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Tree leaves turning fall colors

gardenapprentice

11 years ago

Two of my trees (cornus florida, and kwanzan) are beginning to have orange/yellow colors on leaves. Some are brown and get blown by the wind. They were planted in mid-late April. Is this a disease, or is it just leaf scorch? I dug up some of the mulch because cornus floridas don't like mulch at their trunks, and i just pushed it aside. When I did it is it possible it may have dried up a bit? I don't really water it which i penalize myself for. I just don't want these beautiful young trees to die.

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
transplant shock

increased by probably doing slightly out of proper planting time .. and i bet fully leafed out ...

and intensified by lack of proper water thru THE WHOLE ROOT ZONE ... as the heat of summer is hitting ...

how you jump to bugs or disease after all that is .... i dont know

pix??

ken
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famartin
11 years ago
You say that you don't want to lose these new trees... but you also say you haven't been watering them. Well, what is it gonna be? Either water or risk their death.
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Jessaka, Yellow leaves alone only mean stress and the stress can include, but not be limited to, overwatering or underwatering. If the leaves are turning bright yellow and quickly dropping, and there are no dark specks, spots or splotches on the leaves, then my best guess is that it is overwatering, although it is impossible to know without seeing the tree. I just cannot imagine your trees ever got dry enough this winter to cause the leaves to yellow and fall now. Even here in very dry southern Oklahoma where drought is common and my fruit trees get very little supplemental watering, I've never lost one because of a lack of moisture--even in years when we only had 18 to 22" of rainfall. Transplant shock is a possibility though. You can see transplant shock as late as 12 to maybe 15 months after a tree was transplanted into the ground, although it is more common in the first 6 months after transplantation. A late case of transplant shock can appear months after the damage to the tree was done because trees can operate for quite a while off stored energy. If your yellowing leaves have any specks, spots, or splotches that are brown, black, purplish or some other odd color, then your tree likely has a bacterial or fungal infection. Dawn
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spickhardt
11 years ago
My very beautiful Japanese Maple (large tree-well established for 20+ yrs) appears damaged. We had a freak late snowstorm in April, just as it was leafing out. The leaves seemed to come in orange, when they are normally green, and turn orange in the fall. They are also curled and have scorched patches. Is it just this weather or is it really sick? Thanks for any advice-I'm crossing my fingers that it is ok!
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hogmanay
11 years ago
Just curious if the OP's trees were still dormant in April when planted.

I live across the line in Z 7 NORBAM, and this March was absurdly warm. Everything popped early and then it got dry.

FWIW, in the TN Valley, I have had best results with late fall dormant planting, even from fall up to late Feb. Anything after Feb. seems to be labor/water intensive.

Human planted dogwoods are labor/water intensive around here too-- for a season or three. OTOH, that cherry tree should just grow like a weed, assuming it's got water. Mine grew so fast I got worried they would be well to big for the spot and pulled them after two seasons.
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gardenapprentice
Original Author
11 years ago
thanks for the advice guys, I inspected some bradford pear's and other trees, lots having brown spots and leaves falling out, it was so warm in march and then the severe weather cooled and dried the climate, I'll just wait until next year to decide on another d-wood tree
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hogmanay
11 years ago
I would also advise considering removing the bradford pear tree, unless you are attached to it.

They do grow quickly and have a nice shape, but:

- they stink when they bloom (locker room)
- they like to split, unless you are an artist with a chainsaw and cherry picker and can prune them well after they get big
- southern t-storms eat them for lunch, I delight in seeing them split and fallen on my way to work after a big downburst only to feel sad for the property damage they are prone to cause
- I am not saying you have one, but the "callery pear" line has become a weedy invasive in the middle south, in spite of assurances most are sterile, where I live, there are acres and acres where they have taken over, like the borg. It's as scary as kudzu and smells horrible.

Best of luck though. I'm sure you'll find it's fun and engaging to plant and grow whatever trees you end up with, even if it sometimes goes wrong.
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