Harlequin willows are not only extremely easy to care for, but are also comparatively resistant to pests and diseases. For this reason, you need to act quickly if brown leaves suddenly appear on the tree or the growth of the shoots visibly weakens. Here you can read what the cause could be and how you can keep your harlequin willow he althy again.
What diseases can occur in harlequin willows?
Harlequin willows are usually resistant to diseases, but can be attacked by the willow borer. Symptoms include feeding marks in the wood, larvae on the leaves, brown leaves and leaf shedding. Countermeasures include radical pruning, removal of infected shoots and preventative examinations.
Illness or care errors?
Harlequin willows rarely suffer from disease. If your plant still appears unhe althy, you should first check the plant for care errors. These cause similar symptoms such as wilted leaves.
- Is your harlequin willow too sunny?
- Are you watering the plant too little?
- Are there enough nutrients?
- Did you over-fertilize the tree?
- Has waterlogging formed in the bucket?
The Willow Borer
After you have checked the harlequin willow for the consequences of care errors and adapted it to the species-appropriate attitude, the symptoms should soon improve. Otherwise, you should actually assume that you have an illness. In this case, the harlequin willow is particularly susceptible to a parasite, the willow borer.
Symptoms
- Older pastures in particular are affected
- Effect marks in the wood
- dark red or white larvae with a body length of ten centimeters on the leaves
- Brown leaves
- Leaf shedding
- The harlequin willow dies in the final stage
Measures
Only a radical pruning helps against any disease. However, you must be careful not to cut into the grafting area of the trunk. Otherwise, you should carefully remove all affected shoots. Don't be afraid to cut back the willow heavily. Regular thinning of the crown also promotes the incidence of light. If the branches branch out too much here, the harlequin willow will also have distorted growth. The tree will soon sprout again. Never dispose of the cuttings in the compost. The parasite could multiply here and spread to the harlequin willow again the following year.
Prevention
Since it is often too late by the time the first symptoms appear, prevention is the best treatment you can take. Always inspect your harlequin willow for any abnormalities in order to recognize a possible disease early enough.
Note: For some diseases you cannot avoid using a fungicide. In this case, you should only resort to chemical agents in an extreme emergency. Inquire beforehand at specialist retailers about organic and environmentally friendly alternatives.
