30 yr old maple distress

Question: Our 30-year-old maple tree is experiencing some kind of distress. Many leaves are falling and they are somewhat blackened. This has never happened before and we are worried - especially considering its size.

In the spring we had a branch fall that had holes bored into it so had a tree person come and consult. He said it looked like beetles and they did a bug treatment and a feeding to help the tree. Until this year I've mainly been using tree fertilizers recommended by Roozen's.

 

I've attached pictures with the hope you can tell if it's fungus or watering/lack of watering. Hopefully there is something we can do to keep the tree. Also, if it is a fungus, can it transfer to the lawn?

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied June 05, 2023, 11:18 AM EDT
response: Hi,  This appears to be a common disease that is occurring right now on many shade trees called Anthracnose.  It is mostly seen on Oak, Maple, Sycamore and others shade trees. In most cases it isn't a major health concern to the tree and new growth will push out the older leaves - if they are still attached- as the season progresses. Usually the symptoms clear up with weather changes into the summer too. It will not transfer to the turf grass.  Silver Maple, which is what this leaf looks like, produces a lot of leaves anyways, so it should be fine. It helps trees to recover if you can lesson their stress symptoms. With the drought weather and going into the summer, if you can supplement watering when it doesn't rain, that should help as well. Water deeply so it can soak into the entire root zone of the tree. To be proactive for next year, you can rake up and discard any fallen leaves which will help with the overwintering of the disease and also make sure to rake and dispose of leaves this fall as well.  The tree care professional that is treating for pests, hoping they are certified, was able to help with the dentification and diagnosis of them. However, you shouldn't need to use additional fertilizer and this could be excessive. The tree is capable of getting enough nutrients from the area soils anyways. If you use leaf litter (that is not infected with anthracnose) or mulch once a year to help keep soil moisture and add decomposing organic matter back into the root area, that is usually sufficient.  Let us know if you have further questions with this.  Emily

responder: The Question Asker Replied June 05, 2023, 3:15 PM EDT
response: Thank you so much!Shelley Sent from my iPhoneOn Jun 5, 2023, at 11:18 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:﻿

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied June 06, 2023, 9:06 AM EDT
response: You're welcome!

responder: The Question Asker Replied June 06, 2023, 1:25 PM EDT
response: Hi Emily  Should I not put these leaves in county recycling?  Shelley

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied June 06, 2023, 4:46 PM EDT
response: Hello Shelley,  If the county is collecting yard waste for municipal composting, it should be fine to add them to the bin; they'll probably be hot-composted, which keeps temperatures high enough for long enough to kill most pathogens and weed seeds. This disease is so commonplace and widespread that transport to the facility shouldn't risk spreading it anywhere where it hasn't occurred before. Otherwise, you can send the collected foliage to the landfill or compost them at home (if you don't use passive/cold-composting), but putting them in the landfill wouldn't be as sustainable as composting them.  Miri