Q. I have a sweet gum tree in my back yard that has always been beautiful and full. This year it has been slower to leaf out and is not very full. There were a number of dead branches that started with buds early in the spring and then died. The branches are deformed. The tree is alive and more full at the top and sparse at the bottom. I am concerned about disease or maybe ice damage.
-Mahoment, Illinois
A. I looked at your pictures and would suggest the following.
-Look carefully at the trunk of the tree near where the bird feeder/house is hanging and see if those are holes in the trunk of the tree. Is there any sap coming out. If there are holes in the tree it could be a sign of a borer insect in the trunk. In that case you need to treat the tree with a product containing Imidacloprid. This is available as Fertilome Systemic Insect Drench or Bayer Tree and Shrub Insect Control.
-If there are no holes in the trunk of the tree it could just be winter die back. In Northern Illinois we had a hard winter with quite a lot of die back. In the spring the new growth starts to grow from stored up energy in the branches but is not sustained by the roots and the branches will wither and die. This is what it looks like to me. Trim off all the dead branches, if you have not fertilized the tree yet this spring do it now and again in the early fall. Hopefully this will answer your question.
-Philip Schaafsma Sr.
Sid’s Greenhouses and Garden Center – Palos Hills, IL
Sid’s Home & Garden Showplace – Bolingbrook, IL
www.sidsonline.com
6 Comments
I live in Bloomington, Indiana and our sweet gum tree is also experiencing the same problems. Our sweet gum is much larger and over 30 years old. It has always been sparsely leafed, but this year it seems much worse. It is NOT dead, as many of the branches do have some leaves, just not many. There is no sap on the ground, but some roots have been twisting around the trunk. We had variable weather this spring, with warm days followed by several freezing cold days. Could it have been frost-bitten in the spring, as some branches look like it was about to leaf out, yet did not do so. (BTW, we used to live in Naperville and shopped in your Bolingbrook store many times…)
I would think it is winter die back from the cold late this spring. If you have not fertilized you still should - water in or do before a rain. Fertilize again in Early September.
I live in Austin, TX and have a sweet gum tree that has leaves turning yellow with black spots. It is about 3 ” in diameter. Another sweet gum about 5″ in diameter nearby looks as though it is contracting the same disease. I’ve been told by a local nurseryman that it is an airborn illness, and that both sweet gums will die, and that there is no cure. I find it hard to believe that there is no treatment. Do you have any experience with sweet gums in Central Texas? I hate to loose the battle without a fight. Please advise. Thanks!
I have a sweet gum that is very healthy (so I think) very full of leaves however I noticed that one branch is full of dead leaves, I didn’t think much about it until today I noticed that a second branch (next to the dead one) is starting to die. Could this be insects or some kind of disease? What do I look for? Do I just prune the branches??
Thank you for your time.
I noticed the inquiry from “Maureen” in Austin, Texas. My Sweetgum is in Oregon and is exhibiting the same symptoms: yellowing leaves with black spots. Please advise as to care/cure for the problem. I love this tree and it is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks. Kay
We have a 3 yr. old sweet gum tree that started out fine after the winter. Now most of the leaves are brittle and brown. What would cause this problem?, and is there a solution?