Weeping Willow ....

Hi
Trees not my speciality so thought best to ask here .
I have planted two weeping willow's at the bottom of my garden about 12 feet away from a river .

they have been in 2 years and going into the 3rd about 12 feet tall standards, grew realy well up to late last summer and the leaves started to drop off and shrivel I think Anthrax ??? I sprayed with a fungizide I use on the roses and that worked well , but it has started again and I have resprayed , while they are a managable size .
My question is will they grow out of doing this once they get established and the roots get into the river , should I feed and with what.
Any advice appreciated


Spruce

 

Hi Spruce

Trying to diagnose ill health in trees without actually seeing the site in person is often tricky. A few photos of the trees and the site would be useful if it's possible for you to post any. Can I just first asked what made you think that anthrax was a possible problem in this case?

If a tree starts to lose its leaves it's usually due to a problem with the water/nutrient transportation within the tree, and spraying it with a fungicide will not do the trick. Generally fungicide spray is never any good for a tree should it actually be suffering from a fungal infection anyway.

I digress. My first thought would be the soil quality around the tree and the history of the site. You mentioned there is a river nearby. Where does it come from and what is located further on upstream? I.e., farm/commercial/industrial site. Could pollutants be leaching into the watercourse?

Secondly, there could be some sort of physiological problem with the tree that is preventing it absorbing the amount of water and nutrients that it needs. Is there any sign of any sort of damage or infection in the or on the trees? Willows are pretty tough trees that battle through anything and carry on growing regardless.

 

Hi Thanks

mmm thought it was anthrax because I watched a gardening programme a couple of years ago.
Plus when I sprayed it last summer everything cleared up when the fresh leaves came out
I think you have hit the nail on the head as the soil , I live in a new build and I have planted two 30 feet apart the soil is very poor plus on a slope so I think water is the problem as the roots are probably still finding their way down to the river I know the river is realy clean as I have trout and kingfishers on the river.
Well you hear the kingfishers more than you see them.

I will start to regulary water them and give them a feed what do you sugest feed wise??

Another question best time to prune Laburnum I have a 4 year old planted tree 15 feet high some of the smaller branches are crossing over , I certainly dont want to prune now as it is covered in baby floweres I have been cautios with this as its my 2nd tree I have had the first one died
I do have other trees I have planted ie Kanzan cherry , ghost tree , two apples , indian bean tree they are all growing realy well and never had any problems with them

Spruce

 

The best way to feed your trees would be by adding well rotted organic matter to the base, such as manure or compost. Failing that any chemical fertiliser with a good nitrogen base would be sufficient.


Re: pruning. If you're removing crossing branches and any other dodgy growth then you can pretty much cut them out any time. Major tree work is usually carried out in the dormant season, but I don't think this is particular in your case.