Well over 50% of calls to the BCMGA Help Desk are tree and lawn concerns, but the runner-up to those two issues is insects, most generally insect identification.
What’s happening to this tree?
Caller asking about spots on his tree leaves and sent photos for evaluation. Emailed response from the help desk is below:
…the spots on your tree leaves do appear to be a fungal infection and given the time of the year (May) it is likely it is known as anthracnose but to correctly diagnose the variety it would need to go to a lab for testing by a pathologist. However, it is not necessary to know which fungus it is as the treatment is the same—essentially good sanitation. Remove infected leaves and keep all fallen leaves cleaned up under the tree as the fungus spreads by spores so when you water or it rains, the spores will be bounced back up into the uninfected canopy and the problem will persist. We do not recommend treatment with a fungicide once the infection is present as most fungicides are basically preventative not curative. The time to treat with fungicide will be next spring at budbreak but be aware prevention will require multiple applications to control a possible outbreak. When you use any product, please be sure to follow all label instructions, particularly application rates and frequency.
Our main concern with your tree, however, is not the fungus but rather a case of iron chlorosis. We see this by the fact that the margins of the leaves are yellow while the veins remain green. We recommend a treatment of chelated iron granular of liquid. This link will give you more information on this problem and its treatment. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-27-W.pdf
BCMGA Mission Statement
The Bell County Master Gardeners Association assists the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in providing high quality, relevant, research-based horticultural education and service to the residents of Bell County and the state of Texas through outreach, teaching, and demonstration projects.
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