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Help! Poorly silver birch tree
Su Blackburn
Posts: 33
I have a silver birch in a very large pot. It is about 8 years old and was repotted last year. About a week ago I noticed some of the leaves were losing their colour and becoming yellow in patches. Since then this has spread to more leaves which have also developed brown patches as well. The leaves are sticky, and I've spotted aphids and small white flecks on the underside. I do have ants in the garden and have seen them on the tree. This morning about 25% of the leaves have dropped and it is continuing to loose more. Any suggestions as to what is making my tree so poorly?
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It sounds as though the tree is stressed and I would think your silver birch is itching to stretch it's roots.
A 'normal' silver birch is a big, big tree. There are several in the garden next to us which have had several metres removed from the top and they are still as high as our (2 storey) house. I have never seen one grown in a pot.
But maybe you have a special variety intended for pot growing?
It needs liberating into the soil where it can stretch its roots and get all the water and nutrients it needs. That will never happen in a pot unless you regularly remove it, trim its roots and re-pot with new compost, a top dressing of fertiliser and regular watering - over sized bonsai in other words. Cruelty IMHO.
I agree with the above; it's not happy in a pot.
Thank you for your replies. This tree arrived as a surprise seedling in a pot with another plant. For a little while I didn't know what it was! If I had the space in the front garden then that's where I would have planted it out but it would be too close to the house. I made the decision to try and keep it in a pot and up to this season it has been fine. It is over 6 foot tall, including the pot which is the largest I could buy. My sister has a similar one in a pot about the same age and her's is doing well so far. This was a present for her and is still awaiting a suitable place in her much larger garden in Wales.
In that case, a bigger pot and plenty of water till you can deliver it.
Sorry, obelixx, it's her tree that was a present from someone. I was hoping to hang on to mine!
As you can tell from the other answers, it isn't going to survive, let alone thrive, in a pot. Take a walk through your neighbourhood or local park and see just how big these things want to get and then ask yourself how it cold ever be happy in a wee pot..