Thundercloud Purple Leaf Plum Problem

[mike6082]

I'm pretty sure I have a Thundercloud Purple Leaf Plum in my back yard. It is 1-2 years old, and I think I have a problem with it.

It beared some fruit this summer, but most if it wilted pretty fast and fell off. No flowers came this year (is it too young for that?) The bigger problem (I think) is that all of the leaves have multiple holes in them.

At first, i thought it was due to the lack of rain -- live in the Northern Virginia area and I think it has rained twice this entire summer -- and with work I have not been able to water the lawn as much as I needed to. But now I'm thinking maybe it is some kind of bug eating the leaves - although I never see anything in the tree, other than the occasional spider.

I know nothing about tree care Is this (holes in the leaves) something I need to be worried about? Anything I can do to help the tree out? I would really like for it to live its full 10-15 years if possible.

I've added some pictures below. The first one is a picture of the whole tree for identification. The next two are of leaves near the top of the tree where the problem seems to be worse. The next one is of some leaves near the bottom of the tree where the problem is not as bad, but you can still see some holes. The last picture is of the 'volcano' at the bottom of the tree. Is that too close to the bark on the trunk of the tree? I'm thinking about clearing out about 1-2 inches away from the tree around it and maybe laying some new mulch on top. Is that an okay plan? If so, any particular type of mulch for this tree. I am about 40 miles west of D.C. in northern Virginia.

Thanks!!

 

[treeseer]

these are favored hosts of japanese beetles, which are done for the season here. not fatal. watch it next june.
yes it is pretty young to make fruit. post a picture or 2 if you want an opinion of the cultivar

 

[Elmore]

I'm not a big fan of this species therefore in my opinion a liberal dose of bar & chain oil on the lower trunk would be a good remedy for this tree. A red Japanese Maple would make a great replacement.

 

[Elmore]

After some more thought...one man's garbage is another man's treasure, so I would maybe spray with a systemic insecticide like Orthene. Check with your county extension office for guidelines. Multiple holes in leaf doesn't really sound like the damage from Japanese Beetles. They skelitinize the leaves. This sounds more like caterpiller damage. I would worry more about proper cultural conditions for this young tree and be wary of Peach Tree Borers, both Greater and Lesser, and various disease problems such as Black Knot. Here are some valuable links :

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/treeselect/purpleleafplum.html

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2032.html

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3011.html

 

[treeseer]

Brad you may be right about the leaf hole-making pest; sure would be useful to have pictures.
I hope the posting person takes advantage of your helpfulness. Every tree's a treasure when it's in the right place.

 

[mike6082]

After some more thought...one man's garbage is another man's treasure, so I would maybe spray with a systemic insecticide like Orthene. Check with your county extension office for guidelines. Multiple holes in leaf doesn't really sound like the damage from Japanese Beetles. They skelitinize the leaves. This sounds more like caterpiller damage. I would worry more about proper cultural conditions for this young tree and be wary of Peach Tree Borers, both Greater and Lesser, and various disease problems such as Black Knot. Here are some valuable links :

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/treeselect/purpleleafplum.html

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2032.html

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3011.html

Thanks to all who have responded so far.

There are definitely multiple holes in just about every leaf on the tree. I'll try to post some pictures tonight when I get home -- I would love some expert opinions on this particular problem as well as any other information on my tree. I'm not even 100% sure it is a Thundercloud plum -- that is just my guess from some limited internet research.

Come to think of it, I do see a caterpillar out in the yard from time to time, but not all that often, and I'm not sure I've ever seen one actually in the tree. Perhaps they are out and about more at night.

This Orthene insecticide you reccommend will not harm the tree, right? Would it be available at a Home Depot or Lowes, or would I have to go somewhere else?

I'll check out the links when I get off work. Do they explain what you mean by "proper cultural conditions"? I can take a guess that this refers to things like the pH of the soil, etc. - but that would be a complete guess.

Thanks again for the info!!

 

[treeseer]

I'll check out the links when I get off work. Do they explain what you mean by "proper cultural conditions"? !!

Check the link below for info on mulching, etc.

 

[treeseer]

Here's a link; http://woodyplants.nres.uiuc.edu/plant/pruceth

First question on any human-planted tree: Can you Find the Flare?

 

[mike6082]

I've added some pictures of the tree to the original post. I don't usually get home from work during the week until it is dark outside, so that is why it took me a while to get them up.

I am curious for advice on what I should do (if anything is needed) to the 'volcano' at the base. Also, opinions on what is causing the holes in the leaves. Thanks again!!!!

 

[Elmore]

Looks pretty healthy to me though with Japanese Beetle damaged leaves. You need to adjust the mulch and find that trunk flare.

 

[Sheshovel]

This is a bit late but I will answer anyway.You need to do as suggested and get the soil down and away until you see the trunk flare.The keep mulch away from the base of the trunk at least 6" .What you have there is probably an ornamental Purple leaved Plum
they do have very small fruits that will not grow and
turn into a real plum,they produce and drop fruit about the size of a big cherry.
These trees are very susceptible to all kinds of bugs and will always show leaf damage.
The thing the tree needs most is a good all around pruning job done.
This winter when it has lost it's leaves remove any dead or dieing branches or twigs.
Clean out the center of weak and smaller wood and thin out the rest of the tree.,leaving strong growing branches that balance out the tree as much as possible.Don't remove more than 1/3 of the branches at once .You can work on it more later in spring.
Get a good pruning book and follow instructions.