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Beech hedge dying

Pat10

I have a beech hedge that is 3 years growing and the plants were 2 years old when I set them. The leaves on about 30% of the hedge have shrivelled up and died and it looks as if the whole hedge could go the same way.

What might be causing this? Could it be drought, disease, under- nourished or would Storm Hannah in April have damaged the plants?

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vicwatson

Storm Hannah largely responsible for the burning of young leaves on trees and hedges. Won’t look pretty for this year but should come back ok next spring.

Pat10

vicwatson wrote: »

Storm Hannah largely responsible for the burning of young leaves on trees and hedges. Won’t look pretty for this year but should come back ok next spring.

I hope it will be okay. I have spent a lot of money on it and more so the time it takes to thicken up.

I guess I should put up a wind breaker to protect it in the future?

vicwatson

Pat10 wrote: »

I hope it will be okay. I have spent a lot of money on it and more so the time it takes to thicken up.

I guess I should put up a wind breaker to protect it in the future?

I would, even a temp one if storms are forecast around budding time

magicbastarder

interesting; i planted a beech hedge a few months ago and on multiple of the plants, the leaves started to bud and withered within a few days. almost as if the plant wasn't drawing enough water into the leaves.

secman

There was a hard frost around first weekend in May, most people would have missed it, i happened to be on a loo break at about 5am, looked out window and garden was pure white with frost, by the time i got up around 8 am there wasn't a sign of it. Badly damaged all the young leaves on our acers and any young leaves or buds.

SmithySeller

My tuppance worth

The Achilles heel of Beech is damp ground, apart from that it's pretty tough. If you see it's not doing well, it's more than likely wet ground or very very poor soil. A storm shouldnt really affect it unless it left water, and if the water didnt drain, that's a soil/drainage issue.

Sometimes where Beech doesnt do well, Hornbeam can thrive. I planted about 200 of each, I lost about 100 Beech whips, but only 2 Hornbeam. Wind wont affect either I dont think. I actually replaced the 100 Beech with Beech again and they survived. I had to dig a 2 foot deep trench, and build it up another foot to achieve this. I have planted Beech Whips and 6 Foot Beech, it's always the same thing, i.e. Drainage and/or sh!t stony soil! Notwithstanding the usual general plant care you need...

SmithySeller

secman wrote: »

There was a hard frost around first weekend in May, most people would have missed it, i happened to be on a loo break at about 5am, looked out window and garden was pure white with frost, by the time i got up around 8 am there wasn't a sign of it. Badly damaged all the young leaves on our acers and any young leaves or buds.

Acers (and lots of others) are hugely affected by Frost and Wind, Beech is not in my experience.

CJhaughey

I can see a lot of damage on the copper beech that was exposed to Hannah, the leaves have dried and curled on the windward side but not the other side.

magicbastarder

on a lot of mine, the leaves have opened and shrivelled without having been hit by a frost. and the soil is well drained too.

CJhaughey

Its salt exposure, I don't know if you remember but salt was carried far inland by the high winds. This is what has done the damage to the tender young leaves.

runawaybishop

secman wrote: »

There was a hard frost around first weekend in May, most people would have missed it, i happened to be on a loo break at about 5am, looked out window and garden was pure white with frost, by the time i got up around 8 am there wasn't a sign of it. Badly damaged all the young leaves on our acers and any young leaves or buds.

It was most likely this, the very hard frost late in the season came just as young beech were leafing up. My young beech were knocked back a lot, the older beech were largely grand.

snowstreams

magicbastarder wrote: »

on a lot of mine, the leaves have opened and shrivelled without having been hit by a frost. and the soil is well drained too.

I have seen 3 of my young beech doing that too here in Athenry.
The leaves shrivelled up and stopped growing.

But my other beech in the same row seem perfectly fine.
I was wondering if there was some pest in the soil eating the roots, maybe crane fly or cock chafer larvae.
I had a huge infestation of crane fly larvae (leather jackets) eating my grass roots a few years ago during a mild winter.

macraignil

secman wrote: »

There was a hard frost around first weekend in May, most people would have missed it, i happened to be on a loo break at about 5am, looked out window and garden was pure white with frost, by the time i got up around 8 am there wasn't a sign of it. Badly damaged all the young leaves on our acers and any young leaves or buds.

runawaybishop wrote: »

It was most likely this, the very hard frost late in the season came just as young beech were leafing up. My young beech were knocked back a lot, the older beech were largely grand.

