Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
Post Reply
User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by andy10917 » December 10th, 2017, 10:10 am

Here's an issue that I've never seen before, and I've lived in the same home/area for 31 years...

As everyone has written, it was a very unusual Fall. Some leaves went to brown and fell off early without ever showing color. Then the color show (usually spectacular here) was on again, off again.

But it wound up with some trees that always dump their leaves by mid-November (like Japanese Maples) holding brown leaves that won't fall off the tree. Oaks always do that, but this is trees that don't do it, ever. Yeah - so what except the leaves are still there and now I'm past the flurry season and into real snowfall time (6" yesterday). That puts the trees at much higher risk for broken branches, limbs and other damage.

Am I alone with this unusual situation, or is it occurring elsewhere too?

User avatar
PSU4ME
Posts: 1147
Joined: November 29th, 2016, 9:29 am
Location: Metrowest MA
Grass Type: Front: Bewitched/Midnight/Everglade Back: Midnight/Diva/Everest
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by PSU4ME » December 10th, 2017, 11:04 am

Nope, I have an oak in the back that is holding on to 3/4 of its leaves. They didn’t even turncokor for the fall. I was trying to wait until they were down for the final clean up but yesterday’s snow but a big hold in that.

I feel that they have been holding on longer and longer for the past few years I’ve been watching

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by andy10917 » December 10th, 2017, 11:10 am

Yeah, but that's the way oaks are. What bothers me is trees that don't exhibit that behavior doing it and showing signs that it's causing problems.

Here's what a Japanese Maple right outside the Family Room is like -- 70% of the leaves are still on it:

Image

Green
Posts: 6837
Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
Location: CT (Zone 6B)
Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by Green » December 10th, 2017, 2:22 pm

Yes. In our yard, we have a small Japanese Maple in a bed that still has its leaves. But this isn't the first time it has kept them this long. I think it was two years ago that it kept them until Feb. There is also a small tree in the yard that still has green leaves that are slowly falling off. Driving about 2 miles North was shocking...lots of trees with brown leaves still, including Maples. At a family member's home in coastal New Haven Country, there were even still some large trees with mostly green leaves at Thanksgiving time.

TimmyG
Posts: 2244
Joined: May 15th, 2012, 6:04 pm
Location: Dracut, MA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Experienced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by TimmyG » December 10th, 2017, 5:25 pm

Japanese Maples and dogwoods (both Florida and Kousa) are holding onto their leaves for dear life. I've even hit 'em with a blower twice to no avail. Now we're blanketed in snow. Oh, and also a paperbark maple (Acer griseum). A fleshy-flowered spindletree (Euonymus carnosus) hung on forever but finally dropped most (but not all) of its leaves the day before the storm.


glenforest
Posts: 378
Joined: January 31st, 2009, 10:15 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Grass Type: KBG
Lawn Size: 1000-3000
Level: Experienced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by glenforest » December 10th, 2017, 8:13 pm

My star magnolia still has about 10% to 20% of its leaves. I was just noticing that today. It would normally be bare by now, especially with the cold weather for the past week.

Paul
Posts: 366
Joined: August 24th, 2014, 4:25 pm
Location: Southeastern Mass
Grass Type: Bewitched KBG Monostand
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by Paul » December 11th, 2017, 11:39 am

My Bradford Pear still has about 20% of its leaves left, it just wont drop them. I was lucky I got to mulch the other 80% Friday before the snow came.

User avatar
HoosierLawnGnome
Posts: 9591
Joined: May 22nd, 2013, 5:59 pm
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Grass Type: Blueberry KBG
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 12th, 2017, 2:18 pm

Paul wrote:
December 11th, 2017, 11:39 am
My Bradford Pear still has about 20% of its leaves left, it just wont drop them. I was lucky I got to mulch the other 80% Friday before the snow came.
I'm not in the northeast but my Bradford Pear was also the last to shed most of its leaves.

fun4me2
Posts: 619
Joined: May 19th, 2013, 9:46 am
Location: Western MA (center pioneer valley) ZONE 6A
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Some Experience

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by fun4me2 » December 12th, 2017, 3:21 pm

My dogwood still is holding some of its leaves.
My Japanese maple trees dropped their leaves end of November..
My neighbor's oak tree still has some leaves.
The other neighbor's maple tree still has leaves.

According to my notes, last year (2016) everything was done before Thanksgiving.

TimmyG
Posts: 2244
Joined: May 15th, 2012, 6:04 pm
Location: Dracut, MA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Experienced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by TimmyG » December 12th, 2017, 4:14 pm


Green
Posts: 6837
Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
Location: CT (Zone 6B)
Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by Green » December 12th, 2017, 5:40 pm

TimmyG wrote:
December 12th, 2017, 4:14 pm
I shared this last November:
Why do trees hold on to their leaves?

...in post Re: Oak trees retaining leaves in winter?
"One practical use of this knowledge is in plant propagation. It is very difficult to root cuttings from mature parts of a tree, but often much easier to root cuttings from the juvenile zone, so observing which branches retain leaves is a quick indicator of the juvenile zone."

I just assumed that the reason the trees tend to lose the top leaves (as in the photo in that article) is because the wind hits the unprotected tops more.

Green
Posts: 6837
Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
Location: CT (Zone 6B)
Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by Green » December 13th, 2017, 11:44 pm

I noticed yesterday and today...some more leaves on top of the snow.

free_safety

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by free_safety » December 19th, 2017, 11:47 pm

There is a tree in my neighbours yard, that is leaning into my yard. It still has not finished shedding leaves. We've already had 3 snowfalls

bpgreen
Posts: 3871
Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Experienced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by bpgreen » December 20th, 2017, 2:59 am

I'm not in the northeast, but this is one of the first years that I can remember not having this problem.

It seems like we switch directly from summer to winter. We often have highs in the 90s in September and snow in October. This year, I'm still waiting for any appreciable snowfall.

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by andy10917 » December 20th, 2017, 9:53 am

Yup. My Japanese Maple still has all of its leaves that were in the picture above, despite numerous snowfalls.

Powhatan

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by Powhatan » December 20th, 2017, 10:36 am

Early cold snap and the leaf's abscission layer didn't fully form?

When temperatures drop below freezing, the abscission layer hardens more rapidly, cutting off the leaf’s connection to the tree. Any weight, such as snow or movement from wind, will make these leave drop from the tree. ... A different result from this cold snap will have the opposite effect: when we get a hard freeze in early October, some trees haven’t had time to develop the abscission layer. On these trees the leaves freeze and remain attached to the branches.

https://gardeningafterfive.wordpress.co ... ome-trees/

Green
Posts: 6837
Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
Location: CT (Zone 6B)
Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?

Post by Green » December 20th, 2017, 3:31 pm

As usual, the dwarf Japanese Maple still has its leaves now. They're brown, but still attached.
The crazier thing is that it's been windy, and there are leaves (mostly Oak) blowing around everywhere. All the leaves that should be are finally down in my neighborhood, except for the few that continue to drop over the next 4 months. A few miles away, it's not the case...still lots of dried out leaves on some trees. I'm hoping the weather cooperates in Christmas Eve so I can use the mower one last time to get rid of leaves.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 27 guests