Hello, I recently moved my three 5 ft tall, mature Contorted Filberts in pots from Sonoma to St. Helena by truck and it seems that after the journey the leaves have started to crumple up and turn brown. These plants are over 10 years old and in very good shape before the move. I have watered them only once per week and only after I check the soil to be sure it's not too wet. The only thing I can think of, is the the wind got to them, but we were slightly careful not to allow them to blow around too much. Any ideas or suggestions?
Re: Contorted Hazels with Brown Leaves Digging and moving plants at this time of year is a recipe for disaster - digging, however carefully, means you lose a substantial part of the root system, and what roots it has left, then have to supply a full crown of established new leaves. And they can't supply enough for what the leaves need. Water heavily, and spray the foliage to keep it wet to reduce transpiration. But the chances of recovery are low. As an aside, the widely available contorted Corylus cultivar is a Hazel (Corylus avellana), not a Filbert (Corylus maxima).
Thanks for the response, but I didn't dig them up. I left them in their pots and just relocated them. I have been told not to water them too much and have been only watering them once per week. The upper leaves are curling up and dying. The lower leaves still look healthy. I was told they wer Filberts, but the image of the Corylus avellana 'Contorta' is more of what I have. Thanks!
Unless the truck they were in was completely closed or the plants were fully wrapped, it is likely that they will have suffered major wind damage during a long trip at highway speeds. Even driving 10 miles at 30m/hr can expose plants to a dangerous amount of wind if the day is warm and they are in the back of an open truck.
Yep! That's what I thought... The truck was open and they were not wrapped, but laid down. Not good in retrospect. They must have gotten wind damage then. Without being a soothsayer, does this most likely mean that they won't survive or will this just be a temporary condition? Thanks!
Since the roots were not damaged my guess is they will look like hell this year, but probably recover just fine from this one time stress. There are several street trees (of an unsuitable species) near us which despite our best efforts to lug sufficient water to them, dry out and crisp up so badly each summer that we have christened them the "potato chip" trees. Despite the stress they try again each spring and though they certainly haven't prospered they are a long way from dead. Be very careful not to overwater them or they will die of root rot, since they don't have the leaf surface to evaporate water away. It is still early enough that they may re-leaf this year or they may just stay semi-dormant till spring. If possible place them in a sheltered location where they won't get dried out or soaked and you can monitor their recovery. Don't try to "push" them into recovering with fertilizer, just let them set their own pace.
Thank you very much... That is good advise. I will water them once per week after checking their soil. They're great plants and I like them just the same without leaves. Again, thank you. Be well!
