Does anyone know what's wrong with my sweet chestnuts?

[sandspider]

Hi all

 

As above really. See photos - the leaves on my sweet chestnuts are dieing at the ends, drying up and curling. I can't see any lesions or cankers on the bark so I don't think it's SC blight or Phyopthora. Could it be just frost nip / wind burn? It hasn't been that cold here recently, but it was quite chill a month or so ago (before the trees were in leaf), but the trees only seem to be showing these signs now. I planted one set of these saplings in Feb 2017, and the other set in Feb 2018. Both sets seem to be affected.

 

Any thoughts? Is it just a matter of leaving them to it and seeing if they perk up? They do seem to be producing new leaflets but some of the new leaflets are browning too...

 

Thanks.

[sandspider]

Hi Chessa

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes, my best guess at the moment is frost burn, though these trees should be UK hardy (perhaps when they're older). Fingers crossed they'll bounce back. I suppose that cold winds & frosts when the leaf buds are out could impair the leaves later? But they seemed to develop as normal then go crispy rather than forming in a damaged state...

 

I've got two stretches of SC, one protected with the plastic woven fabric you can see, and one without - these trees originally had a cardboard mulch. The one without plastic has the leaf browning too, so I don't think the plastic is blocking water from getting to the roots. (Though I don't think it lets as much water through as the manufacturers claim - I did wonder if this might be a problem).

 

Both sets of trees are from a tree nursery, yes. But planted in two batches in different years.

[sandspider]

It does look similar. My eucalyptus saplings got a bit of frost burn too, but I thought larger and more native sweet chestnut would do better. It's also in a slightly more sheltered area and the leaves came out much later. Fingers crossed all our plants recover in sustained warmth!

[Khriss]

Possible air-born pollutant ? Any agri-spraying nearby ? K

[sandspider]

Could be I suppose, but woodland / gardens on most sides, nearest agricultural field must be a mile or more away, and behind trees at that. We have lichens and things growing, so the air can't be too bad!

[Stere]

Did you work out what caused this & how are trees now?

 

Same has being happening to my approx 50 new sweet chesnuts but more servere, looks indenctical to thoose pics. Alot died last spring and just noticed leaves on the ones that survived gone brown and crispy now  after them sprouting this year.

 

Have more mature trees planted nearby before with zero syptoms.

 

Trees were grown from local nuts in pots then planted out.

 

Had near 2 month zero rain but soil is still wet from feb.

Edited April 15, 2020 by Stere

[Rough Hewn]

Is there any ramora infected larch nearby?
It can cross over to SC.
Can't remember the symptoms though.

[Tyz05]

4 hours ago, Stere said:

Did you work out what caused this & how are trees now?

 

Same has being happening to my approx 50 new sweet chesnuts but more servere, looks indenctical to thoose pics. Alot died last spring and just noticed leaves on the ones that survived gone brown and crispy now  after them sprouting this year.

 

Have more mature trees planted nearby before with zero syptoms.

 

Trees were grown from local nuts in pots then planted out.

 

Had near 2 month zero rain but soil is still wet from feb.

Where abouts in the country are you roughly? Try posting some pictures here if you can. 

[sandspider]

I never found out for sure, but my SCs seem fine now. I'd guess frost nip. Don't seem to have it this year, but the trees are older and it hasn't been as cold.

 

We do have some larch around us, part of which has now been felled due to phyopthora. Don't know if this is related, but given that they seem OK now, I still think frost nip.

[Stere]

North Wales

 

Didn't think there had being much frost as so mild. Maybe it was frost followed by drought in summer that finished them off, but soil is heavy clay so fairly good at  retaining moisture (maybe was too wet with all the rain in Feb?)

 

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Stere