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Amelanchier leaves

KirstyWYKirstyWY Posts: 35
in Problem solving
My amelanchier has brown spots on most of its leaves. This happened last year and the leaves all turned brown, curled up and dropped prematurely (I didn't get any autumn colour at all!). I sprayed it with a fungicide but that did nothing. My local nursery did not know what the issue was. It's now starting all over again ...  the leaves get spots then all turn brown and die off.

I had two amelanchiers last year but this year one of them did not get any leaves and has since died. I'd quite like to save this one.

I planted amelanchiers after reading that they were relatively easy to look after and were happy anywhere, but im finding that's not the case. I have a silver birch around 10ft away from the amelanchier and that's absolutely fine.  

I have attached pictures, but it's difficult to get a true image as the tree is on a slope and always facing the sun!


Posts

  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Have you been watering the tree with deep soak of water from the hose pipe?  When did you plant them?  I aim to keep trees well watered the first year, with water that soaks the area (when rain doesn't do the job) so the roots will grow out into the surrounding soil.  The second year I water once a week or every two weeks with a deep soak to do the same.. really get those roots reaching out and help establish the tree. 
    Utah, USA.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited July 2020
    On a slope and facing the sun?!  Sounds like a drought problem to me. Mine was planted 4 years ago on the flat in semi shade and was watered every other day for the first summer ... two buckets of water twice a week the next summer and since then at least once a week, more if we have a hot dry spell ... through until mid September ... whether it rains or not. 

    We’ve had several years with long dry spells and although the surface few inches of soil may be damp but a couple of feet or more down it’s still very dry and quite a lot of trees and shrubs are suffering. 

    Trees need a regular, though and penetrating soaking so that their roots follow the moisture downwards. If the watering only dampens the surface the roots stay near the surface and are then susceptible to being scorched in warm spells. 

    As your tree is on a slope you need to take extra steps to stop any water running off the surface without soaking down to the roots. 

     A useful technique to adopt and adapt is one used in drier countries and that’s the creation of a bund to hold the water you give the tree nearer the roots ... sometimes called an  ‘eyebrow terrace’ you can see the principle here http://www.greener.land/index.php/product/eyebrow-terraces-banquettes/

    If water is running down the slope when you water, an adapted smaller version will save you a lot of time and effort ... and money too, assuming your water is metered. 
     
    I would also give your tree a feed of slow acting organic fertiliser such as Fish, Blood & Bone ... and a mulch of organic matter like composted bark or garden compost or similar, to help keep the soil below it damp. Repeat in March when you start the watering regime again. 

    Although amelanchier are pretty undemanding trees, they do need help for the first few years so that they can establish a really good roof system ... only then can they be more self reliant ... and you’ll have a beautiful tree that fulfills it’s potential rather than one that is always struggling. 
     
    Hope that helps 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • KirstyWYKirstyWY Posts: 35
    It was planted as a bare root in October 2018. I watered well in 2019, three times a week with a couple of watering cans at a time. This past winter was very wet and the ground was saturated (I checked down through the top layer of soil), but this spring was dry so watered again a few times a week.
    When I say it's on a slope - it's at the bottom of one part of the slope, there's a homemade path below it, and then another part of the slope, so it's not in the dry area at the top. It's shaded by a very large TPO'd sycamore for the hottest part of the day (sycamore is 90ft in neighbours garden), so yes full sun but it does have shade.

    I have always had a bottle sunk into the soil next to the tree so I water into that. I've just sunk another one in at the opposite side so I'm watering into both. I'll try to do the eyebrow terrace, thanks for the idea.




  • KirstyWYKirstyWY Posts: 35
    edited August 2020
    Been watering so the soil around the tree is permanently damp - watering into plastic bottles to the roots, and also made an 'eyebrow' (or sorts), but it's still getting worse .. It seems that some leaves are affected from the edges, and for some the brown spots start anywhere but the edges ... could this be a nutrient deficiency?


  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    You aren't going to see much improvement now, the  damaged leaves don't turn green and at this time of year growth is slowing down ready for autumn.
    Just keep up the watering and next year the new leaves should be fine but keep up the watering next year. 
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    I agree.. damage has been done, but keep up the effort and it should be fine in the spring.  You can reduce the watering a bit, and just give it a long deep soak once or twice a week or as needed. 
    Utah, USA.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You have a silver birch ten feet away and a 90 foot sycamore nearby.
    That's the problem. Dry ground. 
    If you don't live somewhere with regular, good rainfall, they'll need copious watering. That's by the bucketful. 
    They all could have had difficulty establishing at all if they didn't get that kind of watering for a long time, from the start. They wouldn't have got their root system down far enough to cope with those future drier spells, so they're always trying to catch up and preserve enough for the foliage they produce.  They thrive best with wetter conditions. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    I have two growing in my desert climate. They will do fine once established with deep weekly watering that encourage deep root growth, so they can compete with other trees.  Next summer plan to water once a week.. and hopefully by the summer after you will only need to water once a week in the height of summer or drought.  Make sure you are watering your other trees as well, otherwise they will send all their roots that direction!
    Utah, USA.
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