How to Tell if a Shrub or Tree Is Beyond Saving in Northeast OH

Are you unsure if your ornamental trees and shrubs are dying or dead—or just dormant?

You want to protect the ornamental investments that you’ve made in your property, so how can you tell if a tree or shrub is dead?

Let’s get into signs of an unhealthy plant, common issues that may be plaguing your trees and shrubs in Northeast Ohio, and steps you can take to properly care for your trees and shrubs.

Clear Signs A Tree is Beyond Saving

Before taking a look at the clear signs that indicate a tree or shrub is beyond saving, it’s important to answer the question “is my tree dead or dormant?” 

Dormancy is a period of rest during which the plant conserves its energy to protect itself from harsh conditions. Dormancy typically happens in the winter in Northeast Ohio when freezing temperatures occur, but it can also happen in other times of the year, for example, during a drought or times when there are limited resources.

To determine whether a plant is dead or dormant, select a branch without leaves and scrape away some of the bark using a knife. A dormant plant will still have water and nutrients inside of it, so there will be green growth.

Below are a few signs to help you tell if your tree or shrub is dead.

1. Brittle Branches

If a tree no longer has nutrients or water inside its branches, it will become very brittle. When force is applied, it will snap in half rather than bend.

2. Dead Tree Branches

You can tell that tree branches are dying if they are white or tan in color and very dry. If you’re seeing a lot of dead tree branches, the plant may be on its way out.

3. No New Buds

While no new leaves or buds shouldn’t immediately cause alarm, if this persists into the growing season, it may indicate that your plant is stressed.
You may need to investigate further to determine the root cause of the issue.

4. Peeling or Damaged Bark

Bark that easily peels away or breaks off is a strong indicator of a dead or dying tree.
That’s because if a tree exhibits significant bark loss or damage, that may impact its ability to transport essential water and nutrients.

5. Structural Instability

If a tree is leaning against another plant or structure or if its roots appear to be upended, that’s a good indication that it’s in poor health.

6. Insect or Diseases

Insects and diseases usually strike in the warm summer months, but their timing varies by species.

To keep insects at bay, we offer insecticide and fungicide treatments as part of our plant health care program that also consists of fertilization and horticulture oil at the end of the season, which acts as an insect control by coating the plants, effectively suffocating adults and overwintering eggs.  

Now let’s look at a few of the insects and diseases common in Northeast Ohio that may be plaguing your tree or shrub.

Insects

• Japanese Beetles

These insects chew on the leaves of the plants, creating holes and discoloration. The pattern will often appear lacy.

While these insects won’t directly kill your tree or shrub, they can still stress out your plant.

ID: About 1/2 inch long, Japanese beetles are oval shaped, with metallic-green bodies that feature similarly colored wing covers.

• Emerald Ash Borer

Not as common in Northeast Ohio as in past years, emerald ash borers tunnel into ash trees, causing D-shaped holes in the tree trunk. By tunneling up and down the trunk, these insects cut off the circulation of water and nutrients.

First, branches will start to die back, and eventually the bark will fall off. On the underside of the bark, you can see squiggly lines where the insects had tunneled. This insect will kill a perfectly healthy tree within a few years.
ID: Emerald ash borers are metallic-looking green beetles that can be anywhere from 3/8 inch to ½ inch long.

• Spotted Lanternfly

A highly invasive species, spotted lanternfly nymphs and adults feed on the sap of grapevines and other perennial and annual plants, which results in wilting, dieback, and sooty mold damage.

They begin to hatch in April and go through four nymph stages, with adults appearing in late June through wintertime.

ID: Nymphs in stages one through three are black with white spots and about 1/8 inch long. In the fourth nymph stage, they are ½ inch long and red with white dots and black stripes. Adults are about 1 inch long and feature black bodies and brightly colored wings.

Diseases

• Black Knot

Common on plum trees, and crab apple trees, black knot grows around the branches and cuts off circulation, causing those limbs to die back.

Once 25 percent of the tree has died back, it’s likely beyond saving.

ID: Black knot appears as a plaque that forms dark, swollen, and elongated growths on branches and twigs.

• Boxwood Blight

Boxwood blight can lead to a severe and rapid decline of boxwood, reducing the ornamental value of larger plants and potentially killing smaller plants in a single season.

It leads to heavy defoliation and branch dieback.

ID: Boxwood blight presents as light or dark brown spots on the leaves, often accompanied by dark borders. From there, leaves change color to brown or yellow and quickly fall from the plant. The fungus also forms black diamond-shaped lesions on the stem tissue.

