A little late in the day I've spotted some unusual, and localised,
plant death. I've lost a large bracken which I noticed not growing
beyond around April this year - it looks like it stalled. Around the
same time a 9 ft walnut sapling seems to have lost all its growth
and is just now starting to produce some new growth. Part of a grape
vine was growing thinly up the walnut branches and that has all
died - the rest seems normal though I need to check more closely.
And a nearby ash sapling has gone rather mutant in its limited
growth.

I did wonder if a late frost had done for the bracken, but the
then very early growth wasn't frost burnt; the area is near
to the house; and a second walnut close by is unaffected.

The malaise seems localised around the first walnut which was
just starting to make itself obvious above a 6 ft wall. It has
had a very small branch which was almost growing over the wall
cut off by the neighbour, and I suspect something rather more
drastic may have been done. Does anyone know of a likely place
to turn to, to test the plants and soil for various unfriendly
chemicals?

--
Jamie

Jamie wrote:

A little late in the day I've spotted some unusual, and localised,
plant death. I've lost a large bracken which I noticed not growing
beyond around April this year - it looks like it stalled. Around the
same time a 9 ft walnut sapling seems to have lost all its growth
and is just now starting to produce some new growth. Part of a grape
vine was growing thinly up the walnut branches and that has all
died - the rest seems normal though I need to check more closely.
And a nearby ash sapling has gone rather mutant in its limited
growth.

It does sound a bit like overspray from a weedkiller.

I did wonder if a late frost had done for the bracken, but the
then very early growth wasn't frost burnt; the area is near
to the house; and a second walnut close by is unaffected.

The malaise seems localised around the first walnut which was
just starting to make itself obvious above a 6 ft wall. It has
had a very small branch which was almost growing over the wall
cut off by the neighbour, and I suspect something rather more
drastic may have been done. Does anyone know of a likely place
to turn to, to test the plants and soil for various unfriendly
chemicals?

Look no further than the walnut tree itself. Their roots produce juglone
a herbicide that will kill or seriously discourage competitors
underneath. Having said that narcissi and grass grow OK under mine.

There may well be a list somewhere of plants that will grow under a
walnut tree. Certain species roots and harsh conditions will be worse.

Analysis for traces of unknown herbicide will be very expensive and
probably not return any useful information.

Regards,
Martin Brown

In article , Martin Brown |||newspam|
writes
Jamie wrote:

A little late in the day I've spotted some unusual, and localised,
plant death. I've lost a large bracken which I noticed not growing
beyond around April this year - it looks like it stalled. Around the
same time a 9 ft walnut sapling seems to have lost all its growth
and is just now starting to produce some new growth. Part of a grape
vine was growing thinly up the walnut branches and that has all
died - the rest seems normal though I need to check more closely.
And a nearby ash sapling has gone rather mutant in its limited
growth.

It does sound a bit like overspray from a weedkiller.

Except that it couldn't be accidental. And how much would be needed
to stop a 9 ft sapling entirely in its tracks?

I did wonder if a late frost had done for the bracken, but the
then very early growth wasn't frost burnt; the area is near
to the house; and a second walnut close by is unaffected.

The malaise seems localised around the first walnut which was
just starting to make itself obvious above a 6 ft wall. It has
had a very small branch which was almost growing over the wall
cut off by the neighbour, and I suspect something rather more
drastic may have been done. Does anyone know of a likely place
to turn to, to test the plants and soil for various unfriendly
chemicals?

Look no further than the walnut tree itself. Their roots produce juglone
a herbicide that will kill or seriously discourage competitors
underneath. Having said that narcissi and grass grow OK under mine.

A suicidal walnut?

Analysis for traces of unknown herbicide will be very expensive and
probably not return any useful information.

Probably right.

--
Jamie

"Jamie" wrote in message
...
In article , Martin Brown |||newspam|
writes
Jamie wrote:

A little late in the day I've spotted some unusual, and localised,
plant death. I've lost a large bracken which I noticed not growing
beyond around April this year - it looks like it stalled. Around the
same time a 9 ft walnut sapling seems to have lost all its growth
and is just now starting to produce some new growth. Part of a grape
vine was growing thinly up the walnut branches and that has all
died - the rest seems normal though I need to check more closely.
And a nearby ash sapling has gone rather mutant in its limited
growth.

It does sound a bit like overspray from a weedkiller.

Except that it couldn't be accidental. And how much would be needed
to stop a 9 ft sapling entirely in its tracks?

I did wonder if a late frost had done for the bracken, but the
then very early growth wasn't frost burnt; the area is near
to the house; and a second walnut close by is unaffected.

The malaise seems localised around the first walnut which was
just starting to make itself obvious above a 6 ft wall. It has
had a very small branch which was almost growing over the wall
cut off by the neighbour, and I suspect something rather more
drastic may have been done. Does anyone know of a likely place
to turn to, to test the plants and soil for various unfriendly
chemicals?

Look no further than the walnut tree itself. Their roots produce juglone
a herbicide that will kill or seriously discourage competitors
underneath. Having said that narcissi and grass grow OK under mine.

A suicidal walnut?

Analysis for traces of unknown herbicide will be very expensive and
probably not return any useful information.

