Wind damage?

joevass787 · September 2021

Hi all,

I've suddenly been having alot of leaves falling of my two trees. I would say they are likely to lose them all. I'm pretty sure this hasn't happened before. Is it wind damage or something to do with to much/ not enough water? The soil isn't covered with anything so do I need to mulch to protect the roots maybe?

Let me know what I need to do to help them out, I'd be gutted if they died

Thanks for any help!

Fairygirl · September 2021

Hi @joevass787 - what kind of trees are they?
Wind damage is quite likely, but it could easily be lack of water - that's more likely than too much. What are they planted in [soil] and has it been refreshed? How long have they been in the pots? Are they those tall narrow pots? Hard to tell from the pix.

BenCotto · September 2021

Jac19 · September 2021

Could it be that the root system has outgrown the pots? How long have you had them in those pots?
Are they standards or normal tree?
If they are standards, you could move them to bigger pots.
If they are regular growing trees, is there some place you could put them in the ground? Then you can replace them with a young pair of plants in the same spot.

Fairygirl · September 2021

Thanks for that @BenCotto - my 'pooter's full of 'turned photos' just now!

Are they Prunus of some kind @joevass787?

joevass787 · September 2021

Fairygirl said:

Hi @joevass787 - what kind of trees are they?
Wind damage is quite likely, but it could easily be lack of water - that's more likely than too much. What are they planted in [soil] and has it been refreshed? How long have they been in the pots? Are they those tall narrow pots? Hard to tell from the pix.

They are a euonymus but I'm not to sure what kind. They usually have yellow leaves. We have had a lot of rain but maybe they've been sheltered a little being near the house. Should I give them some water maybe just to be sure? They are in a John innes soil, again I'm not to sure but maybe John innes 2? I think we've had them about two years and they've not had a soil change in that time although I did dig in some blood, bone and fish in spring, was that OK to do. They've been fine all that time and only recently has this happened. They had new growth on them this year so I had to clip them back a little earlier this year aswell. No the pot is not very tall, I can't get a photo at the moment because I'm at work. They are quite large pots though and have drainage.

Thanks

Fairygirl · September 2021

Ah - I could see a bit of variegation, but I wasn't sure if it was just the colouring on the pic. It's quite unusual to see E. fortuneii grown that way, and it doesn't look like E. alata, but it's slightly irrelevant. However, there are hundreds of types, and some need certain types of soil, so it's worth trying to find out. E. europaeus, for example, doesn't really grow up here because the soil doesn't suit it.

I think you need to repot. The soil based medium should be fine, and the B,F&B is also fine, but you also need good drainage, and anything potted needs to be well watered.
I think lack of water is the most likely cause, and possibly a combination of that and wind. Rain doesn't get into pots easily - even when it's reasonably heavy, because of the tree canopy. When pots are against house walls, there's a rain shadow too, and it's very easy for the soil content to dry out compleetly. Although it might seem that it's only happened over a couple of days, that's rarely the case either

It's definitely worth getting them out the pots and having a look at the conditions.

joevass787 · October 2021

Fairygirl said:

Ah - I could see a bit of variegation, but I wasn't sure if it was just the colouring on the pic. It's quite unusual to see E. fortuneii grown that way, and it doesn't look like E. alata, but it's slightly irrelevant. However, there are hundreds of types, and some need certain types of soil, so it's worth trying to find out. E. europaeus, for example, doesn't really grow up here because the soil doesn't suit it.

I think you need to repot. The soil based medium should be fine, and the B,F&B is also fine, but you also need good drainage, and anything potted needs to be well watered.
I think lack of water is the most likely cause, and possibly a combination of that and wind. Rain doesn't get into pots easily - even when it's reasonably heavy, because of the tree canopy. When pots are against house walls, there's a rain shadow too, and it's very easy for the soil content to dry out compleetly. Although it might seem that it's only happened over a couple of days, that's rarely the case either
It's definitely worth getting them out the pots and having a look at the conditions.

Thanks for all the information. I'll put what you've said into action and see what happens. I appreciate your help. Thanks again

Fairygirl · October 2021

No problem @joevass787. It can be difficult to pinpoint exact problems sometimes, but the majority of Euonymous varieties are tough, so a little bit of attention will hopefully sort things out. If the roots are filling those pots too much, you may need to think about changing those.
As long as there's some life in them, and you get a soil refresh, and can make sure they're well enough watered [I'm assuming they're both the same?] they should recover. Wind often causes damage anyway, but a combination of dry soil and wind can make things worsen quite rapidly.
Keep them out of the worst of the wind, and check the moisture and soil, and then see how it goes.
A mulch of bark helps with moisture retention, so that's worth considering for drier spells too.
Fingers crossed for you. A pair of standards of any kind make a nice statement at a doorway etc. I used to have Ilexes. Nice for an entrance.

punkdoc · October 2021

Agree with @Fairygirl.

Repot, I would use 2/3 JI 3, 1/3 MPC
Water well.
I am sure it was lack of water, people forget that even in wet weather pots need watering.
A dollop of FBB in Spring is a good idea.

Fairygirl · October 2021

What Euonymous do you think it could be @punkdoc?
I wasn't sure from the photos. Looked too big to be any of the fortunei ones.

Wind damage?

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