Marianne's Response

lindaks’s Question

I live in Gig Harbor,Wa and I’ve noticed that most of the Madrona trees I see near the roads have mostly brown leaves with a few green ones at the very top. My son has a large one in his yard at the edge of the lawn. The same thing is happening to his tree. The house was built in the ’70’s but he put in a sprinkler system in 2008. The tree seemed healthy then. Do you know of something we can do to save the tree? Is there some kind of disease that’s affecting the ones by the roads in Pierce County?
Thanks for your time,
Linda

Posted by LK Stephens on April 10, 2013

Marianne's Response

Yes, the native madrona trees have been suffering from a blight and cool, wet weather is contributing. It makes sense that adding a sprinkler system to a native tree like the madrona could be drenching the roots with too much water. The best way to save the tree is to let it be in a more natural state with no additional water and do not pile topsoil or compost over the roots. These trees do best near water on hillsides where they enjoy good drainage and milder tempertures from the marine influence of nearby water.

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