Is There Any Hope For My Weeping Willow?

Question

I live in NV and my weeping willow has been struggling since last summer, it’s leaves had been turning brown and everything came off during winter. This year despite watering constantly it has not grown and leaves and the bark has nearly fully come off. I had to cut all of the extended dead branches off since they’d become so brittle but is there no way my tree will grow again? I had dug around the root of it and the roots were purple and didn’t seem to be dead but I don’t know what I can do with the intense heat

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Answer 1

Have you seen evidence of tree borers? Their damage can girdle the tree so water and nutrients can't move up the tree, leading to its demise.

Another possibility is a common fungal disease of willows called black canker. It can cause extensive dieback of the limbs. You may need to send a sample to your closest university extension service for analysis and treatment suggestions.

Here is information about both these maladies as well as general dieback from other fungal diseases and insects:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/willow/planting-weeping-willow-trees.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/tree-borer-insects.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/willow/weeping-willow-pruning.htm

https://extension.missouri.edu/media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/Pro/PlantDiagnosticClinic/Docs/black-canker.pdf

https://www.purdue.edu/fnr/extension/weeping-willows-leaves-dead-bark-loose/

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/willow.html

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/what-is-extension-service.htm