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Young sugar maple suddenly looks like it's dying

8 years ago

My husband planted this tree at the street avoiding water and gas lines maybe 7 or 8 years ago. We are in SE Michigan. It seemed to leaf out normally this spring, but within the last few days all the leaves are shriveling and turning yellow and brown. We don't use any commercial fertilizers or pesticides, he uses some product made from "corn gluten" on the grass in spring and fall. The gas company excavated from the street to the house over a year ago, but he doesn't think it was near the roots. Last summer and this one so far have been cooler, more rain. Any thoughts?

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Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
Can you provide a photo of the base of the tree, where the trunk enters the ground?
dianepmt thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
dianepmt
Original Author
8 years ago
Can do that tomorrow, thanks. Nothing unusual there that I can tell, though.
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My guess is Verticillium Wilt. Research that and see what you think. It is a soil based fungal disease that is common in your (our) area and hits Sugar Maples pretty hard. One tell tale clue is to cut through a section of the dead or dying branch and look for a greenish brown stain or streaking in the sapwood. To be absolutely sure, contact your local extension office and send them whatever sample they would need to run a test to confirm. Sorry to hear about this as unfortunately, there is really no cure for this malady. - Brad
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I have just another thought--what you are observing may not be symptoms of something that is killing your trees. Instead, you may be observing the secondary effects of their sickness and dying. By that I mean that where the bark is splitting and the fungal spores/fruiting bodies are coming out may be just evidence of rot that has started AFTER something so severely weakened the trees that portions of the trunk have died, allowing the fungal infections to start. If this is true, then you have to investigate what may have caused these trees to be weakened, and it may not be a disease, as such. You say that this problem seems to be spreading from tree to tree. That may be possible, but what I would look at first would be the soil, the water, and the possible effect of pesticides. Has there been any soil disturbance/soil compaction, etc. in the area where these trees are growing? Has there been any unusual drought? Any unusual wet periods or flooding around these trees? And perhaps most importantly, have any lawn treatments been used in the area where these trees are growing? Any weed killers, etc.? These can be very dangerous to the health of trees. --Spruce
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The first thing trees do when stressed is to loose leaves. They dry and fall off. There is a chance that it is still alive. Scratch the bark with your finger nail, if you see a green under the bark, there is hope. Forget the fertilizer, water well then allow to dry, watch everyday. Stick your finger in soil, when it is dry water. It looks like it was planted in a pot that was too small. It should have been transplanted long ago. The small pot easily dried out esp. if it was hot for a long time. I will also say that if it does live, to go to the container forum and read about making some potting soil that will last a long time. The stuff in the bags at the garden centers is ok for a shirt time, but will not do well over a long period of time. At some point if you do fertilize do not give it the does recommended on the bag, make a weak version and use it regularly. Use 1/4 strength, - on regular basis. Wait until you see new growth before you fertilize. LOL - Mike
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where are you.. and how bad was winter ... and whats that weird looking stuff near the soil line?? ... how big was it 3 years ago .. and who planted it.. and how??? .. and how did it get to your house??? and can we presume there are no apparent wounds just above the dead part??? there is no real reason .. a tree needs a single leader ... the rest of the tree sure looks OK ... its probably late enough... to not really suggest you need to give it more time ... just figure out how to get up there.. and cut out the dead part ... remove all the hanging weight.. before you go in for the surgical cut ... ken
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hairmetal4ever
8 years ago
Weird. It doesn't look like verticillium, which would be the main cause of sudden death during the growing season. Are you sure there wasn't some root damage from the gas company? Even that doesn't make sense though, synptoms of that would have been evident at leafout, small and/or sparse leaves, rather than suddenly just dying all at once.
dianepmt thanked hairmetal4ever
dianepmt
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
We really don't know. My husband said it's like it's been poisoned or something. It's been growing well and absolutely fine up until now. I guess we'll see if it comes back next year, and if not, replace it. I kind of wanted a gingko there, just like them, and I read they make good street trees because they're pretty hardy, but he wanted something native, and I do like the bright orange color of the leaves in the fall. I did notice that a lot of the other trees on the street look like they are planted on a bit of a mound, and ours is not. I am pretty sure he planted it correctly, he's kind of a stickler for that with all the plantings around the house, I'm the one that doesn't follow the rules. BTW, all the leaves are completely dead and brown, now.
Mike McGarvey
8 years ago
I'd guess it won't be coming back next year.
Why not dig it up and look at the rootball.
How about a pic of the base of the tree like mentioned above?
Is the grass there alright?
Gas and water lines would have no affect on the maple unless they were leaking. Is the ground abnormally wet or can you smell gas?
Trees don't die for no reason.
Mike

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