Kansas City Landscaping and Lawn Care Ideas

Growing Fertile Minds and Gorgeous Plants

1. Mike 5.21.08 / 6am

   This sia great tree and I liked your succinct and clear writeup? Have you seen this site with lots of info on trees? http://www.trees.com
2. Jake 5.21.08 / 7am

   Good Morning,
   Thank you for always making such great contributions to Lezak’s blog…your information is always welcome and appreciated.

   This spring has treated my lawn and landscaping relatively well, with one major exception that I was hoping you could help me understand. We have a small bald cypress tree that we planted in our lawn a little over 2 years ago (April of 2006). Throughout 2006 and 2007, the tree thrived, gaining a bit of new growth and having great growing seasons. It is planted in a relatively low-lying spot of our lawn since I understand they tolerate moist soils well (this part of the lawn is particularly moist, as a neighbor’s sump pump often drains there). Even through the late freeze of April 2007, the cypress recovered nicely to fill in well for the summer of last year.

   Then this spring, it began to bud just slightly but then was stunted. I’m not certain if it was a late frost (which we did have, although it wasn’t harsh, as you’ve noted) or some other unknown culprit that has harmed it. The tree is about 8′ high with a nice pyramidal shape and a dripline diameter of a couple feet. I have not pruned it or done anything other than put in some Miracle-Gro fertilizer spikes around the dripline twice each year for the last two years (most recently, in early April this year).

   As mentioned, it began to slightly bud (only a millimeter or two, but noticeable buds) and then stopped. Right now, only a couple of small branches are showing green growth but the vast majority of the tree (95%+) is showing none. The buds that had started have since browned and are falling off. The branches seem to still be “alive” in that they are not brown and brittle, but instead still flexible and moist inside, which gives me hope…but now that we’re nearing June and it isn’t showing any renewed attempt at leafing out, I’m getting concerned. If you have any ideas as to what may have caused this or any actions I can take to remedy the situation, I’m all ears!

   Thanks!
   Jake
3. Jeff Hamons (4 comments.) 5.21.08 / 10am

   Your description makes me think that the tree is alive but has suffered soem stress which caused it o lose its buds. A frost should not have hurt small leaf buds at all — that would take a hard freeze.

   Water should have been adequate with our spring rains?

   How is it planted? A picture of the trunk going into the soil would really help diagnose a possible problkem there.

   I often see a planting problem show up in the second or third season og growth. If twine and burlap is not removed properly from around the trunk, a girdlingroot is not noticed and remedied or the tree isplanted too deep. This would be the first thing I would check.

   Any other possible stressors that could have hurt it? Any possibility of any chemical problems such as herbicides?

   Miracle Gro Fertilizer spikes aren’t the problem — but they are a very ineffective way to fertilize. You would be better of just using a lawn fertilizer spread double strnegth under entire canopy (if the entire canopy area is mulched.)
4. Jake (1 comments.) 6.13.08 / 8am

   Jeff -

   Thanks so much for the response last month - I meant to write back sooner. The cypress seems to be doing better, although foliage is only showing on about 60% or so of the branches. What is showing up is growing like gangbusters, so that is giving me hope that it will recover. I don’t think it’ll make a full recovery this season, but the hope is there that it can reshape itself and be back to normal, perhaps next season.

   There are some branches that show little to no signs of life…except when I flex them or scrape at the bark, they do not appear completely dry/dead. Should I prune those branches back (or even completely remove them) as a way of reducing stress on an apparently already-stressed tree?

   Also - one more thing: you mention using double-strength lawn fertilizer around trees rather than fertilizer spikes. I have never heard of this technique, although it does appear to make sense. Any reason why you suggest avoiding the spikes? Are they simply too concentrated/localized rather than a more dilute fertilizer that would be spread over a larger, more continuous area?

   Thanks again for your help - it is greatly appreciated!
5. Jeff Hamons (4 comments.) 6.13.08 / 9am

   Yes - you are right — the reason fertilizer spikes are not ideal is because they are too concentrated close to the spike and cause root damage and the nitrogen does not spread outward — only downwards. A trees feeder roots are near the surface of the soil — so the tree get very little benefit and some possible damage.

   I would not do any pruning — Leave the green branches alone — if theya re going to come back they need their growing buds intact.