Very poorly Rowan
Silverbelle
Posts: 4
My rowan tree is obviously in need of some nourishment as this year it has had very few leaves, but has produced plenty of berries for the birds. Am I right in thinking that autumn may be the time to do something about the problem; and what should I do?
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Posts
I'm not convinced that there's anything you can do, Silverbelle. How old is the tree; has anything about the ground conditions changed in the last two years?
Joe
The tree is about 12yrs old and has always had competition from a neighbour's sycamore tree for water, but as this year we've had so much rain I didn't think this would be the problem.
I have a rowan that was looking very poorly a few weeks ago, mine had lost a lot of leaves. It also had very few berries, so the problem might be different to yours.
Rowans normally grow on hillsides. They like well-drained conditions, and free-draining soil. I'm on a clay soil with poor drainage. I'm attributing my problem to the very wet conditions that we've had this Summer, coupled with the clay soil.
Thank you Gary. You may have solved the problem. We too have clay soil, and that coupled with all the rain we've had this year may be the cause. Up until now the sycamore may have been keeping the moisture away.
You mention nourishment, but now is the wrong time to feed the tree is that is what you intend to do. I am prejudiced against sycamore trees, so I would be inclined to blame that! Rowans are not trees that will put up with much competition, they are not very strong-growing trees.
I too have a problem with a Rowan, it has dropped its leaves and has had very few berries, I agree with you Gary it could be too much rain, hope it picks up next year
Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. I hope the tree will recover next year. What do you suggest I should feed it with Weshonion, and when should I feed it?
I wouldn't have thought that feeding was necessary for a mature tree.
You'll just have to hope that lack of drainage is the problem. If the problem is due to something else, such as a disease or pests, then feeding is unlikely to help.
Fertiliser would have been of use (in the Spring) if the problem had been due to lack of nutrients. But we don't think that it it.