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Mountain ash leaves turning brown

Greenville545Greenville545 Posts: 7
in Problem solving
Quite a few of the leaves on my mountain ash (Sorbus Joseph Rock) are turning brown and shedding. Is this normal for mid-August? Is there anything I should be doing to help the tree?


Posts

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    edited August 2023
    Has that branch been damaged?  The bark on the right hand side of the photo looks a bit odd...

    Rowans are susceptible to fireblight.  You could have a look on line and see if the symptoms match up.  https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/fireblight

    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Greenville545Greenville545 Posts: 7
    Thank you - I'll take a look at that and see if it could be fireblight.

    There does seem to be a little bit of damage on that branch - not sure what caused that. Some of the leaves are turning brown all over the tree, so maybe I just get rid of those and see what happens.
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    @Fairygirl is very knowledgeable about rowan trees, so maybe if she's around she'll have a look at your photo and see what she thinks.  I don't like the look of that damaged bit of branch - is it weeping sap?
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Sorry - I've only just seen this thread.
    Wouldn't say I'm an expert on them @Liriodendron [ ;) ]  but I'd agree that there's damage there, but it could simply be from birds landing on a branch, and breaking it,  or similar damage. If it's that, removing the branch is the best option, and you can do that soon. The rest of the foliage looks perfectly healthy, but we can only see a small part of the tree.
    Fireblight is quite rare. 

    Have you got a photo of the tree from further away though @Greenville545? 
    Also, how long has it been in the site, and what else is around it? What care has it had if it's not been there long?  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Greenville545Greenville545 Posts: 7
    Hi @Fairygirl @Liriodendron thanks both for your advice on this - much appreciated. The damage on that branch isn't weeping sap. It could quite easily have been caused by birds landing in the tree. We went through a period, maybe last year, with some very fat pigeons trying to land in it for the berries.

    The tree has only been in place for around 3.5 years and I've just been watering it when we've had dry spells. Could it be underwatered? Is there anything else I should be doing in terms of care?

    I'll try and get some better photos when I'm home to show that the whole tree has some brown leaves - not just on that damaged branch. The garden slopes up towards the rear fence that the tree sits next to - so the camera is always pointing to the sky and it's difficult to get a good picture.


  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Just remove any dead matterial.  Stand back and assess.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • Greenville545Greenville545 Posts: 7
    Hi @Fairygirl @Liriodendron - my attempt at a couple of photos!

    Thanks also @bédé

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think that's probably just been very dry. It's a large specimen, so it would have needed a lot of water to keep it happy. Many people have had drought conditions over the last few years and that can make a huge difference too. Even here, we've had more dry weather in the last couple of years, although there's still been enough rain for rowans to be fine, and most other trees. It's really only been conifers that have been badly affected, and that's because they're shallow rooting. Conifers are so plentiful and common here that it's actually quite good that a few have disappeared!

    Lots of competition around it - next door too,  and a fence. That will affect the amount of water it has access to and can take up, especially if it's in a sunnier or windier aspect, as it'll dry out more easily.
    I can't see how it's planted either, but if there isn't a lot of good, moisture retentive soil there for it, it'll shed foliage to keep itself alive. If you aren't getting proper, consistent rainfall all year round, it's probably not had enough at various stages apart from during winter.
    When trees turn, or drop foliage, early in the year compared to the normal timing, it's usually down to stress - ie sun/wind/drought, unless you're in a more northern area [trees start turning here in August] or at proper altitude. Beech and Horse chestnut trees are already changing here where I am, but that's normal for here. 
    There isn't necessarily a problem, but it's worth checking how wet or dry the ground is, and you can then address that over autumn/winter and next spring. Adding a mulch after really thorough watering will help, and you can do that once it's dormant and the ground is well soaked. You may need to keep doing that regularly too.
    It's a nice specimen so hopefully that's all it is  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Greenville545Greenville545 Posts: 7
    @Fairygirl thank you for your advice. The ground is pretty dry around  the tree- I guess I've neglected it and it needs more water than I realised. Hopefully we can rectify that and it might look a bit healthier next year.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Unless it's sitting in soil which never properly drains, you really can't overwater rowans.  They'll grow in quite poor situations if they get regular water. They even grow on the top of boulders up here on hills, simply because of that rainfall and the cooler temps, so it doesn't evaporate. It's different when you plant a specimen as opposed to something self seeding though    :)
    If it's difficult to get some mulching done around it, another method would be to create a little 'moat' around it - a small barrier of anything you can find. to help contain any water that gets in. A couple of feet in diameter is ideal, but anything will help. You can use logs or bricks or even just a thick layer of organic matter. When you water manually, it'll help it stay contained at the roots a bot more, rather than running off into the wider soil.
    Over winter, or from when the tree is bare in autumn, you wouldn't need that, but if your area is generally drier through spring/summer, it'll help moisture stay closer to the root system. That mulching in early spring will also help moisture to be  retained too. You can use anything for that - bark is good, but compost or leaf mould are also fine.  :)
    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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