What's wrong with my Kilmarnock Willow ??

Question

It began to shoot this year, but then all the shoots died.

It looked as though the tree had died - then in last couple of weeks some of the branches have small shoots on, but most still appear dead. There are quite a few new branches growing from top of the trunk under dead wood.

Should I prune all the dead wood ???

Answer 1

It's homesick !

Answer 2

If the 'dead' wood is totally brittle (i.e. snaps cleanly under a little pressure) then it is doing no good - so prune it out.  I have seen several Kilmarnock Willows where the graft has failed, even after several years, and the top died over a period of 2 seasons.  If you have new growth - take heart!  Keep it well watered, give it a mulch and hope for the best - there is little in the way of pests and diseases that could be the cause really.  Sorry not to be more positive.  You can pollard it in the autumn to take the weight off the graft - then it has 2 chances!  Good luck :-)

Answer 3

i stay 9 mile from kilmarnock, must be a horrible flower

Answer 4

Unless you can see it is diseased don't prune at the moment - you stand a chance of cutting out good wood and introducing infection.

Give it a feed, make sure it is watered and wait until it is dormant to prune it.

You could take a little off now to see if there is maybe a problem under the bark though.