Willow Tree Possible Problems...

[SRichmond]

I planted a Willow tree about six months ago. This week, the tree developed microscopic orange dots on the underside of the leaves. Is this normal? The tree appears a yellowish-
orange from a distance. Thanks in advance...

 

[treeclimber165]

Sounds like a type of fungus to me, but that isn't my area of expertise. Please say you aren't still watering it every day.
JPS will probably be online in a bit, he will know what it is.

 

[SRichmond]

No, I haven't been watering it. It hasn't rained here for about two weeks, either.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

shake a branch over some white paper and see if you get any specks falling off. If you do see if they smeer. This is my mite smear test. I haven't seen mites on willow before, but that does not mean it wont happen, especialy since you are in a different climate.

Willow is one of the last trees to drop it's leaves up here so it cannot be any fall collor down there. It is usualy yellow anyways.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

this page from Virginia Tech states that it is damaging on willows in the summer. The above picture is HIGLY magnified. Thes things look like sand fines.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/factsheets/spmites.html

 

[KevinM]

Spider Mites are very common on willow trees here in the south. Also could this problem be the leaves dropping early because of the shock of transplanting and the lack of water because of the drought. Since it is late in the growing season just let the leaves drop and the mites should disappear next year