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What's wrong with my lilac tree?

10 years ago

I bought this lilac tree last fall. It had lost half its leaves and the rest blew off on the ride home. I planted it, watered it, and left it until spring. Now it has leafed out, but not very fully, it seems. Also, the leaves look a bit chewed-on. And it looks like there are some bloom clusters, but they're not flowering. I'm not sure when exactly they're supposed to bloom.

Anyway, any help with diagnosing what problems may be, would be appreciated. I've never had a lilac tree before. This is the view out the upstairs window.

{{gwi:362855}}

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
its alive.. and actually blooming...

i really dont know what more you want from a recently transplanted plant ...

i would not even expect flower.. and be glad its alive ...

i cant focus on the leaves.. and clicking the pic does not enlarge it ...

at first i thought the leaves were not properly green.. but that is when i realized it was blooming ...

water properly.. and ignore it ... all summer long ...

and try not to love it to death ...

and no.. fert will not help it get over transplant shock ....

ken
flora_uk
10 years ago
A view from an upstairs window is not really sufficient to diagnose a tree's troubles, if indeed it has any. Can you get a closer shot of the flowers and leaves?
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The 'fungus' is actually lichen. Completely harmless and completely unrelated to the die-back. There are many things that can cause a lilac to die-back. In your case, large mature stems of common lilac are particularly susceptible to lilac borer. Stressed trees are also more susceptible to the borer...how much salt does your DOT put on that road behind the lilac?
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your base problem.. is that you thought that a NEW TRANSPLANT.. would be vigorous and explode in growth .. all i expect the first year.. is for it not to die .. you water when it needs it.. and you find out by inserting your index finger.. or digging a small hole next the the part you planted.. and insuring that it is damp thru the whole root zone .. and then NOT watering again.. until it near dries.. NO GUESSING ... i would NEVER feed nor amend the soil on a new transplant.. IMHO.. lilac NEVER needs fert ... and you need a nice circle of mulch around it ... and in 40 years of owning lilac.. i never used a chemical nor bug solution ever.. the leaf damage looks mechanical.. not chewing.. shipping damage?? hail??? dog.. kids??? lilac also needs full sun .. is yours in full sun??? you are on the verge of trying to love it to death ... water PROPERLY.. and step away from it ... and forget about some special CO winter rules ... if properly watered.. and happy going into fall.. it should be bulletproof ... water deep into fall.. but do not allow it to freeze its roots in a manmade ice cube ... ken
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Something is causing the branch tips, not just the blossoms to die since the leaves are in trouble also. Have you checked the branches to see if there is injury? For instance, holes from some type of borer, or have you had high winds that might have caused injury? Have you checked to see if any weed and feed was spread on the grass on the neighbor's side of the fence or has someone been spraying herbicide that might have drifted?
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cdecker, there's no issue here. It's September and for the past 4 or so months, insects, fungi that are pathogens on plants, bacteria and mites have all had their way with plants. Likewise, weeks of dry weather, pounding rains, and crazy winds have all been beating up on those leaves all summer. There is simply no problem here-it's fall.
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weedyacres
Original Author
10 years ago
Here's a blown-up view of the top part, which shows up ok against the asphalt. I'm worried about the parts of branches that have no leaves on them.
nurseryman33
10 years ago
Just trim off the dead parts and it will look better. Then give it time to fill in.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
what he said

give it a few more weeks.. and if those parts do NOT leaf out.. truncate them back to a proper place ... a fork to a live part ...

its part of the transplant shock .. of planting last fall ...

then you ought to start thinking about your long run goals with it .... will you be wanting to maintain its tree form.. and if so.. you will have to start taking off those side branches down low .... perhaps in fall.. or after bloom next spring.. but NOT right now ...

your transplant made it thru winter.. and flowered.. you should be pretty happy on that level ... dont let your expectations overwhelm this tree ... its alive.. what more do you want ...

insure ... by digging 3 to 6 inch holes around it .. [one hole.. once a month] .. that there is moisture deep down.. all summer.. perhaps trickling the hose if need be.. no guessing.. and trees do not appreciate.. just lawn sprinkling.. the first year .. so do check at depth..

then it will just be a matter of sucking it up.. and learning how to prune.. to keep this SHRUB .. in TREE form ...

i see rocks around it.. but cant tell if there is mulch.. that will help maintain soil moisture ...

ken
flora_uk
10 years ago
Is this Syringa reticulata, Japanese Lilac? The flowers of that species do look different from Syringa vulgaris cultivars and I'm wondering if that is what you were expecting when you bought it?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:362854}}
weedyacres
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks all. I won't stress, will trim the dead branches next month, and will keep it properly watered through the summer. Glad to know there's no reason to panic. :-)

And I have no idea what cultivar it is.

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