If the maples in your yard started browning and dropping leaves before the neighbors' trees even turned color, that's worth paying attention to. Early leaf drop is often a tree's way of cutting its losses after a dry late summer, shedding leaves it can't keep supplied with water.
A tree going into winter stressed has fewer stored reserves to leaf out next spring, and it's more open to borers and canker diseases that go after weakened wood. Maples, dogwoods, and trees planted in the last few years tend to show it first around Moro, Bethalto, and Edwardsville.
The good news is that fall watering still helps. A slow, deep soak around the drip line every week or two, whenever rain has been scarce, gives roots a chance to recover before the ground freezes, and a thin ring of mulch kept away from the trunk holds that moisture in. If a tree also has dead limbs or thinning at the top, it's worth having our crew take a look before winter.
Have any of the trees in your yard started dropping leaves earlier than usual this fall?
#TreeHealth #MetroEastIL
A local maple or dogwood with browning, curled leaves and early leaf drop around its base while nearby trees are still green. A photo from a real Riverbend visit is best; authentic photos strongly preferred over stock.
Canva text suggestion: "Early leaf drop can mean drought stress" or "Water your trees now, before the ground freezes"