# Fighting anthracnose in maple trees



## Phids

I have a few maple trees in my yard that have been fighting a battle against what seems like anthracnose. Now that it's Fall and the leaves are changing colors here, it's quite evident as the leaves are turning a spotty, ugly dark brown. These trees are only about two years old, get plenty of sunlight, and are pretty well drained, so I'm not sure quite how to stem the problem. Anyone successfully treat it before?


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## Phids

Here is a picture of what is happening. I'm not sure whether it's a geographical problem in general or one due to my environmental conditions.


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## Theycallmemrr

@Phids 
Have you sprayed anything to treat it? Collect the leaves and throw them away.


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## Phids

No, I haven't sprayed anything on. I planted the tree about a year and a half ago. I don't think the leaves looked fairly normal through the summer, and the browning didn't start appearing until the Fall.

Just curious - what is the purpose of throwing the leaves away? Would they infect the lawn beneath the tree if they're used for mulch?


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## Deadlawn

If the leaves are only showing this in the fall, I would not bother as it is not terribly detrimental to the tree. If it is happening earlier in the growing season, then it could be detrimental.

Are you getting decent new growth out of the trees during the growing season?


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## Phids

Deadlawn said:


> If the leaves are only showing this in the fall, I would not bother as it is not terribly detrimental to the tree. If it is happening earlier in the growing season, then it could be detrimental.
> 
> Are you getting decent new growth out of the trees during the growing season?


Yes, I think that growth in both the canopy and height was decent between 2020 and 2021. I didn't really measure, but I imagine it it put on 2-3' of height.


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