Why Does My Dogwood Look Unhealthy?

Does the trunk of your dogwood have lumpy swellings, limbs are dying or breaking off, the bark is falling off?

Do the leaves have small, purple-rimmed spots or large brown blotches, twigs die back?

Have the twigs died back?

Does the trunk or the branches have oozing lesions, branch tips die back?

Do the twigs have clublike galls on them?

Are the leaves yellow, stems and leaves are covered with small bumps?

Have the leaves been tunneled?

Do the leaves have a powdery white coating on them?

Several species of borers may attack dogwood and cause these symptoms. The most common type, the dogwood borer, has white-bodied, brown-headed larvae. Preventive measures are the best control for these pests like avoiding wounding the trunk with lawnmowers, string trimmers, or pruning equipment because these injuries provide an easy entrance for borers. If borers do strike, try cutting them out of the trunk with a sharp knife. Remove and destroy seriously infected trees.

Dogwood anthracnose is a fungal disease that causes serious problems on flowering dogwoods. The problem is most serious in woodland settings, where the dogwoods may already be weakened by lack of light and competition for food and water. Prune off affected parts and clean up and destroy fallen leaves in autumn. A dormant spray of lime-sulfur or Bordeaux mix may give some control.

Twig blight is a disease that causes these symptoms. Prune off affected parts back to live wood. Keep the tree growing vigorously with regular watering and fertilization.

Oozing lesion is caused by cankers. Cankers can be caused by several different kinds of fungi. Mildly affected plants will recover if you remove and destroy all affected branches. Heavily affected plants can't be cured and you should remove the whole plant. Avoid damaging your plant with lawnmowers, trimmers or pruning tools because the wounds are the best place for cankers to start.

Gall midges are insects whose orange larvae tunnel into young shoots. One-inch-long swellings form around the developing larvae on the twig. Leaves on the branch may wilt or turn brown. Prune off and destroy galls as soon as you see them.

Yellow leaves covered by small bumps are caused by scales. These tiny, shelled insects often feed on the undersides of the leaves, causing an unhealthy appearance with yellowish blotches on the upper leaf surfaces. Scrape off minor infestations with your fingernail. Prune out badly infested growth, or use a soft brush and soapy water to gently scrub the scales off the stems. Control scales by spraying insecticidal oil during the growing season.

Tunneled leaves on dogwood indicate insects - Leafminers. Small maggotlike larvae tunnel through the leaves and feed on them, adults are black-and-yellow insects. Remove and destroy mined leaves. Apply row cover as soon as plants emerge to prevent problems. Use yellow sticky traps to catch adults.

If the leaves have a powdery white coating on them, the cause is a fungal disease Powdery mildew. Powdery mildew usually appears in damp places. Thin your plants to ensure good airflow. Water plants from bellow to keep foliage dry. Any affected leaves should be cut off and removed. Any commercial fungicidal spray will protect your plant from further infections.

Dogwood trees often suffer from decline. Symptoms may include yellow, sparse and distorted leaves with brown edges, dying branches, and stunted growth. Plant decline does not refer to a particular disease but rather to a general loss of plant vigor usually caused by several stresses acting on a plant over the years. It may have been caused by bad soil compaction, improper pruning, root damage, repeated insect attacks or any other factor. If you can identify and eliminate the source of the problem, your plant might recover.