These University of Arkansas fact sheets FSA7533, Anthracnose Diseases of Common Landscape Trees, and FSA7564, Anthracnose Diseases of Dogwood, along with U.S. Forest Service publication, Anthracnose Diseases of Eastern Hardwoods, provide more information about anthracnose diseases. It was planted about three years ago in what I now realize is a very hot afternoon sun location (probably not ideal). In Grumpy's opinion, flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) still remains the best small tree for multi-season interest.Not just in the Southeast, either -- for the Northeast and Midwest too. Fungi thrive in cool, wet weather and prevention is the best cure. Dogwood anthracnose is the disease that can cause tree decline and mortality. Dogwoods are extremely common in landscapes around the area which causes this disease to spread easily throughout landscape dogwoods and cause disfigurement of … Its leaves look brown every year and it has not yet flowered. I thought it was drought stressed, so this season I really kept on top of watering it with a soaker hose. High-value trees can be protected by mulching, pruning, and watering during droughts, and applying a fungicide. Container grown nursery trees are less subject to mortality. Different cultivars, as well as different species and hybrids, offer a variety of flower and plant characteristics. Is your Dogwood tree looking wilted, spotted, and less than stellar? Dogwood Anthracnose, Discula destructiva, is a damaging disease that attacks various species of Dogwoods. The disease is serious and results in tree death. It's a sad fact but a lot of Dogwood trees in America are getting sick and in many cases dying from Dogwood Anthracnose, a disease that mainly infects flowering and Pacific Dogwood (Cornus florida and C. nuttallii). Cornus spp.. Sun Scald: Death within the first two years after transplanting is most commonly due to sun scald, lack of soil moisture or careless transfer of trees too large or without adequate root systems. Do not replant a dogwood in the same area and always protect the base of trees from damage. Initial infection could have entered through transplanting wounds or through wounds caused by insects, animals, sunscald, lawn mowers or weed whips. One, dogwood anthracnose canker, kills leaves, twigs and branches, starting in the lowest branches. To head off fungal diseases, plant dogwood trees with enough space between them and other plants so that air can circulate around the tree. It is often confused with the more common Spot Anthracnose that occurs as reddish-purple spots on flower bracts and leaves. Transplant small trees into partial shade during December of January. In 15 years, it has caused serious losses to flowering dogwood … Fungi are the main causes of dogwood tree diseases. Dogwoods are dying. It initially shows up as leaf spots and stem cankers. It has been confirmed in northern Georgia. However, two dogwood tree diseases are potentially lethal to the trees. If so, it may be suffering from Dogwood Anthracnose. However, this is a sad story that seems to have a happy ending, as I'll explain in a moment. Dogwood Anthracnose Symptoms. It often kills the tree within three to five years. Q. I have a dogwood tree in my yard I'm really concerned about. Dogwood anthracnose is a problematic disease that all dogwood owners must take seriously. Showy blossoms of white, pink, or red appear in spring before the leaves. The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is one of the most popular ornamental trees in Kentucky landscapes. Unfortunately, some common diseases can threaten the health of dogwood in both residential and commercial settings. Both are canker diseases. Don't Give Up On Dogwood But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try dogwoods. 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