Redbud leaf issue

10 years ago

I have a redbud with a leaf issue. It has been in the ground 9 or so years and 15-20 foot tall at this point. It's on the east side of my house...so gets shade after mid day. Over the past handful of years... more and more of the leaves are becoming cupped with the wrinkled edges. The edges never yellow out or dry up... They just stay wrinkled. Also none of the leaves get nice and large like I see on other redbuds in the neighborhood. My soil has a ph of 8... And is all fill dirt. I mulch the area with leaf mulch. No insecticides used in the lawn. No chemical fertilizers either. It flowers nicely in the spring and continues to grow.... It just doesn't look nice up close. I am not seeing any signs of spider mites.

Any ideas?

Featured Answer

kentrees12

10 years ago

Nevermore44

There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that you have herbicide damage to your redbud. Where it came from I can't tell you.

Around here (TN) farmers grow mostly corn and soybeans. They spray their fields before they plant no matter what they are planting, corn in April, beans in May. Farmers that raise cattle occasionally spray their grass pastures with 2,4-D, as it is a broadleaf killer and won't harm grass. I'm not sure about the horse raisers here, their stock per head is usually worth WAY more than cows and they tend to be very careful about what they put on their pastures.

Under the right conditions spot treatment by homeowners can cause local damage. Many years ago I sprayed 2,4-D with a backpack sprayer on some stuff I wanted killed. I was EXTREMELY careful, no wind, coarse spray, no spray except on target, moderate summer temps. The next day I had leaf curl on some dogwoods. That's the first and last time I used 2,4-D on my place.

Tom

I have no idea what the farmers use. I do know this: there was no damage to anything when farmers farmed the old fashion way. There was no damage when they went to no till and used Paraquat. There was no damage when glyphosate became cheaper than Paraquat and they switched to that. When THE BIG M fixed it so certain weeds became resistant to glyphosate, the farmers switched to the 2,4-D formulations and the damage began, and continues to this day.

Most farmers here are part time. They hold full time day jobs and farm when they aren't working. If they are going to spray after work today, they spray after work today, gale winds and 100 degree temps be damned.

I really don't care what they put on their land, AS LONG AS IT STAYS ON THEIR LAND. Go ahead and lay down plutonium, but keep it on your land. When what they put on their land gets on MY LAND, they are FARMING MY LAND. I wonder what would happen if I did something that got on their land and caused damage to their crop. I KNOW what would happen, there would be hell to pay and I'd be the one paying. But it's okay if my stuff gets damaged, it's only ornamental and I'm not making a living from it.

I'll step off my soapbox and end my rant now.

But I don't feel any better.

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Comments (6)

kentrees12
10 years ago
Classic low level herbicide injury. Do you live anywhere near no till farming operations? I see this every year on my planted and natural occurring redbuds. It can happen thousands of feet away from the actual spray operations. Farmers use it because it is the cheapest herbicide available, and the chemical companies don't give a damm. It is extremely volatile and doesn't require wind to spread. Think gasoline fumes. It is used on fields to burn down vegetation prior to planting. Paraquat used to be the weapon of choice, it isn't volatile but it costs more. Cercis is VERY sensitive. Mine are currently 'growing out', but it remains to be seen if repeated injury will have long term effects. Google "herbicide injury redbud".
Nevermore44 - 6a
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Thanks ken trees12. I had seen the herbicide photos while looking up the issue before posting but any active farm fields are at least a mile away. The photos though match. There is a neighbors redbud that's 5 or so houses away that looks fine. Are there any pesticides that homeowners could get that could effect a tree to this degree? The tree is uphill from any water runoff from an adjacent neighbors lawn in case they might be going to town with weed and feed.
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kentrees12
10 years ago
2,4-D and its ilk are commonly available without restrictions to homeowners, they are the most likely to do damage. Weather conditions, formulations of herbicides being applied, and stage of plant growth will determine the amount of damage, as will susceptibility of individual species. A mile or more away is not too far for pesticide to drift. I have lots of redbuds, most have damage but a very few are pristine, and they are all the same distance from the field that was sprayed. It may be genetic, but more likely a difference in growth at the time of the incident.
wisconsitom
10 years ago
Really depends on the formulation. And ester is highly volatile while the more commonly used amine formulation is non-volatile. Are we sure-in this specific case-that it is this that is going on? I'd want a little more evidence myself.
Nevermore44 - 6a
Original Author
10 years ago
I know most neighbors are out periodically spot spraying lawn weeds at the start of spring.... that's all I can think of. The field that is closest to our subdivision is growing corn this year if that matters. And last there is a horse farm a hundred or so yards behind us ... if that adds anything.