So why do some trees die?

Q. What’s wrong with my tree?

Jim from Canfield

A. Jim brought in a sample of a branch with some diseased leaves to our clinic just a few weeks ago. This was a reminder to me of how much we care for our trees, but also that we need to think about our trees year-round.

This late in the season, it is often difficult to tell what may or may not be wrong with a deciduous tree. Overall, it was a difficult season for many of our deciduous trees. From anthracnose on maple trees to blights in general, many trees had a hard time making it through 2014 due to the generally cool and wet conditions.

Many trees get spots on the leaves of trees in their yards throughout the growing season. Most of these should not be cause for alarm. Our office was inundated with branches of maple trees this year with black spots on the leaves. This anthracnose disease will cause some defoliation, but it will not kill the tree. There are many diseases which wait until later in the season to show up on the leaves of tree. Even the late arriving ones are nothing to worry about.

My advice – don’t wait until fall to rake the leaves. When you get spots on leaves, rake up and remove the falling leaves from the area.

In general, do not fertilize your tree this winter. Wait until spring to figure out a solution. Your best bet may be to bring a sample to the OSU Extension Office in Canfield to get a proper diagnosis of the disease affecting your tree.

If you are seeing tree death, there may be something else going on. Sometimes tree diseases are a sign of a weakened tree. A tree could be weakened by improper planting, compacted soils, poor drainage, roots sitting in water (even though you don’t think so), nutrient deficiencies and much more.

In the meantime, it’s good to get a general understanding of tree growth and why trees die while you have some reading time this winter. Here is a great fact sheet to explain many of the reasons trees die: go.osu.edu/whytreesdie.

Eric Barrett is OSU Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Mahoning County. Call the office hot line at 330-533-5538 from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Thursdays to submit your questions.