GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - New slabs around willow tree, leaves going yellow

Mike Lyle · 06-08-2010, 08:26 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

Charlie Pridham wrote:
In article ,
says...

Butterfly;896558 Wrote:
I have a 20 yr old American purple stem willow tree it is not very
big, about 9 or 10 foot tall and about 9ft diametre. Apparently
they stay fairly small. Its leaves have started to go yellow, not
sure if its because of the new slabbing around it or that it will
be getting less water or if its normal for the leaves to go yellow
at this time of year

I have just had the area slabbed around it to extend the patio and
while this was being done some of the roots (I'm pressuming it was
the roots from the willow) were chopped off as the area was dug to
about 5 or 6 inches before the slabs were laid so it has lost 5 or
6 inches of top soil over a 15ft by 15ft area. The gaps between the
slabs have been filled in and under them will now be the sand and
cement mixture which was put in all the corners so there will be
gaps under there too with no soil.

I don't really want to lose it, next to the trunk there has been
left quite a small area about 18 inch square which has been filled
with soil.

Could it be that it has to recover from the roots being chopped a
bit or will it be lack of water? I thought with it being there for
20 years that it might withstand it as its root system was well
established. Will it recover?

Anyone have any ideas about this please?

--
Butterfly

If it is just root damage due to the digging it will recover during
its dormant period this winter, if it is objecting to the sudden
increase in PH then its recovery may take longer. It may of course
just have been the dry year to date. but whatever, sit on your hands
and do nothing (apart from water if you think it could be very dry)
See what happens in spring before deciding what to do

Losing the top five or six inches is pretty hefty damage, though: I'd
have thought most of the fibrous roots would have been in that layer
(any comments from those better informed?). I don't know this species in
particular, but willows in general do have great powers of recovery, but
I think the filling between the slabs, if it's mortar, needs to come out
to admit not only water, but air. Any possibility of making that
slab-free patch a bit wider?

--
Mike.