| after 27 yrs of blossoms, my red bud tree produced black beany fruit, and had only a few big leaves on it this year...is it dieing?? what do i need to do? |
| I understand your concern when a tree behaves differently than it has in the past but these changes can be weather related rather than health related so you'll want to watch your tree for signs of distress again next spring. Seed production is not all that unusual for redbuds. It simply means that lots of bees were visiting the open flowers last spring. This might be because it was the only thing in flower in the area, or it was convenient to a new nest of bees, or dozens of other possibilities. I know it's true that a conifer can suddenly develop tons of cones just before dying, but I don't think that's the case with redbuds. There's not much you need to do at this time other than to water as usual. In the spring you can feed your redbud and as it leafs out check the foliage for signs of fungal diseases (which can defoliate a tree). A protective fungicide spray can help if used in the early stages of infection. Wish I had more information to share. Good luck with your landscape. |
