Ginkgo problems

ihill · 11th August 2007, 12:56 PM

Ginkgos are supposed to be disease resistant, but I am worried about ours. It is about 60 feet high and has always been fine. But now I can see bare branches near the top and bits of it are looking droopy. Should I be worried? It should have had enough water this year at least - I suspect that its roots are well into the sewers in the main road! Any ideas - or ideas where I could seek help? We are in West London

Thanks

mdvaden · 11th August 2007, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihill

Ginkgos are supposed to be disease resistant, but I am worried about ours. It is about 60 feet high and has always been fine. But now I can see bare branches near the top and bits of it are looking droopy. Should I be worried? It should have had enough water this year at least - I suspect that its roots are well into the sewers in the main road! Any ideas - or ideas where I could seek help? We are in West London

Thanks

Might try the International Society of Arboriculture's website option in the menu to look up Certified Arborists by area.

Also, most trees can't get roots into sewers in a lot of cities because the pipes are sealed and not porous like perforated drain lines may be sometimes.

Sounds like there may be something about your soil or the conditions of the property affecting it. And that can be slightly complex sometimes. Almost needs to be seen in person.

Ekka · 12th August 2007, 12:51 AM

Droopy, not really a condition associated with lack of water, maybe the opposite, drowning.

Lots of pics would help.

We dont have much underground piped gas here but they say when you get an underground leak of that it will kill trees too, dont know what the symptoms are though.

See if you can get some pics up.

pomme · 12th August 2007, 07:15 AM

any building work taken place close by? thinking maybe compaction. is it in the front garden? utilities dig and lay cables all the time and although they are supposed to dig by hand around tree roots the rarely do there is a massive amount of works going on in london at the moment. gas is also a good one(ekka). where abouts in west london are you as i work in this area alot and could drop by and have a squint.

ihill · 12th August 2007, 07:27 AM

Good point - only very recent works to the sewer. Presumably it would take time to have an effect on the tree? If it was in the front garden we could not get in the door!!! In the back garden, a bit too close to the house with only 30ft of garden space! But right by the road. Hopefully you can see that at this time the damage is not greatly visible, but I fear that it will get worse

Ekka · 12th August 2007, 02:19 PM

What's all the ground cover stuff growing under it?

Could you get a few more pics of the trunk/ground area?

Lets see how close that tree is to the retaining wall, also inspect the wall from road side, maybe a shot of that to.

See, the tree only has maybe 60% of it's root entitlement due to location (wont grow roots in fresh air). If the wall has cracked allowing moisture table to drop etc it could have impact upon a mature tree.

Now the probability of canopy issues usually but not always will coincide to the side of the tree with root problems. Is the road side of the tree canopy worse than the opposite?

So with a reduced root entitlement, any competing ground covers etc will also have more impact, has the surrounding shrubs, lawn, ground covers had a blooming good year too?

Finally, in restricted root areas, where trees get hemmed in by structures, similar to a plant that gets pot bound they can start to struggle as they consume resources and have less new ground to grow. Maybe time to re-assess around the tree to replenish it's growing environment. You know, clear around it, mulch, soil condition with organic stuff like blood/bone, (do not fertilize with aggressive stuff loaded with nitrogen).

Also, if you can get out your spade or hand trowel and dig a little hole, maybe 10" deep, fill it with water and see how long it takes to drain. When you dig the hole observe the roots, do this say 10' plus away from the trunk, you should find quite a few fine hairy roots in the soil, especially the top few inches. And just while you are there perhaps a PH test, make sure the soil is OK. You could do this in perhaps 2 or 3 spots.

Well, have fun, post your findings and pics.

pomme · 15th August 2007, 01:56 PM

just a thought but has there been alot of salt used or stored on the pavements/road in the last couple of years

ihill · 16th August 2007, 12:15 PM

I think at the moment that we are thinking that something has been munching the leaves! The branches seem to have been stripped but have new growth on. Does anyone know anything that likes to munch ginkgo leaves????

mdvaden · 17th August 2007, 09:39 PM

Any chance that these bare limbs are on one side of the tree?

ihill · 18th August 2007, 06:34 AM

Thanks for your answers. No - no salt on the road ( we live in London and don't need it ) . Actually we now think it looks like a virus. Does anyone know of a ginkgo virus? I attach some photos to let you see why I do not think it is a water or wall issue. The ivy starts about 3 feet up the trunk ( so that gives you an idea of scale ) . The tree is over 100 years old so very well established. The ivy has been there for years.

ihill · 18th August 2007, 06:36 AM

No - bare limbs all around as well!

Sean Freeman · 18th August 2007, 07:04 AM

I agree with Mario's post #2, get an ISA Arborist to come out and inspect the tree, your pics are great but its not possible to give more than vague suggestions without actually being on site in the case of such a normally resiliant and tough species.

No tree is impervious to the pressures of its environment not even Ginkgo, I would suspect as others have suggested the impact of alterations around the roots in the last 20-30yrs may be the cause.

