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What is wrong with my beech tree?

windmillhelenwindmillhelen Posts: 2
in Problem solving
I moved house last winter and in the new  garden is a beech tree (I think) . The leaves grew well in early spring but since then the tree has been dropping vast quantities of leaves all year and the leaves look very unhealthy (photos attached). Now, in early September there are few leaves left and those that remain are grey/brown. Could anyone suggest what may be wrong with the tree please and whether it can be saved? I don't want to use any treatments which are harmful to bees.

Posts

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    edited September 2021
    I don't think that's a beech.  Maybe whitebeam (Sorbus aria)?  

    If it's been very dry where you are, that could well be the problem... even mature trees have suffered this year.  

    Edited to say:  I wonder if it has a fungal infection too... the spotting on the leaves could be significant.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    edited September 2021
    Trees drop their older leaves even when they are evergreen trees and regularly replace them with fresh new leaves. Trees like beech produce more fresh leaves in spring and stop producing new leaves for a period over winter when the days are shorter and having a full covering of leaves makes trees more liable to getting blown over in storms so what you describe may not be a sign of anything in particular wrong with your tree. If that is a recent photo it would not be what I would describe as "few leaves left" and I can't see anything in the photos that to me looks to be a major problem.
    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    I don't think we're looking at an evergreen tree here, @robairdmacraignil.  In most of the UK neither beech (which it isn't!) nor whitebeam (which it might be) is evergreen.  
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    I agree with Liriodendron, it looks like a Whitebeam tree there, and not fully mature. I would say looking at the leaves, they look fine, especially at this time of year. The younger a tree, the more earlier they tend to drop leaves. But, these trees need watering if you have free draining soil or if you have not had decent rainfall through the warm months. They can suffer and you get premature leaf-drop if they get water stress. The leaves tend to go a buttery yellow in the autumn before the leaves drop off. 

    The tree also looks like it may have been pruned to shape in the last year or so. Doing this may limit flowering in late spring and berry forming in the autumn time.
  • windmillhelenwindmillhelen Posts: 2
    Liriodendron said:
    I don't think that's a beech.  Maybe whitebeam (Sorbus aria)?  

    If it's been very dry where you are, that could well be the problem... even mature trees have suffered this year.  

    Edited to say:  I wonder if it has a fungal infection too... the spotting on the leaves could be significant.
    This is extremely helpful @Liriodendron and @Borderline . Having looked up images of Whitebeam, that's exactly what it is. The picture of the tree was taken about a fortnight ago but it has now shed most of its leaves so it looks almost winter ready. I'll try watering it as it has been a dry summer. Thanks for the tips and the identification. 
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    It looks like it is planted in the lawn. If so does the grass come right up to the trunk? Ideally there should be a clear circle of earth around the trunk of at least a two foot radius to reduce competition for water and nutrients.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited September 2021
    Staying in Lincolnshire last week I noticed that the two huge whitebeams in the village churchyard opposite were changing colour and dropping their leaves as usual …. absolutely covered in glorious berries tho’ … 😊 

    Yours will be fine … but doing as @steephill has advised will ensure it’s given the optimum chance to remain healthy. 

    😊 

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





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited September 2021
    Whitebeams are pretty bare here. I've been enjoying kicking through the leaves of some when I've been out. 
    They're slightly earlier than normal for leaf drop, but we've had the driest summer on record here for around 150 years, so it's stress from that rather than the normal autumn drop. 
    It'll be fine next year @windmillhelen :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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