Hi I'm in need of help with my weeping willow. I Bought a house last november with a weeping willow in the back yard. I Know it bloomed last year because it still had green on it when I moved in. I Think it started to green this spring but then that late freeze came and it hasn't done anything since. It has been dorment all summer and now the bark is falling off in big pieces. Everyone says "maybe it'll come back next year" but I'm wondering if I just need to have it taken out.I don't know if it's dead or sleeping or what. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!!
:-? I'm afraid that doesn't really sound very good to me, Salix trees (Willows) shouldn't remain dormant all summer, their natural dormancy would be from fall through winter. But before I had it removed, I would call in a professional arborist to have a look. They should be able to give you an answer, either way. I once managed to save an oak tree that I thought was dead, the arborist told me that a couple of recent wind storms had in all liklihood, sheared the roots below ground. The tree was nearly leafless until it could re-grow some roots. It took several years, but it recovered well, so I was really glad I had made the appointment. I don't know if your local agricultural extension office can send someone out free of charge, but even if you had to pay a fee, it would be worth knowing - for sure. I hope that I'm wrong, and that your willow is just a heavy sleeper.
Hello, Here in California we have a bug called a boaring beatle. This bug has been affecting almost all of the weeping willows in our area. It cause the tree to just die. The bug get into the trunk and cut through the cambian (sorry for the misspelling) layers and cut off all nutrients to the tree. The tree will then lose large sections of bark. The way to check for this is to look at the trunk and see if there are any holes in the trunk or sapping of the tree. Unfortunately there is no cure for these bugs. It is now affecting out cypress trees, cherry trees and a few other select varieties of trees. There is a product called Astro but it needs to be sprayed by a licensed applicator. I hope this info helps you out.
