Robinia pseudoacacia dying
Edward Pope
this year. After a few weeks all the leaves were still small, then
wilted, went brown and started falling off.
Too much water? We have seep hose and bog garden nearby.
Disease? no sign of anything else wrong.
Can it be saved?
Sue & Bob Hobden
"Sacha" <> wrote in message >
> Edward, this isn't much help because it's just an observation but
> someone rang recently to buy one of these and Ray told him he just
> won't sell them as so many of them just keel over and die for no
> apparent reason. He reckons that out of every 10 he used to sell, 4
> or 5 would result in complaints.
Does Ray think it just the "Frisia" variety that is a bit
demanding/annoying?
I ask this as we have a mature Robinia pseudoacacia tortuosa that appears in
rude health, covered in flower this year (gets better every year), it was
like a huge sweet smelling cream ball and it sets seed freely.
On thinking about it I can't remember ever seeing a "Frisia" in flower, do
they?
Bob (sounds like we chose the right variety for a change!) :-)
http://www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/
about an allotment site or a fight for democracy?
Janet Baraclough
from Edward Pope <edwar...@ntlworld.com> contains these words:
> Our Robinia pseudoacacia Frisia failed to come into full leaf as usual
> this year. After a few weeks all the leaves were still small, then
> wilted, went brown and started falling off.
> Too much water? We have seep hose and bog garden nearby.
Its family originated from N Mexico iirc, they like dry soils and sun.
Either the seep hose may be overwatering it, or the roots may have
reached the bog garden?
I live in west Scotland and have yet to see one survive up here
for more than a few years. Sorry, don't know how you can save it.
Janet
Susan Young
could be one reason for the demise of your tree.
Sue Y
Edward Pope <edwar...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
Brenda
>I ask this as we have a mature Robinia pseudoacacia tortuosa that appears in
>rude health, covered in flower this year (gets better every year), it was
>like a huge sweet smelling cream ball and it sets seed freely.
>On thinking about it I can't remember ever seeing a "Frisia" in flower, do
>they?
>
it flowered for the first and last time as you described, it was
lovely. At the end of the summer I found it lying down, as though it
had 'snapped' a couple of inches beneath the soil. There was not a
huge root system for its age. I think it knew it was dying, and pushed
out flowers before it went AAAAhhhh!!!!!
Brenda
>
>
>
>
Sue & Bob Hobden
"Brenda" wrote in message ...
>
> I had a beautiful Robinia that was happy for about 8years. Last year
> it flowered for the first and last time as you described, it was
> lovely. At the end of the summer I found it lying down, as though it
> had 'snapped' a couple of inches beneath the soil. There was not a
> huge root system for its age. I think it knew it was dying, and pushed
> out flowers before it went AAAAhhhh!!!!!
How sad for you. Showed you what it could do and died. Mixed emotions eh?
Wonder if it's a problem caused by the type of rootstock used?
Ours is some 15+ years old and as high as the house.
Builder that built our wall some years ago reckoned the roots went straight
down as he found none near the surface even as close as 3ft, so I wonder if
the depth and makeup of both the soil and subsoil is important, we are good
deep clay loam over deep sand/gravel so the roots can go straight down as
far as they like.
It's also in a S. facing front garden protected from the N. by our house, so
quite a warm spot.
I'm quite worried now though. Better grow a rootstock from seed and graft
another one to be on the safe side.
Bob
Brenda
>
>"Brenda" wrote in message ...
>>
>> I had a beautiful Robinia that was happy for about 8years. Last year
>> it flowered for the first and last time as you described, it was
>> lovely. At the end of the summer I found it lying down, as though it
>> had 'snapped' a couple of inches beneath the soil. There was not a
>> huge root system for its age. I think it knew it was dying, and pushed
>> out flowers before it went AAAAhhhh!!!!!
>
>How sad for you. Showed you what it could do and died. Mixed emotions eh?
>Wonder if it's a problem caused by the type of rootstock used?
>
>Ours is some 15+ years old and as high as the house.
My soil is heavy clay and I'm on a North East facing corner. The wind
blows across my garden. I think it was a combination of these things,
plus I'm not on main drainage and my soakaway from the septic tank ran
through the spot where the tree stood. So I reckon that the poor
thing has too may adverse conditions.
Mind you the plants that like these conditions thrive wonderfully,
especially roses and most shrubs.
Brenda
Jan Hall
The seem to like a deep root system, but don't spread out that much. They
are now about 10 inches high. Maybe I might end up with half a dozen by the
sounds of all the posts in here. All of them at present seem reasonably
happy. One or two have had something nibble slightly at the leaves.
"Brenda" <brenda...@bullbtinternet.com> wrote in message
news:3b3cd904...@news.btinternet.com...
Barry Davis
we have sandy soil on a gravel sub base and have not found any surface roots
so ours must go straight down too
Other Robinia in our area are 50 ft and flourishing
Edward Pope
Thank you all for your helpful replies to my query about my Robinia.
It seems that it not such an unusual occurrence as I first thought.
I should have said in my first post that the tree is about fifteen
years old and it did flower last year. Clearly, too much for it!
I do like Robinias and saw several healthy ones in other people's
gardens this weekend. they do stand out.
However, it has to go and I will do as Sacha suggests and replace it
with a Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst'
Again, Thank you all.