• White Pine Blister Rust

White pine blister rust attacks the inner bark of the tree. It can cause dead branches, leaf yellowing, and branch girdling.

ID: White pine blister rust forms diamond- and elliptic-shaped cankers that exhibit a dead center, surrounded by a band of infected bark that’s a yellowish-green color.

Tree and Shrub Care Tips

Preventive care is the best way to keep your plants healthy. Here are a few steps you can take to keep your trees standing tall.

1. Regularly Prune Your Trees

Pruning your trees and shrubs on a regular basis can help ensure the health of your plants.

If a tree gets overgrown with branches and twisted, or if the branches are rubbing together, the branches may start to die back. 

By pruning, you’re giving the tree or shrub more room to breathe by improving airflow in and around the plant, and you may actually increase next season’s growth, especially when it comes to species like lilac trees and burning bushes.

Pro Tip: Prune your trees and shrubs during their dormant period in wintertime to keep them looking their best. During this time, the buds haven’t yet opened, so you are not going to affect next season’s growth in any way.

2. Address Dead or Broken Limbs

After the particularly intense thunderstorms that roll through Northeast Ohio in summertime, it’s a good idea to survey your tree to check for broken or damaged limbs.

It’s also a good idea to trim back branches that didn’t leaf out. These are called sucker branches, and they form as a stress response in the tree. Over time, these branches can steal water and nutrients away from other parts of the plant. Eliminating these will allow the tree to send more resources to other healthy leaves and branches.

3. Fertilize Your Trees

If your tree isn’t exhibiting the signs above that it might be dying or dead but it’s still looking a little worse for wear, it may be nutrient deficient.

Signs of nutrient deficiency can include a drooping appearance, discolored leaves, weak stems, slow growth, and reduced flowering.

Applying a fertilizer will help bring back some of the color and life to your plant.

We fertilize trees and shrubs twice per year: once in the spring to promote budding and shoot growth and once in the fall to encourage root growth.

4. Water Your Trees

In Northeast Ohio, summers can be hot and dry.

If you notice that it’s been a spell since it’s rained, it’s likely your tree needs some water to promote healthy root development, nutrient uptake, and overall vitality.

You should note that trees that are just beginning to establish may need to be watered more often than those that have been rooted in the ground for a longer period of time.

Just be sure not to water your tree too much as this can lead to issues such as root rot.

5. Place Trees In The Correct Location

Before deciding on a location for planting a new tree, be sure to do your research.

Does it require a lot of sun? Does it need to be spaced away from other plants? What kind of soil does it prefer? Is it a species that will thrive in Northeast Ohio?

Be sure that your tree has plenty of room to grow, too, and that it won’t damage sidewalks or existing structures once its roots or branches start to extend outward.

If you are unsure about whether a tree or shrub will thrive in your yard, our experts are happy to lend some advice.

6. Mulch Properly

Putting down 2 inches of mulch in landscape beds not only helps suppress weeds, but it also allows a tree or shrub to retain water through its roots and stay cool during the hot summer months.

However, sometimes when mulching around bigger trees, people can make the mistake of piling up the mulch around the base of the tree like a volcano.

This is detrimental to the tree because it will cause girdled roots, a phenomenon where the roots will become shallow and start twisting around in the areas with a lot of mulch, preventing them from reaching the actual soil.

Eventually, the roots will start to die back, and once the roots go, so does the rest of the tree or shrub.

7. Vary Tree Species

While it may be tempting to cluster the same type of plant close together, especially with plants like arborvitae or boxwoods, be sure to include some variety of trees and shrubs in your yard.

If you have all of the same plants in your yard, especially if they are situated close together, pest or disease infestation in one plant means the rest will soon be infected as well. 

Don’t Let a Treatable Problem Become Permanent Damage

Catching issues early is the best way to preserve the beauty and longevity of your ornamental trees and shrubs. With the right care, many plants can bounce back from pests, disease, and environmental stress—saving you the cost and frustration of replacement.

Expert Plant Health Care Services in Northeast Ohio

At Turf Pride, we specialize in protecting and revitalizing ornamental trees and shrubs through targeted insect and disease control, seasonal fertilization, and dormant oil applications. If you live in or around Mentor, OH and suspect your plants may be in trouble, get started today by filling out our quick online form to request your professional evaluation and customized treatment plan. Your trees and shrubs will thank you.