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Recently I've seen my Elderberry trees develop some yellow leaves and I don't know what the problem could be or how to fix it, so I'll leave a picture if anybody can help me.

Giacomo Catenazzi
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Juan Sebastian Rubiano Chona
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  • Has the tree produced new growth that looks healthy (I think that's what I can see in a couple of places, but not sure) or does it start out healthy and then change to yellow patchiness? Do you expect it to lose its leaves shortly due to autumn/winter? Any problems on the trunk or branches? – Bamboo Dec 04 '17 at 21:36
  • I'll have to look further on the new growth and the trunk and branches really and I don't expect it to loose it's leaves because I live in the tropics. – Juan Sebastian Rubiano Chona Dec 05 '17 at 04:35
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    A *Sambucus* in the tropics? How long have you had it? And are we really talking about [*Sambucus nigra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus_nigra) or something different? – Stephie Dec 05 '17 at 05:07
  • @Stephie - Bogota has a 'sub tropical highland' climate rather than tropical.. wasn't sure what that meant for temperate zone deciduous plants, if it really is a Sambucus... – Bamboo Dec 05 '17 at 12:02
  • Thank you @Bamboo for the climate correction, I do live in Bogota and it is a Sambucus nigra. – Juan Sebastian Rubiano Chona Dec 05 '17 at 14:45
  • If you find nothing odd with the stems and branches, and nothing odd beneath the leaves, I've got a horrible feeling this might be viral... how long have you had the plant and is it in the ground or a pot? – Bamboo Dec 05 '17 at 20:19
  • Damn, Bamboo, you beat me to the punch! I think this is a mosaic virus as well. Good job! Take it away...pot on a patio with smokers? Grins. – stormy Dec 11 '17 at 03:38
  • I find such colours not infrequent on wild sambucus, especially on young plants on shadows. – Giacomo Catenazzi Dec 22 '17 at 07:03
  • @GiacomoCatenazzi So you believe it isn't sick? – Juan Sebastian Rubiano Chona Dec 30 '17 at 16:56
  • @JuanSebastianRubianoChona. I think it is a physiological problem. In any case a problem and the plant is not healthy. – Giacomo Catenazzi Dec 30 '17 at 18:50

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I must say that while this plant has a leaf like Sambucus the bark does not look right. It should be brown and corky with light speckles on old wood, bright green on new wood with longitudinal ridges, not smooth dull green as in picture. A distinctive characteristic of Sambucus is the hollow stems. Cut a piece off and examine inside the stem for a hollow space except at the nodes where it tends to fill in.

The yellow resembles magnesium deficiency. Epsom salts applied as a foliar spray in a test area, if it produces a quick response, might be a test for this.

Colin Beckingham
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