13 Common Maple Tree Problems and Diseases
When I worked as an editor of a gardening channel, people often asked me how to identify and address common maple tree pests, diseases, and problems. While maple trees can suffer from a number of general problems, verticillium wilt seems to be the most common and dangerous disease plaguing maple tree owners.
The fungi that cause verticillium wilt affect the tree's vascular system and causes symptoms of wilting and yellowing leaves that are concentrated in one particular area. Failure to control verticillium wilt can kill your tree, so it is important to correctly identify the disease and quickly remedy the problem.
Whether you don't have any idea what anthracnose is or you don't know how to identify lichen, you'll find all the common issues below to help you understand what's plaguing your tree and how to treat the problem.
13 Common Maple Tree Diseases, Problems, and Pests
Problem
| Symptoms
| Threat Level
| Cause
| Season
| Treatment
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maple tree tar spot
| Black spots and discoloration on leaves
| Low (cosmetic)
| Fungi
| Late summer and autumn
| Clean up leaf debris around the tree's base
|
Anthracnose
| Leaves that curl around a dead-looking brown spot, tan or brown spots near the leaves' veins, cankers, dying young branches, and premature leaf loss
| Low (cosmetic)
| Fungi
| Late spring to early summer; especially prevalent during wet periods
| Keep tree from sitting in moisture; rake leaf debris; prune affected branches
|
Sooty mold
| Powdery black mold covering leaves
| Low (cosmetic)
| Fungi, or plant and insect secretions
| N/A
| May require treatment of bugs that carry the fungus; can be brushed off
|
Lichens
| Appearance is all over the place and can be dictated by region, weather, and other factors
| Low (but can indicate more severe diseases)
| Composite organism made of fungi and algae
| N/A
| Can usually just lift lichens off of the tree; may also prune branches that have it
|
Verticillium wilt
| Wilting or yellowing leaves, often concentrated to one area or side of the tree
| Moderate to severe (can kill tree)
| Soil-bound fungi
| July and August, particularly seen after a dry and hot summer
| Plant resistant strains, remove the diseased tree, and/or fumigate the soil
|
Root rot
| Symptoms vary wildly; often looks like mushrooms, can be cankers
| Severe (usually lethal)
| Mold
| Wet seasons
| Call an arborist immediately. The tree likely needs to be removed and destroyed.
|
Sapstreak
| Dieback generally around the crown; external signs appear long after the tree has been infected
| Severe (affects tree's innards)
| Fungi
| Late spring and early summer
| Try to prevent the roots from getting damaged or wounded; some trees recover for no apparent reason
|
Phyllosticta mimima (maple leaf spot)
| Ten to brown spots with a purple or red center
| Low (cosmetic)
| Fungi
| Spring
| Remove leaf debris. General tree maintenance. Plant resistant strains.
|
Powdery mildew
| a fine powder-like mildew that covers leaves; white-ish in color
| Low (cosmetic)
| Fungi
| Summer; thrives in greenhouse-like conditions (humid and hot)
| You can brush the mildew off or apply horticultural oils.
|
Scorch
| Dry, brown leaves
| Low (cosmetic)
| Weather conditions such as low moisture, high temperatures, and dry wind
| Summer
| Ensure that tree is well watered; apply mulch to help with water retention
|
Maple mosaic
| White to yellow discoloration that's often kaleidoscopic looking
| Low (cosmetic)
| Virus
| Summer (thought to be spread by the whitefly, whose population peaks in the summer)
| There are no treatments. In fact, some people cultivate for this.
|
Pear thrips
| Winged brown insects that are about the size of a nickel or smaller
| Low (usually only damage foliage)
| Insects
| April through May
| No known treatments.
|
Galls
| Large number of varieties; usually look like black, red, brown, or green abnormalities such as a pimple or a needle
| Low (cosmetic)
| Mites
| Seasons vary by type and mite
| Some people have claimed to have success with pesticides and miticides, but this remains to be scientifically proven.
|
1. Maple Tree Tar Spot
- Identification: Black spots that range in size from a pin-prick to size of a half dollar (4 cm). Some reports say that the spots can get as big as two inches.
- Caused By: Fungi that tends to hide in leaf debris. Specific species include Rhytisma acerinum, R. americanum, and R. punctatum.
- Season: Late summer and autumn
- Susceptible Species: Norway, silver, sycamore, and sugar, but almost all types of maple are affected by some form of tar spot or another.
- Treatment: It's mainly cosmetic. It shouldn't affect your trees in the long term. The fungus tends to hide in decomposing leaves. So the best way to protect against it is by cleaning up any dead leaves.
- Threat Level: Low (cosmetic)
The maple tree tar spot is fairly easy to identify. It's caused by a fungal pathogen in the genus Rhytisma. While this affects maple trees in general, it especially targets Norway, silver, and sugar varieties. Tar spot will not kill your trees, but it's unsightly and can cause them to drop their leaves before the fall season.
The spots first appear as small yellow spots in June. Then, they progress to the black spots on the leaves you see above. Their size ranges from one-eighth of an inch to an inch or more in diameter on the Norway Maple. The spots can also appear on the seeds (samaras).
The fungus winters-over on fallen leaves. If the leaves are not raked up in the fall, the fungal spores will reappear in the spring and spread to nearby trees. Treating the trees is usually not affective because the spores can travel from a neighbor's tree onto yours.
If your tree has these spots, which then causes leaves to curl in mid-July, it may have a different disease called Anthracnose.
2. Anthracnose
- Identification: Anthracnose is a bit of a general term describing a wide range of symptoms. In general though, these can be signs of the disease: leaves that curl around a dead-looking brown spot, tan or brown spots near the leaves' veins, cankers, dying young branches, and premature leaf loss.
- Caused By: Various fungi such as Aureobasidium apocryptum, Discula campestris, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Discula umbrinella
- Season: Late spring to early summer; especially prevalent during wet periods
- Susceptible Species: Young maple shoots of many varieties are especially susceptible to this.
