Precautions When Using Cambistat on Stressed or Injured Trees
Analyze the situation and reduce the dose
Applications of Cambistat are intended to provide the proper amount of active ingredient evenly throughout the canopy of a tree. Dosage rates are determined by the species and DBH of the tree that is being treated. Typical responses to Cambistat include stimulation of fine root production, reduced water loss, increased chlorophyll, thicker leaves, and other beneficial effects. Responses like these may improve the health of trees growing in stressful locations.
Trees that show significant stress and are in rapid decline may not be good candidates for treatment. Trees displaying mild decline may be considered for treatment, but these trees should be treated differently than their full canopied counterparts. A full dose of Cambistat applied to a tree with a small, thin, or declining canopy may result in significantly smaller leaves or a shutdown of growth in portions of the canopy. To avoid these negative consequences use the following guidelines:
- Dosage rates for trees that have lost canopy from stress, decline, storm damage, pruning, or suppression must be reduced to minimize the risk of over-regulation.
- Estimate the percentage of crown that is missing and subtract that percentage from your dosage.
- For stressed trees, consider that additional canopy may decline before the treatment takes hold, so you may need to reduce the dose by more than what is presently missing.
Also recognize that Cambistat should be used in combination with other sound cultural practices to increase the health of the tree. When used alone, Cambistat may not provide the tree health results your
client is expecting. Other measures such as mulching, soil rejuvenation, watering, disease and insect protective treatments, and pruning may be necessary, and in some cases a greater priority.
Proper Application
It is very important to apply Cambistat at the rate shown on the rate card. Higher application rates may result in excessive growth reduction, reduced leaf size, and compromised tree aesthetics. Trees in rate categories A, B, and C are the most sensitive to Cambistat and have a smaller margin of error for application rates than trees in categories D, E, and F. When in doubt for sensitive trees, use less Cambistat instead of more.
Cambistat Increases Flowering, Fruit, and Seeds
One of the side effects of Cambistat is that it increases the number of flowers and the amount of fruit and seeds on a tree. While this can be beneficial in certain situations, it can be very negative in others such as with Sweetgum trees.
Cambistat Will Regulate Grass - Be Careful On Slopes
Cambistat reduces the growth rate of turf. It will cause it to stay dormant longer in the spring and turn it very dark green during the summer. On slopes, Cambistat if not applied deep enough can run off and create a trail of reduced turf growth. Make sure that your trenches are deep enough 4" - 6" deep and allow all the material to soak in before replacing the soil.
Cambistat Is Tied Up in High Organic Matter
When applying to mulched areas, be sure to apply the Cambistat beneath the mulch. This will prevent the mulch from tying up the material and allow it to enter the plants being treated.
Cambistat will affect bedding plants and/or grass.
Grass, plants and shrubs at the base of the tree may show signs of slow or stunted growth. These effects should result in no permanent damage. To ensure no signs of regulation remove all plants 2 feet beyond treatment area.
What to Do if a Tree Becomes
Over-Regulated
If you observe over-regulation, remove the soil into which the Cambistat was applied at the base of the
tree. This will prevent additional Cambistat from being taken up. Trees will eventually grow out of their overregulated condition during the following seasons.
Not enough Cambistat used
If the dose of Cambistat is less than the recommended amount, the tree will not gain all the benefits that proper application of Cambistat will provide. Growth rate reduction will not last as long or not be visibly apparent.
Movement of Cambistat to non-target plants
Cambistat is designed for woody plants and will affect most other plants including grass. It is important that it is not spilled and that the resulting solution from cleaning your equipment is disposed of properly. Plants whose roots grow into the treatment zone will absorb some Cambistat and be smaller when they re-grow in the spring. Follow application instructions exactly.
Cambistat spillage on sidewalks and driveways
Cambistat sticks to the soil and once it dries, has little movement away from the application site. If you spill Cambistat on a sidewalk or driveway, it will stain if not removed immediately.
Cambistat – movement in the soil
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has very strict guidelines for products that are applied to the soil to ensure they will not contaminate the water supply. Results showed that Cambistat has minimal movement in the soil. The EPA places Cambistat in the lowest risk group of regulated plant-application chemicals.
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Plants within the treatment area will be regulated. Move any plants a minimum of 2 feet from treatment area to ensure they are not treated |
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