How to Find Out if A Tree is Unhealthy

How do you know if a tree is diseased? This is a crucial question for homeowners and commercial property owners to consider, as diseased trees might invite termites and other bothersome unwanteds pests. Weakened, diseased trees are also at risk of shedding limbs or outright toppling, which can mean costly property destruction and injury to anyone in the area!

To know if a tree is diseased, infested, or just stressed, check these 6 common signs of poor tree well being:

Chewed or otherwise distorted leaves
Stunted appearance or leaf development
White spots
Cottony white colored masses
Gaps along the bark
Stunted tree growth including slanting

Knowing if a tree is infected and what all these warnings reveal is the first step towards resolving these concerns and keeping your tree healthy and stable. It’s also vital to know when a tree is beyond preserving so you can set up tree removal services before it tips over or otherwise causes harm to your property.

A qualified professional arborist or tree services specialist can inspect a tree and note if it’s compromised and can be restored. Note some added details about common signs that a tree is compromised and how to address causes of disease and harm, and when it’s time to call in a specialist!

How Do You Know If a Tree Is Diseased?

A quick investigation of your tree’s limb, branches, and leaves can usually tell you if it’s diseased or otherwise needs some TLC. Take into consideration a bit more information about typical signs of tree disease and then call an arborist or tree services contractor as required.

Chewed or otherwise distorted leaves

Small holes and jagged or otherwise uneven leaf edges often indicate pests and resultant disease. If you notice pockmarks along a leaf front of what appears to be jagged leaf edges, phone an arborist to check for infestation and needed treatment solutions.

Stunted foliage or leaf growth

Insects and ailments sap a tree of hydration and nourishment, which results in stunted foliage or leaf progression. You might notice bare branches, dehydrated leaves, or shrunken leaves on an unhealthy tree. If so, don’t assume you should simply trim those branches but call an arborist as soon as possible, to address that infestation or other situation.

Milky spots on leaves and the tree itself

Scale insects are very small white-colored insects that drain a tree of its nutrition. These insects collect in masses that look like white spots on leaves and the tree itself. Rinsing off these insects helps protect the tree from further deterioration but that tree might also need some added attention to return to healthiness, including chemical treatment and better land irrigation.

Cottony white masses

Wooly aphids are very often mistaken for cotton growth or white mold on a tree. Like scale insects, you can rinse off those aphids to protect a tree but it’s also necessary that a tree care contractor check the tree’s situation. He or she can note resultant damages and if the tree needs pruning or other care, and if the tree is completely clear of an infestation.

Holes along the bark

Pits throughout tree bark often signify wood-boring insects such as termites, or a lack of nutrients for the tree so that the bark cracks and tears away. Those holes commonly provide a nesting site for bothersome pests that lay eggs or alternatively tunnel into those openings, making damage even worse as time go on. If you find openings in tree bark, call a tree service contractor now!

Stunted tree growth including bending

Nonnative trees might strain to develop in an unfriendly climate; a palm tree might struggle to grow in a chilly climate, for example. However, tree illnesses, root deterioration, and other conditions will stunt tree growth so that it’s very often smaller in size than projected.

Weak or unhealthy trees could also begin to bend, as an injured or weak tree is not strong enough to stand upright. Slanted trees are exceedingly dangerous as they might fracture and then tip over, so call an arborist or tree care service for a full tree assessment, treatment, and required bracing.

Can a Diseased Tree Be Saved?

As with your own health and wellness, a diseased tree can often be saved depending upon its situation and how swiftly you start treating it! Removing insect problems and dealing with root rot, coupled with added nutrients and bracing as needed, can let a tree to grow healthy and robust once again.

Sometimes, however, disease or pests may have injured a tree so seriously that it’s beyond saving. Severe bark destruction and loss or large-scale infestation may impact a tree’s overall condition so that it can not replace that bark or produce new leaves.

Your real estate’s soil environments likewise have an effect on how well a tree can improve; nutrient-rich soil feeds trees while strong ground allows it to stand tall and stay strong. If your property’s soil is overly moist or sandy or lacking nutrients for any reason, a tree might have a hard time to grow even with treatment.

How Can You Tell Whether a Tree Has Root Rot?

Healthy and balanced roots are firm and normally white in color. Soft brown roots, and especially those that feel soggy to the touch, are normally rotted. Root rot also stimulates the growth of fungi along the roots, so you could notice spores and different growth.