- Treatment: Keep the tree dry if you can (by moving sprinklers elsewhere, for instance). Prune any affected-looking branches, and then rake them up and dispose of them properly. Rake any fallen leaves as well.
- Threat Level: Low because it's mostly cosmetic
Anthracnose is commonly mistaken for tar spot. However, it inflicts much more extensive damage because it affects both the leaves and the branches. You'll find many more spots on the leaves that are typically smaller than the 1/8" tar spots.
This condition typically occurs when trees experience long periods of cold, wet weather. The affected areas may show small, dark spots and irregularly-shaped leaves with dead or brown areas. The leaves usually fall off in the early spring, followed by a second set of leaves which also die off. The branches can also develop cankers, which often strip them of their bark and kill them.
The disease continues when fungal spores over-winter in dead leaves and infect trees during a prolonged wet spring. Once a tree is infected, the disease survive the winter in infected branches and then spread when the wind carries its spores to surrounding trees.
Anthracnose can be controlled by removing dead leaves from the base of your trees in the fall. You can also apply fungicide, but you may need a commercial application depending on the size and number of trees that may be affected. You can call your local Cooperative Extension office to see what fungicides are legal in your state.
3. Sooty Mold
- Identification: As the name suggests, sooty mold looks quite a bit like soot. It typically presents as a black, powdery coating that can be brushed off.
- Caused By: Fungi, or plant- or insect-secretions.
- Season: N/A
- Susceptible Species: Trees in close proximity to those that honeydew-secreting bugs love, such as hickory or pecan. Also affects trees that honeydew-secreting plants love.
- Treatment: Since this is usually caused by insects such as aphids, whiteflies, and mealybugs, controlling them is the larger issue. You can control these populations by various non-chemical means including using neem oil.
- Threat Level: Low (doesn't do direct damage and is mostly cosmetic)
Sooty mold feeds on the sticky honeydew left by aphids and scale insects, which can sometimes be found on maple trees. You'll know it's this mold if it rubs off easily on your fingers when you touch it.
The good news is that sooty mold won't kill your tree and can be easily treated. Try using a gardening mix that works to protect plants. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully and apply it at the base of the tree to ensure the roots absorb the mix ingredients. This method should also prevent reinfection for up to one year.
The University of Hawai'i has created an amazing PDF that explains the mold's lifecycle and is complete with many photos of the mold.
4. Lichen
- Identification: Lichen looks so many different ways. Its appearance is affected by a wide variety of circumstances, including altitude, temperature, their photosynthetic component, and which other components making up the lichen (such as the fungus it's growing with).
- Caused By: Lichen is a composite organism made up of algae or cyanobacteria that creates filaments between shoots of fungi. They don't simply appear out of nowhere. Generally speaking, the lichen dries up, a piece breaks off, the wind carries it elsewhere, and then moisture revitalizes the broken-off piece at a later time.
- Season: N/A
- Susceptible Species: Slow-growing things, like the Japanese maple, tend to be more susceptible to this (it'll even grown on rocks!).
- Treatment: You can lift some lichens right off the tree without damaging it. You may want to wait until the tree's dormant period so that you avoid damaging any buds. Alternatively, you can also prune leaves or branches that are covered.
- Threat Level: Low (mostly cosmetic; doesn't damage tree), but it can be a sign that the tree is experiencing more traumatic issues such as root rot
Lichen, pronounced "liken," isn't a plant. It's actually a combination of algae and fungus living symbiotically. It comes in vast swaths of colors and formations. There are an estimated 20,000 different varieties. Lichen isn't parasitic, meaning that it doesn't feed off of the thing that it's attached to—unlike mistletoe, for instance, which does feed off the host plant. Lichen gets everything it needs to thrive from the air rather than its host surface.
Lichen can be found on many maple varieties, but it's more commonly seen on mature trees. Fortunately, it's not harmful because it feeds off of the air rather than the trees. It doesn't seem to have any long-lasting effects on the places where it grows. It can make it harder for the tree to get the nutrients that it needs via photosynthesis, depending on how large the lichen is and how much of the tree it covers.
You shouldn't feel a pressing need to eliminate lichen because it's not harmful, but you can use copper fungicides if you don't want to see them on your maples. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully!
5. Verticillium Wilt
- Identification: The name describes a wide variety of wilts. However, symptoms tend to be localized to the base of the affected vegetation, to several limbs, to one side of the tree, or to the lower and/or outer parts of the plant. Symptoms can include wilting, yellow leaves, defoliation (meaning "leaf loss"), and stunted growth.
- Caused By: Fungi of the Verticillium genus, V. dahliae, V. albo-atrum, V. longisporum, V. nubilum, V. theobromae, and V. tricorpus. The fungi lives in the soil. It enters the tree via the roots.
- Season: Symptoms typically develop in July and August, particularly after a dry and hot summer.
- Susceptible Species: Maples
- Treatment: The disease spreads by laying dormant in the soil, by being ejected into the air when it fells a tree, by bugs damaging the plant or tree (and thus giving the disease access to the plant or trees innards), and by root-to-root contact. To treat this disease, you'll need to fumigate the soil, plant resistant strains or whatever it is that's affected, and in severe cases, remove the tree. The disease may resolve on its own, the tree may need additional care (such as watering or balancing the nutrients in the soil), or it may have to be removed. Removing the tree does not need to be your first option. You should be able to call an arborist to help determine if it is, in fact, verticillium.
- Threat Level: Moderate to severe; this disease does affect the health of the tree and can kill it.
One of the worst diseases that your tree can get is verticillium wilt. It affects the tree's vascular system, which usually kills the entire plant. The verticillium fungus is a soil-borne disease and can remain dormant in the soil years before it makes an appearance. The fungus enters through the tree's roots.
Two symptoms of verticillium wilt are yellowing leaves and wilting leaves. Sometimes, whole branches or the entire crown can wilt and die in a short period of time. You can also find a green or brownish green color in the sapwood of affected trees.
