Weeping Willow Tree dying
This year our 12 year old weeping will tree failed to leaf out. We notice a small sprig of green growth and then it turns brown. We have noticed no problems with it prior to this year. Do any of you have any ideas? We hoped it would leaf out late, especially when we notice a small piece of new growth.
Comments (11)
lkz5ia
12 years agothat is the nature of trees, some die for no obvious reason. Just gives you reason to plant more.
brandon7 TN_zone7
12 years agoMany tree deaths can be diagnosed (or at least good guesses can be made) if enough info is given.
tophers
12 years agoIt is true that more info is needed in order to better help you.
I have a 7 yr old Weeping Willow (about 25' x 25') that I have had numerous problems with. It has Marssonina Leaf Spot, Anthracnose and Canker. It will leaf out, then many of (mostly the lower) twigs and leaves will start to turn brown, curl up, die off, etc. This tree has had these problems for about 3-4 years, now. Usually, by mid-summer, it has lost most of it's diseased parts (or I will have already had cut them off by then) and the new growth comes out fine.
This year in the PacNW, we've had a very cool and wet spring and this has made the problem much worse on my tree. About 1/2 of my tree is nearly bare, but there is a lot of new growth starting out on the top and sides. The inside areas are completely leafless. I spent part of this weekend cleaning out a lot of diseased material and there's not too much of my tree left. I'm considering removing it, even though my wife and I love Weeping Willows very much (it was a tree we planted right after moving in to this house...special for us).
If your leaves are curling up with brown/black spots on it and you have twigs that have brown patches, some with white centers, it would appear to be Marssonina Leaf Spot, if the new growth is turning brown and shriveling up and dying in place (like someone took a torch to it), it would appear to be Anthracnose...and if the branches have brown/black sections where new twigs or leaves join it, it would appear to be Canker. I could definitely be wrong, but that's what I've found/read in a lot of searching on the internet about it.
My wife and I love Weeping Willows, but it is true...they are fast-growing, short-lived, disease-prone trees. They look pretty in their prime, but when they get a disease, it can detract significantly from their beauty.
Hope this helps. Good luck to you and your willow...
Linda Franklin
8 years agoOur willows around our pond just have not been up to power this year. Lots of dropping leaves and an ash beetle on present, we sprayed. These are good sized trees, and we lost a large limb off one, and now a whole tree just fell across our dock out to pond. Broke right of just above ground. Bark is real soft inside, could this be heart rot? I have been researching causes. They are probably 7 or 8 year old trees. We had real wet spring, and last 2 months pretty much drought hear in Southern Indiana. Any info you can provide would be helpful. Thanks Linda
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years agoremover them... wait one year.. and replant with a better choice of tree... or a better willow type
ken
PROGo Tree Quotes
8 years agoIt's a little weird considering hour hardy Weeping Willows are. They are actually considered a pest in some countries because of how well they grow.
There are 2 things that immediately spring to mind, Firstly ground contamination or poisoning. This could either be deliberate (a disgruntled neighbor whose yard it might hang over?) or by spilling other chemicals.
Has there been any changes to the trees immediate environment? Have you laid pavers or compacted the ground near the tree recently? Have you put in a drain or other that would result in an immediate change for the tree i.e. halving the amount of water it receives?
Trees can grow in some pretty 'out-there' places in harsh conditions, but its all about consistency. If you disrupt or change a trees environment it can have negative effects.
Try getting an arborist in to prune some of the limbs off to take some of the strain off the tree and see how it reacts.
It might be a good idea to at least get an arbroist in to inspect the tree before you go down the costly road of having the tree removed.
Hope this helps.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years agoThey may be "hardy" as far as adaptability to different sites/climates and the speed in which they grow, but willows as a genus are extremely disease-prone and are attractive to a wide range of insect pests.
A wide number of fungal issues can affect them, including an assortment of cankers, crown gall, anthracnose, gray scab, rust, tar spot, powdery mildew and bacterial twig blight. Insect problems can include aphids, willow leaf beetles, willow lace bug, willow flea weevil, willow borer, sawflies, scale and root knot nematodes. Some of these problems are merely irritants that can affect appearance but others can have serious, even fatal repercussions.
The trees are also very weak wooded and prone to breakage and falling limbs from wind, snow or ice. Seriously, considering the wide range of problems willows can and do have, I'm not at all surprised the OP (from several years ago) or more recent posters have expressed concerns about these trees. A perfectly healthy, unblemished willow is hard to find.
wisconsitom
8 years agoTo go slightly OT-this thread reminds me of our discussion of trees that attract insects. Willows actually score very high in terms of the other life forms they help to support. None of which has any bearing on this discussion-just wanted to point out a good example of something that is sort of the ecological opposite of the Callery pear.
+oM
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
8 years agoWeeping willows seem like the ultimate "Fast Growing / Fast Dying" tree around here. Plant a new spring or two in the spring in slightly different locations. My neighbor can't get one to last more than 3 years in front of his house, but has a huge one in back for example. Maybe in front is contaminated by his septic field lol.
Also plant one bald cypress and one dawn redwood near by. That way when the next weeping willow bug or infection comes by you don't lose everything.
wisconsitom