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Lichen Infested Trees
Leith_Leaf
Posts: 2
Good afternoon all,
I have recently moved house and have inherited two sickly trees, possibly apple and infested with lichen.
The less affected tree has leaves although a bit thin and produced blossom. The other tree has no leaves, but looks like it attempted to bud. The ends of some of the branches are brittle and snap off easily, while others are greener and appear to have some life. There appears to be some new growth coming from the trunk.
Can anyone suggested the best course of action.
Many thanks.
0
Posts
Lichen is simply a sign of clean air and not a threat to trees. It looks to me as tho your apple trees are old, hungry and badly neglected. I suggest you have a look at this information on the RHS website and then decide whether yo can renovate them yourself or need a tree surgeon -
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=279
As a first step, I would remove the grass from around the base of the trunks to a diameter of at least a metre and fork in some blood, fish and bone and give them a good drink. Mulch the cleared area with well rotted garden compost or manure and cover with chipped bark or gravel to keep down the weeds so there is less competition for water and nutrients.
Lichen does not harm healthy trees; it is indicative of clean air, however it does tend to grow more strongly on plants that are growing slowly or not at all.
I suspect that your fruit trees may well be nearing the end of their lives for one reason or another, but it won't be because of the lichen.
They appear not to have been that well cared for ... they should have a good sized circle of clear soil around their trunks so that they can be fed and mulched, and so that they do not have to compete with the grass for moisture. Also if grass grows right up to the trunks they are in danger of being damaged during mowing or strimming, which can lead to severe problems.
"... Once the water and minerals pass through the roots and reach the trunk, they're carried up through the outer layers of the tree just below the bark. The trunk doesn't just transport water and minerals up from the ground, it also carries sugars from the leaves down to the roots to support and feed the root system. ..." https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-different-parts-of-trees-What-are-their-functions
I think I'd take the bull by the horns and remove and replace the trees sooner rather than later.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The lichen isn't a problem and won't affect the trees. I suspect they may have canker though but it's difficult to see from the photos.
What is certainly a problem is that the grass has been allowed to grow right up to the trunk. Grass is a very greedy plant and will be starving the trees for nutrients. It's also possible that feed & weed has been used on the lawn and could have affected the trees because of the closeness of the grass.
What I would do is remove the grass in a circle of at least a metre diameter around the trunks and then sprinkle blood, fish & bone onto the soil, gently working it in, before laying a mulch of well-rotted farmyard manure about 4 inches thick over the soil. This will feed the trees and they should recover providing thay are not too far gone although I wouldn't expect to see much happen until next spring.
Edit: didn'tsee the posts from obelixx and Dove - tend to agree that it might be best to cut your losses and remove and replace them.
Last edited: 29 May 2017 15:08:46
Thanks for the advice.
I can't see any canker just an abundance of lichen.
A quick internet search shows soil types for Leith Hill as Greensand and Gault clay, I assume the latter could account for a damp garden hence the lichen?...
A damp garden has nothing to do with lichen on the tree.
The lichen will have been encouraged by the weak growth of the trees and sparse leaf coverage, letting in more light for the lichen to grow. It's a symptom but not a cause of the trees problems.
interesting info here:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants-and-fungi/lichens/
https://www.opalexplorenature.org/lichen-identification-guide
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.