Try to get a proper diagnosis to help you make the right decision for your tree. Call your local Cooperative Extension office to see if they can come out and take a core sample to test.
6. Root Rot
- Identification: There are several different types of root rot, including formes, ganoderma, phytophthora, and laetiporus. The symptoms of each type are pretty distinctive. Formes has shelf-like, mushroom-looking half-disc growths that protrude out of the trunk; this particular type of root rot is especially common in North America. Ganoderma forms similar mushrooms, but they are less wavy in appearance than the formes variety; this species seems to mainly appear in tropical climates. Phytophthora causes cankers that make it look like the tree is bleeding, and it doesn't form any mushroom-looking growths. Laetiporus does form mushrooms too. They are often bright yellow, orange, or some combination thereof. They look like a ruffly colonial-era cravat.
- Caused By: Most varieties are caused by water molds of the Phytophthora genus. In order to "activate," the molds need a sufficient amount of water. The spores are airborne and can also be carried by flying insects and soil-bound arthropods.
- Season: Particularly wet seasons
- Susceptible Species: Everything is at risk; however, you can find specific-types-of-root-rot resistant trees. For instance, if a particular type of root rot is common to your area, you can see if there's a tree resistant to that particular strain.
- Treatment: Infected specimens should likely be removed and destroyed immediately. Call your local arborist and consult their expertise both to ensure that the tree is infected and that the tree is properly disposed of.
- Threat Level: Severe (it's usually lethal, and there aren't treatments)
Phytophthora root rot is caused by a wet spring or leaving your maple tree in poorly drained soil. The main symptoms are yellow, relatively-smaller sized leaves and dark brown or black tree roots.
Unfortunately, trees with root rot usually can't be salvaged and need to be cut down to prevent injuring people or damaging property.
7. Sapstreak
- Identification: Because the fungus infects the tree from the inside, it can be difficult to notice symptoms right away. Initial symptoms include small leaves. The small leaves can become branch dieback in subsequent years. Branch dieback will most likely appear at the top, or crown, of the tree first. The trunk's wood will look tea-stained.
- Caused By: A fungus called Ceratocystis virescens
- Season: Late spring and early summer
- Susceptible Species: Sugar bushes, especially the sugar maple where logging activities are present
- Treatment: The main way to treat this is preventing the tree's roots from getting damaged, as this is how the fungus usually enters the tree. Damage could mean anything from an insect infestation weakening the tree to a car driving over the roots and wounding them. Some trees go into remission and recover without any treatment for unknown reasons. Some trees go into remission and then exhibit symptoms all over again. You may have to remove a tree that's infected.
- Threat Level: Severe (the fungus damages the tree's innards, and generally containing the disease means removing the tree)
Sapstreak is a ground-living fungus that generally enters the tree's system via an injury near the roots or bottom portion of the tree. The fungus then inches upwards from the root system and infects the trunk of the tree. As time goes on, the fungus eventually affects the outward portions of the tree, such as the branches and leaves.
Sometimes sapstreak means a slow death for the tree, over a period of many years. Other times, a tree can succumb in as little as two or three years. In a report by the USDA tracking sapstreak in sugar maples, they note that "[s]ometimes disease progression . . . is arrested and recovery ensues, even in trees with more than 40 percent crown dieback." So this infection isn't necessarily a death sentence.
8. Phyllosticta Minima (Maple Leaf Spot)
- Identification: Not to be confused with tar spot, these spots appear on a maple's leaves, are tan to brown in the center, and are violently red to purple around the edges. The spots can also be small black pinpricks like a banana or mango that's going bad.
- Caused By: The fungus Phyllosticta minima
- Season: The fungus can overwinter in leaf debris and reinfect things in the spring.
- Susceptible Species: Many maples are susceptible to this, but Amur, Japanese, red, and silver maple seem especially so
- Treatment: The best treatment is an ounce of prevention. Be sure that the tree's canopy isn't overcrowded, that the tree isn't over- or under-watered, that any fallen leaves are removed, that any infected-looking leaves are removed, and that it has proper nutrients. You can also plant resistant strains.
- Threat Level: Low (mostly cosmetic and doesn't seem to cause lasting structural damage)
Phyllosticta mimima is a relatively small threat to your tree. The damage done by this disease is mainly cosmetic. In severe cases, it can cause defoliation; otherwise it's a minor stress on the tree's ability to photosynthesize. Having the right set of weather conditions (high humidity and frequent rain) ensures that this disease spreads. High winds also help it migrate. Some strains can cause cankers and blight.
9. Powdery Mildew
- Identification: A superficial, fine powder-like mildew will coat the leaves.
- Caused By: Erysiphales fungi in the order, especially Podosphaera xanthii (a.k.a. Sphaerotheca fuliginea)
- Season: Year round, but seems to favor moderate temperatures and high humidity (such as that which you might find in a greenhouse)
- Susceptible Species: Norway maple and Japanese maple, but almost all species of maple are susceptible to one strain or another
- Treatment: The mildew can be brushed off. You can also apply horticultural oils and neem to help prevent the mildew from spreading.
- Threat Level: Low (it's superficial)
Powdery mildew doesn't often cause lasting harm to the tree that it's on because it just sits on the top of the leaf (as opposed to getting inside the roots or eating holes in the leaves). The infection is often tree-specific, so a strain that affects a sugar maple likely won't affect a Japanese maple. You can let the mildew sit, and it may resolves itself. You can also resort to fungicides (both natural and chemical) to help fight it. Typically, those are only resorted to on commercial plants and bushes like roses and wheat.
10. Scorch
- Identification: Scorch presents itself as drying leaves. Sometimes scorch is as moderate as a lightly browned leaf edge. Other times, it can be as severe as brown, curling, dry leaves that fall off the tree. The leaves' veins may also show signs of browning.
- Caused By: Weather conditions such as low moisture, high temperatures, and dry wind
- Season: Summer
- Susceptible Species: All trees are susceptible to this, but Japanese, Norway, and sugar maple are especially sensitive
- Treatment: Ensure that your tree is amply watered. You can also put mulch around the tree's base to help improve soil moisture retention. Additionally, you can prune any dead branches to help reduce the tree's stress.
