How Do I Know if My Tree is Diseased?

How do you know if a tree is diseased? This is an important question for homeowners and commercial property owners to consider, as diseased trees might invite termites and other bothersome unwanted pests. Damaged, compromised trees are also at risk of shedding branches or outright toppling, which can mean costly property damage and injury to anyone in the area!

To know if a tree is diseased, infested, or just stressed, check these 6 common signs of poor tree well being:

• Chewed or otherwise distorted leaves
• Stunted appearance or leaf maturation
• White spots
• Cottony light colored masses
• Openings along the bark
• Stunted tree growth including pitching

Knowing if a tree is compromised and what all these warning signs mean is the first step towards managing these troubles and keeping your tree healthy and tough. It’s also vital to know when a tree is beyond preserving so you can plan tree removal services before it topples or otherwise causes injury to your property.

An expert arborist or tree services expert can inspect a tree and note if it’s unhealthy and can be restored. Note some added details about common signs that a tree is compromised and how to address causes of disease and damage, and when it’s time to call in a specialist! Click here to find one in your area.

How Do You Know If a Tree Is Diseased?

A quick assessment of your tree’s limb, branches, and leaves can typically tell you if it’s diseased or otherwise needs some TLC. Take into account a bit more information about common signs of tree ailments and then call an arborist or tree services contractor as needed.

Chewed or otherwise distorted leaves

Small holes and jagged or also uneven leaf edges often indicate infestation and resultant health issues. If you notice pits along a leaf front of what appears to be jagged leaf edges, get in touch with an arborist to check for infestation and needed treatment solutions.

Stunted foliage or leaf development

Bugs and ailments sap a tree of water and nourishment, which results in stunted foliage or leaf progression. You might notice bare limbs, dried-up leaves, or shrunken leaves on a compromised tree. If so, don’t assume you should simply trim those branches but call an arborist as soon as possible, to address that infestation or other affliction.

Pearly spots on leaves and the tree itself

Scale insects are small white-colored bugs that drain a tree of its nutrients. These insects collect in masses that look like white spots on leaves and the tree itself. Washing off these insects helps protect the tree from further damage but that tree might also need some added maintenance to return to healthiness, including chemical treatment and better land irrigation.

Cottony white masses

Wooly aphids are frequently mistaken for cotton growth or white mold on a tree. As with scale insects, you can wash off those aphids to preserve a tree but it’s also necessary that a tree care professional check the tree’s condition. He or she can note resultant injury and if the tree needs pruning or other care, and if the tree is totally free from an infestation.

Holes along the bark

Gaps along tree bark often suggest wood-boring insects such as termites, or a lack of nutrients for the tree so that the bark cracks and cracks away. Those holes very often present a nesting place for bothersome pests who lay eggs or otherwise tunnel into those cavities, making trouble even worse over time. If you spot spaces in tree bark, call a tree service contractor immediately!

Stunted tree maturation including slanting

Nonnative trees might have a hard time to develop in an unwelcoming climate; a palm tree might struggle to grow in a chilly climate, for instance. However, tree illnesses, root rot, and other conditions will stunt tree growth so that it’s very often much smaller than projected.

Weak or diseased trees could also begin to pitch, as a damaged or weak tree is not healthy enough to stand straight. Tilting trees are very dangerous as they might snap and then fall, so contact an arborist or tree care service for a full tree assessment, treatment, and needed bracing.

Can an Unhealthy Tree Be Saved?

Like your own physical health, a diseased tree can often be saved depending on its situation and how swiftly you start handling it! Removing pest infestations and remedying root rot, as well as added fertilizing and bracing as necessitated, can let a tree to grow healthy and solid once again.

In some cases, however, disease or pests may have injured a tree so badly that it’s beyond saving. Severe bark damage and reduction or large-scale infestation may impact a tree’s overall condition so that it can not replenish that bark or produce fresh leaves.

Your real estate’s soil environments additionally affect how properly a tree can improve; nutrient-rich soil feeds trees while stable ground allows it to stand tall and stay in good health. If your property’s soil is extremely moist or sandy or requiring fertilizing for any reason, a tree might strain to grow even with treatment.

How Can You See If a Tree Has Root Rot?

Healthy roots are firm and ordinarily whitish in color. Soft brown roots, and most notably those that feel spongy to the touch, are almost always rotted. Root rot also promotes the growth of fungi along the roots, so you could notice spores and other growth.

