Jess,

Dogwoods need pretty rich and highly fertile soil high in organic material and grow best as an understory tree in the shade of larger trees. I do think they can handle fairly moist soil.

How old is the tree? How long have you had it in the ground? How tall was it when you planted it? Two feet? Six feet? Was it planted from a container or was it sold bare root or with its root ball wrapped in burlap? Have you only noticed it was having trouble recently or is it an ongoing problem?

Dawn

Hi, It has not grown much in the year that I have had it. I thought to move it often, but there is a hackberry tree growing near by that may shade it one day. It is maybe 3 1/2 foot tall and was taken out of a bucket last year, which is how I bought it. The leaves were green then, and so I have been trying to feed it but they are still two tone. My dog dug it up alot last year, and so I kept replanting it, and it looked dead last year. It is planted on the east side of the house, and the hawthorn tree is just east of it. the only difference I see this year is that some of the leaves are turning orange and drop when I touch them. It isn't fall yet.

As Dawn said, this is a species that needs shade. What it needs more it to get established. It can't have it's roots disturbed over and over, it will die.

Put you dog's poop all all round the trunk. That will stop the digging.

randy

Jess,

Anytime you plant a dogwood you are taking a chance. During the last four decades, anthracnose has attacked dogwood trees on both coasts and slowly moved inward into the center of the country. I think anthracnose finally hit dogwood trees in Texas and Oklahoma in the 1990s.

With anthracnose you will see fungal spots on the leaves and then they become more and more discolored. Severely infected leaves do drop prematurely and, eventually, the tree will die. I'm not saying your tree has anthracnose, but just want you to be aware of it and watch for it. Most fungal sprays do not seem effective in stopping the infection from eventually killing the trees. Some dogwood cultivars have been developed that are somewhat resistant to anthracnose, but none are totally immune to it.

I know that dogwood trees are lovely in bloom and that is why most people plant them, but they have a hard time surviving in our climate. The native rough-leaved dogwoods don't seem as sickly to me as the larger-leaved non-natives.

Dawn

So far we have lost 4 mature dogwood trees--on the place when we cleared the woods and turned them into yard--to anthracnose. So I am collecting baby dogwood trees out of my flowerbeds and planting them in pots. I am hoping to replace some of them. I'm hoping young vigorous trees will have a chance, but I may need to do some research and learn if there is a preventive or cure.

thanks everyone for their advice. It looks like my tree may not make it. it is in the sun most of the day. I fear moving it, but maybe it would help. the red color in the leaves tells me that it could be fungal.

Dorothy,

I'm sorry to hear you have found anthracnose on your trees.

As far as I know, the standard preventive treatment for anthracnose on dogwoods is Daconil (Chlorathalonil) or Mancozeb and, if I had to use one of them, I'd chose a product containing Daconil. I believe you start spraying in spring either just before the leaves begin to appear, or just after....during what they call leaf expansion as the leaves enlarge. Probably, it is recommended to spray at either 7 to 10 or 10 to 14 day intervals.

And, of course, since the fungi can survive on leaves, twigs, etc., cleaning up the ones that fall from infected trees can help.

Jessaka,

I really was thinking that your tree likely has transplant shock which can show up even a year after the tree was transplanted. Of course, it could be anthracnose, but I hope it isn't.

Dawn

I got a white dogwood tree and all the nursery stores are telling its going to die,k I want to prove them wrong, its leaves are turning brown, i got it 10 days ago