- Threat Level: Low (if it's just scorch and not indicative of a greater problem)
Unlike many of the items in this article, scorch isn't caused by a bacteria or a fungus, which also means that it's not infectious. It's caused by unfavorably dry weather conditions. The leaves often show the first signs because they're one of the last tree parts to get water, thus they show under-watering signs first. That said, scorch can sometimes be an indication of a more severe underlying cause such as root rot, which affects the tree's ability to absorb water because the aptly named fungus damages the roots, or an insect infestation.
11. Maple Mosaic Virus
- Identification: White to yellow leaf discoloration that's often kaleidoscopic looking.
- Caused By: It's a viral infection caused by those of the genus Begomovirus.
- Season: It's believed to be spread by whitefly feeding, and they're most prevalent during warm weather.
- Susceptible Species: The flowering maple is especially prone to this
- Treatment: There is no treatment for this, and some people even cultivate for this specific virus because consumers like the way it looks.
- Threat Level: Low (cosmetic)
This virus causes discolored leaves. The discoloration generally ranges from pale white to vibrant yellow. The virus is cosmetic and doesn't affect the tree's ability to flower, grow, and thrive. In some cases—especially with house plants—propagators actually select infected plants since consumers like the way that the infection looks.
12. Pear Thrips
- Identification: They're winged brown insects that are usually less than 2 cm big when fully grown. They damage the tree by scraping away bits of the leaf to feed, which can cause brown or yellow discoloration on the leaves, defoliation (in extreme cases), small or distorted leaves, or blister-like scars.
- Caused By: An insect called a pear thrips.
- Season: They usually emerge from the ground in April. You're likely to see adults in March to May.
- Susceptible Species: Sugar maples are preferred hosts.
- Treatment: There are no known treatment options.
- Threat Level: Low (they may damage the tree's foliage)
Pear thrips spend most of their life underground. The female lays her eggs on the leaves by burrowing into the leaf (this can result in brown scars on it). The eggs are usually lain near buds and blossoms, which the larvae then feed on until they're so heavy that they fall off the leaf. Once they fall to the ground, they overwinter there to reemerge in the spring months.
13. Galls
- Identification: There are many gall varieties. They can be green, pink, red, or black depending on which stage they're in. They often look like small wart-like protrusions.
- Caused By: Most of these varieties are caused by mites.
- Season: Because there are so many varieties, the seasons vary.
- Susceptible Species: Varies by mite.
- Treatment: Plant resistant varieties. Some people have said they've had success with insecticides and/or miticides, but scientific literature doesn't support this one way or another.
- Threat Level: Low (cosmetic damage)
Galls are abnormal structures formed when a plant's hormones mix with an insect's. This typically happens at a spot where the insect feeds on the tree. There are many different types; some of which are specific to certain trees, some are not. Some variants include:
- gouty vein gall (caused by Dasineura communis larvae, only affects sugar maples, appears on leaves' veins),
- maple bladder gall (caused by mites, looks like pimples, likes silver and red maples especially, usually appear in May),
- maple spindle gall (caused by eriophyid mites like V. aceriscrumena, looks like tall and skinny worms, common on sugar maples),
- and maple velvet gall (caused by mites; looks like a red velvet patches on leaves; primarily found on silver, Norway and boxelder maples).
Sources
- The Connecticut Agriculture Department's "Common Diseases of Maple"
- Penn State's "Maple Diseases"
- Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California's "Sooty Mold"
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst's "Sooty Mold"
- The Morton Arboretum's "Scorch"
- University of Nevada, Reno's "General Care of Maples: Managing Phyllosticta Leaf Spot Disease"
- University of Hawai'i's "Abutilon Mosaic"
- Cornell's "Sugar Maple and the Pear Thrips"
- University of Ohio's "Galls of Maple Trees in Ohio"
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
Questions & Answers
A big piece of bark fell off my large silver maple tree. It looks like there are eggs on the underside. What is this?
I would recommend calling your local Cooperative Extension for identification of the eggs you discovered on the tree bark. Bug varieties differ according to location, and I'm not an entomologist. It may be a borer beetle, but several different beetles affect maple trees. Once the eggs are correctly identified, you can decide the best way to treat your tree.
Helpful 10It is mid-April, and we had to trim some branches from our maple tree for a garage delivery. The sap dripped profusely where we cut the two branches, and the next day the bark turned black. Did we damage or kill the tree?
I don't believe that you damaged or killed the tree. The black residue is just the sap. You happened to cut the tree when the sap had started flowing in spring (maple syrup making time!).
Your tree should recover - don't cover or treat the areas where the limbs were cut, as they will heal on their own. You may see ants around these areas, but they won't harm your tree - they're just collecting the sap.
Helpful 9My maple tree is in a pot. I’m guessing, based on what I’ve read, that the roots are compacted. Can I trim the roots and repot it?
You may trim the roots, but only if it hasn't started to leaf out yet. It is best to trim the roots and limbs when the tree is in a dormant stage (early spring and late fall after the leaves have fallen off).
Eventually you should plant the tree in the ground. The taller it gets, the longer the roots are going to be. The roots are usually as long as the tree is tall, and often much longer.
Helpful 8My red maple looks like it’s evenly coated in something shiny. The leaves look fine, but they are all sticky. This tree is planted next to a green maple that has no residue. What could this be?
My first thought on this was cottony maple scale, but it seems early in the season for this particular problem. Here is a link to the University of Minnesota's web page on this particular problem for photos and reference: http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant...
It may also be aphids on the other tree causing the sticky honeydew you are describing. You can treat trees with Bayer Advanced 12 month Tree and Shrub Insect Control. In my own experience, this has helped me to eliminate a variety of landscape pests including aphids. Just follow the directions for diluting the product exactly, so it is safe for your plants. You can find this particular product at your local lawn and garden store or megastore with a garden department.
Helpful 8Can I use wood putty to fill the trunk cavity of a maple tree?
