what is going on with my oak tree

I'd probably just prune the dead limbs. It looks healthy otherwise. No idea what would cause that though.

ETA: That swingset looks pretty fly.

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Was this a ball and burlap tree or a container grown tree? I’ve experienced similar with balled and burlap trees - stress from the root pruning/reduction. If a container tree, not sure of the cause other than transplant shock.

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Crawdue, thanks for the comments i will check it out tonight. It was planted by the builder, i believe it was a balled and burlap tree. who knows it probably sat on a trailer for weeks before they planted it.

Did you add mulch at any point?

the builder added the mulch. Like most companies they just pile it on. I will remove it when i get home to expose the roots.

I can post a picture of the sing set tonight if you would like. The post are double 4x4's spaced 3.5"apart. the main bean is a 4x6 that sits inside of the 4x4's. i have the 4x4's bolted through the 4x6 with some galvanized all thread. I made it myself, no plans.

Root flare is 90% of issues in my experience. I started paying attention to this and trees respond almost immediately. I am also amazed how often people (including professionals) plant too deep - even at nurseries.

I concur with those saying to prune the dead limbs. Just cut back to good growth. Try to prune right above the new growth.

Not sure when volcano mulching started, but I see it everywhere. Get the mulch off the trunk!

last night i raked off all of the mulch into a plie. I also trimmed off all of the branches that appeared to be dead. The branches with no leaves had hard/dry bark and the branches with leaves had softer/green bark. It appears they dug/drilled a hole and dropped the tree in and never removed any excess dirt. That is why it appeared to be built up so much. I cut the dirt down until i started to see small roots. In the end i removed 3-5 gallon buckets of dirt and 2-5 gallon buckets of mulch. I do have to following questions:


1-i placed a thin layer of mulch back. if not my golden would have been n there first thing this morning. is this ok?
2-should i coat the areas where i trimmed? is black paint acceptable or is there something else to use?
3-should i poke a few holes around the drip line and apply some fertilizer?

If you put down weed n feed stop. The broad leaf herbicide poisons the trees a little every year and really stunts their growth. If you do use it get it nowhere near the feeder roots.

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i apply a preemergent twice a year. other than that regular granular fertilizer. I will make a note not to apply the pre emergent around it, thanks.

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It’s atrazine herbicide that you want to avoid applying around young trees or shrubs - it can potentially cause damage via absorption through the root system. Atrazine is commonly used in many weed & feeds, and on its own as both a pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide and commonly available to homeowners.

Other pre-emergents discussed on this board like prodiamine or dimension are not an issue to my knowledge. Of course always read the herbicide label to be sure.

Too much mulch!! You are smothering the roots. I would get rid of it all. I've seen this before with people putting a flower bed around a tree. Remove the mulch and the tree will return to good health.