Is anyone else experiencing their maple tree's dying??? I have 3 maple trees and they all have the same thing going on. Loosing their bark and leaves. The trees are almost bare now. I will try to post pictures tomorrow.
It might be Verticillium Wilt. It will kill the tree. It also can spread from one to another in the wind. You should google it and decide if that is what you have. If so you will be told to destroy that tree and watch the others around you.
The cause is more likely than not is Verticilium wilt. I found that dissolving 2 heaping tablespoon fulls of Epsom salts per gallon of water , then pouring it around the root zone of the Maple tree before /or at the first signs of drooping leaves helps the tree to fight off the wilt. Apply some slow release fertilizer too. Apply a second dose on the second day. This is for newly planted trees. Add more of the mixture to accomodate for the size of the tree.
There can be all sorts of reasons for your trees failing. Need more info and pictures to give a guess.
How old are they, what was your winter like, have deer been using them for rubs, any sort of beetle damage or other insect activity, was the decline sudden or have they been slowly doing poorly.... are they all in the same area, or spread a good distance apart...
The only way to definitively tell if it's verticillium wilt is by a lab test. Although a cut branch can show the tell tale signs that indicate VC as a possibility.
It's a soil borne disease and if you have it in your soil you will always have it, but it's not necessarily a death sentence if you can start treating before the trees are too far gone. I have several mature Japanese maples in my care that were diagnosed with VC and have lost some branches, but after treating them they have been chugging along, looking mostly healthy for about 5 years now.
But as I said in my previous post, it's way too soon to pronounce them as VC subjects.
I will get pictures tomorrow after I drop DD off at band practice. thislebloom it was all at once MontyJ noticed it about three weeks ago. They are not very far apart. And it is spreading to the next closest tree about 10 to 15 feet from the one that is dying rapidly. I really hope it doesnt happen to my beauty in the back where my yard swing is.