# Whats wrong with this Maple?(pics)



## bluedevil (Feb 13, 2003)

Out mowing the yard today and noticed the leaves on one of my Maple trees look like they are dying. A few pics...




















Anyone have a clue as to what is doing this??
I have a total of 4 Maple trees in my yard and this is the only one that is doing this. I see know evidence on the leaves or the tree of a "bug" so I believe it must be some sort of disease. About 90% of the leaves on the tree look like this.


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## MSUICEMAN (Jan 9, 2002)

MSU usually has a place you can ask about or take some into to check into it. I forget what they are called, but I'll ask my mother, as she has used them before to identify what was wrong with some shrubs....

hope you get this figgered out and its fixable!


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

I'm no arborist but did some searching and came up with a site that has some info on tree diseases and such. From those pics it looks like it could be "Maple wilt" or "Verticilium wilt".

Here's a link to the site :

http://www.treehelp.com/trees/maple/maple-diseases-maple-verticillium-wilt.asp

Good luck, I hope you get it figured out and can save the tree.

John


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## lookin for the gills (Jan 21, 2003)

Dont know about the tree but in the first pic it looks as if you got some dollar spot or summer blight disease with your turf


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## dinoday (Feb 22, 2004)

I don't know what it is,but had it on a Maple in my yard last year.It didn't come back and the tree looks fine this year.Hope you have the same luck!


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## kingfisher2 (Mar 22, 2001)

Over fertilized?


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## GVSUKUSH (Mar 9, 2004)

dinoday said:


> I don't know what it is,but had it on a Maple in my yard last year.It didn't come back and the tree looks fine this year.Hope you have the same luck!


Yep, had it last year on my maples as well, this year the leaves are perfect and healthy. I blamed it on the cool, wet summer last year. Who knows?


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## bluedevil (Feb 13, 2003)

Thanks for the link John. It looks like it could be Maple Wilt but not sure. I hope it is not though.

I will keep an eye on it and if it gets to bad I will just have to cut the tree down. I just dont want it to spread to the other maple that is right next to it that is much bigger and I do not want to cut that one down.


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

Whatever it is, I see it in sporadic places all over northern Michigan, and seems to affect trees that have been stressed the most-ie., trees along roadsides, where the brine mix and calcium chloride get it, trees that have had injuries or wounds or limbs removed without "bandages" (paint or tar) from chainsaws or wind...

Two of my maples, both smack dab in the middle of my yard, naturally, have it...one is a Norway Maple, the other a Sugar Maple, both were healthy until just a few years ago. I think my old septic field affected these trees, we've since replaced the tanks and fields and moved them, both trees are doing a bit better, but it's been slow. I also tapped them both for syrup for years. Haven't done so now for five years. 

I've been fertilizing them with tree and shrub stakes to help them out a bit for the last two years, and watering them through dry periods-the entire top is dead on the Norway, half the top is dead on the Sugar... :sad: 

Seems like every tree on my property that I like has some sort of issue...I've been fighting gypsy moths for years now, they killed two beautiful paper birches, I've managed to save the other three, so far, but they don't look very good. Some sort of pine tree borer is in two of my red pines that came from my neighbor's red pines, his trees are deader than doornails now, and I'm fighting off the specter of the EAB...

But every tree that I DON'T like appears to be in great shape...  

If you hear of anything that will help my maples that I haven't already tried, please let me know. This stuff seems to come and go, so keep an eye on your trees, the disease may be only dormant and come back in a year or two...the bugs seem to come and go, too. This has been a good year for gypsy moths, hardly any around here, but I keep a close eye out, anyway.


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## Deer Farmer (Dec 10, 2004)

Looks like wind burn from hot dry wind blowing, I had same thing did not hurt tree leaves came back next spring looked great, how old is the tree, is there any other trees blocking wind or is it out in the open.


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## Airoh (Jan 19, 2000)

Deer Farmer said:


> Looks like wind burn from hot dry wind blowing, QUOTE]
> 
> 
> With just the extremities of the leves damaged makes me think
> Deer Farmer might be right.


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## Westlakedrive (Feb 25, 2005)

Its a virus that maple trees get. The little buggers get in the leaves and run around in circles thats why you get the little black spots on the leaves. 
I had that on some of my trees last year and this year they are back to normal.


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## MGV (Jan 22, 2002)

Now i might be wrong. But i thought the black spots were a fungus. It will stay with the tree because of the leaves falling on the ground below and staying in the area. The white on the edges look like a health issue with the tree. Either to much water/fertilizer or not enough. Am i crazy.


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## Westlakedrive (Feb 25, 2005)

Not sure if its a virus or a fungus. Agree with "there may be othere issues'.


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## mparks (Sep 4, 2001)

Probably the local MSU extension office would have some info on this type of thing.


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## bluedevil (Feb 13, 2003)

The 2 Maples are near the septic tank but the drain field drains away from where the trees are. The tank is quite old so it could have some drainage from it but the bigger maple is with in 6 feet of the tank which has no problems but the smaller one is about 20 feet away from the tank so I dont think it is that but thanks Linda for bringing that up I will look into it.

I have lived in this house all my life(bought it from parents) and the tree has been there as far back as I can remember and I am 28 so it has to be 30+ years old. There is another maple that is probably about 3 times the size of the maple in question that I would guess its age to be 40-45 years old. The tree is pretty well protected from wind other than a NW or SSW wind so it also could be wind burn, I will look into that also. Thanks Deer Farmer.

Going by the info that I found the black spots are a fungi and is not directly responsible for the leaves looking like they are dying nor is it damaging the tree. I have never watered or fertilized any of the trees on my property but it may be time to start.

Thanks for the info everyone.


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