Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
- andy10917
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Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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?
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?
- PSU4ME
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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
I feel that they have been holding on longer and longer for the past few years I’ve been watching
- andy10917
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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:
Here's what a Japanese Maple right outside the Family Room is like -- 70% of the leaves are still on it:
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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.
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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.
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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.
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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.
- HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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.
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.
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
I shared this last November:
Why do trees hold on to their leaves?
...in post Re: Oak trees retaining leaves in winter?
Why do trees hold on to their leaves?
...in post Re: Oak trees retaining leaves in winter?
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
"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."TimmyG wrote: ↑December 12th, 2017, 4:14 pmI shared this last November:
Why do trees hold on to their leaves?
...in post Re: Oak trees retaining leaves in winter?
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.
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
I noticed yesterday and today...some more leaves on top of the snow.
Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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.
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.
- andy10917
- Posts: 29741
- Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
- Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
Yup. My Japanese Maple still has all of its leaves that were in the picture above, despite numerous snowfalls.
Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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/
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/
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Re: Anyone Else in Northeast With This Problem?
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.
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.
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