does anyone know anything about root rot (white) of termite damage again to the roots???

i have afew trees that look in distress, leaf drop/ yellow leafs then too bare branches that are then dead. slowly the tree turns from a healthy one to a near dead. i say near dead because the truck of the tree is still sound, but for how long......... any ideas on what the problem could be/ or cures? will try and gets some photos later on.

also is it normal for older trees 7 years ++ to start to loose the first few tiers of lower branches. ie leaves no longer form, hence branches die off? the above canopy is dense on these trees.

hank.

[wijar]

hi, does anyone know anything about root rot (white) of termite damage again to the roots???

i have afew trees that look in distress, leaf drop/ yellow leafs then too bare branches that are then dead. slowly the tree turns from a healthy one to a near dead. i say near dead because the truck of the tree is still sound, but for how long......... any ideas on what the problem could be/ or cures? will try and gets some photos later on.

also is it normal for older trees 7 years ++ to start to loose the first few tiers of lower branches. ie leaves no longer form, hence branches die off? the above canopy is dense on these trees.

hank.

Hank

I am not one of the green fingered guys in this blog, but some of our learned friends in this blog maybe able to recognize what you describe better if it were accompanied by some pictures. TC Wim

[thaiguzzi]

# without pictures dunno about the "sickness". I would be worrying, and investigating further - fast.

# completely normal to lose leaf and lower branches on trees with full canopy, especially after cutting at 7 years on. Christ, you should see some of my 9 year old ones and the debris on the floor. Still growing and still getting taller though...

[glennb6]

get with the local ag dept and schedule a visit to your farm. better to get it done and find out it's nothing than keep wondering if you'll loose the whole farm

[hank69]

hi,

can any one tell me how to up load photos?

[Mosha]

If you look at the post button at the foot of the page, you'll see the More Reply Option, press that and it will become clear to you.

[hank69]

hi,

thanks for the quick replys. i have managed to borrow my daughters phone and have taken photo of problem tree. the tree is in my garden at home and is one of one so no problems really, but would still like to save it. you can see the leaf lose and the bark at the top of the tree (trunk) is cracking, the lower end of the tree still sound. any ideas??

the plantation trees do not suffer from this problem (thank god) and are in the care of the workers, i have asked their thoughts on this one damaged tree but all i get is die loa. not the answer i want really.

[Mosha]

I'm no expert, but if those cracks in the bark go right around the tree, I think it's doomed.

[kwonitoy]

Have they been burning garbage or anything around the tree?

Looks like trees I've seen damaged by fire, dead branches up top and cracked bark

[hank69]

Have they been burning garbage or anything around the tree?

Looks like trees I've seen damaged by fire, dead branches up top and cracked bark

hi, funny you should say that, the gardeners did have a good burn up some time ago, lost some trees in the back garden. it would have been heat damage though because the fire would have be been some metres away. do you think it will come back in time?

[Jotham79]

Folks areound here in Petchabun (near the city) are beginning to try rubber. What kind of price could be paid for land with water year round and chanote title, and still be profitable in the long run. I'm thinking about selling 45 rai and am just looking for a starting point for people looking to get into rubber.

[wijar]

hi,

thanks for the quick replys. i have managed to borrow my daughters phone and have taken photo of problem tree. the tree is in my garden at home and is one of one so no problems really, but would still like to save it. you can see the leaf lose and the bark at the top of the tree (trunk) is cracking, the lower end of the tree still sound. any ideas??

the plantation trees do not suffer from this problem (thank god) and are in the care of the workers, i have asked their thoughts on this one damaged tree but all i get is die loa. not the answer i want really.

Hank

do you have photo's of the white "root rot"?

Wim

[hank69]

hi,

thanks for the quick replys. i have managed to borrow my daughters phone and have taken photo of problem tree. the tree is in my garden at home and is one of one so no problems really, but would still like to save it. you can see the leaf lose and the bark at the top of the tree (trunk) is cracking, the lower end of the tree still sound. any ideas??

the plantation trees do not suffer from this problem (thank god) and are in the care of the workers, i have asked their thoughts on this one damaged tree but all i get is die loa. not the answer i want really.

Hank

do you have photo's of the white "root rot"?

Wim

no photos sorry. all i did was google sick rubber tree and the links took me down the white root rot road. it said if you put a collection of grass cutting (mound) around the base of the suspect tree in 2-3 weeks you would have white vains amongst the grass - hence this tree has white root rot. if no white vains, not the problem.

[Mosha]

Have they been burning garbage or anything around the tree?