I don't recommend regular wood putty as it shrinks as it dries. You are better off using foam that expands and covering it with a screen to prevent animals and birds from removing the foam. Also, don't use concrete to fill a hole. If the tree has to be cut down in the future, an unsuspecting person cutting down the tree could be injured.
Helpful 7
Comments
I live in Dallas ,Texas and have a red maple that we planted four years ago and blooms great every year however this spring as of today I am still awaiting leaves. The tree started buding several weeks ago but we got some really bad storms and for the last month we have had very windy conditions. After a bad storm the buds and new little leaves dried up and seems as though tree still looks it goes in the winter. I see green on the trunk so I don't think it's dead. Do you know what is wrong?
We have a very large 40-50 year old Norway maple in our back yard. Last summer the leaves started to turn and fall early. We had two tree people come out to look at it, one told us it was drought and wind damage and to fertilize in the fall. The second told us it looked to be the same and that we had a 50/50 chance of bringing it back in the spring if we fertilized in the fall. My husband did tree spikes in the drip line and broadcast fertilizer in the fall. This Spring only about 25% of the tree is leafing out. The rest looked like it was starting to get buds, yet when I climbed the ladder and touched them, the buds seem dry and just fall off. I am devestated! We have many Maple's in our yard and it could have been any tree but this was our favorite! Reading your other posts you state trees can leaf out more than once in a season if they are stressed, should we be giving up at this point? All our other Norway's on the property are doing fine. We live in Eastern PA.
Thank You for any help!
Hello Guys
Harleyz66
maybe fertilizer burn
I would say the best way to ensure a tree gets adequate nutrients is to put mulch down, an inch or so at the most. its slow release, has nitrogen in it, helps to reduce evapotranspiration, helps retain moisture!, protects from cold weather.
is the soil type the same in their different locations?
is there any grazing going on?, not sure at the moment about no helicopters, will ask a couple of friends of mine over the weekend.
if the leaves are flacid then it maywell be lack of water, long slow infrequent soakings are the best
yes pictures are a big help
glory maples is a common name and these vary in different locations, you are better sticking to the latin names
let me know, cheers
Hello Guys
Kathie
you should be able to go to the above link, which is another hub of mine and email me there.
failing that upload the pictures to flickr or picassa and then give me the url's.
where are the roots in relation to the trunk?, are they the butress roots? are they x amount of metres away
How long has the root been exposed or has it always?
is there any environment changes around the tree and its canopy or root system?
has bark been chipped off?
are there any other stress factors, fungi, dieback, insects at the spot?
a handful of pics should be alright
let me know, cheers
What an informative website! I've read all the comments regarding Maple Tree problems, but can't seem to find my answer. I did see one poster who seemed to identify with a like problem, but she never replied with pictures so an answer was never provided.
A couple years ago we planted 2 October Glory Maples here in TN.
On one of the trees the leaves seem to be developing holes and it looks as though they're being eaten. Leaves higher up and near the tops are slowly shriveling up and dying. I've checked the leaves for insects, but can't seem to find any. We've had a wet spring, so I've watered only after a couple days of dry weather using Miracle Grow and other types of fertilizer.
Two trees (Same Size) 2 1/2" trunks 12' -14' tall were planted two seasons ago within 20 miles of one another. My tree each year establishes pods a few weeks prior to leaves emerging. The other tree doesn't yet establish pods, but is full of leaves each year and growing quite well. I do still have newer leaves emerging on the problematic tree, but the tree sometimes looks wilted. It looks wilted today and we just received 5-7 inches of rain in the past 72 hours. Both trees receive the same care and watering schedule with fertilizer. Both trees were planted in new home subdivisions where the topsoil was replaced with basic dirt.
Basically, what I'm trying to find out is whether I have an insect problem or the tree isn't receiving enough water. I'm afraid of over watering because I don't want to possibly rot out the roots.
Also, I'm curious as to why one tree sprouts pods (Problematic Tree) and the other one doesn't given the trees are approx. the same age.
I'll be more than happy to post pictures if it will assist in identifying the problem.
Please help as I do not want to lose these wonderful trees.
Thanks
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Where can I send a picture to? What other info would you like?
could anyone help.. I have 4 acer atropurpureum maples.. 3 are doing well no problems... but one something (I think) eating the leaves... some of the leaves have fallen off the others have very light brown marks on them, kind of thin lines then bigger in parts.... edges of the leaves look like they have been nibbled ...I have had a good look on and under the leaves and so far haven't spotted anything... it's a small plant as ive only had them since last year.. I really don't want to loose it ... any help would be greatly appreciated
thank you
Carrie
I should clarify, the spot has the diameter of an orange.
Our well established maple tree has developed an orange-sized black moist spot on one of its exposed roots. Any thoughts?
For above comment on Maple trees.
New constructions near established trees sometimes affect the tree, compaction of the soil.
Environment changes.
I reckon putting some mulch down, this will suppress the weeds help retain moisture and release vital nutrients back into the soil
whatever you do, you have to be careful of the roots no chopping them.
and if it's dying back consult a qualified arborist.
good luck
Hi,
Four years back our newly constructed home came with two maple trees in our front yard. Through all the 4 years my trees fare the worst compared to any lawn in my neighborhood. The leaves start showing up very late in the spring (that too sparingly). The leaves stay green only for a month or two and then start getting yellow and fall off much before Fall. I water the trees as much as my neighbors.But the trees are always greener on the other side :( I want to help my tree grow. Please help.
PS: I have to sadly also mention that the soil in my yard is not of the best quality since we have to fight a lot of weeds and do a lot of work to get our yard green. But again the whole neighborhood has the same soil. Then why are my trees the only ones not growing :(
silver maple leasions in bark / separating 8 or 10 years old 30ft tall - we live in texas near austin. any way to save it?
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I have a huge old maple in my yard that has recently started leaking water from trunk, about five foot from ground. Any ideas why? Tree has a five year old honey bee colony inside.
