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Maple tree/hydrangea #793051

Asked May 28, 2022, 10:04 AM EDT

Please see the leaves on our sunburst maple. I noticed yellow leaves on the ground under it so I examined the tree. The leaves all over the tree have black spots. We have 2 snowball hydrangeas. The leaves on the west side of the one plant are started to shrivel. No spots on the leaves. Last year both of them- the branches started breaking off at the main stem. The bushes became thin. The other one is starting that again. I took a picture of the base of that branch. Thank you.

Auglaize County Ohio

Expert Response

Hello Slate: Thanks for writing. 

The curled leaves on the hydrangea are likely caused by a caterpillar of the moth called Hydrangea Leaftier Moth ( Olethreutes ferriferana). The caterpillar lays down silk that pulls the leaf edges together creating a sunlight-free space for the moth to develop. There's no systemic or topical treatment to eliminate the caterpillars. Here are links to two articles about the caterpillar.  Hydrangea Leaftier | BYGL (osu.edu) and Hydrangea Leaftier Oddball Damage | BYGL (osu.edu).

Unfortunately, the problem of hydrangea branch or stems breaking is unclear. It's hard to see much in the photo and the resources I checked only mention that the weight of the flowers can sometimes cause stem break. Can you see any evidence of chewing, i.e. from an insect or other animal? Is the break discolored which could indicate a micro-organism, i.e. fungus? Here's link for some questions that may help you diagnose or narrow down the problem. 20 Questions on Plant Diagnosis | Ohioline (osu.edu)

OSU also has a Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic that, for a fee, can diagnose the problem. Here's their link Home | PPDC (osu.edu)

The spots on your maple leaves may be caused by one of several fungi. Here's what I found on maple leaf blister (Taphrina spp.), a disease of maple leaves that displays symptoms somewhat similar to maple anthracnose and can easily be confused. But with that said, there are some differences. The lesions caused by anthracnose are located between veins and along the leaf margins and often dark in color. Compared to maple anthracnose, the leaf spots of leaf blister are more rounded in shape and contain small, raised blisters. Lesions are a mix of lighter brown to black. The fungus that causes maple leaf blister overwinters in bud scales and attacks developing leaves early in spring. With the right weather conditions, the infection can spread rapidly and cover most of the leaves in the canopy. Here is link to the full article by Amy Stone who provides her email address should you want more information about how to help your tree.  Maple Leaf Blister | BYGL (osu.edu)

Regards.

Jane MacKnight Replied May 29, 2022, 12:19 PM EDT

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