Youngish Birch - growing tips dying?
 

Ian Cundell wrote in message ...
I have a Silver Birsh (Snow Queen) that is in in second summer p-lanted
out.

Last year it went mental and added something like 27ins to its stems.

This year it started well, added about 10ins - and then seems to have
stopped. Many stems have terminal leaves, rather than a growing tip, and
the few growing tips seem to have blackened. It looks a bit like frost
damage.

I am mindful of two things:

1. It has been very windy (I'm in Hertfordshire, btw).

2. Because of this I have been keeping it liberally watered, and did
inadvertently leave ther soaker on overnight - just before all the
storms turned up. There was a bit of waterlogging, but although the
ground is still a bit soft it certainly does not feel saturated.

I just noticed that a couple of stems have what look like male catkins
forming (the sticky out ones in clusters of three). This seems a bit
early to me. So I am wondering if a combination of wind and water has
fooled it into thinking it is later in the year than it really is - and
if I should do anything about it.

The soils is typical Herts clay with flints.

A nearby Betula Pendula - much bigger, but planted at the same time - is
going greeat guns.

Apart from the waterlogging and the location, this could have been
written by me as I have exactly the same problem.

I notice you didn't get an answer on this group. If you found at
anything from elsewhere I would be most appreciative if you could pass
on some info.

G.

Youngish Birch - growing tips dying?
 

Ian Cundell wrote in message ...
I have a Silver Birsh (Snow Queen) that is in in second summer p-lanted
out.

Last year it went mental and added something like 27ins to its stems.

This year it started well, added about 10ins - and then seems to have
stopped. Many stems have terminal leaves, rather than a growing tip, and
the few growing tips seem to have blackened. It looks a bit like frost
damage.

I am mindful of two things:

1. It has been very windy (I'm in Hertfordshire, btw).

2. Because of this I have been keeping it liberally watered, and did
inadvertently leave ther soaker on overnight - just before all the
storms turned up. There was a bit of waterlogging, but although the
ground is still a bit soft it certainly does not feel saturated.

I just noticed that a couple of stems have what look like male catkins
forming (the sticky out ones in clusters of three). This seems a bit
early to me. So I am wondering if a combination of wind and water has
fooled it into thinking it is later in the year than it really is - and
if I should do anything about it.

The soils is typical Herts clay with flints.

A nearby Betula Pendula - much bigger, but planted at the same time - is
going greeat guns.

Apart from the waterlogging and the location, this could have been
written by me as I have exactly the same problem.

I notice you didn't get an answer on this group. If you found at
anything from elsewhere I would be most appreciative if you could pass
on some info.

G.

Youngish Birch - growing tips dying?
 

In article ,
wrote:

Ian Cundell wrote in message
...
I have a Silver Birsh (Snow Queen) that is in in second summer p-lanted
out.

Last year it went mental and added something like 27ins to its stems.

This year it started well, added about 10ins - and then seems to have
stopped. Many stems have terminal leaves, rather than a growing tip, and
the few growing tips seem to have blackened. It looks a bit like frost
damage.

I am mindful of two things:

1. It has been very windy (I'm in Hertfordshire, btw).

2. Because of this I have been keeping it liberally watered, and did
inadvertently leave ther soaker on overnight - just before all the
storms turned up. There was a bit of waterlogging, but although the
ground is still a bit soft it certainly does not feel saturated.

I just noticed that a couple of stems have what look like male catkins
forming (the sticky out ones in clusters of three). This seems a bit
early to me. So I am wondering if a combination of wind and water has
fooled it into thinking it is later in the year than it really is - and
if I should do anything about it.

The soils is typical Herts clay with flints.

A nearby Betula Pendula - much bigger, but planted at the same time - is
going greeat guns.

Apart from the waterlogging and the location, this could have been
written by me as I have exactly the same problem.

I notice you didn't get an answer on this group. If you found at
anything from elsewhere I would be most appreciative if you could pass
on some info.

G.

Well, I asked at Ayletts (big, v highly regarded garden centre round my
way) and the nice young lady said that her hazel was also pushing out
catkins already. She though it was probably the slightly anomolous
weather - the wind has been constant - and suggested putting some fish,
blood and bone down (as a more balanced feed than the bonemeal it got at
the start of spring), but otherwise leave it in peace unless it gets
really dry.

I also cleared out encroaching grass from its cut-out to make sure it
had the ground as much to itself as possible.

Then I chatted to a neighbour who has a couple of birches (not sure what
type) and they too have catkins coming out early. I think I might take a
survey.

Pretty well everything in my garden - poenies, 'drangeas, fuschias,
heather, seems to be on a different timetable to last year. Apart from
the Tamarisk, which sails on regardless.

--
"Noah's Ark is a problem...We'll have to call
it early quantum state phenomenon--
Only way to fit five-thousand
species of mammal on the same boat"

Youngish Birch - growing tips dying?
 

Ian Cundell wrote in message ...
I have a Silver Birsh (Snow Queen) that is in in second summer p-lanted
out.

Last year it went mental and added something like 27ins to its stems.

