Excessive ash tree seed droppings - Ask Extension
I live in livonia and have a 20 year old ash that has survived the ash borer through 15 years of my annual Bayer chemical product application. This ye...
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Excessive ash tree seed droppings #806765
Asked August 17, 2022, 3:31 PM EDT
I live in livonia and have a 20 year old ash that has survived the ash borer through 15 years of my annual Bayer chemical product application. This year it seems the seeds are excessive from spring to currently.i have no dead sections or even brown leaves, but maybe canopy is a bit thinner than previous years. I know we had a wet spring and hot summer but dropping have been excessive and still plenty in trees..what do you think?
Wayne County Michigan
Expert Response
Hi Steve,
Thank you for contacting Ask Extension.
Most trees have a cycle in which individuals produce copious amounts of seed. In some cases, it may be related to past weather that caused the tree stress, or it could just be natural.
Interestingly, ash trees rely on wind, rather than insects to pollinate their flowers. In years when there is rain when flowers are present there may be few seeds because the pollen could not reach the flowers. In other years, the weather is dry for the entire flowering season, and pollen can reach most of the flowers, creating a bumper seed crop. I suspect this year presented the perfect combination of natural cycling and dry weather during flowering to produce an abundant seed crop.
Glad you choose to help the ash tree ward off the borer. Keep up the good work!
-Julie
Thank you for contacting Ask Extension.
Most trees have a cycle in which individuals produce copious amounts of seed. In some cases, it may be related to past weather that caused the tree stress, or it could just be natural.
Interestingly, ash trees rely on wind, rather than insects to pollinate their flowers. In years when there is rain when flowers are present there may be few seeds because the pollen could not reach the flowers. In other years, the weather is dry for the entire flowering season, and pollen can reach most of the flowers, creating a bumper seed crop. I suspect this year presented the perfect combination of natural cycling and dry weather during flowering to produce an abundant seed crop.
Glad you choose to help the ash tree ward off the borer. Keep up the good work!
-Julie
Thank you Julie for your response..
On Fri, Aug 19, 2022 at 9:07 AM, Ask Extension<<personal data hidden>> wrote:
