drought stress leaf scorch

[curt g]

In a earlier post by treedog ,drought stress leaf scorch was brought up . This sounds like what I've got .The leaves are turning brown and crispy at the end and some branches are dead . The tree is approx 20 ft. from road and is subject to salt in winters.But two other trees next to it are showing little or no symptoms.Help please , also this past 2 months has been a real scorcher here. The trees are about 50 yrs old.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Check the terminal buds to see if the branch is still alive. Soil can change within a few feet, especialy after (de)construction.

There may be some root problems that are causing the tree to struggle. Keep this in mind in later drought years. Just don't over water.

Compare the terminal growth increments of the healthy trees to the scorched one. This can tell you a lot about localized stresses on a tree.

Have a pro look at it, radial trenching may help.

 

[John Paul McMillin]

what kind of trees are they?. It could just be scorch caused by drought . You need an inch of rain per week for trees in general, before you have to water. If they are Oaks especially Red Oak or Pin Oak, they may have Bacterial Leaf Scorch (Xylella fastidiosa) which is becoming a big problem here in the east. You need to have an ELISA test done on a branch to be sure. There is no cure for it, but you can inject Oxy-Tetracyclene to keep in in check. John

 

[curt g]

the maple tree is also next to approx 6 mature willow trees. my home is about 60 ft from these willows and when I replaced the drain tiles I had roots as big around as my leg down there ,could these be chokeing out the tree?

 

[John Paul McMillin]

In maple , it could be from the drought and compitition from the other trees , or it could be Verticillium Wilt which is in the soil. Are only certain limbs showing symptoms or the whole tree? If you take your knife to a branch with symptoms, do you see any blue streaking in the wood? Trees need water too, so you need to supply that during drough if possible.

 

[curt g]

the whole tree is dieing ,there are no blue streaks in the branches and of the three trees, (all the same type and age) this one is the closest to the willows and the most stunted and dieing of them.

 

[John Paul McMillin]

When you did the trenching, did you cut any of the roots of this tree or disturb them? Also the tree may have a girdling root that is growing around the base of the tree and literally choking the tree. Have you used any herbicides near the tree. There are alot of questions in trying to pin down a cause for the symptoms. Does the tree have a nice flare at the base or does it look like its going straight into the soil. At this point you need to have a certified arborist look at it . Do you have any pics you can send of the tree so we can see it ? Do you know what kind of maple it is. thanks

 

[curt g]

sorry for the misunderstanding , draintile was in my basement. There is a slight flare at the base. And as to what type I'm not sure ,definately maple .thanks for the help also no herbicides