Looks like trees I've seen damaged by fire, dead branches up top and cracked bark

hi, funny you should say that, the gardeners did have a good burn up some time ago, lost some trees in the back garden. it would have been heat damage though because the fire would have be been some metres away. do you think it will come back in time?

As I said before, if those cracks go right round the tree, and through the cambium layer, then it's probably killed the tree. Ring barking is one way to kill the tree, and om the trunk the cambium layer is the only part that is live tissue.. Google ring barking.

[Mosha]

Production should ramp up tomorrow. The tappers are going to perform the annual animist rite in the trees

[hank69]

Have they been burning garbage or anything around the tree?

Looks like trees I've seen damaged by fire, dead branches up top and cracked bark

hi, funny you should say that, the gardeners did have a good burn up some time ago, lost some trees in the back garden. it would have been heat damage though because the fire would have be been some metres away. do you think it will come back in time?

As I said before, if those cracks go right round the tree, and through the cambium layer, then it's probably killed the tree. Ring barking is one way to kill the tree, and om the trunk the cambium layer is the only part that is live tissue.. Google ring barking.

luckly enough the cracks only go at max 50% around the tree truck, the damaged branches are also the same side as the cracks. i think the tree was damaged from the fire, how bad im sure time will only tell.

last year we had some damaged trees from a sugar cane burn next door, no cracks on the trunks but total leaf loss, said tree have leafs again now. thats kwonitoy for pointing me in the fire direction.

[AA1]

hank69,

Thanks for putting on the photos of your trees.

Around us quite a lot of rubber farms have been suffering in a similar way - lack of new leaves on the branches after the fall of the old. The farmers have put it down to the approx.4 month drought which we had over this period in south Surin province.

Strangely it affected some of the trees on the first 9 rai of 7-8 year rubber trees which my wife opened for the 1st. cut last September to get them gently started.Only a few look almost totally dead whereas the rest should hopefully recover after a year or so's rest.

Literally adjoining these there is the next block of 11 rai which are 2 years younger and NONE of these are affected at all. I can only put this down to the fact is the difference in soil quality as that land had previously been used for growing sugar whereas the former just rice.

When 'White Root Rot' was mentioned, that had me worried!! Each morning I take my dog for 1 - 1 1/4 hour walk along tracks between many other rubber farms and studied the trees more closely than usual. Although we must check for rot, there are so many trees along the way affected I am still convinced that it IS the lack of rain and the burning of the sun so our may have been damaged from the heat above and yours from nearby below.

Although we are now getting a bit of rain, we still could do with more which hopefully will be coming this weekend.

Good luck and thanks for your comments.

AA1

[hank69]

hank69,

Thanks for putting on the photos of your trees.

Around us quite a lot of rubber farms have been suffering in a similar way - lack of new leaves on the branches after the fall of the old. The farmers have put it down to the approx.4 month drought which we had over this period in south Surin province.

Strangely it affected some of the trees on the first 9 rai of 7-8 year rubber trees which my wife opened for the 1st. cut last September to get them gently started.Only a few look almost totally dead whereas the rest should hopefully recover after a year or so's rest.

Literally adjoining these there is the next block of 11 rai which are 2 years younger and NONE of these are affected at all. I can only put this down to the fact is the difference in soil quality as that land had previously been used for growing sugar whereas the former just rice.

When 'White Root Rot' was mentioned, that had me worried!! Each morning I take my dog for 1 - 1 1/4 hour walk along tracks between many other rubber farms and studied the trees more closely than usual. Although we must check for rot, there are so many trees along the way affected I am still convinced that it IS the lack of rain and the burning of the sun so our may have been damaged from the heat above and yours from nearby below.

Although we are now getting a bit of rain, we still could do with more which hopefully will be coming this weekend.

Good luck and thanks for your comments.

AA1

hi, yes when i walked the plantation the other month i could see alot less leaf on the lower branches, top looking good. always a worry when you see new developments (bad ones). it was said afew post back that this is the norm in older the trees. i have different trees that have been affected by the sun burning off the new leafs, and these get watered by hand when no rain.

from what i have read the white root rot mainly attacks young trees, 0yrs too 6 yrs. it has always been a worry to me that the tree can get attacked from under the soil, because usually it will be too late when you see the problem.

where we are to the east of udon we have had plenty of rain so far, too much for us to begin tapping.

[thaiguzzi]

I have never seen "nice, good" trees grow in ex rice paddy. Plenty of it up here in the boondocks of Udon, all of them are crap trees.

All the good trees are in ex sugar/tapioca or eucalyptus land. Point i'm making is good rubber will not grow just "anywhere".

And there is a HUGE difference between good and poor rubber trees.

