Sorbus Cashmiriana (Mountain Ash) - leaves dropping :o(

Hi chaps

Hope you can help me here - first post so please be easy with me.

We bought a Sorbus Cashmiriana (Mountain Ash) in early May and planted this in our garden where it gets plenty of sun. For the first few weeks it was fine - being watered most days and rained on for the remainder, but last weekend we noticed the leaves turning brown and looking quite dry. After the winds of this last weekend many of the the leaves have fallen off (not the individual leaves but whole 'groups' of leaves) - which are now lying very forlorn on the ground. The tree is clinging gamely onto the rest - but these look very brown and curled up.

Any ideas what it could be ? I thought that perhaps we had missed out on a couple of days watering and it had dried out, or could it be wind damage (the wind can whistle up the side of the house).

More importantly, do we now consider this to be 'dead', or will it rise from the (mountain) ash(es) ? :o

Any help and advice much appreciated.

Oh, if it helps we are in the Midlands (Warwickshire).



Cheers

 

Hi shady,

In May/June some species of Sorbus suffer from aphid attack which can make whole patches of leaves turn from yellow to red and then die. Is this what is happening with your tree?

Without photos and an investigation into the specific site it's difficult to diagnose a problem. Can you post any pics of the tree and surrounding area at all? My only other comments would be it could be suffering from Honey fungus or overwatering.

 

May be it was OVERwatered? I think only pond plants would stand a watering regime like that? It should have grown gills by now.

Don't make the funeral yet, give it time. Trees in their first year are always delicate, and Sorbus is likely to be a tricky fellow to transplant. Wait at least a whole year for it to establish. Don't let it go dry, but don't drown it either.

 

I agree with Ivory, Shady, so stop watering. Welcome to the site, by the way.:D

 

...so who feels a numpty now then ? :o

I thought when planting a new tree the general advice was to ensure it was well watered - perhaps I have overdone this.

I'll leave well alone for the time being, letting it get a natural watering as and when it rains or if we have any prolonged dry spells (unlikely as it is summer after all).

Would we expect this to recover any leaves this Summer / year ? I know it should produce white berries in the Autumn, is there a chance we will still get these ?


Cheers - your comments made us smile...

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one having traumas over trees.

I have planted a Sorbus in a large pot. Maybe a fooldhardy thing to do but so far it is doing OK. (I'm trying to say this as quietly as possible )

However, I had two maple trees and according to me, it was in a pretty good situation yet, last year, it cast it's leaves in June and died. No amount of talking to or cajoling did the trick. when we dug it up,w efound that there was no new root groth at all on it. It was almost as if it was still in the pot...yet I had teased the roots out when we planted it.

I have a Crab Apple that is behaving oddly at the moment and I'm getting obsessed with picking up leaves, so much so, that Himself has bought me a leaf sucker / blower.
If I don't pick the leaves up then the slugs will find more hiding places.

I can understand my two Acers dying on me, my fault, I had planted them in clay soil.

 

Trees should be moist, not drenched. Waterlogging can have devastating effects on tree health. Signs and symptoms can sometimes take up to a year to show.