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Sambuscus Nigra - losing leaves and berries in september

teenyfromtroonteenyfromtroon Posts: 6
in Problem solving
I have inherited a mature tree which has flowered beautifully and was very healthy looking till now, the leaves and stems are dropping at an alarming rate, I have been in house for 18months and I don't recall this happening last year. It is a lovely tree and  I really hope it is not dying, it is a windy garden and it is on heavy clay soil. Any ideas what  the reason  might be and how I should deal with it?,  or is it too late?I am very new to gardening so have no idea, could it have been the dry weather? would be  grateful for any input
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  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    Check the branches to see if there are signs of die back. From your photos, they look healthy to me. Early leaf drop on trees signal signs of stress, usually water stress or extreme windy weather. It has been pretty dry this year,  and the position of the tree will likely mean, rain water cannot get down there. Heavy clay soil has its issues too. In the dry weather, cracking/shrinking can leave air pockets around roots. If you don't regularly top dress with compost every year, then it's a good idea to do that when the soil is damp. 
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    It should be okay. It is a deciduous tree, that means it loses all its leaves in the autumn. The berries have probably been eaten by the birds. This has been such a funny year weatherwise that plants are doing all manner of funny things and it may well be that your tree was short of moisture during the hot spells, so is losing its leaves early as a defensive mechanism. In the spring when new growth is starting you can prune that down quite a bit if you want to which won't harm the tree.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Are you actually in Troon @teeny fae troon?  :)
    If you are, rain isn't a problem, in that you'll have had plenty, but wind probably will be. That will have contributed to a bit of leaf drop. Most of the elders round here still have most of their foliage if they're in sheltered positions, but anything more exposed will be dropping quite a bit. 
    I wouldn't worry about it too much. Birds have had the berries, judging by the bits on the ground in your 2nd pic.  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • teenyfromtroonteenyfromtroon Posts: 6
    Hi, no I'm in North Midlands, that is a family nickname from my scottish mum :D,

    The garden is very windy, but the tree has obviously been there for a long time so would have thought it would be used to it. I don't remember it being this bare last year

    Havent seen many birds on it, the leaves and berries seem to be dropping off from a joint - not sure of the right name for it.

    Thank you
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It might just be weather related then, as @Borderline has indicated. The branches could be a bit dehydrated, hence the drop. If trees [even mature ones] get stressed by drought, they try to save themselves as best they can, and that leads to foliage and fruit dropping a bit earlier, or a bit more dramatically, than normal. 

    Teeny fae Troon is a phrase I often heard my mum use when I was  growing up  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • teenyfromtroonteenyfromtroon Posts: 6
    Thank you for that, is there any remedial action I need to take now or do I just wait and see what happens?.  I think that is die back isnt it?

    Did your mum ever finish the little ditty ;), mine did
  • jaffacakesjaffacakes Posts: 434
    Wow it's big. Can't wait for mine to get much bigger. Mine has hardly grown at all since planted last year. It's actually starting to lose some leaves now too but still has some berries. It is nearly October so i thought it was normal.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think with proper autumn weather on it's way, it might be fine. I wouldn't do anything drastic just now. Wait to see what happens over winter and into next spring. 

    I can't remember her saying much more - but the general meaning of the phrase was obvious   ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    I think it's normal. The berries will drop around this time if not already eaten by birds. They are deciduous, I've been growing them for 20 years and they always do this. Maybe it's just as little earlier this year due to the dry period earlier in the year putting a bit of stress on it. Don't worry, I'm sure it will be fine. Pruning it in spring helps to keep them under control. 
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    Ours started losing its foliage a week or two ago.  We're not alarmed about it, I'm pretty sure it did it at the same time last year.  We are on heavy clay soil in London.
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