The trees in my neighborhood have finally lost all of their leaves, and I noticed that my 2 maples have a lot more seeds than any others in the neighborhood. I have lived in my house for 24 years and they were large trees even then. I fear that they might be ill and are sending out seeds in a desperate attempt to leave a new generation behind. The trees have always been healthy, dark nicely shaped leaves and beautiful and they appeared to have the same amount of leaves as they always do. Any information you can give me would be very helpful.
I have two old silver maples in my back yard. One of them has been trimmed in the past, while the other has pretty much grown on its' own, it is huge. At this point, they cover the driveway, the back deck, and most of the back yard. While they look nice during the season, they are driving me crazy with all the leaves they drop...which I could live with, but they have also started dropping a lot of sap. So now the cars and deck are covered with sticky sap.
I am literally at a point where I am considering having them removed as they are a year round headache as far as maintenance. From helicopters to leaves to the sap...
One arborist said you don't see too many maples reach this age and be relatively healthy. I am curious if the sap is common or a sign that they are nearing the end?
I have a lot of maple trees were i live and like Lizzannae the small trees that are only around a year old and only have a few leaves. and the leaves have started to turn white and its not bird droppings or any thing it doesn't come off im not sure what's happening to them?
TAKE A HIKE LOSER
I live in the Minneapolis area. There are three silver maples in my front yard that have recently developed small (not more than 1mm diameter), pointy black dots on their leaves. Most leaves have them and they are sprinkled around the bottom portion of the leaf, closest to the stem. It doesn't look like tar spot, but the dots look like they're part of the leaf so I am wondering if it is a disease. The trees still look healthy. Do you know what it could be?
thanks :)
Sam
I live in long Island and Have a Maple that is around 30 years old - I have noticed the last 2-3 years that healthy branches are simply dying throughout the summer. Leaves simply die and fall off while the rest of the tree is healthy. I am suspicious that I have some form of insect boring intop the branches (based on looking at a couple of these branches where they final broke off - This usmmer a health brach came down and you could see where something had basically cut it through part way - Lookinf for suggestions if there are any on treating the tree to keep this from continuing - the tree is starting to look thin
Thanks for any thoughts
Bruce
Hi. I live in Columbus Ohio and I have a beautiful sugar maple in my front yard. About three years ago, it started losing some of its bark, just flaking off. Then, last year, I noticed lots of white, spotty looking fungus on the branches. Certain branches are not leafing out anymore and the tree just isn't as full as it used to be. Some branches are dying and fall off during heavy winds. It continues to lose bark, sometimes in large pieces. Whatever it is has now spread to the redbud which is also in front of my home. Do you have any idea what this could be? I do not notice anything strange on any of the leaves. Thank you for any suggestions you may have. I cannot even find a picture of what it looks like anywhere on the internet. Nothing quite matches.
-Susan
I live in downtown Chicago and for this summer almost all of the maple trees in our neighborhood have developed white spots on the green leaves. It almost looks as though someone has sprayed them with white paint or something. I don't know much about trees but I'm worried about them. I read most of the comments above and have not found any mention of similar problems.
Any ideas what this might be? Is there anything I should look for to help determine a cause?
Thanks!
Lizanne
I have a sugar maple that is 60 feet tall. Recently, a limb broke two inches in diameter. It had a brown soft center 3/4 inch in diameter surrounded by normal wood. Is this normal or diseased.
we have a maple tree that has some leaves turning a crispy brown on several limbs. we have had drought problems for a few years. after i noticed this happening, i started watering the tree alot. recently, my neighbor next door told me his maple was just treated for mites. what is causing the leaves to turn brown? they just stay on the limbs too. they don't fall to the ground. thank you for your help.
My tree looks like it's starting to have some problems. I setup a page for it http://stoneblue.com/ken/mapletree with photos and description .
Any and all help is greatly appreciated and I'll post on the page whatever I find out.
Thanks,
Ken
Wow, you've put a lot of work into this Hub, thanks for a great resource! We have three Maples at the end of our garden and I think they're about 30 years old. One has began to look ill over the last 2 or 3 years and im considering a tree surgeon.
I have a 20" maple tree looking very good leaf wise with little or no dead lims/branches. However nearly all the bark around the tree is pealing off. The wood area under the bark apears dry and has pin holes showing. The tree looks so good but how can it survive? Your comments please
Hi, we live in central Wisconsin, I have a silver Maple tree in our front yard. Noticed a patch of missing bark about 14" in length by 6 inches in width, at the bottom of the trunk, lots of pincher bugs/ants falling out of the surrounding bark. The exposed tree looks like a bare dead tree in the forest. I have put ant powder and insect replent around it. The bugs seem to be gone. The tree was losing leaves in July, now they are 60% or more gone. Had a tree guy over he said to cut it down. Is there any hope in saving this tree? Thanks
We live in NW Indiana and have several groves of possibly 35 year old silver maples,last summer we took down one with a triple trunk because between the trunks was some kind of nest that formed rather quickly. It filled the inside of the trunks with what looked like peat but was infested with what looked like very tiny white ants. Now we have a second double trunk that the very same thing is happening to although as I scraped out this peat type material the bugs inside were also tiny but brown and look like ants. Can these be termites and if so is there any way to save this tree before it is totally eaten up? Thanks so much taking the time to post all the information here on your hub.
Hi,
many thanks for your blog it is great! My name is Annie and I live at the other side of the Atlantic(in the UK). I desparately need your help please: I suspect that our maple tree has antracanosis. The tree is about 16 years old and over the last months started to loose the outer bark from the trunk and also some of leaves (some of the branches are leafless now). When I scratched the surface of the exposed inner bark,orange dust came off.
Recently brown mushrooms appeared on the grass surrounding the tree (about 2 meters away from the tree) - could that be an indication of fungal infection at the roots of the tree or just a coincidence?
I really want to save the tree. Could you please advise me if there is any treatment I could do to help it?
