I was asked to carry out an amputation at the South London Botanical Institute in Tulse Hill. Their Saw-toothed Azara (Azara errata) is succumbing to Silver Leaf fungus. [see entry dated 25th. November 2022]

 

 Its spread is very evident in one of the three main limbs so we're hoping that surgery might help. To be honest we're not optimistic but it's worth a try.

 I worked my way down with a pruning saw felling manageable sections. The final cut I made as low as possible to the base. Rough cuts are fine for reducing a tree but the final cut needs to be smooth and angled so that water drains away from the tree. Tool tip: I used a Japanese "Silky" saw belonging to the SLBI. It's the best pruning saw I've ever used- I'm going to buy one! 

 I worked with Cath, one of the institute's expert gardeners. She worked at ground level cutting and bagging the branches to be disposed of the following day. Home composting is generally not advisable for diseased wood but council sites send 'green waste' to be composted at temperatures high enough to kill most diseases. 

 At the end of the day Cath sterilised the tools in a bleach solution. Silver Leaf spores enter a tree through "wounds" e.g. during pruning. 

  This photo illustrates the distinctive staining when Silver Leaf takes hold. The limb we took out seemed to contain a mixture of good wood and dying/dead wood. The leaves had dropped whereas they are still present on the remaining limbs. We can but hope.

 Postscript I'm very fond of the SLBI, both the house and the garden (and the people!). Unfortunately it will be closed for much of the year due to major building work to address some structural issues caused by subsidence. In many ways London is a collection of hills -Tulse Hill among them- and subsidence is not uncommon.

 It was rather poignant to see the building empty of all its contents. The builders were hard at it even as the last removal lorry was leaving. I hope there were still be opportunities to volunteer in the garden even though it will closed to the public for the duration of the works.