My tree does not look so good. How can I tell if it is dead?

Click on images below to enlarge:

HEALTHY TREE

 

DISTRESSED TREE

 

DEAD TREE

An oldie, but goody as we get asked this one a lot.

Once winter has passed, in the spring your dormant (lose/drop leaves in winter) trees will begin to flush and promote more leaves and foliage. If you do not see this transition taking place by late spring, perform the following test:

Take a pair of scissors, a pocket knife or a strong thumb nail and scrape on a branch of the tree to see the inside coloring.

Once scraped, one of the following 3 scenarios will occur.

1. The branch insides are a vibrant yellow and green.

Result: Congratulations, you have a happy and healthy tree.

2. The branch insides are less vibrant yellow with a little green.

Result: Your tree is showing signs of distress. Our best advice in a situation like this would be to cut back all the dead branches back to where the green foliage is and start giving it more water. A tree in distress usually comes from a lack of water or a deep freeze.

3. The branch insides are light brown/beige in color with no signs of green color and looks dry.

Unfortunately, this reveals signs of a dead tree.

Call us if you have questions or need advice on what kind of replacement tree to pick.

 

Read other months' gardening tips.