Willow Tree advice needed please...

MrsAtobe

My MIL2B has had a minature willow tree growing in her garden for about 20-30 years, according to Mr A. It has recently died, and when she mentioned it to her neighbour, he said I've got one in the garden that I don't want, and very kindly dug hers out and replaced it with the one from his garden.

Once he'd dug it out, they noticed holes in the trunk, does anyone have any idea what they could be? Sorry, I don't have pictures or even know how big the holes in the trunk were. I'm just wondering, if she's replanted the same tree in the same place, shoukd she be spraying against anything?

Mr A said he'd ask me, as I'm more of a gardener than he is, but that's not saying much! Thanks in anticipation.

MrsAtobe

Just spoken to MIL2B,apparently the holes were approx 1cm across in the trunk, but smaller in the roots. Wan't told that earlier, sorry. She also said that there was black around the holes, as though the tree had been shot?

And no, I don't want to know how she knows that!

sirbrainy

We have a big willow (was about 6 metres or more) that fell down at the 2 metres level 2 years ago. It had been bored into extensively by some kind of grub that we never saw or identified and that had weakened the core with lots of rotten wood.

I cut it back to about 1 metre and it's growing back strongly & quite attractively, happy about that as it is in just the right spot to give some privacy from our neighbour's raised balcony/ terrace.

Just to say that willows may be prone to attack by boring grubs and maybe that's what you have got.

MrsAtobe

So some sort of systemic insecticide might be a good idea on the new tree then? Would it be effective now as the tree will soon be becoming dormant?