A willow disease?

[Alireza_M]

Hello guys,

I planted a willow sapling four months ago, It was approximately four meters high!

I used to water that willow once in two days. last month it started to lose leaves and it lost them all by previous week. after cutting the sapling from the middle I noticed a strange black greasy like material under it's skin. I took some photos and I am going to attach the photos to my thread.

Do you have any Idea of what is that greasy like substance? It is exactly beneath the parts which the skin layer has got loose and changed in color.

Thanks for your responses in advance,

Alireza

 

[Esther Knapicius]

have no idea. But a good start is to spray the whole thing with Joy dish detergent and water. see what happens with that.

 

[Beth_B]

That looks like some sort of fungus, or mold?
Not sure, though. And no idea how to treat it. Do you have garden centers/stores in Tehran? Hope you can save your tree.

 

[Alireza_M]

I really have no idea! i asked one of the neighbors, He told me that it is a disease from the soil, after that he told me that there used to be a lot of construction waste in my garden, years ago. His answers did not convince me actually cuz whatever I ask him at last he reaches to the sad point of construction waste which has been left somewhere...

Beth, Do you think it's a fungus? if so what do you think about the reason?
Since the black greasy material is only beneath the dried parts of the sapling, is it possible that the black thing is natural and happens in the drying process?
I really don't know..

 

[Sheal]

I've just been looking around on Google Alireza and it seems your willow could be suffering from black canker.

 

[Beth_B]

I don't know if it's construction-related but many fungal infections are in the soil...I'm not really an expert on garden diseases generally but for now I'm going with fungus/mold. Often the cause or trigger is excess moisture and lack of sunlight. So, sun plus drying out or less water might fix it?

Here in the US we have options (sprays and such, as well as tree service companies) to treat plant and tree diseases. Not at all sure what's available to you in Tehran but I do know it is a major, large city so that's why I wondered if you had garden centers there.

 

[Alireza_M]

I've just been looking around on Google Alireza and it seems your willow could be suffering from black canker.

Thanks my friend, I searched for the black canker you just mentioned,
my willow is placed in a shady ground, being under the ceiling of much older trees and in this season Here is so warm too (around 40 degrees Celsius in the high noon), so these matches my condition BUT it says : "Black canker will leave cancerous sores on the branches of a willow."
As far as I know, there were no infections etc. on the leaves of the willow.

But all other descriptions of black cancer matches my case, because it started exactly at the point were main branches came out of the main trunc.

I searched for the solution they only suggest cutting the affected areas and cleaning the pruning tools with bleach! each time :

"Mix a solution containing one part bleach and nine parts water. Soak pruning tools such as hand saws and branch loppers with this solution. Remove branches affected with leaf scab and black canker to remove the diseases from a willow. Soak your tools in between removing each affected limb to stop the spread of these diseases.

Read more: How to Cure a Sick Weeping Willow | Garden Guides "

 

[Alireza_M]

I don't know if it's construction-related but many fungal infections are in the soil...I'm not really an expert on garden diseases generally but for now I'm going with fungus/mold. Often the cause or trigger is excess moisture and lack of sunlight. So, sun plus drying out or less water might fix it?

Here in the US we have options (sprays and such, as well as tree service companies) to treat plant and tree diseases. Not at all sure what's available to you in Tehran but I do know it is a major, large city so that's why I wondered if you had garden centers there.

I watered it once in two days and the soil was always dry! but the lack of sunlight might be the reason..

There are some small businesses in gardening but I do not trust them, Actually customer service is below zero point here.

 

[Alireza_M]

I just called the green space organization , someone told me to mix 2 grams of Copper oxychloride with a liter water and clean the whole sapling with it. He also asked me about how fast the soil absorbs the water and I told him that even a glass of water will stay still and slowly penetrate into the soil, then he told me to change once in two days irrigating to once in three days.. Beth, you were right about the watering too!

Imma use the method and I will share the results with you.

 

[Sheal]

The description of how to diagnose and treat black canker seems to be a bit vague on the internet. I would treat it the same as any other blight and cut out the diseased parts of the tree, assuming this actually leaves you with a tree that can continue to grow.

Growing a willow in temperatures of around 40C is not the ideal situation for them, even here in much cooler Britain they prefer to grow on river banks and similar places as they are thirsty trees. Good luck and I hope the tree survives for you.

 

[Corzhens]

I really cannot say what it really is but I agree that it is a form of fungus or parasite. Coincidentally, one of our lemon plant is now suffering from something we cannot identify. It has 3 main branches and 1 of those is drying, had actually dried and amputated yesterday. There were 3 pinholes that we think was used by an insect to lay eggs. Now we are observing the 2 branches that are left.