Bur Oak - Ask Extension
My 5' tall bur oak has light green leaves with a brown color around the edge of the leaves. Its foot is in on the edge of a Houghton muck soils, alwa...
Knowledgebase
Bur Oak #648741
Asked June 10, 2020, 10:27 AM EDT
My 5' tall bur oak has light green leaves with a brown color around the edge of the leaves. Its foot is in on the edge of a Houghton muck soils, always wet with intermittent standing water. Do not know pH of soil. Last year the leaves curled up and yellowed, so I added a gallon of SA-50 Brand Chelated Liquid Iron. Almost killed it, but it came back. I have no idea what I am doing. Any recommendations as to how I should investigate the problem?
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
Hello,
It is not likely that burr oak will have chlorosis because it tolerates a wide pH range. More likely is a root zone issue that is either not allowing water and/or oxygen to move through the vascular system. Do you have a good idea how long a period of time the soil is waterlogged? How many times per year does the soil become soaked or flooded?
You can get a professional diagnosis in a couple ways. Firstly you can email pictures of the whole tree, pictures of any damaged bark on the trunk or branches, a picture of where the trunk enters the soil, and close ups of the branches and leaves( picture the fronts and the backs) along with the history of the tree- when transplanted, how long it is flooded, what chemicals were applied— to MSU Plant Diagnostic lab. After reviewing your pictures they may ask you to mail samples. There is a small fee for their service.
Secondly you can hire a certified arborist, a professional who has taken training in care, diseases, pests and passed certification tests. He/she will come on site and give a complete diagnosis and a plant care plan. Find certified arborists by zip code here—-
References-