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Pests & Diseases - Australia

Mystery of the falling leaves

21 years ago

I have three flowering ash(fraxinus griffithi)only about 2mtrs tall & their leaves seem to be being eaten by something ,although I can't see any bugs/grubs etc.all that's left is the leaf stem & not even any half eaten leaves.Also some of the leaves & tiny branches go black and fall off,there are new shoots at the top of the tree so I don't think they are on the way out.I was told they're evergreen so it can't just be that it's autumn & they're dropping there leaves.

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Comments (5)

louise5
21 years ago
G'day Wendy,
I'm up near Cessnock and know of a similar thing happening to local trees. Basically they have a temper tantrum when either it is too dry or it gets too cold and windy and throw their leaves off. This allows the tree to keep itself alive when it is under stress. If it has new shoots appearing wait and see how they progress. Although this is known as an Evergreen Ash it is semi-deciduous in cooler climates. Best of luck. Louise5
Little_Digger
20 years ago
I have a ficus in my garden (yes, yes, I know it's too big)and it drops its leaves when there's a lot of rain in a short time (as there has been lately). It always recovers.
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Ali, Steve made a great point! At least 16 hours of light by now. What kind of light is that and how strong is it? Does it get any sunlight at all in a south facing window? You could use any good soilless mix you find there, but youwould have to gauge how fast it dries and whether or not it's good for the environment you have it in. Options You could use a clay pot with a good soilless mix. Miracle grow will work if you add more perlite to it, or even bark mulch, pine that is. You could use straight 'pine bark' or 'hemlock mulch with added lime. That would be very porous. You could use the mulch with added perlite even more porous. You could use mulch mixes with peat and perlite. As you can see, there are options, just become creative with a mix that does not hold perched water and that can rot or suffocate your roots. In your situation you most likely need a mix that is very porous and that dries out evenly and quickly like within a couple of days which I likje ro wthin at least a week. ) I wish everyone that grew citrus in containers could understand the concept or how water behaves in planted containers and how to make mixes work best for their trees and grower. There is plenty to learn at the container forum if you ever wanted to know more) While you stay safe, here is something you might enjoy reading) https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5894651/container-soils-water-movement-and-retention-4-11-20#n=14
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sterculias
20 years ago
Wendy,

Could it be grasshoppers? Sometimes they can be hard to catch in the act.

Doug.
Karen_Perth
20 years ago
Wendy

apart from when they lost their leaves in 2002, do they drop much and create much leaf litter as i am considering one for my paved courtyard but don't want to be a slave to the broom.

Karen
Wendy_nsw
Original Author
20 years ago
Karen I haven't had any problems with excessive falling leaves since 2002. I think they must have been stressed cause they were only young,although I never did find out exactly what was was wrong with them.I think Louise may have been spot on with the temper tantrum theory.They seem to be flourishing now with very little attention.They are just begining to drop a few leaves again but not enough to have to be cleaning up after them all the time.They are evergreen but will still drop a handfull of leaves occasionally.Mine are 2yo,stand 2.5mtr and still haven't flowered but they are still a lovely tree & i recommend u growing them.Good luck.

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