Pocket BotanistCheck these first
- Check the soil moisture at a depth of three inches.
- Review your recent watering schedule for the last two weeks.
- Look for any nearby chemical applications or road salt runoff.
Likely causes
Drought stress
PossibleHow to tell: The tips and edges of the leaves dry out and turn crispy while the rest of the leaf looks dull.
What to do: Water the tree deeply once every 7 to 14 days during dry periods. Apply water slowly at the base of the tree to ensure it reaches the deep roots.
Salt or chemical burn
PossibleHow to tell: The browning is uniform across the tips and may appear after you have applied fertilizer or pesticides.
What to do: Flush the soil around the base with a large amount of water to wash away excess salts. Avoid applying concentrated fertilizers directly against the trunk.
Find out what's wrong with your flowering dogwood
The list above covers the usual causes. Pocket Botanist looks at a photo of your actual plant and tells you the likely cause, how serious it is, and what to try first. Identification and a health check are free.
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When to worry
Minor browning during a record heat wave is expected. Worry if the browning continues to spread inward toward the leaf stem.
Stopping it coming back
Apply a three inch layer of wood chip mulch around the tree to keep the roots cool and moist.
Keep your flowering dogwood healthy from here
Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked. Identification and a health check are free.
Questions people ask
- Can I trim off the brown tips?
- Yes, you can snip them off for aesthetic reasons. Use clean, sharp shears and cut just outside the green tissue.
- Does this mean my tree is dying?
- Usually not, it is just a sign of stress. If you adjust your watering, the tree will likely recover by the next growing season.
More problems with Flowering dogwood
- Why are there spots on my Flowering dogwood leaves?
- Why are my Flowering dogwood leaves curling?
- Why is my Flowering dogwood not blooming?
- Why are my flowering dogwood leaves turning yellow?
- Why is my flowering dogwood drooping?
- Why is my flowering dogwood losing its leaves?
- Are there bugs eating my flowering dogwood?
- Why does my flowering dogwood look sick at the roots?
Back to the Flowering dogwood guide
This article was generated with AI from the plant’s care profile and is general information, not horticultural advice. Read about how we build these guides.