Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Deciduous Trees > Hackberry > Leaf edges brown
Hackberry > Leaves > Leaf edges brown
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Deicing salt injury
- Soil salt damage causes leaf edges or margins to appear burnt or scorched progressing toward the mid-vein
- Salt spray causes branch growth to become tuft-like (a.k.a. witches' broom)
- Run-off salt kills roots which results in die-back of most branches
- Affected trees leaf out later than other non-infected trees
- Damage most noticeable in spring and into the summer growing season
- More information on Deicing salts
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Drought
- Foliage sometimes turn brown around the edges but more commonly turns a dull, gray-green color
- Dried brown to gray-green leaves hang on the tree or more commonly, foliage drops prematurely and litters the ground
under the tree - Severe drought stress may cause dieback of individual branches starting at branch tips
- More information on watering trees and shrubs
