Friday, August 28, 2015

Tar Spot on Maple

This week I have had numerous calls about black tar-like spots on maple trees throughout Hamilton County. The spots are not truly tar, they are in fact fungal leaf spots that are becoming noticeable that likely started forming after the rainy start we had earlier this summer.

Tar spots on maples are caused by fungi in the genus Rhytisma. Although tar spot disease may cause premature defoliation of leaves, seldom are they detrimental to the overall health of infected trees. Tar spot diseases are best managed by raking and destroying fallen leaves since the fungi overwinter on leaves.

There are a few other common foliage leaf infections found on maples, click here to read more about these diseases.
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

2 comments:

  1. UnknownSeptember 23, 2015 at 2:04 PM

    if these leaves were mulched into a garden, could they contribute to the tomato fungus I've seen??

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 23, 2015 at 2:30 PM

    No, fungal pathogens are host specific. Tar spot on maple will not infect a tomato plant. With this being said, I would not recommend mulching these leaves in a garden on your property. Doing so may increase the likelihood of you seeing tar spot on your trees again next year as the disease overwinters on leaves from previous years.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)