Knowledgebase
17 year old Chinkapin Oak with a disease? #876555
Asked July 09, 2024, 5:57 PM EDT
I have a wonderful 17 year old Chinkapin Oak, that is starting to shed leaves. It's not Oak Wilt (at least I don't think it is - the leaf pattern doesn't match wilt descriptions). It has a big growth on its base. There are tons of ants on the base, and when I dig out around the stump, I was overrun with ants.
Anyone help me with a diagnosis? Is it dying? Is there anything I can do?
I'm in Austin, Texas. It gets plenty of sun and water. No other trees in the yard have any issues.
:(
Travis County Texas
Expert Response
Thanks for your email. As a general rule, ants are not the cause of tree diseases. Texas A&M has a Plant Disease Handbook and here is the link to Oak trees https://plantdiseasehandbook.tamu.edu/landscaping/trees/oak/
If you are not able to diagnose your issue using this link, I would contact an ISA Certified Arborist, and all can be located here https://isatexas.com/
Hope this helps,
Rick Williams
