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Damson trees to be

pipasawruspipasawrus Posts: 13
in Plants
Afternoon all you good people, after snipping back the dreaded snowberry (70ft x 40ft garden) mostly rampaging with the dreaded stuff. I found to my suprise 8 damson saplings - great news but the leaves that are still on have yellowish patches. (my grown up damson tree doesn't) so I presume this is some sort of fungus? any idea how to get rid of it - you never know with 8 saplings I am sure I can spare a few damsons next year!

Thank you
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Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I think we need a photo, but there are plenty of damsons growing in the hedgerows around here and they have been laden this year. I often eat a few whilst out with my pooch and they are lovely.
    But I have noticed the leaves starting to yellow on some of them - we're nearly 1/3 the way into autumn now so not surprising really

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Are these from the rootstock or from damson seed that have dropped? Damson seedling can take a very long time to flower and fruit and become enormous in the meantime. I would just hoick them out.
  • pipasawruspipasawrus Posts: 13
    fidgetbones said:
    Are these from the rootstock or from damson seed that have dropped? Damson seedling can take a very long time to flower and fruit and become enormous in the meantime. I would just hoick them out.
    Oh no thats terrible I can't do that!! I presume they're from damson seeds and there was a few established trees already
  • pipasawruspipasawrus Posts: 13
    Pete.8 said:
    I think we need a photo, but there are plenty of damsons growing in the hedgerows around here and they have been laden this year. I often eat a few whilst out with my pooch and they are lovely.
    But I have noticed the leaves starting to yellow on some of them - we're nearly 1/3 the way into autumn now so not surprising really
    Can you put pictures on here? - senior moments. 

    Its not the same yellow as the damson tree thats shedding its leaves the saplings have a patchy yellow stain
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    To add a photo it's the little icon above the message box that looks like mountains and the sun

    I agree with fb though. It's going to take a very long time until you get anything much off them.
    The ones I pass every day are in the hedgerows amongst blackthorn, hawthorn, elder etc
    A tasty addition to a mixed native hedge though!

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • pipasawruspipasawrus Posts: 13

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    To me that looks perfectly normal colouring for any of the hedgerow-type prunus at this time of year and I wouldn’t be at all concerned. 

    Reading back I see that you think/hope that you have seedling damson trees … given the nature of all prunus I think it’s possible that they’re suckers from the roots of your original damson. How far from it are they? How far from each other are they?  
    Photos of them might help. 


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





  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Thanks for the photo - I agree with Dove.
    That's just how the damsons look around here now - it's autumn and the leaves will fall in a few weeks.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I agree with @fidgetbones . Unless you want the garden full of those instead of snowberry, you'll have to remove them. If it's part of hedging, they'd be ok as they'd be getting pruned back every year. 
    I also agree with @Dovefromabove and @Pete.8 - they look perfectly normal for the time of year, especially if they've been hidden amongst other planting or hedging etc. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • pipasawruspipasawrus Posts: 13
    Dovefromabove said:
    To me that looks perfectly normal colouring for any of the hedgerow-type prunus at this time of year and I wouldn’t be at all concerned. 

    Reading back I see that you think/hope that you have seedling damson trees … given the nature of all prunus I think it’s possible that they’re suckers from the roots of your original damson. How far from it are they? How far from each other are they?  
    Photos of them might help. 

    They're quite away from the main tree hence why I thought it was seed. I'll dig one up and see if its suckers.
    Theres 8 saplings - one in the greenhouse (which doesn't have a lot of glass in it) the others are spread about. If I remember rightly while battling with the snowberry last year I chopped down a 'tree' which may have been damson so I'll dig the one nearest to that.
    Am I correcting in thinking that if they're sucker saplings they're no good?
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