Tip blight is a fungal tree disease that commonly affects pine trees, usually those 15 years and older. One of the first signs of tip blight is the browning of needles at the tip of the current season’s growth, according to Cornell University. Needles in the early stages of development often appear stunted in growth compared to healthy needles, as they stop growing after infection. Blighted needles are generally found on the lower branches of the infected tree. Symptoms of tip blight aren’t limited to the needles, as future tree growth is quite often is decreased due to damage or death of the terminal buds during infection. Twigs can also be affected, with stunted growth or deformation present.
According to Landscaping Kansas City, tip blight can be treated with a series of fungicide treatments applied by a professional technician. However, if tip blight isn’t caught early, as with any tree disease, there may be nothing anyone can do to reverse the problem.
Tip blight has become a problem in our area in recent months. The team at Cartwright Tree Care recently removed 20 pine trees along Antioch Road in Overland Park, Kansas. All of these trees were infected with tip blight and had to be removed, which you can see in the photos below.
If you believe any of your trees are infected with tip blight, or any other disease, it’s important to take action now. Contact Cartwright Tree Care at 816-965-6758 for a diagnosis today. Don’t forget that our website has many useful resources to help you learn about your trees and how we can help you care for them, including an educational video about tip blight in our media center. Tree diseases are very time sensitive matters, so act now!