Towards the end of the season, it is common to see some yellow needles and branches on hemlock trees. Please understand that this is not a bad thing and certainly not associated with the Adelgid. Evergreens shed needles annually despite what some think. That said, the Woolly Adelgid is still an issue in the area! Treating with an insecticide (like Merit) is still required if you want to save your trees. The good news is, research is showing us that these chemicals stay in the tree for as long as 5-7 years before they are metabolized. Therefore, if you are treating effectively, it doesn't need to be an annual program.
The Boxwood Blight continues to be an issue all over Highlands and Cashiers. This fungal pathogen needs to be treated preventatively. This means spraying boxwood every 21 days. If you don't spray every 21 days, your shrubs are exposed to this blight! Again, it becomes more of an issue of when your shrubs become infected, not if your shrubs become infected. I constantly hear, "I am keeping and eye on mine." This is impossible...by the time you see symptoms that something is wrong, it is far too late. Again, your boxwoods need to be treated on a 21 day interval with Daconil and a systemic fungicide of your choice. You can see older posts showing you products available at Reeve's, Lowe's or Home Depot. This blight can cause a lot of destruction in a very short period of time. I've seen boxwood landscapes go from green to dead in a week.
Finally, the Highway 106 project...While this was an alarming project with a lot of potential impact to the Club, it continues to be a low priority for local officials and the DOT. At the town board meeting last night, the Mayor announced the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Southwestern Commission is going to put the lowest possible priority rating on this project. This will essentially kill it. I will be keeping you updated if there are things I hear about this project at a local elected official level. Anyone who sent letters to the DOT... this is very useful because the DOT takes a lot of interest in the feedback they receive.