[Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

[sheehy at az-land.com]

Christine Sheehy
85020
sheehy at az-land.com

Lab tests confirm that my oleanders are infected with oleander leaf scorch ("OLS"). I was told by an arborist and internet research that my trees will eventually all die. Some of the FAQ's about OLS are several years old and I am looking for more current advice. I have 175 linear feet of oleanders 20+ feet tall that ring my backyard. I could cut them to the ground and see if they come back healthy but I am in the middle of a major landscape overhaul and it was suggested by the arborist that I would be further ahead if I cut them all down now, tear our the roots with a backhoe and plant something else because the chances they will come back disease free are slim. I hired a landscape architect to redesign the landscaping and he said if the oleanders do not grow back heathy I will have to tear out shrubs, groundcovers, part of the block fence/wall to plant something to replace the oleanders. He said I would gain several years of new growth if I planted replacement trees now. Obviously this is a large financial decision and I want to gather the most current information that I can before I make the decision to cut the oleanders to the ground or tear them out now. Is OLS prevalent in North Central Phoenix (I live between Glendale and Northern off 3rd Street.) Any info on the chances of the oleanders growing back healthy if I cut them all to the ground? From 4/05 - 7/06 a contractor applied Savage 4 times to kill the bermuda grass in my yard so I could plant a xeriscape. This killed two mature ash trees and my remaining trees and oleanders exhibit chemical poisoning (currently under investigation by Structural Pest Control). I don't know if the chemical poisoning weakened the oleanders making them suseptable to OLS. Regardless, I now need to make some decisions on the oleanders and would appreciate any current info that you can provide on OLS, the odds of the oleanders coming back healthy if I cut them to the ground and/or remedies, if any.