We have a Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) that is dropping a lot
(but not all) of leaves this week. It did this last year at this
time. Is this normal for a sourwood tree? This tree is about 30
years old, gets full sun, plenty of water and drainage, nutrients from
nearby compost piles. The leaves are annoying in that they fall into
a nearby pond and I am considering removing the tree unless I can
correct the leaf drop problem. This tree is native to east Tennessee
and growing here before the property was developed. It has tripled in
size in the last 10 years. Twelve years ago I removed a heavy bugle
vine that wrapped its trunk and canopied the top.

Xref: kermit rec.gardens:279001

Oh I hope you don't remove it-- a gorgeous native tree.

How do the leaves look when they drop? Yellow, burned, wrinkled, spotty....?
You mention a pond, is the pond newly constructed?

Dave

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
We have a Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) that is dropping a lot
(but not all) of leaves this week. It did this last year at this
time. Is this normal for a sourwood tree? This tree is about 30
years old, gets full sun, plenty of water and drainage, nutrients from
nearby compost piles. The leaves are annoying in that they fall into
a nearby pond and I am considering removing the tree unless I can
correct the leaf drop problem. This tree is native to east Tennessee
and growing here before the property was developed. It has tripled in
size in the last 10 years. Twelve years ago I removed a heavy bugle
vine that wrapped its trunk and canopied the top.

I collected a few leaves this morning, scanned them, and posted the
image on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens. The leaves are green,
slightly wrinkled and covered with black spots. The edge of a
natural spring-fed pond is 15 feet downhill from the sourwood tree,
built 8 years ago. Could this be "black spot" fungus? If so, will
this kill the tree? The tree is about 30' tall. I'd rather not
remove the tree, I find the deep ribbed bark attractive and it
provides a home for tree frogs. Thanks for any suggestions.

On Mon, 17 May 2004 13:04:08 GMT, "David J Bockman"
wrote:

Oh I hope you don't remove it-- a gorgeous native tree.

How do the leaves look when they drop? Yellow, burned, wrinkled, spotty....?
You mention a pond, is the pond newly constructed?

Dave

"Phisherman" wrote in message
.. .
We have a Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) that is dropping a lot
(but not all) of leaves this week. It did this last year at this
time. Is this normal for a sourwood tree? This tree is about 30
years old, gets full sun, plenty of water and drainage, nutrients from
nearby compost piles. The leaves are annoying in that they fall into
a nearby pond and I am considering removing the tree unless I can
correct the leaf drop problem. This tree is native to east Tennessee
and growing here before the property was developed. It has tripled in
size in the last 10 years. Twelve years ago I removed a heavy bugle
vine that wrapped its trunk and canopied the top.

Phisherman wrote in message . ..
I collected a few leaves this morning, scanned them, and posted the
image on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens. The leaves are green,
slightly wrinkled and covered with black spots. The edge of a
natural spring-fed pond is 15 feet downhill from the sourwood tree,
built 8 years ago. Could this be "black spot" fungus? If so, will
this kill the tree? The tree is about 30' tall. I'd rather not
remove the tree, I find the deep ribbed bark attractive and it
provides a home for tree frogs. Thanks for any suggestions.

On Mon, 17 May 2004 13:04:08 GMT, "David J Bockman"
wrote:

Oh I hope you don't remove it-- a gorgeous native tree.

How do the leaves look when they drop? Yellow, burned, wrinkled, spotty....?
You mention a pond, is the pond newly constructed?

Dave

"Phisherman" wrote in message
.. .
We have a Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) that is dropping a lot
(but not all) of leaves this week. It did this last year at this
time. Is this normal for a sourwood tree? This tree is about 30
years old, gets full sun, plenty of water and drainage, nutrients from
nearby compost piles. The leaves are annoying in that they fall into
a nearby pond and I am considering removing the tree unless I can
correct the leaf drop problem. This tree is native to east Tennessee
and growing here before the property was developed. It has tripled in
size in the last 10 years. Twelve years ago I removed a heavy bugle
vine that wrapped its trunk and canopied the top.


Very rarely will a leaf spot disease kill the tree.
Odds are your tree has Cercospora oxydendri.
A copper based fungicide at 2 week intervals once the leaves expand.

I moved some 30-50' tall (to 16" caliper) to NY and CT from TN and WV a few
years ago. I have never seen a blackspot fungus on these or more locally
derived, nursery produced Oxydendrum. This is a new one on mew.

--
Mike LaMana, MS
Heartwood Consulting Services, LLC
Toms River, NJ
www.HeartwoodConsulting.net



"Phisherman" wrote in message
news
I collected a few leaves this morning, scanned them, and posted the
image on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens. The leaves are green,
slightly wrinkled and covered with black spots. The edge of a
natural spring-fed pond is 15 feet downhill from the sourwood tree,
built 8 years ago. Could this be "black spot" fungus? If so, will
this kill the tree? The tree is about 30' tall. I'd rather not
remove the tree, I find the deep ribbed bark attractive and it
provides a home for tree frogs. Thanks for any suggestions.

On Mon, 17 May 2004 13:04:08 GMT, "David J Bockman"
wrote:

Oh I hope you don't remove it-- a gorgeous native tree.

How do the leaves look when they drop? Yellow, burned, wrinkled,
spotty....?
You mention a pond, is the pond newly constructed?

Dave

"Phisherman" wrote in message
.. .
We have a Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) that is dropping a lot
(but not all) of leaves this week. It did this last year at this
time. Is this normal for a sourwood tree? This tree is about 30
years old, gets full sun, plenty of water and drainage, nutrients from
nearby compost piles. The leaves are annoying in that they fall into
a nearby pond and I am considering removing the tree unless I can
correct the leaf drop problem. This tree is native to east Tennessee
and growing here before the property was developed. It has tripled in
size in the last 10 years. Twelve years ago I removed a heavy bugle
vine that wrapped its trunk and canopied the top.