Newbie's Lilac tree seems to be dying

Hi there, I am hoping someone can help me with my lilac tree.

We have two trees as part of our garden boundary at the back. Both bloomed profusely this year but now one of them seem sto be dying. The leaves at the top of the tree have curled and are turning brown, ones further down are curling and turning yellowy, the bottom ones are still green and normal.

The tree has a couple of trunks so could it be that one is dying and the other not?

The tree is situated between our fence, which has a concrete ally behind it, and our garden. We recently built a planter under the trees for Rhodos, I am wondering if that has changed the drainage or water supply to the tree, we have had a hose on it recently to see if it's drought, but can't see any visible improvement.

Any ideas welcome.
Many thanks

Charlotte

 

Hi Charli. Can you tell me, is this a white or a lilac lilac (if you know what I mean)?

Are the leaves turning brown in spots or uniformly?

Is there any discolouring of the bark anywhere (especially turning black)?

Please examine the bark carefully. Have any small holes appeared and if so are they in twos?

Lastly, do you know if this is the common lilac or is it the rather more sensitive either Persian or Japanese lilac?

Boy. It's just like doing an exam isn't it? :confused:

John

 

Thanks for youe reply! Wow, lots of questions I will have to go and investigate. I can tell you it's a lilac lilac and the leaves seem to be uniformly going brown...but only those right at the top which are about 20ft high so it's hard to see them properly. Will get the binocs out and look out of the upstairs window!!

Will get back with answers soon

 

Ok, my husband has inspected the bark and sees nothing unusual. I have attached a picture, the left hand lilac is the healthy one, the one on the right is the sick one. you can't see the top well but the leaves are all brown.
I hope that helps.

Many thanks

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/charlibabes/aug3013.jpg

 

Hi Charlotte.

Just one more compound question before I hazard an (educated) guess.

There has been an awful lot of rain recently. Did you notice these symptoms before or after the deluge? I am now down to two probabilities and your answer will decide which one I plump for.

Either way, avoid soil compaction around the plant (no swing sets, picnic tables, etc. near by!), and avoid mechanically wounding the tree (lawn mower damage, swings or dog runs bolted to the tree, etc.). Aerate the soil if compaction is a problem. And if you can move the planter away, do so.


John

 

Hi John

I began to notice them after the blooms started to die off, before the recent rain.

Soil compaction is almost impossible to avoid, the tree is part of our boundary on the corner and immediately the other side is a concrete alleyway so can do nothing about that, the other side is my neighbours garden. Immediately under the tree on our side is the planter... I think we may have to dismantle it and make it shorter (took my husband a whole weekend to make it it's huge! so that will please him you can just see it at th ebottom of the pic)

Funnily enough the rhodos in that end of the planter have also died since planting, but the others are thriving. But then they are under the lilac and a dense holly so perhaps didn't get enough water when first planted.

 

Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae is a possibility but only just. So just in case it is that watch very carefully and, when you can see the affected twigs, as well as the leaves, if there are signs of the twigs being affected then get VERY busy with the secateurs which should be regularly dipped in either alcohol (I suggest surgical spirit as opposed to vintage brandy) or a 10% household bleach solution. The alcohol is less likely to cause complications.

I think far more likely it is simple soil compaction and that the planter is just the straw that broke the camel's back. I would suggest, if you can, move the planter, use the tines of a fork to get some air (and water) into the soil and dig in a good helping of fertiliser. If you can get some pasteurised manure from your local nursery or garden centre that would be best. If you can get genuine horse, cow or chicken manure that is also good but make sure it is well aged. If you can't get either then a general liquid fertiliser, or even tomato food (which encourages leaf growth) would be fine, but I like the organic approach.

This is purely my guess and of course I cannot examine the tree close to so I am dependent on asking questions.

Bear in mind that over watering can cause dieback due to drowning of roots, encourage the growth of water-loving weeds, promote diseases caused by bacteria and fungi, and may encourage other pests such as slugs. Young shoots will begin to wilt as leaves change to yellow or a light shade of green. Leaves also show signs of curling, and the entire plant may show signs of wilting. Dying leaves may remain green but become brittle as they dry out. Older leaves may turn yellow or brown and may drop prematurely. Under watering, usually characterized by short and frequent, or long but too infrequent watering sessions, can lead to development of shallow root systems, this would also lead to the leaves doing strange things. This is general advice and over watering would have been my first guess if this had appeared during or after the recent wonderful summer, but I doubt if it is under watering with what we have had recently, my sarracenias (bog insectivores) think it is wonderful.

Sorry not to be more specific but the best I can do is share my thoughts from a distance with you. Hope this at least points you in the right direction.

John.