Ash tree sudden death?

10 years ago

Last week half the leaves on my ash tree turned brown and then a few days later the other half turned as well. It also started growing suckers so the tree isn't completely dead (yet). I water it twice a week for about 2 hours each time and there aren't any signs of insects. I also scraped some of the gravel from around the base of the tree to see if I could find any other symptoms but I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Any ideas of what could cause this?

Featured Answer

aztreelvr

10 years ago

It would be a good idea to excavate to find the drip lines. They should be moved out to the edge of the branches anyway and fall/winter is a good time to do this. Your tree could also have been planted too deeply. The zone of tissue where the trunk flares and turns into roots MUST remain exposed to air. If not the tree/shrub can suffocate. This is a common cause of tree failure and I have seen trees planted as much as 12 inches too deep. It's a death sentence that can take several years to affect the tree. I would gently remove soil from the base of the tree near the trunk (getting rid of that plastic ring too) and see if this is the case. If so leave the soil pulled back about 12 inches from the trunk, but allowing the roots near the trunk to be barely covered with soil. Your tree may recover but it could take until next spring. Here's a link with more information. http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/root-ball-dimensions.shtml

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Comments (6)

User
10 years ago
What a shame. Same thing happened to one of our oaks last year. All the leaves turned brown and it was a goner.

It had some disease that finally took hold.
campv 8b AZ
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
What is that plastic around the base? Is it a pot or drip? If its on a drip how many gal. per hour? How old is the tree?
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aztreelvr
10 years ago
How much water are you giving it? Ash trees are huge water users. One this size would need about 30-40 gallons of water each time you apply. This time of year it need water about once a week to 10 days. As the weather cools water once every 10 days to 2 weeks. In winter water once every 3 weeks. A 3 inch layer of organic mulch over the root zone helps insulate the soil and slow evaporation.
Holly Siltala
Original Author
10 years ago
The zone this tree is on is watered twice a week for two hours each time. I don't know how much the tree is getting exactly since whoever did the landscaping buried all the drip lines down into the roots of the plants. When I pulled the gravel away from the base of the tree the ground was damp though. Is there any chance this could be Texas root rot?
kitfoxhome
6 years ago
This message is for aztreelvr....

Is there a link or discussion on olive trees and branch decline? If so, could you provide that info for me? My olive tree is losing leaves and one branch is very dry. I have under plantings that keep it moist in addition to its own tree watering. Could too much water be the cause?