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Drake Elm disease? HELP!!

9 years ago

I have a Drake Elm that I planted two years ago that has been doing fine up until now. The lower branches developed leaves this spring just like the upper branches. This weekend, I noticed that the leaves on the lower branches have shriveled up and appear dead. Upon further investigation, I noticed an area on the trunk that concerned me. I peeled the bark back some to see if there were any bugs, etc. I am worried that I might lose this tree. Does anyone know what could be going on? and if there is anything I can do to save it? Thanks SO much!!

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

9 years ago

hhhhmmmmmm

where are you ... could also look like frost/freeze damage on new leaves ... its always a weird pattern ... any history of a cold snap.. in the last week or so ....

also looks like the tree is telephone poled ... which could lead to that kind of bark damage ... can you pull back the soil.. and see where the root flare might be ...

ken

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Comments (6)

abwooten
Original Author
9 years ago
I am in central Alabama (zone 8a). Is this picture helpful? It has been raining here all day so everything is pretty wet!
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I see these entries are a few years old but I believe applicable to my situation. We bought at a nursery and planted a 4 ' tall Drake Elm and planted in our back yard in Spring of 2015. It grew like a weed. In 2017 a relative "helped " us and pruned many trees, bushes on our one acre. I cried about my Elm. Strange thing, each limb that was pruned sprouted 2-3 new limbs. Well, it survived and is now (June 2020) about 40 ' tall at tallest branch. Now it needs some lower branches pruned from the trunk so the riding lawn mower can go by/under to cut the grass, and also produce an area to place chairs to sit in its shade. I see branches inside it that are growing straight up and I am assuming it will not hurt the tree to prune those. It is a very beautiful tree and I wish we had space to plant more. The birds love it ! Thank you for all your responses here. I have learned new things. The nurseryman where we bought it retired and is not available for advice. Blessings! Louise H.
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Perhaps this link will help? It gives some details about the Drake Tree Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Trees For Shade
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A along-distance diagnosis is iffy, at best. I suggest you take the professional route to determine your trees' problem(s). Suggest you contact a Certified Arborist. Look in the Yellow Pages under the heading of Trees or something similar. A Certified Arborist must pass and exam and must take continuing education.
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Yes, ants can do that. But please, applying insecticides to kill carpenter ants is a fools mission. Once again, they're only there because of pre-existing conditions. Something weakened the tree and the ants came a running. Interesting tidbit about these ants: They are farmers. So what "crop" do they grow you ask? A type of fungus that grows on decaying wood-and indeed, helps to decay the wood-is their food. They actually are known to carry bits of this fungus around to start new pockets of decay. But that still doesn't indicate the ants were the initial cause of the tree's downfall. Something caused it to weaken first, then the ants and their fungus came in and finished the job. I knew of one big old balsam fir, right at the edge of our "yard" up in the U.P. years ago. Beyond this point was ten miles of uninterrupted woods. In any case, balsam fir is not a particularly long-lived conifer and this one had done its thing. I could hear the ants crunching and munching inside that tree! And the frass piled up high at the base.
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abwooten
Original Author
9 years ago
Ken- We did have a late frost last week....could this be the problem?
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
9 years ago
I have a theory about large transplants and bruised trunks foe lack of a better term. any sign of encapsulation in there?
wisconsitom
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Looks to be a canker of some sort. So far, no callus or wound wood formation, it probably being destroyed as fast as it can form by whatever pathogen is at work here. Hope I'm wrong but that doesn't look good. About all you can do is provide good growing conditions for the tree, which mostly just means that if drought occurs, get the water to it. At least at first site, that's all I've got. But it does look like a canker. Could be a fresh wound with no canker, but it just looks older to me.

+oM
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
root flare looks perfect.. you should see the tops of the roots .. at soil level ... thats how they grow in nature ...

cold air falls .. here in MI anyway ...

it is not surprising.. that the lower part of a tree/plant.. might show damage .. and the top not .. its all about how cold.. how long ... air movement.. etc ...

but its all speculation ... a frost or freeze event.. will result in releafing ... on an otherwise healthy tree

but i cant rule out the other things discussed ...

you might call a high end nursery... or and county Ag or Ext office.. and just ask.. if they are aware of any local frost/freeze event.. in the last while ... and how bad was the damage ....

and.. its not uncommon.. for the damage.. to show ... days or a week later .. by which time.. you have forgotten the event ... e.g. .. with my hosta... if you have a frost.. and the next day its 80 ... the damage shows immediately ... but if it remains coldish.. the damage takes a while to appear ... like lettuce in the crisper ...

ken

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