Dead leaves in Tree - Ask Extension
We live in West Fort Collins. The tree in our yard has lots of leaves dying off. I don't even know what type of tree it is. We have only lived ...
Knowledgebase
Dead leaves in Tree #879376
Asked July 30, 2024, 9:36 AM EDT
We live in West Fort Collins. The tree in our yard has lots of leaves dying off. I don't even know what type of tree it is. We have only lived in the house a couple of years, and have not seen this behavior in it before. I don't know if some insects have attacked it, but I don't see any. Or if it suffers from some disease. I am attaching some photos.
Questions: What type of tree is it? What's wrong with it? What should we do about it?
Thanks,
Dave O'Farrell
Larimer County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi David,
This is a bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) and it has oak leaf blister, which is a very common disease that many of the white oaks have this year. It's caused by the fungus Taphrina and can be common in wet springs. It didn't appear to be too wet this year, but I think we got moisture at the right time to encourage some of these diseases.
Fortunately, the damage is mostly aesthetic and treatment isn't necessary. If you were to treat, you would need to do preventative fungicides in the spring at/during budbreak. Timing is crucial and very difficult, as is complete coverage for the tree.
This fall, you can rake up the leaves and throw them in the trash to discourage the disease cycle - the leaves may also shed earlier than normal.
Here's some more information: https://extension.usu.edu/planthealth/ipm/notes_orn/list-treeshrubs/oak-leaf-blister
This is a bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) and it has oak leaf blister, which is a very common disease that many of the white oaks have this year. It's caused by the fungus Taphrina and can be common in wet springs. It didn't appear to be too wet this year, but I think we got moisture at the right time to encourage some of these diseases.
Fortunately, the damage is mostly aesthetic and treatment isn't necessary. If you were to treat, you would need to do preventative fungicides in the spring at/during budbreak. Timing is crucial and very difficult, as is complete coverage for the tree.
This fall, you can rake up the leaves and throw them in the trash to discourage the disease cycle - the leaves may also shed earlier than normal.
Here's some more information: https://extension.usu.edu/planthealth/ipm/notes_orn/list-treeshrubs/oak-leaf-blister
