Weeping Willow - Diseased?

IrishZeus

Hi all,

Just looking for some advice on the attached photos.

I have a new weeping willow planted for about 4 weeks - it is and has been in wet/moist soil and has been watered and fed. I'm wondering if the "rust" on the leaves in the photos is normal or is the tree diseased? If so, can it be recovered and what would I need to do?

There is some new growth and budding coming on the tree and there are some perfectly clean uninfected leaves also - but most carry the "rust".







Thanks in advance for any advice,

P.

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Looks a bit like scale insects. Prune off the worst affected stems and burn them. Insecticides aren't very effective but soapy water often helps shift them.

IrishZeus

Valentina Scrawny Silk wrote: »

Looks a bit like scale insects. Prune off the worst affected stems and burn them. Insecticides aren't very effective but soapy water often helps shift them.

I actually got in touch with someone about this in Johnstown GC - he believes it is an airborne disease that willows are prone too and recommended treatment with Rose Clear for a few weeks, along with watering well. Looks very much like “black spot”, from my own research.

macraignil

IrishZeus wrote: »

I actually got in touch with someone about this in Johnstown GC - he believes it is an airborne disease that willows are prone too and recommended treatment with Rose Clear for a few weeks, along with watering well. Looks very much like “black spot”, from my own research.

I would be slow to use a fungicide/insecticide mixture like roseclear in case it negatively effected beneficial fungi and insects in the garden. If this disease is airborne like the garden centre sales person says it will just come back on the air again so I can't see it being a long term solution. You already mentioned the tree is developing some healthy new growth which is great after being planted only a few weeks. The disease evident in the pictures looks superficial to me and something the tree should grow out of naturally in my opinion.

IrishZeus

macraignil wrote: »

I would be slow to use a fungicide/insecticide mixture like roseclear in case it negatively effected beneficial fungi and insects in the garden. If this disease is airborne like the garden centre sales person says it will just come back on the air again so I can't see it being a long term solution. You already mentioned the tree is developing some healthy new growth which is great after being planted only a few weeks. The disease evident in the pictures looks superficial to me and something the tree should grow out of naturally in my opinion.

Thanks for that. Is there any remedial action you’d recommend, or should I just allow the tree to “grow out of it”?

On a side note, the remaining trees in the center were also diseased. Really should be taken out of stock to avoid anyone else having this issue.

macraignil

IrishZeus wrote: »

Thanks for that. Is there any remedial action you’d recommend, or should I just allow the tree to “grow out of it”?

On a side note, the remaining trees in the center were also diseased. Really should be taken out of stock to avoid anyone else having this issue.

Just the usual steps to look after a young tree. Make sure it has enough support so it wont get wind damage while the roots get settled (approximately three years from what I have read but this would depend on how exposed the site is). Keep the area immediately around the trunk free of competing vegetation with a light mulch to help retain moisture in the soil if possible. Keep the area about the tree open to allow some airflow about the tree to help reduce the humidity that is required for fungal disease spores to travel. I'd also be inclined to not feed the tree any nitrogen rich fertiliser as rapid leaf growth can lead to plant material that is less resistant to disease.

IrishZeus

macraignil wrote: »

Just the usual steps to look after a young tree. Make sure it has enough support so it wont get wind damage while the roots get settled (approximately three years from what I have read but this would depend on how exposed the site is). Keep the area immediately around the trunk free of competing vegetation with a light mulch to help retain moisture in the soil if possible. Keep the area about the tree open to allow some airflow about the tree to help reduce the humidity that is required for fungal disease spores to travel. I'd also be inclined to not feed the tree any nitrogen rich fertiliser as rapid leaf growth can lead to plant material that is less resistant to disease.

Great advice - thank you!