Gardening and Horticulture - sick maple tree

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handyhand
10-08-02, 11:54 AM
I have this large maple tree with some kind of illness.
Every single leaf has multiple black dark spots- resembles asphalt splatter or bird dropping.
what's wrong with this poor thing; should I put it out of its misery and chop it down- would hate to lose it; it is a prominant backyard piece.

any doctors in the house?

howiek
10-09-02, 05:25 AM
Hello Handyhand

You (or rather your trees) have Tar Spot. Rarely fatal to the trees, but as you already know, unsightly. It can cause premature leaf drop.

Here's a link to a page about it:

http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/treeshrub/tarspot/tarspots.htm

Hope this helps

Howie
handyhand
10-09-02, 11:54 AM
howiek,
yes it does help.

the article talks about spraying the tree every year for bad cases such as mine. never knew trees could get sick with fungus like that. I wonder if could just chop it down and make kitchen cabinets out of it.:p