Can this tree be saved? When we bought this lot about 6 years ago... this tree was one of the reasons we bought it. It is a huge, magnificent red oak tree. There was another oak tree that was even bigger, but it was, unfortunately, right in the middle of the lot and had to be cut down to build the house. This one was actually too close to the house, but the builder moved the house over and forward as much as he could to try and spare it. And we thought it worked. It's been doing well until this year. Now several branches are dead or dying, and dried leaves are strewn all over the lawn and gardens. I don't know what happened. If it is something called oak wilt, it is just a matter of weeks until it's all over, according to what I've read online. Could it be something else?
Update: The tree did have oak wilt and had to be cut down. Red oaks are particularly susceptible. We have white oaks in the yard as well, and the most magnificent of those also succumbed to oak wilt in 2010. The one pictured here was named Genevieve and was to be the site of a planned tree house. Of course, it was only in the planning stages and probably wouldn't have made it past the neighborhood association rules and regs. (The kind of tree house I had in mind is the kind with climate and insect control.)
3 comments:
have you done any digging? we had a line of elm trees of some sort in the back yard when we bought this house and the year ted put in the vegetable beds and the cable company decided to switch us from the cable box over there ---> to the one over that way <---, they all turned yellow and dropped their leaves and ted decided they had dutch elm disease and cut down all but the biggest one.. which subsequently grew new leaves all over itself the next time it was seasonally appropriate that it do so.. turned out they were all just in shock because of their roots being mucked about with (the cable burier bein' the most likely culprit).
you have a county extension agent? I'd talk to them about my tree.. I hope it's something non-fatal, it's a lovely tree.
Trees need "vitamins" and if you can take a leaf or two tot he extension, they will often be able to analyse it. If they can't and you love this tree-call a tree doctor-not a lawn treatment company. I have a 30 year old red maple that was so dehydrated no matter how much I watered and it needed copper treatments but its looking mighty nice this summer even in the heat.
Thanks Anno and Anon,
I'll try the extension/county agent route, but I think it is too late for this tree. I took a good look this morning and there don't appear to be any living branches anymore. A neighbor said they had to remove an oak tree a few years back that looked the same way.
D.
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