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Sickly Sumac Tree

maxine.beilbymaxine.beilby Posts: 2
in Problem solving
We have a 3m Sumac Tree in our garden, it was here when we moved in 6 years ago. It’s always been a happy tree with lots of fruit. I thought something was off last year when it seemed to not fruit very well at all. This spring it’s growth has rather limped along. It would normally be lushously leaved by now but it looks like it struggling. It has a foot tall shooter a few feet away, which I was allowing to grow and it’s leaves suddenly started crisping up too. It’s hard to get a good look of the main tree but the leaves are doing the same thing. Any ideas? 

Posts

  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    A couple of years ago one of ours suddenly started leaning.  We didn't notice it at first but, being right next to the front fence, its closeness to the fence soon became evident.  The height of it is a good 5m and, like you, was there when we moved in in 2007.  I got underneath it to try and see if I could push it back up.  It went up easily and, to cut a long story short, I found all its roots had died so I pulled the whole thing out.  Maybe the species has a finite life span?
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    PS -  On reflection, the adjoining lawn had been festooned with crimson runners in earlier times but they'd become almost non-existent prior to the tree's demise.  Maybe that's a sign to look out for?
  • maxine.beilbymaxine.beilby Posts: 2
    Now that you mention it our garden is usually covered in the runners and they haven’t been seen this year so far. They are supposed to live about 60 years and I doubt ours is that old...I think perhaps 20 years. There is a stump next to it so it may well be a runner from an older tree which was cut down before we moved in. Someone else suggested it may be too dry but it has done well in much drier seasons like the summer we had a couple of years ago.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Before 2007, I can't help but the 'casualty' was the one on the right in this (older) pic, showing it to be one of a pair either side of the gateway.  Its partner on the left is still OK, seemingly, but its runners have also disappeared, so we wait and see
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