Is my Salix dying?

For years I grew a Salix 'Hakuro Nishiki' and then, quite suddenly it died.

At the beginning of June I bought a replacement but by the end of the month the tips of the branches began to go brown, so I clipped off a few shoots, took them back to the garden centre from where I'd bought it and asked advice. I was told it that it was being scorched by the sun (probably true since it was then that we had that really hot fortnight and, of course, the white tips don't have the chlorophyll).

I've continued to water it well, but now the leaves are literally going 'crisp', brown and dropping off and, it looks to me as though the whole thing is slowly dying.

Should I feed it - I gave it a good handful of 'Growmore' when it was planted - or, could it be something to do with the fact that it's planted in the same spot as its predecessor?

I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

 

I am also in Kent and your experience with the Salix mirrors my problem with a new birch, which was also a replacement for one that was not thriving. I have kept it well watered, but like your Salix, the leaves of the birch have turned yellow and some have gone crisp and brown. It could be down to the hot weather we have had and perhaps the roots are unable to take up water at a sufficient rate. I am also wondering if the tree is concentrating on root development at the expense of top growth. The branches of the birch are still quite green. I will really worry if the wood starts to die back and become brittle. In the mean time, watch and wait.

 

Thanks for that. I've had a sneaky scratch at the 'bark' on the twiggy bits that appear to be dying and there's clearly plenty of life going on beneath so, as you say - watch & wait.

I did have a thought and wonder if it were ants. We've got incredibly sandy soil and although I've dug in loads and loads of compost, manure etc., the wretched ants refused to get the hint. May ask on the pests boards.

 

If you are not happy with the health of the plant take it back to the garden centre and tell them you want it repaced or your money back. If they argue, point them in the direction of the Sale Of Goods Act which states that if anything goes wrong with a product you`ve bought within 2 years of purchase, the seller must replace it or refund your money. In Wales the time frame is 6 years.:gnthb:

 

I spoke to the nursery who supplied my tree today. They suggest that at this time of year a tree can be put under stress by being removed from its pot and planted in a new environment, especially if it is a large specimen. They suggest I don't water as routine but see how damp the soil is about an inch under the surface before watering, overwatering being as bad as underwatering. As I thought they think that if the buds in the leaf axials are still green as is the wood, that it will recover, but that I should keep and eye on it for any dead wood.

I know I should have waited until late autumn to have planted, but then I don't like to have wait

Ann

 

PS to above. Re: ants - we also have a light sandy soil being very close to the coast, ants are a real pest - they are everywhere and in everything. My lawn is a series of ant hills. I see them crawling up and down the trunks of some of my older trees, but don't know whether they will have nested in the roots of a new tree so quickly.

 

Ann be careful you are not being fobbed off by the nursery staff. If the tree doesn`t recover by the end of September get them to take it back. You can plant any shrubs and trees at any time of the year as long as they are pot grown,to say that taking them out of the pot at this time of year is claptrap. As long as the tree was properly treated, ie watered, and the ground was properly prepared, then you should not have a problem.

 

Very good advice there :thumb:

 

I was in a garden centre yesterday and overheard another customer raising the self-same question with two of the employees and ... surprise, surprise, the answer was almost identical - in fact their answer was

'Provided you prepared the ground properly and watered it, then I suspect it's just putting it's energy into root production, rather than the top growth.'

Now, they may well be right, but I am naturally of a suspicious persuasion and am beginning to think this is a standard 'fob off', since you can't prove or disprove their theory. I've never bothered to keep the receipts for plants ... but I'm going to from now on.

 

Daitheplant - thanks for the advice. This tree is a replacement for one that didn't thrive, although that was rootballed. I paid a bit extra on top for a pot grown specimen thinking that it would fare better. It can't be anything to do with the soil as it was planted in a good layer of tree compost and the roots won't have got into it yet. I will take your advice and wait until September and see what it is looking like then.

Fidgetsmum - very interesting that you have heard the same story. I hope your Salix revives but if not I would make a fuss, receipt or no receipt.

Ann