Knowledgebase
Red Oak leaves curling under #885756
Asked September 18, 2024, 6:19 PM EDT
Hamilton County Ohio
Expert Response
Hi Itepe,
We are in a period of extended drought, and lack of water will cause oak leaves to curl at the edges, or even brown early and fall to the ground. The condition of the leaves in your picture are consistent with stress from drought. Watering your tree within the drip line (the drip line is the area of branches that are several feet out from the trunk) until the soil is moistened to a depth of 6 - 8 inches will help reduce stress on the tree. Water at least every two weeks until late fall. Red oaks prefer a moist, slightly acid soil. You can help your tree by removing grasses and weeds that are around it's trunk for as wide a diameter as possible, and mulching to a depth of no more than two inches. The mulch should not extend above the roots or trunk of the tree. Lawn grasses compete with the tree for available moisture.
When red oaks are stressed other diseases, or pests can take hold. That's why keeping large trees watered is important. Here are some additional links on care, and pests of oaks:
Thank you for the prompt reply. This problem started as the leaves were just coming in. Early spring when it was cool and wet weather and this is the second year. The tree appears to be dying one limb at a time. I first suspected weed killer spray from lawn treatments. Now not sure. Thanks. Larry Tepe
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On 9/18/24, 8:07 PM, Ask Extension wrote:
Dear ltepe, here's the response to your question:
Hi Itepe,
We are in a period of extended drought, and lack of water will cause oak leaves to curl at the edges, or even brown early and fall to the ground. The condition of the leaves in your picture are consistent with stress from drought. Watering your tree within the drip line (the drip line is the area of branches that are several feet out from the trunk) until the soil is moistened to a depth of 6 - 8 inches will help reduce stress on the tree. Water at least every two weeks until late fall. Red oaks prefer a moist, slightly acid soil. You can help your tree by removing grasses and weeds that are around it's trunk for as wide a diameter as possible, and mulching to a depth of no more than two inches. The mulch should not extend above the roots or trunk of the tree. Lawn grasses compete with the tree for available moisture.
When red oaks are stressed other diseases, or pests can take hold. That's why keeping large trees watered is important. Here are some additional links on care, and pests of oaks:
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Karolyn
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Hello Larry,
The additional information was helpful. I’d like to do some more research. Would you please send me some close up photos of affected leaves, limbs, and branches?
Thank you
