Losing several trees... :-(

Everything was looking SO good. Some new things and a couple established things are dying.

First, we noticed the dwarf elberta peach tree. Planted about a month ago, it was in bloom when we planted it and eight peaches were developing. Then this week, it started looking droopy, then got many yellow leaves, which it dropped, and the growth of the peaches stopped.

Next, we noticed the new staghorn sumac tree was droopy and starting to get yellow leaves. Droopy and wilty looking. Planted about a month ago as well, and seemed to be doing fine until this week.

Then the miniature lilac (meyeri), which we've had for many years, but moved about a month ago while in bud, seemed to survive the move just fine. The buds continued to develop and it blooomed. Then this week, the leaves all curled and it too is droopy. It looks bad enough that I'm sure we will lose it.

Finally, the sweet gum tree that we've had for at least ten years, had leafed out and now they are all crinkled up and dying.

Four things, all in the same week!

We had a LOT of rain for a week straight, and I truly believe they drowned. Could I be right about this?

You have aphids on all those trees just look under the leaves and you will see little tiny green buggers.

Nope. No aphids.

Any things like white little flies around everywhere. They emerge off the plant when the sun is setting or you give them a good hosing. It has to be a bug cause many species are being affected. Also patches of dammage in lawn plants could be a larvae in the roots. Or you signed a pact with the devil and no more green thumb. Hmmmmm.

We really think it is too much water. We've had LOTS and LOTS of rain here, and we're not the only ones losing things because of it.

The symptoms sound like the symptoms of overwatering (but could be probably a number of other things as well). I don't know how much rain you've had, but I would think your larger well established plants would be able to tolerate periods of lots of rain, otherwise they would've died a long time ago. But maybe the ones that were planted recently that could be the problem.

Two are new, two are not, but the lilac was moved recently. All but the sweet gum are in the wettest part of the yard, too, so that isn't a good thing, either. It now looks like the peach tree will make it. I trimmed the lilac way down, and if it's going to make it, it will come back. The sweet gum looks horrid, but it's never done very well right from the start. The sumac is also showing new growth now, so maybe we won't lose it, but it will not be the nice shape it was. :-(

Established plants especially trees would have to have their feet in water for a long time to cause such sudden death. Overwatering is a cause but who knows. Good luck.

The only one that I would consider to be established is the sweet gum, but like I said, it's never done well right from the start. We were at my SIL's house today, and they have a sweet gum that had the same problem ours did, and she said the frost got it. We did have a late frost, but I wouldn't think it would affect that tree. Maybe the others, though...

Late frosts don't result in chlorosis on my peach trees.

I have a few thoughts on this. First possibility is stress of recent transplant on the two that were recently planted combined with too much water. As you already noted, the other plant was struggling since you planted it. Kylee, tell me about how you planted them. Do you have clay there where you are? I am getting the stinking impression those trees might be rotting in the holes from all the rain we've had. I think those root systems are failing.

Second thoughts on this would be an iron or other mineral deficiency. Have you ever had your soil tested? Is it alkaline by any chance? Sweet Gum is real susceptible to iron chlorosis. And, you can have other trees in the general area that are totally unaffected.

You might want to test your soil. If it is alkaline, I suppose you could amend the soil with sulfur or iron chelates. Tricky but it can be done.

Oh yes, we have HEAVY clay, and you are probably right, that it's holding the water in the hole we dug. We did dig out pretty far around and the soil that was put back in around the tree was amended, but maybe the rain was still too much.

We have some pines and other evergreens in the area of the sweet gum, so would that make the soil tend to be more acidic? We are also in an acid rain area, so I always thought we had more acidic soil due to that, as well.

The sweet gum just looks like all the leaves got frostbitten. No yellowing on that one.

In the future, try real hard to set aside the soil you remove and use a good portion of it to plant your trees. There are trees out there that do well in heavy clay and you might want to do a little research to see if any of those appeal to you. You might also want to have your soil tested. Takes out the guessing game of what type of pH you are dealing with where on your property. Conifers can be a sign of lower pH but not always.

Good diagnosis Equil. You nailed that one. The fish bowl amendment. I couldn't figure the group death. You are good Miss Marple.

That's what I mean when I said I amended the soil. We use part what was there and add peat to it and sand, if it's REALLY bad clay. It's always served us well over the years, to do that, however, we may not have dug out far enough where these were. It just happened that the combination of being in the wettest part of the yard, being new plantings (and watering them in when we planted them), then getting many inches of rain over the course of a week, oh and cold temps, too (two frosts during that week), all combined to make for not good conditions for survival.

I did not mean it as a critisism only that Equil knows how to diagnose. Here in montana we have clay the only advantage is it is not flat. There is a down hill everywhere in my garden. I apologise kbaumle for the insinuation.

Oh, soferdig, I didn't even think at all that you were criticizing! I thank you for your suggestions! That's exactly why I posted this! What I consider this was to be brainstorming, which is what is great about a forum like this!

And Lauren, can I be co-author of that book? ;-)

Although I am a seasoned veteran at killing things; two, three, four, or five heads are always better than one. Yes Kylee, you can be the co-author. We can use the money we make from the book to buy more plants to kill.

YAY!!!! LOL.

I was gardening in the sun and missed the comments. Lets see a title of the book: Cemetary gardening, My Killing Fields, Learning by Death, Composting New Additions to my garden, The 5 plants I will meet in heaven. LOL

LOLOLOL!!!

Why Sofer, you're in my league! I say we pool our resources and go for this. We can go with "Our Killing Fields".

"Our Killing Fields" - Prelude: Darkness decends on the crystalline glass protecting the tendrills of color pallisading down the baskets of crimsion. Little moments of pleasure these plants inhale in their last moments of bliss and expectation of a season of planned pleasure. This destructive presence, unknown to them, enters the nursery. A cautious greeting by the cashier lables this menace. Uh, hello Miss Lauren ......

... And what limits of your zone will you be pushing this fine day Ms. Lauren? Will it be the wonderful Franklinia we happen to have on special today or will it be the Tacca we have for those seasoned veterans willing to brave trying their hand at tropicals in the Midwest? At that precise moment, Kylee peeks out from behind a newly released Ash cultivar she was admiring as Steve looks up from a Nepenthes that had caught his attention. The two rub their hands together greedily and look on in glee as they realize yet another chapter of their book is soon to evolve from their collective purchases...