Hi all
Last spring we noticed a big tree died. This spring another biggen close to the first one has died.
Last evening, we noticed in the remote part of the garden (well away from those two), another mature tree is looking very poorly compared to others. The leaves are normal size at the lowest branches but they are very small on the upper branches.
All three of them are huge and we did not have any cause for concern.
The trees are all London Planes(sycamores). We have no idea what is going on if this is a virus or old age etc etc
Could anyone throw more light on it?
May be a good idea to contact your local council Parks and Gardens department for advice - our local council P&G department are brilliant (Scotland, so not much help to you I'm afraid!)
It sounds like the condition your plane trees are suffering could be Anthracnose, which a fungal disease. It is probably impractical to treat the infected trees, but you could possibly reduce the spread of infection by gathering any fallen leaves or branches and burning them (not eco-friendly, I know, but tends to be the only certain way to kill off some plant pathogens).
Masha
Thanks Jabba and Masha for your kind help. Jabba, We did get in touch with the Forest deptt. The gentleman from the office confirmed that it was not an infection but that the trees had died because they could not breathe. we had put tons of top soil to cover uneven ground,
We feel bad obviously, but it is a relief that the rest of the trees are not under threat
So if extra soil is deposited near a tree,one must leave at least 5-7" of breathing space around the base of the trunk.