Dying hawthorn tree

Posts

• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  July 2023 edited July 2023

  Hello @caramoon23  and welcome to the forum  😊 
  
  Can we see photos of the whole tree please? 

  
  

  What’s your soil like and how was the planting site prepared?
  
  Which way does the site face?
  
  How often and how much are you watering it? It looks very close to a fence and shed. Is it in a ‘rain shadow’ where the fence/shed prevent much of what rain there is ftom reaching the ground ?
  
  

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

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• caramoon23 Posts: 3

  July 2023

  Good evening and thank you for replying. At the moment it is in a large container and seemed happy for a few weeks. I water regularly though there has been so much rain that hasn't been necessary recently. It is south/west facing. Leaves started to turn brown a few weeks ago so ensured soil was drenched when I watered.  Also put bonemeal onto soil.  Leaves now pale and curling.

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  July 2023 edited July 2023

  Thanks for that info 😊. What sort of soil/compost is in the container?  It really needs to be in a loam-based planting medium such as John Innes No 3 with the addition of a little multi-purpose compost or similar. Multi-purpose compost on its own isn’t suitable for shrubs and trees etc. but so often that is what seems to be supplied by garden centres when folk buy trees. 

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

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• caramoon23 Posts: 3

  July 2023

  Thank you! I'll sort that out! 

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  July 2023

  I know it’s not always possible, but it really would be much happier planted in the ground. 

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

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• Fairygirl Posts: 55,117

  July 2023

  I agree with @Dovefromabove. It's not something you can keep potted long term unless you have plenty of experience, and even then - it wouldn't be simple.
  If you can't plant it out, you'll need a big, purpose built container for it that can be filled mostly with soil to give it enough sustenance. A big barrel would probably do, but certainly something at least a couple of feet in width and height. The problem with compost in a container is that it can dry out and then it's hard to rehydrate the plant and water can run through gaps in the dried out compost.
  Even with reasonable rain, you need to check containers, because the canopy of a tree can prevent a lot of it getting to where it's needed, and it's vital that newly planted trees get enough water, especially until the following autumn/winter.   
  
  Fingers crossed it'll come away for you again though 

  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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