is my weeping willow tree dying ?

kadiekaismummi

Hi,
I was wandering if anybody has any advice on weeping willow trees... I moved into my new home last sept, & have a beautiful weeping willow tree in the middle of our garden which is 40/50 feet high..... the leaves were a beautiful green last year & very healthy looking.... this year the leaves have budded out & suddenly started dropping & going yellow, the leaves are dropping at a fast rate, & gradually going bare, ive been away for a week & have come home to find a big difference in the way the wilow is looking, with yellow eaves & twigs everywhere.... Im feeling very sad, as im now thinking that our tree is dying, which is a shame it was such a beautiful centre piece in our garden, its looking very shabby now..... is there anyone who know how the tree shoud be looking this time of year or anything I can look for for disease ????.... ive been looking at it but cannot find anything other than it ooking so unhealthy now.... any help to have such a fab tree would be much welcomed.... X

Sagz_2

Don't know what part of the country you are in but it's been very dry here (hosepipe ban dry!), I wonder if your tree is thirsty?

kadiekaismummi

no I dont think watering is a problem, my husband is always watering the garden( we dont currently have a hosepipe ban in this part of the country) , the plants hanging plants & the green grass, so I think the tree is getting plenty of watering we are near gatwick in surrey.... thanks for asking though x

sabretoothtigger

How old is it

The roots will die first I think hence it will get shorter of water then normal

kadiekaismummi

im not sure how old it is, but think it has been here before the house was biult, so at least 50 -60 years old, its at least 50 foot high, maybe more

kadiekaismummi

I know the next door neighbour had been complaining to the old homeowner who lived here before me about the tree hanging over his garden,always complaining about it, so the lady had the tree cut back at a cost of £450 a couple of years ago,but it had grown wider, im now wandering before I moved here just maybe the next door neighbour may have poisoned the tree,just an awful thought really, the house was empty for 8 months before I moved here

topsales

I have some willows ( twisted willows) and they have also lost lots of leaves - I think they may have willow canker?

kadiekaismummi

hi topsale, what is willow canker ???

kadiekaismummi

the bark around the tree also seems to have come away from the tree in many areas it feels hollow when tapped

annie123

It's like a lack of water.
It requires a lot more water than the surrounding plants and grass and as I'm not far from you I know how much water we have had this year.
I have a small corkscrew willow which has had 40ltrs of water most weeks since the beginning of May.

Put your hose pipe on it for at least 2 hours tomorrow and again for the next few days. It will start to stop dropping it's leaves and if you keep it well watered, in around 2-3 weeks time you should see new leaves coming through.

March-May was virtually bone dry in the Surrey area and it will have used all the water reserves in the ground by now. When most people water it's only the top few inches that get wet, you tree needs water 2'-3' down.

I find they bounce back quite quickly and seem none the worse for it if they are caught quickly enough.

kadiekaismummi

thanks annie, I will try that, but my husband is always watering the grass, its very green,( he loves our garden) as he waters it every day, the tree also gets lots of water, but we will leave it on a lot longer & see if this helps......X