Knowledgebase
What is the disease causing the tips of new growth to turn brown or black and wilt #752898
Asked May 29, 2021, 8:39 PM EDT
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
This looks like herbicide drift. Was a chemical used near them on a windy day? Curled, cupped leaves are characteristic of herbicide damage.
See: http://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/sumac/curledcuppeddistorted.html
On May 30, 2021, at 4:35 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Regarding the ash tree, the following website discusses anthracnose and what to look for. It’s one possibility for leaf drop this time of year. This rarely causes long term problems for the tree as it will leaf out again. See: http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=30
Herbicide damage from drifting rarely causes plant death. Broadleaf weed killers were likely the cause. You might want to let your neighbor on the other side of the fence know this happened; so that in the future they can prevent applications of herbicides on windy days.