My acacia tree is really not doing well. I would love some advice on what is wrong with it and how I can fix the problem. It is a beautiful tree and I've only had it for about 3 years. I would love to save it if possible. The leaves are shrivelled and have yellow spots on them. Photo is attached. Thank you in advance for advice!
Do you mean in terms of new plants being planted? No, nothing new has been added. The ground under the tree has dandelions, plantains, wild grass, whatever grows naturally. And nothing else has changed since I planted the tree about 3 or 4 years ago. Last year is wasn't looking great but in recent weeks I've noticed, it looks downright miserable. Hardly any leaves and the ones that are there are shrivelled or spotted.
Do you know the botanical name of your tree? I'm having trouble figuring out what it is to see if it's one that wants more water. It's looking quite dry in that area.
No, unfortunately I don't know. My next door neighbours have the exact same tree and it's beautiful and full and looks very happy. It's about twice the size of mine. This tree has survived several summers and it has been quite dry this year but it doesn't look dry, it just looks diseased. I can take some pictures of the healthy tree, maybe that will help to figure out what kind it is.
Ok, will do. Thank you for your help! It's very much appreciated. Looking at this poor tree is making me sad. Hopefully we'll fix it :). I'll get some pictures in a couple of hours and post.
Hello, I have taken a few more photos of the tree and the leaves. They are attached. Thank you for your thoughts and help!
I also spoke with my neighbour regarding their healthy tree. Unfortunately, they really do nothing for their tree.
So, this makes me wonder what care did you give to your tree over those three years? Too much of fertilizer may be? Have you used pesticides or herbicides close to the tree?
Mmm, no. Since I planted the tree, I haven't done anything. There are no plants that grow under it. To be honest, I'm a holistic nutritionist so I'm very aware of toxins. I only use natural cleaning products, etc, plus I have a dog and I don't want any of that stuff getting into the environment. I pretty much pluck weeds and mow the lawn with a non electric push mower. If you can't seem to see from the leaves that there is an obvious natural cause, I'm wondering if there is a chance that a neighbour could have poisoned the tree. He has a veggie patch on the other side of the fence and didn't want me to plant the tree initially. Do you think this could have been caused by a human?
It could, if he uses herbicides. It could be intentional or unintentional, like herbicide drift or volatilization. Have a look at this Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service information here: Category: Herbicide Damage Scroll to the middle of the page to Herbicide Drift Damage and lower, to Herbicide Damage to Trees, Shrubs and Gardens
Does anyone else think this is Gleditsia triacanthos, Honey Locust, rather than Robinia pseudoacacia, False Acacia/Black Locust? There is something called honey locust canker, and then something else called honey locust pod gall midge that disfigures leaves (I'm not seeing the galls in your photos, though). Those trees are really variable around here - some look great and others right next to them don't make it. They're also fussy about having deep enough well drained soil.
Thank you, Sundrop! Yes, the description in the study does sound like my tree in terms of shrivelled cupped leaves however this does seem like more of a problem in agricultural areas. I live in essentially downtown Toronto. The gardens are about 10ft x 10ft maximum. My neighbours veggie patch is maybe 3ft x 4ft. I don't rule out the possibility but I would be surprised if he was using so much herbicide on his very small patch as to destroy my big tree. I'm not sure how much it would take but it's a very urban area so I hope he's not using large amounts of herbicide. Wcutler, the leaves look like the picture from the honey locust pod gall midge but I see no galls either. I can take a closer look but I think it's just the leaves. I agree it does look like a Honey Locust in terms of the general shape and the shape of the leaves but it does have those long pods. I guess the conclusion is that I need to watch the tree and just hope that it doesn't die. Thank you for your help and input!!
Honey Locust has larger, longer pods than False Acacia. Maybe the neighbour's veggie's don't recognize the lot lines and are taking up the water your tree used to get?
Sorry, I mean it does NOT have long pods. If it's simply a matter of watering it, I can definitely do that. I will try and see if the tree improves! Thank you!
Are there smaller pods, or none at all? Some of the cultivars are mostly male trees, so no pods. Do you remember the flowers?