(I could forward you some pictures if these could be of any). Many thanks in advance - Annie
Thanks for your response about the split trunk being the likley cause of stress to our Japanese maple. I can definitely see how as the tree is getting older the weight of the branches could be pulling the stems even further apart. You are correct cutting one stem would make the tree asthetically unpleasing, so that isn't really an option. I was wondering if their might be other options? For example I suppose in the short term even more watering would help. In the long term would bracing the trunks help to prevent the splitting? Or would a major pruning reduce the tendency to split the tree and thereby reduce the stress. If so I assume we would have to wait until winter for a pruning?
Last fall, my husband and I planted an October Glory Red Maple in our yard. Around late May, after a very wet spring, he noticed that it was developing spots. I'm pretty sure it's anthracnose and have been picking up any fallen leaves. I had thought that the spots had stopped spreading (I don't seem to be getting any more leaves that turn completely brown), but it's recently put out some new leaves, but those too are developing spots. My big question now is whether or not I should spray it. I bought a "multipurpose fungicide, insecticide, and miticide" a while back (per the recommendation of the nursery where I bought the tree), but when I got home, I realized the directions said "Do not apply to wilted or otherwise stressed plants or to newly transported material prior to root establishment" - and it looks to me like the tree is pretty stressed out. So what should I do?
Hi there another post from the Pacific northwest about our red japanese maple. I took some photos today of our tree and the leaves but could not figure out how to attach them to my posting so I thought I would add a more detailed verbal description. Our tree is approximately 15 ft tall and 30 ft wide. The the trunk is >1 ft in diamter and has a split trunk (i.e two main stems from the base). The dying leaves (almost all at this point) are generally green in colour (even though it is a red maple) but the dead portion is purple and curled under. The leaves have numerous small holes in them as if they are being eaten by insects. I am not sure if it is related but a few years ago another large apparently healthy bigleaf maple (a local native species. approx. 2 ft diameter)on our property got some kind of whitish mildew on the leaves and the next year the tree was 100% dead.
Thanks again for any help or suggestions.
We live in the Pacific Northwest and have a large (approx 30 year old) well established Japanese Red Maple tree (not sure of the exact species)that has been suffering leaf die off in summer for the last three years. The tree look great in spring,and the first year it seeemd to be limited to only a few branches, but it appeared many of these branches also died after the leaves fell. Last year there were even more dead leaves, and some of the dead branches were split. This year the die off is extensive and we have lost 75% of the leaves on the entire tree. They just seem to dry up and die. From what I have read watering should not be required for a well established tree in our area (we also had a very wet spring)and I am worried the tree has reached the end of it's life span.
I hope you have some thoughts and suggestions.
I have a mature maple ( about35 - 40 years old) This year the leaves a much smaller than normal.
What could be wrong?
Hi- I have a 3yr. old Autumn Blaze Maple. The trunk diameter is about 3" wide and the tree is about 7ft. tall. About 1 month ago, the tree was staked down and during a storm the top 1/3rd of the tree snapped off as well as a few lower branches. I cut the top cleanly at a downward angle and began watering daily. The leaves are turning red and I skipped a day of watering and on side the leaves are dying (brown and curling). I'm in the mid-west and temps are in the upper 80's -90's. Is this tree savable or should I pull it up and start over with a new one? If so, do you have a recommendation for a young tree planted in full sun and exposed to high winds? Thank you!
Hi - I noticed what looked like sawdust around the base of my large soft maple tree. When I investigsted a little further I saw large black ants working hard on an old spot where a rather large limb had been pruned before we moved here 14 years ago. I'm guessing it is a soft spot in a 50 year old tree. Will these ants kill my tree? Should I try to get rid of them and if yes, how do I go aboput it?
Hi -- I have a red maple about 60 years old. Over the past few weeks, after a prolonged period of dry and very hot weather in NY, the leaves have turned from red to a greenish brown color and are drooping. Is this occurring from a lack of water? If so, will simply watering the area around the tree avoid any long-term damage/death? Thanks!
Hi Gerber, just moved into a house with medium sized acer trees, I have no clue about gardening but think the trees might need some help! one of them is yellow/green in colour with reddish tips. The leaves are very small but the tree is quite dense, the leaves have curled from the tips and the tree looks like its dying. The second has deep red/purple leaves that now has little yellow spots on the leaves. Do you think these can be fixed, and if so how can i do this?
Thanks
For the past 3 years my Schwedler Maple (25 years old) has leafed out beautifully but when you sit under it & look up most of the bmaller branches are bare & look dead. After any windstorm there is always a plethora of these small dead branches scattered on the ground. I'd like to help this tree before it's shade is completely gone. To look at it from any angle other than while standing under the canopy, the tree looks full & healthy. No sign of anything other than a few earwigs around the tree. Please help. My husband gave me this tree for our 6th Anniversary. Thans.
our city has maple trees lined up all over the place. i have noticed that the trees are green and beautiful but the leaves are falling off green like it was fall but all the leaves are green what is happening? never seen this before.
Hi Gerber,
I have a 5 year old silver maple that I grew from a seed that fell from my parents tree. It's been in my front yard growing very well for the past few years, and stands 10+ feet tall now. This year it has been growing just fine, many leaves and new branches, nice deep green color. Just within the last week or two I have noticed that the leaves are uniformily turning scarlet color, however are not dried out or spotted in any way. All my research says the tree is stressed, but I cannot figure out why. I soak the ground for about 3 days, once a month during the summer, and it gets water from the lawn sprinklers every third day for approx 20 mins. Any ideas as to what's happening and how I can fix it? I am very attached to my baby tree and want to see it survive. Thanks in advance, Jeff in central valley CA.
Recently i knew about Maple pest Control Services which seems to be too much beneficial for maple tree pests. I recommend you to try pest control services from maple pest control inc. in Toronto area.I found lot of fantastic information about pest control on your blog. So i am sharing a fantastic website for a company which providing Pest Control services in Toronto.Maple Pest Control is serving Greater Toronto Area for over 20 years in pest control service to home and commercial places with latest techniques.
