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Help: Flowering Dogwood Disease (w/ photos)

15 years ago

It seems the pink flowering dogwood that was planted before I purchased the home is starting to succumb to a disease or different diseases. I am trying to figure out if I should help it out, or replace it, since it is the main showcase spot of my front landscaping.

It looks like some sort of canker at the trunk of the tree that is causing the bark to peel with dark spots underneath, borer holes and even a fungus.

There has also been an increase in deadwood, which caused my to remove one of the main branches, ruining the balance of the tree.

The leaves are also spotting and it also didn't flower the first spring and only half this last spring.

Thanks for any help or feedback, since I can't seem to pinpoint the problem(s).

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Comments (5)

jean001
15 years ago
Your top photo reveals peeling bark. That means that a goodly amount of the trunk underneath that bark is dead.

Dogwoods are often attacked by anthracnose. The leaf symptoms are seen during spring, and the disease can kill wood.

Your next photo reveals environmental stress. Too much light and heat, not enough water. (These spots aren't anthracnose; likely such leaves would have fallen by now.)
dpfinley
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you. With the trunk being dead underneath, would it be recommended to just cut it down and replace it? It just seems like a difficult tree to manage, and it looks awkward with the random deadwood and branch being cut off.
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Addressing the changed environment: Dogwoods are understory trees. In their natural environment, they grow under the canopy of larger trees so the shade it is in now is not a problem. Also, dogwoods set their blooms in August. The winter killed off the buds which is why the tree did not bloom. It also killed some of the leaf buds which are also set in the previous growing season. Dogwoods are not a long-lived tree. Their life span is quite short and as they age they become more susceptible to insects and diseases. Here is an article that may be helpful. Linda Here is a link that might be useful: The Georgia Gardener
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From that tiny photo it looks just like my (very old) Dogwoods. Just Lichens - they are GOOD! As for the leaves and dying branches, all my Dogwoods have the same problem and have for as long as I have been alive. Prune off (cleanly) the dead branches and it should be fine. As for red dots on the leaves, it's dark out so I'll have to look tomorrow (although they only just started to flower a bit). As for Red Maples, UGGH!!! Mine are DISASTEROUS!!! I'm going to cut them down soon. Technically they are native here (Long Island, NY), but mine are stunted and sending up suckers like there's no tomorrow. Do you have clay soil? I do and I think that may be the problem (they are native to the wet sandy areas here). But no Lichens on them, although my really old Sugar Maples had gorgeous Lichens all over them (before various Hurricanes took them down).
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jean001
15 years ago
Your choice.

If you like dogwoods, consider replacing with a kousa as they're considered tolerant of anthracnose.
botanybob
15 years ago
The trunk wound in the top photo appears to be old since you can see woundwood forming on the right margin. The borer likely is secondary. The wound appears to extend around a lot of the trunk circumference and is probably responsible for the stress symptoms in the foliage. With as much damage as has occurred, I think it would be hard to get this tree to recover fully and you would be better off replacing it.
dpfinley
Original Author
15 years ago
I don't feel strongly for the tree, since I know they are susceptible to many health issues, and it doesn't look right in the location. I will probably replace it with more of a showcase tree, likely an evergreen. Thanks for the feedback.

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