This year it started well, added about 10ins - and then seems to have
stopped. Many stems have terminal leaves, rather than a growing tip, and
the few growing tips seem to have blackened. It looks a bit like frost
damage.

I am mindful of two things:

1. It has been very windy (I'm in Hertfordshire, btw).

2. Because of this I have been keeping it liberally watered, and did
inadvertently leave ther soaker on overnight - just before all the
storms turned up. There was a bit of waterlogging, but although the
ground is still a bit soft it certainly does not feel saturated.

I just noticed that a couple of stems have what look like male catkins
forming (the sticky out ones in clusters of three). This seems a bit
early to me. So I am wondering if a combination of wind and water has
fooled it into thinking it is later in the year than it really is - and
if I should do anything about it.

The soils is typical Herts clay with flints.

A nearby Betula Pendula - much bigger, but planted at the same time - is
going greeat guns.

Apart from the waterlogging and the location, this could have been
written by me as I have exactly the same problem.

I notice you didn't get an answer on this group. If you found at
anything from elsewhere I would be most appreciative if you could pass
on some info.

G.

Youngish Birch - growing tips dying?
 

In article ,
wrote:

Ian Cundell wrote in message
...
I have a Silver Birsh (Snow Queen) that is in in second summer p-lanted
out.

Last year it went mental and added something like 27ins to its stems.

This year it started well, added about 10ins - and then seems to have
stopped. Many stems have terminal leaves, rather than a growing tip, and
the few growing tips seem to have blackened. It looks a bit like frost
damage.

I am mindful of two things:

1. It has been very windy (I'm in Hertfordshire, btw).

2. Because of this I have been keeping it liberally watered, and did
inadvertently leave ther soaker on overnight - just before all the
storms turned up. There was a bit of waterlogging, but although the
ground is still a bit soft it certainly does not feel saturated.

I just noticed that a couple of stems have what look like male catkins
forming (the sticky out ones in clusters of three). This seems a bit
early to me. So I am wondering if a combination of wind and water has
fooled it into thinking it is later in the year than it really is - and
if I should do anything about it.

The soils is typical Herts clay with flints.

A nearby Betula Pendula - much bigger, but planted at the same time - is
going greeat guns.

Apart from the waterlogging and the location, this could have been
written by me as I have exactly the same problem.

I notice you didn't get an answer on this group. If you found at
anything from elsewhere I would be most appreciative if you could pass
on some info.

G.

Well, I asked at Ayletts (big, v highly regarded garden centre round my
way) and the nice young lady said that her hazel was also pushing out
catkins already. She though it was probably the slightly anomolous
weather - the wind has been constant - and suggested putting some fish,
blood and bone down (as a more balanced feed than the bonemeal it got at
the start of spring), but otherwise leave it in peace unless it gets
really dry.

I also cleared out encroaching grass from its cut-out to make sure it
had the ground as much to itself as possible.

Then I chatted to a neighbour who has a couple of birches (not sure what
type) and they too have catkins coming out early. I think I might take a
survey.

Pretty well everything in my garden - poenies, 'drangeas, fuschias,
heather, seems to be on a different timetable to last year. Apart from
the Tamarisk, which sails on regardless.

--
"Noah's Ark is a problem...We'll have to call
it early quantum state phenomenon--
Only way to fit five-thousand
species of mammal on the same boat"

Youngish Birch - growing tips dying?
 

Ian Cundell wrote in message ...
I have a Silver Birsh (Snow Queen) that is in in second summer p-lanted
out.

Last year it went mental and added something like 27ins to its stems.

This year it started well, added about 10ins - and then seems to have
stopped. Many stems have terminal leaves, rather than a growing tip, and
the few growing tips seem to have blackened. It looks a bit like frost
damage.

I am mindful of two things:

1. It has been very windy (I'm in Hertfordshire, btw).

2. Because of this I have been keeping it liberally watered, and did
inadvertently leave ther soaker on overnight - just before all the
storms turned up. There was a bit of waterlogging, but although the
ground is still a bit soft it certainly does not feel saturated.

I just noticed that a couple of stems have what look like male catkins
forming (the sticky out ones in clusters of three). This seems a bit
early to me. So I am wondering if a combination of wind and water has
fooled it into thinking it is later in the year than it really is - and
if I should do anything about it.

The soils is typical Herts clay with flints.

A nearby Betula Pendula - much bigger, but planted at the same time - is
going greeat guns.

Apart from the waterlogging and the location, this could have been
written by me as I have exactly the same problem.

I notice you didn't get an answer on this group. If you found at
anything from elsewhere I would be most appreciative if you could pass
on some info.

G.

Youngish Birch - growing tips dying?
 

Ian Cundell muttered:

Well, I asked at Ayletts (big, v highly regarded garden centre round my
way) and the nice young lady said that her hazel was also pushing out
catkins already. She though it was probably the slightly anomolous
weather - the wind has been constant - and suggested putting some fish,
blood and bone down (as a more balanced feed than the bonemeal it got at
the start of spring), but otherwise leave it in peace unless it gets
really dry.

Ours did the same thing approx a month after planting but now it seems ok
again - so fingers X'd