Our 5 year old Maple started losing leaves in the center of the trunk about 6 weeks ago. Now there are leaves all over the tree that are turning brown from the viens outward. I was told it could be Anthracnose, but uncertain how to treat it or if it is treatable this late in the season?
Hi Gerber,
Sounds like you're the go to guy for maple problems!
My wife and I just brought home a gorgeous new Fireglow about 2 weeks ago. Everything was fine - in the last week we had one savage windy day. Now, about 4 days later selective leaves are curling on the tree. It doesn't seem to be any particular size of leaf or location. However, I'd say about 60% of the leaves are fine and 40% have this curling problem. Where the leaves curl it can be just the "toes" of the leaf or the whole leaf. On the same branch one leaf could be curling tightly and the one adjacent could be perfect. The curled leaves are very very dry but not discoloured. The plant is still in it's pot but it has been kept watered - not that it's particularly sunny or hot here. Temp is about 16-22 degrees normally. I don't see any damage to bark or any sign of insects.
We have a separate bloodgood acer which used to be in the far corner of the garden. Due to the huge wind we put all the trees and plants together in the most sheltered part of the garden.
Now .. the bloodgood appeasr to be exhibiting the same problem.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
Mike.
Help! My husband has been threatening to cut down our silver maples and I am beginning to agree with him. We have lived in our house in Pennsylvania for 20 years and have never experienced this problem with our trees. They have been drippping sap since spring to the point we cannot park in our driveway without cleaning the windshield first. You cannot sit on the deck without washing down the table and chairs first. Everything is covered. I thought this would go away with summer but I think it is getting worse. The leaves themselves look fine but they look wet and shiny. When you touch them they are sticky. Under the branches are little white cottony balls - about the size of an eraser. There are red/black dots on the top of the leaves also (looks like your maple bladder gall pictures) but we have had that in the past. Would the Bayer product work on this problem? If so how long before you see results and would it work on huge trees? Thank you for any help you can provide.
I have a maple tree in my back yard. Half of the tree has leaves. The other halh of the tree is what I believe to be dead. No leaves, branches are very brittle and brake easly. Any suggestions?
Hi, I've been planting sugar maples (small 18-24 inch saplings) on my property in Michigan for 5 years. I purchased some nice 12 foot trees last fall and planted them. Everything seemed to be fine but now most of the leaves are dead (dry up and turn brown) on one of the larger trees and the other one has lost a lot of the leaves in the top 1/3 of the tree. I have noticed that some of my small trees have brown spots on the leaves. Is it a fungal problem? What should I do?
Also I lost two larger sugar maple trees last year. Same thing happened, lost the leaves and then the trees died. I am ready to give up.....help!
I have a large old Maple that has a large hole from where a large branch came off and it is filled with large black ants. Is there something I can fill this hole with like a foam insulation product? I have seen cement used but it would take a very large amount.
Thank you,
Paul Gutowski
Some dead branches have fallen from my enormous maple tree and are covered with white globs of white sticky stuff. I don't see anything inside the globs which are about the size of a dime. As I look up into the tree, I see the same 'stuff' lining the healthy branches. This stuff seems to be on the lower 1/3 of the tree. I'm guessing the height of the tree at about 50' and do not know how old it is because I've only lived here 3 years. No stuff was seen the last 2 years. Thank you...
Sally Fiher
Hi I have a maple tree in my back yard that has sap leaking on the west side of the tree. There seems to be insects the move within the bark of the tree. the sap only goes about three feet down the tree, and the tree looks wet in the area until you get close to observe it then you see that the sap is being leaked out of the tree. should I spray the tree for the insect? What is you suggestion pls
EARLY TREE DISEASE??? We have what may be a Japanese maple, about 15 feet tall, in front of our house in eastern Maryland. Soil is not very well drained, high amounts of clay and low lying, and it has been a very rainy year so far and much of last one too, but the tree has good drainage from where it stands as our yard slopes from there. On the south side of the bark it has a vertical thinly split region about 2 inches long with the bark around this sore turning black, and evidence of sticky maple dripping down the trunk under it and two feet down to the mulch below, where there are lots of tiny ants moving all around and up the trunk itself. I read elsewhere about using a sterile knife to cut around the sore and help the tree heal more efficiently (allegedly). Doesn't sound unreasonable, but not really sure what the root cause is, so hesitant how best to act.
Great Site!
I have a young maple that has little pointed tips on the face of all the leaves, they are about 1/4 inch long and there are about 10 to 20 on every leaf. The tree is leafing well but not growing good. This is the second year I have noticed this. I haven't seen anyone else here with this problem.
Thank you for all your help.
I bought my house about 4 yrs ago and there's a maple tree in the middle of my backyard. Last year it was not as full and this year it has even less leaves than last years. About a 3/4 of the tree has sparsh leaves and then 1/4 has no leaves at all (about 2 large branches on the same side). Part of the root had been exposed and damaged and grass had grown right up the root. I've covered the shown root and removed the grass that was right up to the tree. Is there anything else that you can suggest? or is it slowly dying? I don't know how old the tree is but it's not as full as the ones around my neighbour which are fine.
I have a couple autumn blaze maples that started to leaf this spring, but then lost it leaves and now only has leaves on part of the tree on one and almost none on the other. When inspecting the tree I noticed several of the ends of the branches had a small insect stuck to them. The insect is dead, but stuck to the ends where the leaves had died off. The insects look a bit like a musquito. I have treated the tree with Bayer Advanced a month or so ago. Any ideas? Thanks!
Jeremy
I have a maple tree that has the Maple Spindle Gall. What do I do for it or can anything be done? Thanks for any comment.
We have a young Sugar Maple (4" diameter) that has looked healthy for the 10 years that it has been planted in our back yard. This spring it has yet to leaf out. In the last 2 weeks at the base of the lower branches (center of the tree) it has begun to leaf out, but no leafs yet on the surrounding branches. We live in the suburbs of Chicago and the soil consists of a fair amount of clay. Will the tree come back? Any advice that you can offer would be helpful. Thanks!
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