Are you in drought currently? Is it recently planted (as in this year)? Have you been watering?

P.S., Fall is in the air here too in the Northeast. HOT and deepening drought.

Without a pic I can't really give an opinion. My ginkgos have leaves that are slightly different shades depending on Maturity of growth, watering, and temperature.

i am not much impressed with leave problems IN FALL ...

sure its early .. so what ... they fall off ...

probably weather related ... or you forgot to mention a recent transplant.. or many other things.. but who cares ...

one thing for sure.. do NOT fert it ...

a 2inch caliper.. 5 footer.. sounds weird.. i too would like to see a pic ...

ken

ps: i am in drought.. leave are coloring and falling off... 6 weeks early .... i like that idea above ...

Judy, it IS too early for your ginkgo to be changing color under normal conditions.

How long have you had this tree? Has it behaved normally in past winters? Has your area been in serious drought conditions for several months? Does your tree reside within the lawn or in a separate bed? If in the lawn, have any weed and feed products or pre-emergent herbicides been applied in the past months?

Pictures will be very helpful. Don't forget to show us the base as well as the whole tree. What is your USDA zone?

Pretty tree! This is premature leaf senescence in your location, no doubt about it. My Northern Alabama (6b-7a) backyard Ginkgo doesn't drop leaves until November or later.

Since it's a relatively recent planting, I think we want to consider planting practices, site prep before planting, and immediate aftercare routine as possible issues. Planting too deeply or adding amendments to the backfill can cause problems several months or years down the road.

Was this a container grown tree or a B&B?

Are buds present at the twig ends? If so, my mind would be put at considerable ease. There still may be some issue accounting for this early leaf senescence but such concern is lessened when we know the plant has set buds for next year.

+oM

I don't think I see the root flare above ground. Maybe it was planted too deeply. Heat is probably one of the players, but not exclusively I would imagine.

Bud will be at the end of branches and in leaf nodes. Can you share a closer picture of where the tree meets the ground? And a picture of the trunk?

I still don't see the root flare where the trunk meets the ground. Even if there are fine roots around the surface, proper planting is to leave the top of the root flare exposed or just above soil level. The flare is the point where trunk swells and becomes roots.

I know I have mentioned this a few times, and without me actually looking at the trunk and inspecting the soil surface, I cannot be sure it was planted too deeply, but it is a concern.

Another concern may be how much amending was done at planting time. Heavily amending a planting hole, especially when the soil around the planting hole is clay, can create a 'ceramic pot' which can lead to poor drainage and possible rot.

Dan's default: improper planting. Like rhizo said.