Roots drink in moisture and nutrients from the soil; when roots rot, the tree subsequently similarly fails to mature and thrive. Leaves often times wilt and fall away, and new leaves might not come into existence during the tree’s sprouting season. In extreme cases, the tree can die within days or weeks of developing severe root rot!

Correcting root rot

Root rot is often the outcome of excessively soggy soil. Properties with substandard water drainage will often accumulate water all around tree roots so that they then rot away.

It’s key that you check your property’s grade or slope, or offer needed drainage around the tree, before seeking to deal with root rot. Soil should also be loose enough to make it possible for correct airflow and oxygenation, and for roots to stretch and thrive throughout that soil.

Cutting away harmed roots and removing any fungi or other growths on the roots is also imperative, so that strong roots can grow. To ensure you do not damage the tree or cut away an excessive amount of root growth, contact an arborist or tree care professional if you suspect a tree on your property suffers with root rot.

What Does an Unhealthy Tree Look Like?

Illness and infestation are not the only worries for a tree on your property! A tree might be disease-free and not suffering an infestation, but still struggling to thrive. Poor soil conditions, air pollution, serious injury to its trunk, and poor-quality pruning all have an effect on a tree’s total condition and can lead to stunted tree growth. Signs of an unhealthy tree include:

• Bare spots along the trunk or branches
• Branches with no leaves or needles
• Fungus development around the trunk base
• Wilting
• Seeping sap

Well-balanced trees should display signs of progressing; this includes growth along the trunk yearly, full foliage or healthy needles, a straight stance, and solid bark that stands up to peeling. If you don’t observe these signs or see any of the signs of an unhealthy tree noted above, phone a tree care service or arborist close to you!

No Leaves, Does it Mean Death for the Tree?

Good, vivid leaves are a sign of a well-balanced, vibrant tree! No leaves, damaged leaves, or otherwise irregular leaves are commonly a sign of an unhealthy, injured, or infected tree. Trees also have an expected lifespan; lack of healthy leaves can mean that tree is just dying of the equivalent of old age.

If your tree’s leaves are scarce or unusual at all, call a tree service company or arborist. Your property may need added hydration and watering for the tree to flourish. Correcting diseases or infestations can likewise allow a tree to grow healthy again.

An arborist or tree care company can additionally note the overall condition of a tree and if it’s dead or dying, or in danger of breaking branches and toppling. In those cases, it’s normally advisable to schedule tree removal services.

Saving Your Stressed Tree

A stressed out tree is usually salvageable, with a little TLC! If the tree is native or otherwise able to do well in your local area, keep in mind a few simple tips for encouraging healthy tree development and saving a stressed tree.

Mature trees often need about one inch of water weekly, either from rainfall or irrigation, to grow. Over a dry season or if your property’s soil is overly dry, look into an irrigation system to deliver the tree with sufficient hydration. Mulch may likewise help keep the soil hydrated.

Professional trimming is also important for saving a stressed tree. Trees expend energy sustaining all their limbs, including decaying or otherwise broken limbs.
Pruning those limbs away, as well as reducing overgrowth so a tree obtains needed sunlight and air circulation, assures a tree grows healthy and strong.

While pruning is vital for tree health and wellness, it’s just as necessary that this work is undertaken by a professional! Improper pruning approaches, including cutting branches at the wrong angle or cutting too many limbs, wounds trees and might do more harm than good. To guarantee healthy tree growth, call a tree service contractor for needed pruning and trimming.

Can a Dead Tree Be Saved?

If part of a tree is rotting or outright dead, you might be able to trim away that part of the tree and then encourage healthy and balanced development. Reversing factors for decay, including pest treatment to remove an infestation, may also assist a stressed or drying tree to become healthy once more.

Even so, if a tree is downright dead, there is usually no chance to bring it back to life and good health. In that case, it’s most ideal to have the tree extracted before it starts to split and drop limbs or fall outright.

Newtown Tree Remvoal is proud to provide this relevant information to our readers and really hope that you find it beneficial! If you’re still thinking, how do you know if a tree is diseased, or if you need tree services in Newtown and Fairfield County, phone us. We provide full-service tree care and removal, and stand behind all our work with a full guarantee you can trust!