Tree Problems & Diagnosis
Leaf spots, dieback, pests and diseases, sorted by what you can actually see on the tree.
Tree Fluent
Practical Help for the Trees in Your Yard
Guides for maples, fruit trees, birches and the other trees around your house: what is wrong, what to do next, and when to call a certified arborist.
What's wrong with my tree?
Browse by topic
Fruit Trees
Bloom, spraying, harvest timing and frost for peaches, pears, cherries and apples.
Planting & Propagation
When and where to plant, growing from seed or cuttings, and moving a young tree.
Pruning & Seasonal Care
Pruning windows, watering, feeding and mulch, season by season.
Identify a Tree
Work out what you have from the leaves, bark, flowers and fruit.
Choosing the Right Tree
Mature size, roots, shade and distance from the house, before you dig.
Roots, Suckers & Removal
Suckers, seedlings, invasive roots and taking out a tree you no longer want.
Start with the problem
All tree problems
Diagnosis guide
What’s Wrong With My Maple Tree? A Symptom-by-Symptom Guide
Start here if a maple looks wrong: leaf spots, scorch, wilting, a thin crown or late leaves.
Identification
Black Spots on Maple Leaves: Tar Spot and Its Look-Alikes
Raised black patches in late summer are usually tar spot. How to confirm it and what actually helps.
Troubleshooting
Maple Not Leafing Out in Spring? What to Check First
Frost, last year's drought and root problems can all delay leaves. A scratch test narrows it down.
Step-by-step
Fire Blight on Pear Trees: How to Prune It Out and Prevent It
Blackened shoot tips bent like a shepherd's crook. Where to cut, when, and why you clean the pruners.
Peach Trees
Why Is My Peach Tree Oozing Sap?
Juniper Trees
Why Is My Juniper Turning Brown? Causes and Fixes
This season in the yard: Fall
Rake up maple leaves with tar spot and bin them. It cuts down next spring's infection.
Tar spot on maplesFall is a good time to plant container trees while the soil is still warm.
Planting guidesHold off on most pruning until late winter, when the tree is fully dormant.
Best month to trim a mapleOnce the peach leaves drop, plan the dormant spray for leaf curl.
Peach leaf curl
Tool
Tree Symptom Checker
Choose the tree, what you are seeing and the time of year. You get the likely causes, what to check next and the guide to read. It is a starting point, not a diagnosis.
More tools: planting distance calculator · Trees A–Z
Trees by type
From other gardeners
All roundupsReal projects from garden bloggers, credited and linked to the original posts, with our notes on what each one teaches.
Who writes this
I'm Nick Robinson. I write Tree Fluent for people standing in their yard wondering why a tree looks wrong.
I build each guide from extension-service and arboretum guidance, and I tell you when a problem needs a certified arborist. More about me · About Tree Fluent