How To Tell If A Tree Is Diseased

How do you know if a tree is diseased? This is a vital question for homeowners and commercial property owners to consider, as diseased trees might invite termites and other bothersome annoyances. Weakened, diseased trees are also in danger of shedding limbs or outright toppling, which can mean costly property harm 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 wellness:

• Chewed or otherwise distorted leaves
• Stunted foliage or leaf growth
• White spots
• Cottony light colored masses
• Cavities along the bark
• Stunted tree growth including twisting

Knowing if a tree is diseased and what all these problems indicate is the first step toward fixing these problems and keeping your tree healthy and strong. It’s also vital to know when a tree is beyond saving so you can set up tree removal services before it falls or otherwise causes damage to your real estate.

An expert arborist or tree services contractor can inspect a tree and figure if it’s compromised and can be salvaged. Note some added details about common signs that a tree is infected and how to address causes of disease and damage, and when it’s time to call in a professional!  Click here for more information with help finding a right company for your service.

How Do You Know If a Tree Is Diseased?
A quick inspection of your tree’s limb, branches, and leaves can oftentimes tell you if it’s diseased or otherwise needs some TLC. Consider a bit more information about most common signs of tree disease and then call an arborist or tree services contractor as needed.

Chewed or otherwise distorted foliage
Small holes and jagged or otherwise uneven leaf edges often indicate infestation and resultant health issues. If you notice holes along a leaf front of what appears to be jagged leaf edges, contact an arborist to check for infestation and needed treatment.

Stunted foliage or leaf maturation
Pests and health issues sap a tree of fluid and nutrients, which results in stunted foliage or leaf proliferation. You might notice bare limbs, dried-up leaves, or shrunken leaves on an unhealthy tree. If so, don’t assume you should simply trim those branches but call an arborist as soon as possible, to address that problem or other condition.

Milky spots on leaves and the tree itself
Scale insects are very small white insects 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 injury but that tree might also need some added maintenance to return to good health, including chemical treatment and better ground irrigation.

Cottony white masses
Wooly aphids are regularly mistaken for cotton growth or white mold on a tree. Like scale insects, you can wash off those aphids to protect a tree but it’s also crucial that a tree care expert check the tree’s situation. He or she can note resultant deterioration and if the tree needs pruning or other care, and whether the tree is completely free from an infestation.

Holes along the bark
Spaces along tree bark often reveal wood-boring pests including termites, or a lack of nutrients for the tree so that the bark cracks and tears away. Those holes very often provide a nesting location for bothersome bugs that lay eggs or alternatively burrow into those gaps, making trouble even worse as time go on. If you notice pits in tree bark, call a tree service contractor now!

Stunted tree growth including twisting
Nonnative trees might struggle to thrive in an unfavorable climate; a palm tree might struggle to grow in a colder climate, for instance. However, tree illness, root rot, and other conditions will stunt tree growth so that it’s frequently smaller than projected.

Weak or impaired trees may also begin to sag, as an injured or weak tree is not tough enough to stand straight. Tilting trees are particularly dangerous as they might crack and then tip over, so call an arborist or tree care service for a full tree evaluation, treatment solution, and required bracing.

Can a Compromised Tree Be Saved?

Just like your own health, an unhealthy tree can often be saved depending on its condition and how promptly you start dealing with it! Removing insect infestations and dealing with root rot, together with added fertilizing and bracing as necessitated, can allow a tree to grow healthy and durable once again.

Sometimes, however, disease or infestation may have ravished a tree so drastically that it’s beyond restoring. Severe bark destruction and loss or large-scale infestation may change a tree’s overall condition so that it can not restore that bark or grow new leaves.

Your real estate’s soil conditions also have an effect on how well a tree can restore; nutrient-rich soil feeds trees while strong dirt allows it to stand tall and stay in good health. If your property’s soil is too moist or sandy or missing fertilizing for any reason, a tree might strain to grow even with treatment.

How Can You Tell If a Tree Has Root Rot?

Healthy roots are firm and ordinarily whitish in color. Soft brown roots, and particularly those that feel soggy to the touch, are more often than not rotted. Root rot also encourages the growth of fungi along the roots, so you could perhaps find spores and other types of growth.

