Why are leaves drying up now on the flowering plums, planted in Summerlin and other parts of town?
Nearly every spring when we have significant wind in the valley, the purple leaf plums get what we call leaf tatter. Leaf tatter is the tearing of leaves due to the ripping action of the wind on soft, succulent, young leaf tissue and abrasion against the tree and branches. As the leaves emerge, they are very tender for a period of time until they can “toughen up” and thicken. As leaves age after they emerge in the spring and react to the dry air, high light intensity and temperatures, the outer leaf surface thickens and toughens up and can produce waxy layers that help protect it from abrasion. If we have a lot of wind before this happens, the leaves begin to tear and holes or rips form, giving the leaf a “tattered” look. There isn’t much you can do about leaf tatter caused by wind. Using fertilizers higher in potassium in the fall or very early spring might help a little. The other thing that happened this year, and happens quite often each spring, is that we don’t water our landscape
Related Questions
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