Roots suck in moisture and nutrients from the soil; if roots rot, the tree then similarly battles to mature and survive. Leaves in most cases wilt and fall away, and new leaves might not show up during the course of the tree’s sprouting time of year. In extreme cases, the tree can possibly die within days or weeks of forming serious root rot!

Correcting root rot
Root rot is in most cases the outcome of excessively wet soil. Properties with unsatisfactory drainage will commonly accumulate water all around tree roots so that they then rot away.

It’s necessary that you assess your property’s grade or slope, or offer needed drainage around the tree, before seeking to remedy root rot. Soil should also be loose enough to allow proper airflow and oxygenation, and for roots to stretch and thrive through that soil.

Trimming away damaged roots and getting rid of any fungi or other growths on the roots is also crucial, so that healthy and balanced roots can grow. To ensure you don’t damage the tree or remove excessive root growth, phone an arborist or tree care professional if you suspect a tree on your property deals with root rot.

What Does an Unhealthy Tree Look Like?

Disease and infestation are certainly not the only issues for a tree on your property! A tree might be disease-free and not suffering an infestation, but still struggling to thrive. Unsatisfactory dirt conditions, air pollution, chronic harm to its trunk, and poor-quality trimming all have a bearing on a tree’s general condition and may lead to stunted tree growth. Signs of an unhealthy tree include:

Bare areas around the trunk or branches
Branches with no leaves or needles
Fungus spread along the trunk base
Wilting
Oozing sap

Well-balanced trees should display signs of progressing; this includes development along the trunk yearly, full foliage or healthy needles, an upright stance, and tough bark that resists peeling. If you do not spot these indications or see any of the signs of an unhealthy tree contained above, contact a tree care service or arborist close to you!

No Leaves, Does it Mean Death for the Tree?

Strong, vibrant leaves are a sign of a healthy, vibrant tree! No leaves, destroyed leaves, or otherwise abnormal leaves are oftentimes a sign of an unhealthy, damaged, or infected tree. Trees also have an expected life expectancy; lack of healthy leaves can mean that tree is basically perishing of the equivalent of old age.

If your tree’s leaves are thinning or unusual at all, call a tree service company or arborist. Your property may need added hydration and watering for the tree to flourish. Correcting ailments or infestations can additionally make it possible for a tree to grow healthy again.

An arborist or tree care company can additionally note the overall condition of a tree and if it’s dead or dying, or in danger of dropping branches and falling. In those cases, it’s typically advisable to schedule tree removal services.

Saving Your Stressed Tree

A stressed out tree is typically salvageable, with a little TLC! In the event that the tree is native or otherwise able to thrive in your local area, take note of a few simple tips for encouraging healthy tree growth and saving a stressed tree.

Mature trees in most cases require about one inch of water weekly, either from rainfall or irrigation, to grow. In the course of a dry season or if your property’s soil is overly dry, consider an irrigation system to deliver the tree with ample hydration. Mulch will also help keep the soil hydrated.

Professional trimming is also important for saving a stressed tree. Trees expend energy maintaining all their limbs, including decaying or otherwise weakened limbs.
Pruning those limbs away, as well as reducing overgrowth so a tree gets required sunlight and air circulation, makes sure that a tree grows healthy and strong.

While trimming is vital for tree health and wellness, it’s just as significant that this work is carried out by a seasoned pro! Wrong pruning strategies, including cutting limbs at the incorrect angle or trimming way too many limbs, wounds trees and may do more harm than good. To guarantee healthy tree growth, call a tree service contractor for needed pruning and trimming.

Can a Dead Tree Be Saved?

If a part of a tree is rotting or outright dead, you may be able to trim away that part of the tree and then encourage healthy development. Reversing reasons for decay, for instance, pest treatment to remove an infestation, might also help a stressed or drying tree to become healthy once again.

Even so, if a tree is outright dead, there is usually no chance to bring it back to life and good health. In that case, it’s optimal to get the tree removed before it starts to split and shed limbs or fall outright.

Premier Tree Service of Westport is proud to give this information to our visitors and really hope that you find it beneficial! If you’re still thinking, how do you know if a tree is diseased, or if you need tree services in Westport, CT, phone us. We provide full-service tree care and removal, and back up all our work with a full guarantee you can trust!