Leaves turning yellow on Redbud and dropping - Ask Extension
Our Redbud tree which is about 15 to 20 years old is losing leaves this week that is very hot and without rain. The leaves are dropping rapidly and ar...
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Leaves turning yellow on Redbud and dropping #874300
Asked June 23, 2024, 2:14 PM EDT
Our Redbud tree which is about 15 to 20 years old is losing leaves this week that is very hot and without rain. The leaves are dropping rapidly and are yellow or brown. Is it due to the drought or a disease? I am attaching photos. I started giving it a deep root watering twice a week. Is there anything else I can do? Thank you!
Charles County Maryland
Expert Response
Unfortunately, it's hard to diagnose from the foliage symptoms alone. Are you able to share a picture or two of the entire tree?
It might be heat and drought stress, though with watering that often and a tree that mature, this is less likely for such drastic symptoms. Did the symptoms begin before the watering, or develop afterward? (It sounds like before watering, but we wanted to check.)
Is the soil checked for moisture level before watering? Redbuds are not very tolerant of staying too wet, so we want to make sure the roots are not suffering from lack of oxygen due to overly-wet soil, which can cause root and branch dieback and foliage shedding. Feel the soil about six inches deep before watering, and if it's somewhat dry to the touch at that depth, watering will probably benefit the plant. If damp when checked, watering should probably wait. Leaf wilting, browning, and shedding can occur with both over- and under-watering, so it's a tricky symptom to use by itself unless the soil is monitored.
Is the base of the tree mulched to separate the tree from any nearby lawn? Was there any digging in its root zone in the past year or two, or visible damage to the trunk?
You can inspect the back of the leaves for spider mites; they won't always make prominent webbing, but if numerous enough, can "burn" leaves and add to plant stress.
Miri
It might be heat and drought stress, though with watering that often and a tree that mature, this is less likely for such drastic symptoms. Did the symptoms begin before the watering, or develop afterward? (It sounds like before watering, but we wanted to check.)
Is the soil checked for moisture level before watering? Redbuds are not very tolerant of staying too wet, so we want to make sure the roots are not suffering from lack of oxygen due to overly-wet soil, which can cause root and branch dieback and foliage shedding. Feel the soil about six inches deep before watering, and if it's somewhat dry to the touch at that depth, watering will probably benefit the plant. If damp when checked, watering should probably wait. Leaf wilting, browning, and shedding can occur with both over- and under-watering, so it's a tricky symptom to use by itself unless the soil is monitored.
Is the base of the tree mulched to separate the tree from any nearby lawn? Was there any digging in its root zone in the past year or two, or visible damage to the trunk?
You can inspect the back of the leaves for spider mites; they won't always make prominent webbing, but if numerous enough, can "burn" leaves and add to plant stress.
Miri
