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Mature Salix Fungi/Lichens

gardener_robgardener_rob Posts: 4
in Problem solving
Firstly, Merry Christmas everyone!

It was a really bad year for my mature Salix and I’ve just discovered this fungi/lichens all over it.

It’s usually the centrepiece of this border but I may have cut it back too late (feb this year) and we had an extremely hot spring which meant the new flowering growth was very poor. 

I was hoping a winter of rest with minimum pruning would help, but this new fungi/lichens growth now has left me worried. 

Can anyone help identity this fungi/lichens or offer advice on this delightful shrub?


Posts

  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Lack of enough water may have been a major factor, prospect doesn't look all that promising to me.
    However salix are generally easy to root, so, if you can find some small stems in good condition, you could try some cuttings, either in a pot (make sure they don't dry out), or in water and keep your fingers crossed. :)
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    Could be turkeytail bracket fungus, Trametes versicolor, very common and non poisonous. Unfortunately it means your salix is doomed as it lives on dead wood so cuttings as suggested may be worth trying.
  • gardener_robgardener_rob Posts: 4
    Oh this is devastating news. I shall take a cutting right away. I should also point out that this is a Salix integra 'Hakuro-Nishiki' / Flamingo Dwarf which explains the small nature of the shrub. 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    edited December 2020
    I don't know if that particular variety is normally 'top-grafted' but suspect it could well be.  If it is, the demise will be due to the robust green stems/trunks growing from below the graft, on the left.  Those would be from the rootstock which will be a different, much more vigorous variety and will have taken all of the nutrients from the roots, so the grafted part has died off.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • gardener_robgardener_rob Posts: 4
    You’re right the vigorous new growth on the left has taken over but is still showing signs of life. I’ve taken some cuttings from this growth. What do you suggest I do with the shrub now? I’m thinking of waiting till spring and seeing what sports new growth and then potentially cut back all the fungus infected area should there be no new growth in the hope that the new multiple stems can support all future growth. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    If the growth to the left is from below the graft I'm afraid it won’t produce a Hakuro Nikishi Flamingo Dwarf ... it’ll be the same as the rootstock which is likely to be less attractive. 😞 



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





  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    If the cuttings are from the rootstock they won't be your beloved dwarf flamingo, as already pointed out, but will be something more mundane and potentially much larger. If you can't find any good shoots on the dwarf part, it is probably best to cut your losses and get it out before it gets any bigger!
  • gardener_robgardener_rob Posts: 4
    Would it be worth cutting back the new growth from below the graft in the hope it may stimulate some growth in the graft? 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Unfortunately, I would say it looks too late for that as the main part of the fungus is inside the trunk, feeding on the heartwood and the infection appears to go all the way to the ground.  I would cut my losses at this point and look at replacing it, before the rootstock variety really takes hold.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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