Try here ISA England Certified Arborists for a list of certified Arborists.

pomme · 19th August 2007, 03:40 AM

if you are in london salt on the roads and pavements is your local authorites method of ice clearing. orange rock salt is spread by the griting lorries. westminster council have lost a lot of trees due to this. it is a common problem, get somone to inspect the tree both from the ground and also a climbing inspection

11th August 2007, 12:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
ihill Sappling Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: London Posts: 5	Ginkgo problems Ginkgos are supposed to be disease resistant, but I am worried about ours. It is about 60 feet high and has always been fine. But now I can see bare branches near the top and bits of it are looking droopy. Should I be worried? It should have had enough water this year at least - I suspect that its roots are well into the sewers in the main road! Any ideas - or ideas where I could seek help? We are in West London Thanks

12th August 2007, 12:51 AM	#3 (permalink)
Ekka Eric Frei Administrator - Brisbane L5 (Dip) Hort Cert III Arb + some Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 6,847	Droopy, not really a condition associated with lack of water, maybe the opposite, drowning. Lots of pics would help. We dont have much underground piped gas here but they say when you get an underground leak of that it will kill trees too, dont know what the symptoms are though. See if you can get some pics up. __________________ Remember to use the "search" function, if you have answers/questions post them so everyone can benefit. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding and Stump Removal Brisbane Brisbane Tree Care, Consultations, Developer, Tree and Arborist Reports Forum Sponsors

12th August 2007, 02:19 PM	#6 (permalink)
Ekka Eric Frei Administrator - Brisbane L5 (Dip) Hort Cert III Arb + some Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 6,847	What's all the ground cover stuff growing under it? Could you get a few more pics of the trunk/ground area? Lets see how close that tree is to the retaining wall, also inspect the wall from road side, maybe a shot of that to. See, the tree only has maybe 60% of it's root entitlement due to location (wont grow roots in fresh air). If the wall has cracked allowing moisture table to drop etc it could have impact upon a mature tree. Now the probability of canopy issues usually but not always will coincide to the side of the tree with root problems. Is the road side of the tree canopy worse than the opposite? So with a reduced root entitlement, any competing ground covers etc will also have more impact, has the surrounding shrubs, lawn, ground covers had a blooming good year too? Finally, in restricted root areas, where trees get hemmed in by structures, similar to a plant that gets pot bound they can start to struggle as they consume resources and have less new ground to grow. Maybe time to re-assess around the tree to replenish it's growing environment. You know, clear around it, mulch, soil condition with organic stuff like blood/bone, (do not fertilize with aggressive stuff loaded with nitrogen). Also, if you can get out your spade or hand trowel and dig a little hole, maybe 10" deep, fill it with water and see how long it takes to drain. When you dig the hole observe the roots, do this say 10' plus away from the trunk, you should find quite a few fine hairy roots in the soil, especially the top few inches. And just while you are there perhaps a PH test, make sure the soil is OK. You could do this in perhaps 2 or 3 spots. Well, have fun, post your findings and pics. __________________ Remember to use the "search" function, if you have answers/questions post them so everyone can benefit. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding and Stump Removal Brisbane Brisbane Tree Care, Consultations, Developer, Tree and Arborist Reports Forum Sponsors

17th August 2007, 09:39 PM	#9 (permalink)
mdvaden Over mature heritage tree Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 543	Any chance that these bare limbs are on one side of the tree? __________________ ____________________________________ Grove of Redwood TITANS Oregon BIGOOT trap

18th August 2007, 07:04 AM	#12 (permalink)
Sean Freeman PDF King & Arborist Extrodinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,669	I agree with Mario's post #2, get an ISA Arborist to come out and inspect the tree, your pics are great but its not possible to give more than vague suggestions without actually being on site in the case of such a normally resiliant and tough species. No tree is impervious to the pressures of its environment not even Ginkgo, I would suspect as others have suggested the impact of alterations around the roots in the last 20-30yrs may be the cause. Try here ISA England Certified Arborists for a list of certified Arborists. __________________ Sean Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. - Kahlil Gibran

12th August 2007, 07:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
pomme Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: england Posts: 220	any building work taken place close by? thinking maybe compaction. is it in the front garden? utilities dig and lay cables all the time and although they are supposed to dig by hand around tree roots the rarely do there is a massive amount of works going on in london at the moment. gas is also a good one(ekka). where abouts in west london are you as i work in this area alot and could drop by and have a squint.

15th August 2007, 01:56 PM	#7 (permalink)
pomme Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: england Posts: 220	just a thought but has there been alot of salt used or stored on the pavements/road in the last couple of years

16th August 2007, 12:15 PM	#8 (permalink)
ihill Sappling Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: London Posts: 5	I think at the moment that we are thinking that something has been munching the leaves! The branches seem to have been stripped but have new growth on. Does anyone know anything that likes to munch ginkgo leaves????

18th August 2007, 06:36 AM	#11 (permalink)
ihill Sappling Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: London Posts: 5	No - bare limbs all around as well!

19th August 2007, 03:40 AM	#13 (permalink)
pomme Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: england Posts: 220	if you are in london salt on the roads and pavements is your local authorites method of ice clearing. orange rock salt is spread by the griting lorries. westminster council have lost a lot of trees due to this. it is a common problem, get somone to inspect the tree both from the ground and also a climbing inspection

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