Probably right.

--
Jamie

If you really think your neighbour has poisoned it, plant another, and set
up a webcam/cctv and get him on film next time. Costly, but if you catch
him, well worth it! If he did poison the tree, is that criminal damage? I
suspect it is...

"Matt Durkin" wrote in message If you really
think your neighbour has poisoned it, plant another, and set
up a webcam/cctv and get him on film next time. Costly, but if you catch
him, well worth it! If he did poison the tree, is that criminal damage? I
suspect it is...
Alternatively liberally spray a systemic weedkiller over the fence near
where your plants are dying and tell the neighbour you thing there is some
terrible disease around there cos *your* plants started dying and obviously
whatever caused it, has sparted to spread to *his* garden too.

Jamie wrote:

[-]
The malaise seems localised around the first walnut which was
just starting to make itself obvious above a 6 ft wall. It has
had a very small branch which was almost growing over the wall
cut off by the neighbour, and I suspect something rather more
drastic may have been done.

Not to excuse the 'something drastic', but as someone plagued by
tree-planting neighbours, I have to ask... do you know how big that
walnut tree will be when it's mature? If it's a little over 6' tall now
and one small branch is almost over the wall, then in a few years it
will be destabilising that wall, and a few years after that it will be
killing plants (shading and juglone) in your neighbour's garden.

About 5 years ago our neighbours on one side planted *sycamores* and
poplars less than 2' from the property boundary (our fence) to screen
the windows in their new extension from our view. Not that we were
bothered, and we have nets in our windows. The trees are closer to our
house than theirs. We no longer see the morning sun in the kitchen (I
miss it), the tree roots are taking all the moisture from the flower/veg
bed on our side of the fence -- my raspberry crop is pathetic and the
gooseberries are suffering -- and the alder 'cones' are destroying my
lawnmower. They also planted a *beech* tree about 3m away from both our
house and another neighbour's house. My sole consolation is that they
planted a gingko about 4m from their own extension. And we're in a
conservation area: trees over 3" DBH can't be felled without a
permission and usually a report from a tree surgeon proving they're
unsafe.

The neigbour on the other side planted a line of trees to screen her
manor house from the rest of the village; in another three years or so
I'll no longer be able to see my favourite view out over the fields, and
I'll have to abandon my dream of a domestic wind turbine in our garden
:-((

regards
sarah



--
Think of it as evolution in action.

In article , sarah
writes
Jamie wrote:

[-]
The malaise seems localised around the first walnut which was
just starting to make itself obvious above a 6 ft wall. It has
had a very small branch which was almost growing over the wall
cut off by the neighbour, and I suspect something rather more
drastic may have been done.

Not to excuse the 'something drastic', but as someone plagued by
tree-planting neighbours, I have to ask... do you know how big that
walnut tree will be when it's mature?

Yes, we already have one around 20 feet tall further down the garden
(not near a boundary). It is from that tree that squirrels have planted
two more, one of which is near the boundary, both of which will be
transplanted/donated/removed as they are not in suitable locations.

If it's a little over 6' tall now
and one small branch is almost over the wall, then in a few years it
will be destabilising that wall, and a few years after that it will be
killing plants (shading and juglone) in your neighbour's garden.

The wall is ours, my father built it, and the top two courses are
breaking away because the neighbour thoughtfully hammered nails into
the mortar all along it. They don't have any plants on their side, as
it is a concreted area. Their nearest plants are the start of their
40 feet long lleylandi hedge - thankfully kept to around 8 feet high,
but merrily poisoning the soil nearby. This hedge gives way to two
pines, ours admittedly, and then is replaced by a deciduous 'hedge'
they had planted 15 years ago for the remainder of the border.
Strangely, these trees have never been pruned so we have a hedge around
20 feet high running along 40 yards of our border, including next to
the greenhouse we had there, which is now rather light limited.
I don't think the new hedge proposals (law?) are applicable to
deciduous hedges...

About 5 years ago our neighbours on one side planted *sycamores* and
poplars less than 2' from the property boundary (our fence) to screen
the windows in their new extension from our view. Not that we were
bothered, and we have nets in our windows. The trees are closer to our
house than theirs. We no longer see the morning sun in the kitchen (I
miss it), the tree roots are taking all the moisture from the flower/veg
bed on our side of the fence -- my raspberry crop is pathetic and the
gooseberries are suffering -- and the alder 'cones' are destroying my
lawnmower. They also planted a *beech* tree about 3m away from both our
house and another neighbour's house. My sole consolation is that they
planted a gingko about 4m from their own extension. And we're in a
conservation area: trees over 3" DBH can't be felled without a
permission and usually a report from a tree surgeon proving they're
unsafe.

The neigbour on the other side planted a line of trees to screen her
manor house from the rest of the village; in another three years or so
I'll no longer be able to see my favourite view out over the fields, and
I'll have to abandon my dream of a domestic wind turbine in our garden
:-((

We now have a 6 foot fence erected all down our other border by recent
arrivals, so are now completely enclosed. Too many counts in the
countryside. I feel your pain.

This newsgroup's being bug red atm so I'll have to unsubscibe.

--
Jamie