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stevation

Are sticky birch leaves normal?

stevation
17 years ago

I have two birches in front of my house that have been in the ground about six years. The leaves have a sticky feel to them right now, but I don't see any aphids or other pests on them at all. Is that just normal for newly emerged birch leaves to be sticky?

Also, I can't remember if the nursery told me these were river birches or water birches. Any advice on how to tell them apart? I know river birch has peeling bark, so I thought these probably weren't river birches for a while, but last year, some of the bark started to get a little flaky. The grow in clumps, but I think both river and water birches are clumpers.

Also, I find that the upper branches of these trees don't have as thick foliage as the lower to middle branches. Could it be that I'm not giving them enough water? Are they pretty thirsty trees? They survive on whatever water they suck out of the nearby lawn and flowerbeds (sprinklers are on twice a week in the summer for about 25 minutes each time) -- I don't water these trees at all by themselves.

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