Why does bark shed off trees and what are signs of unhealthy plants?

• Aniya Faulcon
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  Aniya Faulcon is The Spark Host/Producer for WITF. She has a passion for shining a light on unique people, experiences, and perspectives within the community.
  
  Previously she worked as the People and Social Trends Reporter/Video Anchor for LancasterOnline | LNPNews. During her time there, she created video packages, provided Facebook Live coverage at community events, and wrote data-driven stories with census data and feature stories on local leaders, non-profit organizations, events, and people with unique talents and experiences within Lancaster County.
  
  Aniya also worked at WMAR ABC 2 News as a Sales Assistant and at the AFRO American Newspapers as an Executive Assistant and Media correspondent. Aniya interned at WEAA Gospel Grace 88.9 and worked at her alma mater’s radio station, WWPJ at Point Park University, where she gained skills and a passion for radio.
  
  Aniya grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended the Baltimore School for the arts for high school with a concentration in acting. She continued to hone her skills and passion for storytelling and later graduated from Point Park University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Broadcast Reporting. Aniya is eager to continue her journey with storytelling in her role with WITF, as she aims to shed a light on real people and real stories within Pennsylvania in a variety of mediums.

 Jeremy Long / WITF

State Street in Lancaster on August 4, 2022.

Airdate: October 25, 2022

Many may have wondered why bark is shedding off their trees. Now that flowers and leaves are dropping this season, it is making this issue more noticeable.

George Weigel, Garden Columnist for the Patriot-News and PennLive and retired horticulturist, said for some tree species, like kousa dogwood, sycamore, or birch, shedding is normal but for others it’s a sign of a dying or unhealthy tree.

He advised not to cut down shredding trees that look like they’re dying until the spring to see if it regains its health.

“When it comes down to actually killing trees, it’s mainly the (emerald ash) borers, the things that you can’t see,” Weigel said. “But also the weather, we’ve had a real hot, dry summer. Anything new would have been under risk unless you kept it watered.  So, you really need to stay on top of the water.”

Weigel said, signs of other unhealthy plants are wilting, leaf spotting, dropping leaves, change in color and more. He also said, it’s important for people to be prepared to water their plants effectively, as the climate sometimes gets dry in October and November.

“I wouldn’t say growing plants is ever easy, but the more you know, the better you get at it. So, you can sidestep or prevent some of these problems or at least know what to do about it,” Weigel said. “It can be frustrating, especially for beginners, but keep at it. There’s no such thing as a green thumb. It’s really the more you know, the better you get. “