lilac problem - leaves drop off
 

hallo,
my lilac is about 4 years old, had 4 super scented flowers in spring. now the leaves at the top turned brown and dropped off, trundling on towards the lower branches which still have some leaves hanging on in there..... have noticed some tiny white spots on the branch. what is wrong i dont want to lose her! what shall i do?

cheers, karaman

lilac problem - leaves drop off
 

Can't say for sure, but here in Albuquerque this happens from lack of
water. Generally when it starts it's too late for half the leaves.

lilac problem - leaves drop off
 

On 2016-08-27 21:42:30 +0000, azigni said:

Can't say for sure, but here in Albuquerque this happens from lack of
water. Generally when it starts it's too late for half the leaves.

I was going to suggest overwatering as a possible etiology.

Thanks for replies but lack of water possible -- will shoot out there to remedy! thanks again. karaman.

lilac problem - leaves drop off
 

On Tue, 30 Aug 2016 04:28:24 +0200, karaman wrote:

Amos Nomore;1021971 Wrote:
On 2016-08-27 21:42:30 +0000, azigni said:
-
Can't say for sure, but here in Albuquerque this happens from lack of
water. Generally when it starts it's too late for half the leaves.-

I was going to suggest overwatering as a possible etiology.

Thanks for replies but lack of water possible -- will shoot out there to
remedy! thanks again. karaman.

Yes, when I put in lilacs my family in Minnesota thought I was silly, as
they grow like weeds there. Here in Albuquerque, I was doubtful they
would survive. Now they are over 15 years old, and barely chest high.

Good luck.

lilac problem - leaves drop off
 

azigni wrote:
karaman wrote:
Amos Nomore wrote:
azigni said:

Can't say for sure, but here in Albuquerque this happens from lack of
water. Generally when it starts it's too late for half the leaves.-

I was going to suggest overwatering as a possible etiology.

Thanks for replies but lack of water possible -- will shoot out there to
remedy! thanks again. karaman.

Yes, when I put in lilacs my family in Minnesota thought I was silly, as
they grow like weeds there. Here in Albuquerque, I was doubtful they
would survive. Now they are over 15 years old, and barely chest high.

There are many varieties of lilac, some grow no more than 2' tall
while others can achieve a 15'-20' height, with similar widths. Lilac
is also available in several colors from pure white to deep purple.
http://www.gardenersnet.com/lilac/lilac06.htm
http://www.naturehills.com/nsearch/?q=lilacs
I just ordered this one for fall planting,
I wasn't aware of a yellow lilac:
http://www.naturehills.com/lilac-primrose

lilac problem - leaves drop off
 

azigni said:

Can't say for sure, but here in Albuquerque this happens from lack of
water. Generally when it starts it's too late for half the leaves.-

I just noticed that you're in Albuquerque, Lilac likes cold winters,
down to zone 2, but doesn't do well in hot climes; no warmer than zone
7.

lilac problem - leaves drop off
 

On 8/27/2016 2:35 PM, karaman wrote:
hallo,
my lilac is about 4 years old, had 4 super scented flowers in spring.
now the leaves at the top turned brown and dropped off, trundling on
towards the lower branches which still have some leaves hanging on in
there..... have noticed some tiny white spots on the branch. what is
wrong i dont want to lose her! what shall i do?

As other posters have noted, the first thing to assume is a moisture
problem. Another possibility is verticillium wilt. It usually does not
affect the entire bush or tree, just a section, usually the topmost or
outermost stems or branches first. The leaves initially stay green but
wilt, and then turn brown. The stems usually die, but sometimes will
resprout the following year.

There isn't anything one can do about verticillium wilt, except give
the shrub or tree some extra care to minimize stress, since stress can
make the wilt worse.

I've had this for many years with my thirty-plus year old Japanese
tree lilac. I'll usually see a small stem or two wilt/brown/die back
each year, but every few years the dieback will be more substantial -
a entire branch or three. But given plenty of water during hot/dry
spells and a biennial fertilizing, despite the wilt, the tree thrives.