Over watered oak
- Thread starter Bill94
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Not a great picture...but how did you come to the conclusion that was over-watering? Usually that damage would show up a lot more quickly than 3 years...
I'd be more concerned about the detergents than the water...
thats possible that the detergent is the problem. Such as too much phosphate. The stuff we use is suppose to decay naturally. Do you have any knowledge about whether a tree can recover? I'm hoping it is just stressed and turned brown early rather than dead.
Well....technically, almost everything decays given enough time. 
Newer detergents probably don't have phosphates in them. But too much of anything can be bad for a tree. Depending on how frequently it was getting water and/or detergents, it may have been too much or it to process.
Nobody is going to give you much info from that picture... The pattern of browning is not clear. The reason is certainly not. Can't tell what the twigs look like, etc... Kinda like sending a doctor a blurry picture of a foot with some redness, telling him it is gangrene and asking if it will get better. Just like the doctor is going to want to see that in person, I'd recommend you find a local qualified arborist to look at it in person. It may make sense to send soil samples to a lab as well to see what is in there. Perhaps incorporating organic material or pH balanced biochar can neutralize some of the impact of the detergents if they are in there cause problems. Regular waterings may help too to wash some of that out of there. Additionally, they tree may not have a well-established root system because it was used to so much water. It may not be water damage that you are looking at, but drought damage because there aren't enough roots spread wide because the tree didn't need to spread them to get the water. Think of it as weaning the tree off of the free water it has gotten for so long. Again...all speculation without more details.
Or......wait until next spring and you will have more information towards the answer whether it will make it. But still not much more information about the cause of the browning whether it does or does not make it.
Newer detergents probably don't have phosphates in them. But too much of anything can be bad for a tree. Depending on how frequently it was getting water and/or detergents, it may have been too much or it to process.Nobody is going to give you much info from that picture... The pattern of browning is not clear. The reason is certainly not. Can't tell what the twigs look like, etc... Kinda like sending a doctor a blurry picture of a foot with some redness, telling him it is gangrene and asking if it will get better. Just like the doctor is going to want to see that in person, I'd recommend you find a local qualified arborist to look at it in person. It may make sense to send soil samples to a lab as well to see what is in there. Perhaps incorporating organic material or pH balanced biochar can neutralize some of the impact of the detergents if they are in there cause problems. Regular waterings may help too to wash some of that out of there. Additionally, they tree may not have a well-established root system because it was used to so much water. It may not be water damage that you are looking at, but drought damage because there aren't enough roots spread wide because the tree didn't need to spread them to get the water. Think of it as weaning the tree off of the free water it has gotten for so long. Again...all speculation without more details.
Or......wait until next spring and you will have more information towards the answer whether it will make it. But still not much more information about the cause of the browning whether it does or does not make it.
Jason Douglas
ArboristSite Guru
I also lean the way of the detergents being the major issue. Grey water can be alkaline and the ingredients themselves may be toxic. OM, biochar, or activated charcoal may help neutralize what's going on depending on what's actually in the soil now. Would require some lab testing and some time with the tree.
ch woodchuck
ArboristSite Operative
I agree with JD detergents have a PH of 7 to 10.Most detergents have a ph of 9,Coupled with excessive water(anaerobic conditions)Low soil oxygen.
