Sick dogwood - Ask Extension
The leaves at the top half of my dogwood (about 10 years old) look shriveled and droopy. Attached is a photo of the entire tree, and close-ups of the ...
Knowledgebase
Sick dogwood #576202
Asked July 02, 2019, 11:36 AM EDT
The leaves at the top half of my dogwood (about 10 years old) look shriveled and droopy. Attached is a photo of the entire tree, and close-ups of the top taken from a second story window. We would be grateful for a diagnosis and treatment suggestion.
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Overall, the tree looks pretty good. The drooping on the leaves looks like powdery mildew, a fungal disease. The discoloration on the leaf backgrounds suggests mildew damage.
There is a range of susceptibility among dogwood to powdery mildew. The best recommendation is to plant powdery mildew resistant varieties in the future. Pruning for air circulation may help. You will have to monitor the plant in the future and decide if you want to spray fungicides or horticultural oil products listed for powdery mildew. This is time consuming and expensive. See more on our website https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/powdery-mildew-trees-and-shrubs
Marian
There is a range of susceptibility among dogwood to powdery mildew. The best recommendation is to plant powdery mildew resistant varieties in the future. Pruning for air circulation may help. You will have to monitor the plant in the future and decide if you want to spray fungicides or horticultural oil products listed for powdery mildew. This is time consuming and expensive. See more on our website https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/powdery-mildew-trees-and-shrubs
Marian
