# Why is my flowering weeping tree dying?



## Butters (Jul 13, 2008)

Hi, 

I am new to this forum, and had a question about my flowering weeping tree seedling which I purchased online. I asked this question on another forum but havent got an answer yet. 

The tree, about 18'' came in a small plastic plug pot, with green healthy foliage. I immediately planted the tree in the ground.

About two days after I planted it, I began to notice the leaves drying up. At first I just thought it was stress and the tree will lose some leaves in the process. So I gave it a few more days with plenty of water.

Today when I checked the tree I noticed that it looks completely dead, with all the leaves dried up and the main stem no longer has green underneath its bark.

So I'm thinking that its either dead, or dying in its location. So with this in mind, I removed it from its hole to place it in a pot so I can take it with me to my house so I could watch over it. While removing it from the ground I accidentally let the root get exposed and what I saw was the main root which is very thick, completely twisted up and in the shape of the small plug pot it came in. I immediately thought that this was odd, considering the things I read on the internet, about how you shouldn't force or squeeze the root in a smaller hole than its roots.

My questions are;

Is this normal for a nursery to send a tree with the root forced into a small pot like that?

Did I do something wrong when I planted it? when you plant a plugged or potted plant or tree, are you suppose to completely remove all the dirt from the roots to expose and spread them out? Or do you just place the root ball in the ground the way it came, just by removing the container it came in?

I'm not exactly sure what I'm suppose to do about this, because if I was suppose to take apart the roots from the root ball then plant, then I messed up on a lot of trees that I planted which came like that, which have been doing well.

Like I said, I'm new to this tree planting thing. So any help I really appreciate

Thanks!


----------



## PStuffel (Jul 13, 2008)

Your plant wasnt forced into the pot. Its roots had outgrown the pot it was started in. When this happens it is called girdling or root bound. It is OK to tickle or break up the roots a bit before you plant it. I dont think that would have killed your plant that quick though. Not familiar with this kind of tree. Sorry I cant help more.


----------



## JeffL (Jul 13, 2008)

By "plenty of water", did you OVER water it? Roots need to breath. Symptoms will appear fairly similar when the tree is both in conditions of too much, or too little h20.


----------



## Butters (Jul 13, 2008)

PStuffel said:


> Your plant wasnt forced into the pot. Its roots had outgrown the pot it was started in. When this happens it is called girdling or root bound. It is OK to tickle or break up the roots a bit before you plant it. I dont think that would have killed your plant that quick though. Not familiar with this kind of tree. Sorry I cant help more.







JeffL said:


> By "plenty of water", did you OVER water it? Roots need to breath. Symptoms will appear fairly similar when the tree is both in conditions of too much, or too little h20.





It is possible that I over watered, although the area in which I planted it has well-drained soil, which drained almost instantly when I put water in the hole before I planted the tree. When I did plant the tree I soaked the tree with a few inches of water. Then a couple of days later I went out and watered it again with a lot of water, because the top soil and mulch looked extremely dry. I stuck my finger in the soil away from the root and about one inch down it was still moist, not sure if the water was settling in the hole any further than that though. So that extra water I gave it might have been killing it. 

The first day it looked healthy, then a couple of days after I planted it, it started to go down hill. Its too bad, I paid a lot of money for it. Oh well, I will try again next spring. Hopefully I will have better luck. Next time for sure, I will break up some of the roots on the potted trees that I purchase, just in case that was the problem. 

Thanks PStuffel & JeffL


----------



## pdqdl (Jul 14, 2008)

You really need to tell us what kind of tree it is/was before we can give any advice. Different trees have different problems and tolerances.

I am guessing a weeping cherry ?


----------



## Butters (Jul 14, 2008)

pdqdl said:


> You really need to tell us what kind of tree it is/was before we can give any advice. Different trees have different problems and tolerances.
> 
> I am guessing a weeping cherry ?



