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Article: Harmless symptoms
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- August 2, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (c) 2009 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc. (Hide copyright information)
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Evaluating tree health can be tricky. How can you sift the false alarms from the real deal? If the tree looks otherwise healthy, with nice-sized leaves and good growth, you can probably relax. Here are some harmless symptoms the public asks us about at the Morton Arboretum Plant Clinic.
This summer you may notice perfectly healthy, green leaves dropping off your tree, especially an elm or river birch. During this past rainy spring, the roots absorbed lots of water, and the tree produced an abundance of leaves. But now the soil is drier and the tree just isn't getting enough water to support all those leaves. So it drops leaves to get a better balance. If dropping leaves are brown with spots, ...