Roots take in moisture and nourishment from the soil; if roots rot, the tree at that point also strains to mature and grow. Leaves in many instances wilt and drop off, and new leaves might never grow during the course of the tree’s sprouting time of year. In extreme cases, the tree may die in just days or weeks of forming serious root rot!

Correcting root rot
Root rot is ordinarily the consequence of overly wet soil. Properties with unsatisfactory drainage will commonly accumulate moisture around tree roots so that they then rot away.

It’s necessary that you take a look at your property’s grade or slope, or supply needed drainage around the tree, before undertaking to correct root rot. Soil should also be loose enough to make it possible for suitable airflow and oxygenation, and for roots to stretch and progress throughout that soil.

Trimming away damaged roots and removing any fungi or other growths on the roots is also important, so that strong roots can grow. To make sure you do not harm the tree or amputate an excessive amount of root growth, phone an arborist or tree care professional if you suspect a tree on your property deals with root rot.

What Does an Unhealthy Tree Look Like?

Illness and infestation are certainly not the only issues for a tree on your property! A tree might be disease-free and not suffering an infestation, but still fighting to thrive. Substandard soil conditions, air pollution, consistent injury to its trunk, and poor-quality pruning all affect a tree’s overall condition and might lead to stunted tree growth. Signs of an unhealthy tree include:

• Bare areas throughout the trunk or branches
• Branches without leaves or needles
• Fungus spread along the trunk base
• Wilting
• Seeping sap

Well-balanced trees should show signs of thriving; this includes development throughout the trunk annually, filled foliage or healthy needles, an erect stance, and sturdy bark that defends against peeling. If you do not discover these clues or see any of the signs of an unhealthy tree specified above, contact a tree care service or arborist near you!

No Leaves, Does it Equal Death for the Tree?
Healthy and balanced, vivid leaves are a sign of a well-balanced, vibrant tree! No leaves, damaged leaves, or otherwise strange leaves are often a signal of an unhealthy, weakened, or unhealthy tree. Trees also have an expected life expectancy; lack of healthy leaves can imply that tree is just simply dying of the equivalent of old age.

If your tree’s leaves are thin or unusual at all, call a tree service company or arborist. Your property might possibly need added hydration and watering for the tree to develop. Correcting ailments or infestations can additionally allow a tree to grow healthy again.

An arborist or tree care company can likewise note the overall condition of a tree and if it’s dead or dying, or in jeopardy of falling branches and falling. In those cases, it’s oftentimes most ideal to schedule tree removal services.

Saving Your Stressed Tree
A stressed out tree is ordinarily salvageable, with a little TLC! If the tree is native or otherwise able to thrive in your local area, keep in mind a few simple tips for encouraging healthy tree growth and managing a stressed tree.

Mature trees typically need about one inch of water each week, either from rainfall or irrigation, in order to grow. During the course of a dry season or if your property’s soil is overly dry, consider an irrigation system to give the tree with enough hydration. Mulch may also help keep the soil hydrated.
Professional trimming is also important for saving a stressed tree. Trees expend energy sustaining all their branches, including decaying or otherwise damaged limbs.
Pruning those limbs away, as well as cutting overgrowth so a tree acquires required sunlight and air circulation, ensures a tree grows healthy and strong.
While trimming is vital for tree well being, it’s just as essential that this work is performed by a professional! Improper trimming solutions, including trimming limbs at the wrong angle or trimming way too many limbs, wounds trees and can do more damage than good. To ensure 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 may be able to trim away that section of the tree and after that encourage healthy development. Reversing factors for decay, like pest treatment to remove an infestation, can also assist a stressed or drying tree to become healthy again.

However, if a tree is outright dead, there is typically no way to bring it back to life and good health. In that case, it’s best to have the tree extracted before it starts to split and shed branches or fall outright.

Kapok Tree Service is proud to give this information to our visitors and really hope that you find it beneficial! If you’re still pondering, how do you know if a tree is diseased, or if you need tree services in Durham, NC, give us a ring. We offer full-service tree care and removal, and support all our work with a full guarantee you can trust!