I have a 8-10 year old red maple... just started noticing that the leaves are looking like they are dieing....any one have any thoughts of what this could be...no signs of worms or bugs and our soil is good...
Hi Jodi, looking at your photos the first thing that comes to mind is the grass you have right up to the trunk of your tree. This is not good for any tree as it does not allow oxygen and water to get to the roots efficiently. Maples are shallow rooting trees so get everything they need from near the surface, compared to other trees that can obtain from deep down. IMO I would take away the turf from around the base of your tree. My rule of thumb for this is the drip area. As you have obviously mown here for some years there will also be compaction of the soil which does not allow oxygen to the roots. Major botanic gardens around the world have been advising the opening of soil around trees now for the past 20 +years. They have brought back from what appeared a lost cause to now healthy trees. If you are a sports follower take a look at Augusta golf course. Their trees have no grass around them, just pine straw. Yes it's for aesthetic reasons, but it allows their trees to breath and be healthy. There maybe other causes that others on the forum will suggest, but IMO this is what I would be looking at firstly. Hope this is of some help Acerholic
@Jodi Tanner have a look at this. The oak tree in Kew Gardens that taught the world a lesson. It's a short video by the BBC that shows what I'm getting at. Type the above in your search engine and it will come up. As I said it's IMO. ACERHOLIC
