Dying Alder

[Baldbloke]

A belt to the rear of a back garden of predominantly Alder seems to be struggling this spring. Usually it’s in full leaf and hosting those green ladybird type beetles at this time of year. No beetles and very little in the way of leaves.

Last winter’s frosts and winds have killed off about a half of our more exposed Rhododendrons and other shrubs, but I am surprised to see all our Alders looking so sorry.

Some of our mature Beeches are also very thin on foliage, but I suspect they are over 200 years old.

What’s with the Alder issue?

[MrNick]

Phytopthera root rot maybe (the alders)

[Khriss]

Hardy tree ( they  grow in water) could be phytopthera but doubt it. K

[Dan Maynard]

If the leaves were early did they get burned by frost?

[Baldbloke]

Phytopthera root rot maybe (the alders)

Would digging a stump out from one of the knackered ones give an indication?

[Baldbloke]

If the leaves were early did they get burned by frost?

They certainly weren’t early but we did get some frosts up until about 10 days ago.

[htb]

Bald, The ones at ours over the Balloch from you, are slow to come to leaf this  year as you say was cold for a long period (down to -18 for around 6wks) and then cold winds.

The young ones planted about 5-10 yrs ago are doing much better.

[Dan Maynard]

They certainly weren’t early but we did get some frosts up until about 10 days ago.

Could be, not all trees can do Lammas growth so are a bit knackered if leaves are killed off early.

Not that I know really, people ask me what can be done to save trees I seem to always end up staying "see how it does next year, trees are long term things, hopefully it'll be fine".

[Baldbloke]

Bald, The ones at ours over the Balloch from you, are slow to come to leaf this  year as you say was cold for a long period (down to -18 for around 6wks) and then cold winds.
The young ones planted about 5-10 yrs ago are doing much better.

[emoji1303]
Please excuse the late reply. Between building works and grass cutting I’ve not been on here recently.
Good points on the cold winter weather. I thought I’d even lost some exposed rhododendrons until I noticed fresh new leaf growth coming from where flowers had failed. Hopefully that is the issue and they’ll come good, although I’ve got some very mature boundary beeches that are definitely dead and dying.

[Dan Maynard]

[emoji1303]
Please excuse the late reply. Between building works and grass cutting I’ve not been on here recently.
Good points on the cold winter weather. I thought I’d even lost some exposed rhododendrons until I noticed fresh new leaf growth coming from where flowers had failed. Hopefully that is the issue and they’ll come good, although I’ve got some very mature boundary beeches that are definitely dead and dying.

See how the beeches do next year, maybe they'll come good, they've seen a few hot summers over the last two centuries after all.

See?