Free Tree Health Check UK – Find Out What Is Wrong With Your Tree, Palm, Olive or Plant

Palm and Olive’s Tree Health Check is a free online tool for UK gardens and homes. Add one to three photos of a tree, palm, olive tree, tree fern, hedge, shrub, flower or house plant, answer a few quick questions and find out what it is, the most likely cause, what to do today, this week and this month, what to avoid and when to ask us for help. For plants outdoors, recent frost, wind and rain at your postcode are taken into account.

How the Tree Health Check works

1. Add photos. Add one to three photos: the whole plant, a close-up of the problem and the base of the trunk or pot.
2. Answer a few questions. Say what the plant is, or tap Not sure and we will find out. Add where it grows, how it is watered and anything recent. It takes about ten seconds.
3. Get your plan. See the most likely causes, what to do today, this week and this month, what to avoid and whether to get a closer look.

What the Tree Health Check looks at

• Leaves and fronds: Colour, spots and edges, old or new, and which ones are affected.
• Trunk and crown: Bark, dieback, the growing point, stakes and ties.
• Roots and soil: Drainage, the pot, watering and time since planting.
• Weather or home: Outdoors: recent frost, wind and rain at your postcode. Indoors: light, warmth and watering.

Common tree and plant problems

Why is my olive tree dropping leaves?

Usually too much water or cold, wet roots, especially in a pot or on clay. Check drainage first and water only when the top 5 cm of soil is dry. Do not feed it. A few old leaves dropping in spring is normal.

Why are my palm fronds turning brown?

Brown tips are usually wind, frost or dry roots. Leave damaged fronds until spring because they still protect the crown. Never pull the central spear. If it comes out easily, the crown is rotting.

Why is the crown of my tree fern going brown?

The crown must never dry out. Water the trunk and crown in dry spells. In winter, pack the crown with straw and fold the fronds over it.

Why are my Japanese maple leaves scorched?

Crisp brown edges mean wind, hot sun or dry roots. Move the pot to shelter, mulch the roots and water deeply instead of little and often.

Why is my box hedge turning brown?

Patchy brown with black streaks on the stems points to box blight. Webbing and green and black caterpillars point to box moth. Look inside the plant.

Why is my new tree wilting after planting?

Transplant shock is common in the first season. Soak once or twice a week in dry weather, keep a 5 to 7 cm mulch ring off the trunk and check the stakes.

Why are my house plant leaves turning yellow?

Most often too much water, so the roots sit wet. Let the top 3 cm of compost dry out between waterings, check the pot drains and keep the plant away from radiators and draughts. A yellow lower leaf now and then is normal.

Tree Health Check questions

Is the Tree Health Check free?

Yes. You get up to 3 checks a day with your email.

Which photos work best?

Daylight and in focus: the whole plant, a close-up of the worst leaves or fronds, and the base of the trunk or the pot.

How accurate is it?

It is an automated check that looks for the same signs a head gardener would. It cannot replace a visit, so it shows how sure it is and tells you when to get a closer look.

Does it work for plants from other shops?

Yes. Any tree, palm, olive, hedge, shrub, flower, fern or house plant, wherever you bought it.

Can it tell me what my plant is?

Yes. Add a clear photo and tap Not sure, find out. You get the most likely plant, how sure we are and care that fits it.

Does it work for indoor plants?

Yes. Choose House plant and Indoors. You get advice on light, watering and pests that fits your home. Outdoor trees, palms and olives are our speciality, so the result says how sure we are.

What if my tree is dying or unsafe?

If we see a safety risk or a serious problem, the result says so in red and makes it easy to message us straight away.

Can it spot notifiable pests?

It flags signs that could fit a notifiable pest such as red palm weevil and tells you how to report it. It cannot confirm one.

Also see Olive trees, Palm trees, Tree ferns, Japanese maples, Pots and planters, Free garden design.