Frist my business is more lawns than trees. One of my lawn customers had a tree doc come out to look at her oaks , These are over 20 years old. The bottom leaves are bit shriveled. He told her that the lawn has been over fertilized IS there any truth to this or is he trying to make a buck here. He said he would come back and dead wood them which they need but the fertilizing i am not sure about . Never had a problem
Trees and Lawn fertilizer
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Over fertilized? Sure, that is possible, but for the tree to get too much, you'd have to be pumping it into the grass pretty hard...and too much wouldn't typically cause curl. IF there is a fungal disease causing the curl, you might make the argument that imbalanced nutrient profile predisposed the tree to fungal infection, but much more information is needed before making that jump.
Do you have pictures?
IF it is caused by lawn applications, it is more likely the herbicide in the lawn treatments than the fertilizer. 2, 4-D certainly curls leaves. Triclopyr volatilizes over 80-some degrees, so that could put a hurtin on lower leaves of a tree. In the last week, I have seen herbicide damage on pear, red maple, pin oak, crabapple, and redbud on 4 different properties. 2 of those were from agricultural drift. The others were lawn treatments causing the problems. Fortunately, there was nothing fatal in any of these circumstances...just some leaf curl. Working on the numbers for another where a windbreak was wiped out by drift.
I'd call him on it and ask what he is seeing that leads to a conclusion of too much fertilizer.
Sure, it may need dead wood removed, but is that related to the leaf curl?
PS: do you soil test for fertilization rates?
Do you have pictures?
IF it is caused by lawn applications, it is more likely the herbicide in the lawn treatments than the fertilizer. 2, 4-D certainly curls leaves. Triclopyr volatilizes over 80-some degrees, so that could put a hurtin on lower leaves of a tree. In the last week, I have seen herbicide damage on pear, red maple, pin oak, crabapple, and redbud on 4 different properties. 2 of those were from agricultural drift. The others were lawn treatments causing the problems. Fortunately, there was nothing fatal in any of these circumstances...just some leaf curl. Working on the numbers for another where a windbreak was wiped out by drift.
I'd call him on it and ask what he is seeing that leads to a conclusion of too much fertilizer.
Sure, it may need dead wood removed, but is that related to the leaf curl?
PS: do you soil test for fertilization rates?
Post pics, shriveled lower Oak leaves could be a number of things.
Illl get pics soon. The last time i fertilized was in march. Aslo the only other chemicals that were applied was
Scotts® Turf Builder
Thats becuase she wants greass under her trees and its very hard to get it to grow with out that. We are getting warmmer temps now. It just started heating up this past week.
Scotts® Turf Builder
Thats becuase she wants greass under her trees and its very hard to get it to grow with out that. We are getting warmmer temps now. It just started heating up this past week.
You need sunlight, not chemicals to get grass to grow under trees. That can be quite difficult to import. Certain species and varieties of grass are better in the shade than others. Research that through your local extension offices to determine which are the best for your area. May be better, cheaper, and more effective to re-seed the troublesome area than trying to fertilize something that needs more light.
Ed Roland
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I am not saying the lower leaf loss is attributed to too much fertilizer but it is never a good idea to manage long lived perennials and a less long lived mono culture of grass pants with the same fertility management strategy. "Good lawn maintenance" is not good maintenance for mature trees. Lesco horticulture recommends 5x annual fertilizations for centipede grass per year. This will have detrimental effects for a tree sharing rhyzosphere with the grasses. Trees can only store energy in living cells. The amount of energy reserves is then directly related to the amount of healthy living cells in wood and inner bark. When elements are added to the soil natural biological processes are stimulated and there is an increase in growth rate. For this accelerated growth to happen, energy is required. That energy is, of course, coming from stored reserves or new substances produced from photosynthesis. The tree has to speed up its activities and possibly the tree can manage if energy required can keep up. But what if this stimulated growth outpaces energy reserves/production? Large leaves and long shoots susceptible to infection/infestation can be expected before the decline spiral. There may not be enough energy left to make new wood, bark or to supply the living cells in the trunk or roots. These living cells are dependent upon the leaves for their energy.
So, while saturating the soil with elements might = "good maintenance" for turf, know that the tree roots sharing the same space in the soil have to deal with it as best they can.
I not only recommend mulch. I recommend a giant mulch ring all the way to the dripline to keep turf pros from harming client trees.
Just one way turf is an enemy of urban trees.
Have seen leaf distortions in the lower limbs from broad leaf herbicides applied to lawn under Oaks. In the first set of pics I see leaves that might be in question, not in the second set of pics.
