Chemical Selection

Since 1995, Top Notch Treecare has used fungicides with the active ingredient of propiconazole (brand names Alamo and Quali-Pro Propiconazole) for Dutch Elm disease prevention. Products with propiconazole had previously been used with great success in the treatment of oak wilt, a vascular wilt disease very similar to Dutch Elm disease. The chemical standard in the 1990’s was Arbotect, which had a good record of success but was found to be very damaging at the injection site due to acidity (the Ph is 2.7 in a 1% suspension in water). For a process that needs to be repeated every 2-3 years, a less damaging injection process was desired, so Top Notch decided to try using propiconazole in its elm treatments. For 12 years, Top Notch has used propiconazole with excellent results while doing less damage at the injection site.

It is our firm belief that the chemical alone does not make an elm treatment effective, and the application method is just as important for success. Every year we analyze our failures and our chemical choice, and we remain committed in our belief that we are using the best chemical for Dutch Elm disease prevention. The results speak for themselves – our program is second to none.

For more information on this topic, read an artical published in the Tree Care Industry Association Magazine, written by Jay Gough, Top Notch Treecare's Plant Health Care Manager.