Can you help me figure out what’s wrong with my 9 year old Dogwood tree - Ask Extension
I have this 9 year old dogwood tree on the Northwest side of my home that my late father planted for me. It gets lots and lots of sun. To my knowledge...
Knowledgebase
Can you help me figure out what’s wrong with my 9 year old Dogwood tree #865028
Asked April 18, 2024, 5:01 PM EDT
I have this 9 year old dogwood tree on the Northwest side of my home that my late father planted for me. It gets lots and lots of sun. To my knowledge it’s always looked like this, so I can’t remember if there was a significant event that made it look like this, but I’m not sure if it’s normal. As you’ll be able to see the trunk looks a little diseased or injured maybe? And the blooms also don’t look very healthy. I’d love to be able to save it if possible. Can it be dug up and moved to a shadier spot safely? Does it require some remediation? The soil here is very clay like.
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
We think that your tree is lovely and we understand its importance to you.
It looks well-branched and has a good set of blooms which is a good sign.
The spotting on the flowers is a type of leaf spot disease which is common and not too much to worry about. It is more prevalent in years when our springs are wet. There is nothing that you need to do for that.
It does looks like there is something going on at the base of the tree but it looks like the tree has been working for a long time to cover over and seal the damage.
While they are an understory tree that grows on forest edges and would ideally like some shade, we don't think trying to move it is a good idea.
It's great that you have a mulch ring around the tree to keep the soil more cool and moist, while protecting the trunk from mower/string trimmer damage. Mulch should only be about 3" deep and kept pulled back from contact with the trunk area. Remove any excess mulch and see if you can't pull some mulch back around the base of the trunk to expose the root flare or widening of the trunk before it goes into the ground. (Trees planted or mulched too deeply tend to go straight into the ground like a telephone pole, but if planted at the correct depth the flare should be visible).
We'd suggest widening the mulch ring so that there is less competition from your (very healthy-looking) turf. You could go as wide as the outer edges (dripline) of the tree.
To keep it as healthy as possible, give it water when we don't get at least an inch of rain a week, and pay special attention if we go into a period of drought. Last year we had several weeks of serious drought which was stressful for our trees.
Here is our watering information:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/elsinoe-leaf-spot-dogwood/
Christine
It looks well-branched and has a good set of blooms which is a good sign.
The spotting on the flowers is a type of leaf spot disease which is common and not too much to worry about. It is more prevalent in years when our springs are wet. There is nothing that you need to do for that.
It does looks like there is something going on at the base of the tree but it looks like the tree has been working for a long time to cover over and seal the damage.
While they are an understory tree that grows on forest edges and would ideally like some shade, we don't think trying to move it is a good idea.
It's great that you have a mulch ring around the tree to keep the soil more cool and moist, while protecting the trunk from mower/string trimmer damage. Mulch should only be about 3" deep and kept pulled back from contact with the trunk area. Remove any excess mulch and see if you can't pull some mulch back around the base of the trunk to expose the root flare or widening of the trunk before it goes into the ground. (Trees planted or mulched too deeply tend to go straight into the ground like a telephone pole, but if planted at the correct depth the flare should be visible).
We'd suggest widening the mulch ring so that there is less competition from your (very healthy-looking) turf. You could go as wide as the outer edges (dripline) of the tree.
To keep it as healthy as possible, give it water when we don't get at least an inch of rain a week, and pay special attention if we go into a period of drought. Last year we had several weeks of serious drought which was stressful for our trees.
Here is our watering information:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/elsinoe-leaf-spot-dogwood/
Christine
