Your braided willow might be dying due to willow scab, a fungal disease often exacerbated by wet weather conditions.
One common reason a braided willow might show signs of dying, such as wilting or shriveling leaves, is a fungal infection known as willow scab (also called willow blight when combined with a different fungus). This disease specifically targets willow trees and can cause significant damage, leading to the death of affected branches or even the entire plant if severe.
Understanding Willow Scab Disease
Willow scab is caused by a fungus that attacks the leaves and stems of willow trees. The disease progresses over time, starting with initial symptoms and potentially spreading throughout the plant.
- Symptoms: The disease first manifests as brown or black areas, often described as 'scab', on the leaves. These lesions disrupt the leaf tissue.
- Leaf Damage: As the disease progresses, the affected leaves begin to wilt, shrivel up, and die. This is one of the most visible signs that your willow is struggling.
- Stem Involvement: In time, as the willow scab disease progresses, the fungus spreads to the stem tissue at the bases of leave petioles (the stalks attaching leaves to stems). There, it forms olive brown, velvety, spore masses. This indicates the fungus is establishing itself in the wood, which can further weaken or kill branches.
Conditions Favoring Willow Scab
This fungal disease doesn't appear randomly; it thrives under specific environmental conditions.
- Wet Weather: Willow scab happens most often in wet spring weather. Prolonged periods of moisture on leaves and stems provide the ideal environment for the fungal spores to germinate and infect the plant tissue.
Understanding that willow scab causes leaves to wilt, shrivel, and die, and spreads to stems forming spore masses, particularly during wet springs, directly explains why your braided willow may be showing these signs of decline.
