- 1). Notice changes to the leaves' color. If its leaves turn yellow or develop a scorched brown edge, your tree could be infected. While maple leaves in Rhode Island do change color in the fall, expect this symptom to occur at other months. Some leaves take on a yellow or red tint between the leaf veins.
- 2). Watch your tree's growth rate. A decline in tree growth from the spring to the fall is a symptom of verticillium wilt (maple trees are dormant in the winter in Rhode Island, so they don't grow then). It can be hard to notice reduced growth in large trees, so use other symptoms for an accurate diagnosis.
- 3). Examine the tips of your maple's branches. When the shoots at the ends of the branches, the leaves and the branches themselves begin to die, you know there's a problem. Tissue dieback, combined with other symptoms, is a good indication of this disease.
- 4). Wait to see if your leaves wilt. If the weather's been hot and you notice wilting leaves all over the tree, you probably have environmental wilting that will reverse when the tree receives water. When you see leaves shrivel on only part of the tree, it's more likely verticillium wilt.
- 5). Peel the bark back on an area you think is infected. Check the color of the wood underneath. If the wood beneath shows gray or olive-green streaks, you should be fairly certain you have verticillium wilt.
- 6). Expect verticillium wilt to start at the bottom and work its way up for maple trees. This means you'll see symptoms in lower branches first and then observe them higher up.
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