It is a weeping cherry tree, with double pink flowers that grows 20-30' (from the description)

Here is a picture that came with the description:


----------



## Dadatwins (Jul 14, 2008)

Your tree was most likly root bound and doomed from the start. Trees that are containered frequently end up like this since the root system cannot expand and starts swirling around the container. Putting the tree in a larger container as it grows can help, but most wholesale nurseries bet on selling the tree before it is needed. This type of plant is typical at the big box stores which sell them cheap, since most good nursery do not want them. With the wound up root system and fast draining soil the tree never had a chance, picture most of the water draining away from the roots before getting a chance to be absorbed. A new tree will need about 10 gallons per inch caliper per week on average after planting. Check with the place you purchased the item from and tell them the plant was root bound and died as a result, and see if they will offer a replacement or better get your money back and look for a balled and burlap tree at a local nursery. Some planting info here

http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/tree_planting.aspx


----------



## pdqdl (Jul 14, 2008)

I don't quite agree with Dadatwins. I have planted lots of root bound plants, with plenty of success. I don't really have a clue what got yours. Perhaps it dried out, maybe too much water.

You didn't mention any fertilizer. Folks commonly fertilize a newly planted tree, and it often is the death of them. In general, don't fertilize at all, at least for the first year. It inhibits root growth.

You should try again, only wait until the cooler part of the year has come along. I would suspect some sort of heat stress. Transplant shock should be pretty minimal for a little bity 18" tree in a pot.


----------



## Butters (Jul 14, 2008)

pdqdl said:


> I don't quite agree with Dadatwins. I have planted lots of root bound plants, with plenty of success. I don't really have a clue what got yours. Perhaps it dried out, maybe too much water.
> 
> You didn't mention any fertilizer. Folks commonly fertilize a newly planted tree, and it often is the death of them. In general, don't fertilize at all, at least for the first year. It inhibits root growth.
> You should try again, only wait until the cooler part of the year has come along. I would suspect some sort of heat stress. Transplant shock should be pretty minimal for a little bity 18" tree in a pot.






Dadatwins said:


> Your tree was most likly root bound and doomed from the start. Trees that are containered frequently end up like this since the root system cannot expand and starts swirling around the container. Putting the tree in a larger container as it grows can help, but most wholesale nurseries bet on selling the tree before it is needed. This type of plant is typical at the big box stores which sell them cheap, since most good nursery do not want them. With the wound up root system and fast draining soil the tree never had a chance, picture most of the water draining away from the roots before getting a chance to be absorbed. A new tree will need about 10 gallons per inch caliper per week on average after planting. Check with the place you purchased the item from and tell them the plant was root bound and died as a result, and see if they will offer a replacement or better get your money back and look for a balled and burlap tree at a local nursery. Some planting info here
> 
> http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/tree_planting.aspx





Thanks DadaTwins and pdqdl. Thanks for the link DadaTwins, after I read it, I noticed a lot of things that I have been doing wrong when planting, like planting too low. Now I hope all the trees that I planted like that survive. So far they're doing good, but I guess I will know for sure after winter. 

I didnt use any direct fertilizer when I planted it. Although I did use that_ Miracle Grow: Tree & Shrub soil mix_, which I mixed with mostly native soil.

Today the tree was completely dead, so I pulled it out and took a picture.

You can see how the root was in the shape of a U when I received it. It just didnt look right to me, so I tried to straighten it. Maybe I did wrong by trying to straighten it?




 

I contacted the seller of the tree, who I haven't received a response from yet. I'm hoping that he will at least replace the tree. 

Either way, I'm definatly done with summer planting. I also ordered some oak seedlings, at the same time of the weeping cherry tree. Those trees came bare rooted, and are suffering the same fate of the weeping cherry tree, just at a slower pace.


----------



## appalachianarbo (Jul 18, 2008)

From the looks of the water mark on the trunk, your tree was planted too low (either by the nursery in the pot of by you in the ground), which is all too common. It's hard to tell from the pic, but the roots look black, a sign of an anaerobic environment. How deep was your hole?

In the future, keep those roots spread out and the hole relatively shallow. The roots need to be near the surface to breathe. I'm becoming partial to almost bare-rooting potted and balled trees before I plant them. I can see the root structure and correct any problems before it goes in the hole. Stake it, mulch it, and keep it watered. The "trees are good" link should keep you pointed in the right direction.


----------

