Trees

JoElder · 20 February

Hello
We have a new allotment with 3 dead trees, might be plum. Please can anyone identify the tree and disease from a photo? No history apart from the allotment has not been in use for three years.
JoElder
I don’t know yet how to post a photo.

JoElder · 20 February

I am having problems with uploading the photos

Joyce Goldenlily · 21 February

I would wait until the trees are in leaf and flower, possibly one or two fruit. They may just need the dead wood removed and a light prune to tidy them up.

Dovefromabove · 21 February

There’s an awful lot of dead wood there. Most of the bark is falling off. TBH I’d get rid of them. Take them down and grind out the stumps.

JoElder · 21 February

Thank you both so much for your reply, I was rather fearful of the technology for a while and didn’t put my question clearly. I do think they are all dead but will wait to see if any leaves appear. I would like to either keep one as a support for a flowering climber and I am wondering if whatever killed them would be detrimental to the ground or growing a new tree?

Dovefromabove · 21 February

I may be wrong (it has been known 😉) but that bark looks a lot like Elm to me … although there are very few mature elms left in the UK due to Dutch Elm Disease, young ones do grow, only to be killed by the disease at about the size of those in your picture.

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/trees-and-shrubs/english-elm

Liriodendron · 21 February

If the trees are completely dead, it will be difficult to identify what killed them - unless other trees on the allotment are alive but poorly. Perhaps your allotment neighbours can tell you what the trees were, and a bit of history as well?

As far as using one to support a climber is concerned, I'd be afraid that the dead tree would become unstable as its roots began to rot. I'd try pulling & pushing it a bit, to see if it wobbles...

Dovefromabove · 21 February

As @Liriodendron has said 👍 … also the weight (especially when wet) of any climber (clematis, rose etc) and the fact that the foliage would act as a sail in strong winds, means that it would be a disaster waiting to happen. 😞

nutcutlet · 21 February

Any tree without bark is dead. There's a lot of tree without, or with detached, bark there. Don't waste time waiting, chop them down. You can make a log heap for the wild life

JoElder · 22 February

Thank you Dovefromabove, I think you may be right as there are a few of them all about the same size and could very well have been seedlings as the site is very wild. We have masses of other stuff yet to identify so I will probably be here again with more photos.

Liriodendron I will certainly take your advice, we only have one close neighbour, we are in a corner, the plot next to us is abandoned and the other person we have yet to meet.

Nutcutlet, my thought’s exactly I can’t wait to see them gone. By the way I love nut cutlets but very difficult to find nowadays. I am not sure of the rules on here, I hope I am not breaking by talking about food.
Lovely fritillaries, I’ve planted some in pots but I fear I was too late.

Dovefromabove · 22 February

Don’t worry @JoElder … we talk about all sorts on here … especially food … we even swap recipes, and if you pop in and chat on the Hello Forkers thread (all are welcome) you’ll often find a cuppa and (virtual 😢) cakes and biscuits on offer.

The only thing we’ve been asked by GW not to talk about is Politics, with a capital P.

Trees

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