+1 agreeing with the late frost theory here. The beech trees around here seem fine but I have some plants that have been really set back with new growth been burnt back in the last few weeks and some of them were not in very exposed positions so I don't think storm Hannah could be responsible. There are other trees in more exposed positions that are fine. My grape vine is the worst condition I have ever seen it in and it is usually thriving at this time of year and a Cercidiphyllum tree and some evergreen Himalayan strawberry trees are the worst hit with some others also looking worse than usual. I think the relatively warm late winter followed by the colder nights in late spring has just caught out some plants that assumed summer was going to arrive early this year. Most of the plants I have effected are not dead but while they would be in full growth by now in other years they still look a bit under the weather. Maybe the soil moisture deficit at the moment is slowing down the recovery from the late frosts.

staples7

macraignil wrote: »

+1 agreeing with the late frost theory here. The beech trees around here seem fine but I have some plants that have been really set back with new growth been burnt back in the last few weeks and some of them were not in very exposed positions so I don't think storm Hannah could be responsible. There are other trees in more exposed positions that are fine. My grape vine is the worst condition I have ever seen it in and it is usually thriving at this time of year and a Cercidiphyllum tree and some evergreen Himalayan strawberry trees are the worst hit with some others also looking worse than usual. I think the relatively warm late winter followed by the colder nights in late spring has just caught out some plants that assumed summer was going to arrive early this year. Most of the plants I have effected are not dead but while they would be in full growth by now in other years they still look a bit under the weather. Maybe the soil moisture deficit at the moment is slowing down the recovery from the late frosts.

Another +1 for the frost, I was saying it to guy who owned a nursery that storm hannah did a lot of damage to buds and new leafs I had and his theory is it was the frost.

All my beech are fine but the Himalayan Birch leafs look scorched, however I see new buds so maybe they will look better soon rather than later. Have a good few Maples I planted last year that look really poor also.

snowstreams

Here are a few photos of mine.

Notice how the beech on the left is the same age and is fine.

standardg60

snowstreams wrote: »

Here are a few photos of mine.

Notice how the beech on the left is the same age and is fine.

That's not weather related damage, looks like a major whitefly infestation, I'm sure I can see some when I zoom in!

standardg60

magicbastarder wrote: »

interesting; i planted a beech hedge a few months ago and on multiple of the plants, the leaves started to bud and withered within a few days. almost as if the plant wasn't drawing enough water into the leaves.

If they were bareroot it sounds like they failed to root, the plants will bud up using stored energy but then the leaves can't draw up any water so wither.
During the bad winters of 10/11 many container plants in nurseries looked perfectly fine only to suddenly collapse and die when they tried to grow in spring because the roots had been killed off, it was quite a strange sight.

magicbastarder

yeah, that's my assumption; they were sitting in a polythene bag in the shade (with roots kept moist) for about two weeks before they went in the ground, because i got delayed in getting the ground prepared. but they were planted on the 16th of feb, so long before there would have been any draw on the roots.

snowstreams

standardg60 wrote: »

That's not weather related damage, looks like a major whitefly infestation, I'm sure I can see some when I zoom in!

Thanks I did notice white dust on it.
I suppose on closer inspection the dust must have been flies.

3 out about 20 beech trees are like this, so i dont know why only these 3 were affected.

I noticed a few shrubs with burnt looking leaves that must be frost damage though.

magicbastarder

so, does anyone know any suppliers who stock beech in pots? i've given up on my hedge, still don't know why it's failed.
i rang tullys, they have about a dozen purple beech in stock but i need at least two dozen and want green beech anyway.

macraignil

magicbastarder wrote: »

so, does anyone know any suppliers who stock beech in pots? i've given up on my hedge, still don't know why it's failed.
i rang tullys, they have about a dozen purple beech in stock but i need at least two dozen and want green beech anyway.

This nursery has them listed in containers but I don't know if they are in stock.

Last time I was planting a hedge I went for hornbeam as it is said to be a bit hardier than beech.

TOM DER

Hi there just a concerned Gardner... I planted my first barefoot hedge in December, 448 60cm green beech. They budded in early May and were thriving with full rich leaves. We did have a very late frost and I’m high lying so wind is an issue evdn for Kildare but now there appears a lot of swiveling of leaves as in the pics attached. I had bad attack aphids which I treated but the plants appear to have lost their rich colour and I’m concerned they are dying... I have also applied a feed and water and seaweed tonic
any help greatly appreciated
Thanks
Tom

TOM DER

Sorry this is the damage on 15-20% of the plants

TOM DER

Sorry this is the damage on 15-20% of the plants

TOM DER

Sorry this is the damage on 15-20% of the plants

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I would not be overly concerned, as you've sorted most of the issues. They need good watering for the first couple of years, so water well and remove the grass around them to reduce competition.

magicbastarder

macraignil wrote: »

This nursery has them listed in containers but I don't know if they are in stock.

Last time I was planting a hedge I went for hornbeam as it is said to be a bit hardier than beech.

i wouldn't mind, only we drove past fermoy yesterday on the way home from a holiday, so wouldn't have had room in the car for them.
i picked up a batch from kelly's between athlone and mullingar, €4 each for 60cm
in 2L pots, after giving up on mine that i planted in feb. i think i was to blame for them failing - was talking to someone from a different nursery a couple of weeks back, and he guessed that i'd planted them on a cold clear windy day, and as far as i can remember he was right. he said that a cold dry east wind would have worked quickly on the roots if i had them exposed.