Dying Oaks: News for Homeowners

"I was talking with my prof, Dave Rizzo, about oak mortality (what else do we talk about?) and he was telling me some reasons that homeowners may have or get sick oaks. I thought these tips might be of use to you guys in your yard. First off Phytophthera fungi (the genus of the species causing this mass oak mortality) love water, so never water around your oaks. He also says grass lawns (or anything needing lots of irrigation) should be at least 20 feet if possible away from the oaks (or as far as possible). Thirdly, he says Rhododendrons (which if I'm not mistaken you have lots of in your yard) are a magnet for Phytophthora species and may bring lethal species into your yard. I hope these tips are helpful for you and not too depressing."

The news is very depressing to us: many oaks are are within 20 feet of our lawn, and we have more than 100 rhodies. For now, we're going to cross our fingers and hope for the best.