[thaiguzzi]

Oh, i forgot... up here we went literally 6 (SIX) months with no rain, oct-april, leaf fall and new leaf was as per normal on all our trees 5-9 years old. So yeah, i'd say it's ex rice paddy that is your problem.

[hank69]

Oh, i forgot... up here we went literally 6 (SIX) months with no rain, oct-april, leaf fall and new leaf was as per normal on all our trees 5-9 years old. So yeah, i'd say it's ex rice paddy that is your problem.

no, the rubber tree sit on reclamed wood land, i say wood land more like scrubland with little pockets of everthing. we have large fish ponds around the area of the trees for when the rain stops, its usually drys up end of november.

this will be our first year of tapping. trees rm600. nothing special really out of about 2800 gona open 800, these are all about or above the 50cm mark. over the last few years have not really taken the time or money to look after them. over all most tree about the 40cm mark.

you get out what you put in, next year most if not all should be online, baring any problems.

Edited May 30, 2013 by hank69

[AA1]

I have never seen "nice, good" trees grow in ex rice paddy. Plenty of it up here in the boondocks of Udon, all of them are crap trees.

All the good trees are in ex sugar/tapioca or eucalyptus land. Point i'm making is good rubber will not grow just "anywhere".

And there is a HUGE difference between good and poor rubber trees.

Interesting idea thaiguzzi. I hadn't thought of that possibility. Around here the land away from the river basin was the poor rice land. Now it has become the more valuable land to buy and almost half the land area around here is now growing rubber. For 7 years the rubber trees on the ex poor rice land have grown very well - with the proper fertiliser etc. so I will add the fact that they are on ex rice land combined to the drought. I said 4 months but haven't kept weather details so it might be nearer 6 but did not want to over exaggerate so may have underdone it!!!!

If you are along at Udon, why don't you come along the the "Isaan Farmers Meeting No 9" (look at topic same name) on the 22nd. June which is at our house and will be having a trip down to the rubber after lunch for anyone interested and hopefully will not only have another famous rubber farmer from Udon and a Surin Rubber Teacher who is a friend and speaks good English but wants more practice with actual English speakers. After all we are only just along the 24 from you and can not only provide good interesting company and free beer but also you can see rubber growing along here. Wives or Gfs, very welcome as well.

Anyone else reading this would be welcome too

AA1.

[AA1]

thaiguzzi.

Just realised that I am a stupid idiot!!!

You are at Udon NOT Ubon and I have got the 2 mixed up and other farmer is from Ubon.

You are the whole length of Isaan from us BUT obviously would still be extremely welcome but it's a hell of a long drive!!!!!

All the best and thanks.

AA1.

[thaiguzzi]

Thanx for the offer. Would enjoy a couple of days down there in Ubon. Unfortunately, finance dictates that i'm unable to visit. Basically piss broke at the moment, should be all right in a couple of months. Have a good party, and give my regards to Jim.

[Mosha]

Folks areound here in Petchabun (near the city) are beginning to try rubber. What kind of price could be paid for land with water year round and chanote title, and still be profitable in the long run. I'm thinking about selling 45 rai and am just looking for a starting point for people looking to get into rubber.

I'd look around and see what similar land is going for, however there are other factors too. It's a bit like how long is a piece of string? If sellers really need the money, and potential buyers know this, Then the seller will end up selling cheap. Or vice versa. What is on the land now?

[Mosha]

1st lot of sheets being sold tomorrow. This months beer money is secure.

[Hunter s somtam]

Anyone ever transplanted a tree? I just dug up a four meter one and moved it ,it's three year old and I tried to keep a bit of soil around it but it all fell off ,all the leaves fell off and it's been three weeks now .No new leaves yet ,I think it's doomed but was just interested to know if it can be done or has been done successfully by anyone one out there .

Thanks .

[Mosha]

It can probably be done, but the soil ball should at lest go out to the widest leaf. Just a guess though and depth ???

[Hunter s somtam]

It can probably be done, but the soil ball should at lest go out to the widest leaf. Just a guess though and depth ???

Thanks mosha, I will let you know if this one lives ,but as I said not a bit of soil on him ,he's a baldy.pissing down rain today so will check tomorrow .will get a photo up soon too.

[thaiguzzi]

It can probably be done, but the soil ball should at lest go out to the widest leaf. Just a guess though and depth ???

Thanks mosha, I will let you know if this one lives ,but as I said not a bit of soil on him ,he's a baldy.pissing down rain today so will check tomorrow .will get a photo up soon too.

Off topic, but are you by any chance, like myself, a Hunter S Thompson fan?

On topic, moving 3 year old tree, you may be lucky, but i doubt it.