I have a pink flowering dogwood in my front yard. Just recently I've noticed some discoloration in the leaves, including one branch where the leaves have turned brown. I've heard that a lot of the dogwoods in the area have been dying, so I'm concerned. Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong with this one?
Concerning the dead leaves, their branch looks broken. It could be girdled, hard to tell from pic.
It’s nearly the middle of August; some trees here are naturally starting to drop leaves, and some leaves are fading.
That's interesting. I'm pretty much a newbie at this--do most leaves fade in August?
In my opinion you either have too much water or not enough. These are the two main causes of yellowing of the leaves and leaf drop.
Also foliar diseases is another possibility. Anthracnose is one that can cause some leaves to drop. Also cankers can form and leaves can drop from the location of the canker and beyond.
Most dogwoods have redish leaves as fall approaches and they are some of the first trees to color. In hot dry years this can come premature.
thanks, Dr, that is very helpful! It has been a strange summer here in terms of weather. It's possible it's early fall color and drop-off.
Some plants are starting to turn colors here, too. Summer has mostly been pretty mild, but I am already seeing color on things like Black Walnut and Chinese Pistache. Buckeyes went dormant a long time ago, but that is natural for our native ones. They drop their leaves as soon as the rains quit.
