Honey Locust looking ill

Question: Hello, my honey locust tree is starting to look sick. The foliage is less dense, and the leaves seem to be stunted and/or shriveling. There are a few yellowed leaves but only a handful.   I searched prior posts but I’m not sure they apply to my situation

responder: Weld County Colorado Master Gardeners Replied August 17, 2024, 10:19 AM EDT
response: Lauren,  Thank you for your question. Sorry to see you are having problems with your tree.  Cankers and root roller rot are the major diseases of honeylocust trees. See the attached for the complete description of these disorders: https://csfs.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Honeylocust-Diseases-Fact-Sheet-2.939.pdf  Symptom include reduced and yellowing foliage. And other signs of the disease are also present at branch  trunk or at the ground level.   You did not mention what the tree trunk looks like? Any issues there? You can look at the photos in the article and then go out and look at the trunk of the tree and move grass away to examine the base of the tree. From the article: "Cankers (areas of dead tissue) are found at the base of trees, at branch crotches, around wounds or on branch stubs."  Treatment options are listed in the article. Looks like the tree is mature. Calling a registered arborist might be needed at this time for actual diagnosis and steps going forward. You can find a local registered arborist at https://www.treesaregood.org/  Hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions.  Ruth, Weld Colorado Master Gardener

responder: The Question Asker Replied August 17, 2024, 10:30 AM EDT
response: Thanks for your response, Ruth. I really appreciate it. I had looked at the cankers and root rot FAQ and didn’t necessarily think they applied because I don’t really have yellowing leaves, (perhaps this is yet to come) and the trunk didn’t seem to match the description as I understood it.    I had tried to include photos of the trunk but it appears they didn’t attach. Attaching here. Should I pull back the rocks and landscaping fabric to check the roots more specifically?    Thank you again,  Lauren    Get Outlook for iOS  From: ask=<personal data hidden> on behalf of Ask Extension  Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2024 08:19 To: Lauren Williams  Subject: Re: Honey Locust looking ill (#0151667)

responder: Weld County Colorado Master Gardeners Replied August 17, 2024, 11:47 AM EDT
response: Lauren,  Thanks for trunk pix.   The orange coloring in the trunk cracks is very suspicious - compare those to the color photos in the fact sheet I sent. You may not see big oozing dripping cankers but tree may still be infected. And is orange present in the wounds? Hard to exactly diagnose from photos. At this point, I would have an arborist come and confirm.  And, yes I would also pull back those rocks and any landscape cloth present to see what is going on with the trunk where it actually going into the dirt and what the trunk and roots look like below the soil. Would do this before arborist comes to assist with diagnosis. Here is what to look for: https://niab.com/symptoms-and-recognition-crown-rot-and-collar-rot  And of note, it looks like your tree was planted pretty deeply - I don't see "the bulge", the beginning spread of the roots which should be occurring at dirt line. This might have contributed to the problem? See this fact sheet: https://static.colostate.edu/client-files/csfs/pdfs/planting-trees.pdf  Another suggestion: General practice is to have mulching material placed away from tree trunks so rot does not occur. If your other trees are like this, I would remove gravel from around the trunks. CSU recommends at least six inches or more: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/658.pdf   Let us know if we can help with anything else. I will be on duty through Sunday. Another Master Gardener will take over next week.   Ruth