New willow tree dead or just dropping leaves for winter?

[Lpeek]

Hi everyone, I know this is really a fruit & veg forum, but hoping that someone can give some advice on young contorted willows I started growing this summer.

They've been outside and received far too much water with all the rain we've had in the past few weeks. I've brought them inside now, but wondering if it may be too late. The leaves went an unhealthy looking dark green with browing edges/tips and have started falling off, but I'm unsure if the tree itself is dead or whether willow's lose their leaves in winter and this is just normal? They are only around three feet tall at the minute, I'd say about 60% of the leaves have fallen off so far.

Really, what I'm asking, is if there are any obvious symptoms of diseases I can look for? or is it just a case of waiting until spring to see if they recover? I've searched online for symptoms to look out for but nothing seems to give a description, only title's of diseases.

Also, should I water them with a plant food, or lay off feeding until spring or when they recover and just water occasionally for now?

Here are some photo that may help:

How they used to look about a month ago:


How they look now:




Some leaves that have fallen:


Close up of the stem, not sure if the rough pattern on it is just because it is maturing and becoming rougher, more tree-like, or whether this is in fact some kind of disease?

[veggiechicken]

Willows do lose their leaves in autumn so I wouldn't worry about that. The bark on the stem looks quite normal - just like my young willows. I don't grow Contorta though - it always looks deformed
Are they outdoors?

[Lpeek]

Thanks vc! They're indoors now but were outside. They're in now Just because they were getting far too much water with the amount of rain we've had lately, but they will go back outside eventually, I think I'll keep them indoors so the frost doesn't get them over winter.

[veggiechicken]

If they were mine, I'd keep them outside in a sheltered place,even if its in the middle of a shrub! Bringing them indoors may fool them into budding up too early.

[rustylady]

Put them back outside this minute Lpeek. Willows are very hardy and do drop their leaves for winter. They also thrive on lots of water - have a look round the countryside, most willows grow beside streams and lakes.

Don't feed at all, at least not till Spring when they start growing again.

[Bill HH]

Put them back outside this minute Lpeek. Willows are very hardy and do drop their leaves for winter. They also thrive on lots of water - have a look round the countryside, most willows grow beside streams and lakes.

Don't feed at all, at least not till Spring when they start growing again.

Absolutely agree, willows are tough little things, you can stick a piece into mud upside down and it will still grow.

[WendyC]

If you are in any doubt as to whether the stems are alive, if you scratch the bark underneath should be green. If it's brown it's dead!
I'd say it was impossible to over water a willow.

[Lpeek]

Ok thanks everyone! They're back outside

So... overwatering isn't a problem, is there any chance they're diseased or do they look perfectly healthy? I did wonder about willow anthracnose, as a few of the leaves did seem to have blotchy black areas instead of just being brown round the edges.

[Two_Sheds]

they were getting far too much water

You can't overwater a willow: that's why you see them growing wild on riverbanks