My Swamp chestnut oak, Quercus michauxii, and to a lesser degree, other oaks in my yard, are afflicted with this.
All season, as it gets new growth flushes, many of the growing tips wilt and shrivel up. It seems to not matter if it’s wet or dry, hot or cold, sunny or cloudy, or whatever.
It happened last year too, but not as badly. The tree calipered nicely this summer and still managed to grow almost three feet, but this looks bad and disfigures the branch structure. Any ideas?
Nobody has a clue?
Oak anthracnose?
In the upper Midwest we have a disease called “Bur Oak Blight” that seems to attack fully-formed leaves and leaves them hanging on the tree over winter. But I believe it is specific to Bur Oak and not white oaks as a group.
http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-and-plant-advice/help-diseases/bur-oak-blight
Anthracnose on oaks doesn’t usually cause shoot blight, does it? Doesn’t it affect only new but fully grown leaves?
Sycamore anthracnose does cause shoot blight, but not oaks.
Have you thoroughly looked up and down the tree for holes(borers) and for scale or other insects?
I sure hope you don’t have oak wilt on your property caused by beetles, also.
Dax
Oak wilt is extremely rare in my area.
Plus - the tree recovers and sends out new growth at the nearest live node.
No holes or insects I see.
My grafted Nuttall gets this a bit but only on the first and second flush of grown.
I asked my buddy to have a look here. When I hear from him I’ll let you know, Bryan.
Dax
He said he looked and w/o being on site he doesn’t know.
Sorry, Bryan.
Dax
