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keefesn1

arnold arboretum

keefesn1
11 years ago

Last march I planted a three foot tall pinus parviflora arnold arboretum. Around august, the branches started browning, one by one. It wasn't a lot at first, and my local nursery guru just told me to cut the dead out so that I didn't have to look at my failure. I didn't want to harm the plant too much, but ended up doing that. It just proceeded to get worse, and I have no idea why. This is a picture of it taken about ten minutes ago. Any ideas as to what could have gone wrong? This spring I am ripping it out, since I don't think it can be saved and putting an acer palmatum corallinum in it's place, but I don't want that to die too if it is something in the soil. Help!

Comments (12)

  • keefesn1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    more pictures

  • keefesn1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    last one

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    every single one of them sideways for me.. yikes ...

    that looks like a very large three feet.. more like it used to be a 6 footer ...

    digging or transplant shock ...

    it was either butchered on digging.. improperly planted ... or improperly watered ==>> aftercare ...

    we all started this way.. my best advice.. never buy bigger than 2 feet.. easier to dig.. easier to transport.. plant.. aftercare.. etc..

    and do get all that fabric out of there ... black traps and retains heat.. changing the water capacity of the soil ... etc.. its a nightmare.. and a marketing gimmick ..

    again.. we all have been here.. hang around GW long enough .. and we will have you succeeding with little or no effort ... in no time ...

    DO NOT GIVE UP ..

    and after spring flush.. go cut out all the dead stuff again ... i will send you the registration form for the 'weirder the better club' .. we enjoy them no matter how they look ...

    and lets get you up to speed on proper watering.. to save the rest ...

    BTW.. did you amend the planting hole????

    ken

  • keefesn1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the response ken, I didn't quite understand why the pictures were sideways on here. They aren't on my computer, the GW server for some reason just uploaded them that way... As far as amending the soil, I did not, other than a little bumper crop. In that garden, I planted a midwinter fire dogwood, a summer fun dogwood, a horstmann dwarf blue atlas cedar, six types of ornamental grasses, a ruby stars acer palmatum, a purple ghost acer palmatum, a pink chimes styrax, four green arrow nootkatensis, a blue ice cupressus, a pinus parviflora goldilocks, a cedrus deodara silver mist, a weeping styrax, and a treasure island lawson cypress all at the same time, and the only one that is having any problems is that arnold arboretum. I didn't think I was having any problems with watering, staying vigilant in my care but not too much. I made that mistake once a few years ago, thinking my new tree needed watered every day, I drowned it in love, literally..... so I don't know why this guy has gone belly up on me.

  • Sara Malone Zone 9b
    11 years ago

    I had a P. parviflora 'Watnong' do almost exactly the same thing. (Your photos could have been of my plant). My theory on mine was water problems. I planted it at first in a spot that I later judged to be too exposed. Due to wind/sun issues, I made sure to give it enough water. Wasn't until it started to 'turn' that I realized that the irrigation was broken (one of the downfalls of drip). I moved it to a more sheltered location and then, trying to make up for it having been too dry and exposed, over-watered it. P. parviflora are a bit touchier than the rest of the plants you listed, at least here, although you've got the 'Goldylocks' as well. Is it doing ok?

  • gardener365
    11 years ago

    Shovel prune it.
    See how the acer does in the same spot.

    All the dying on one side suggests to me injury whether it is at the root level or above somewhere on the plant itself. Could even be borers, i.e.

    Dax

  • whaas_5a
    11 years ago

    I had two seperate b&b Pinus parviflora do the same thing at the end of the summer. One this past year and one in 2011.

    I've had disastroius results with all b&b Pinus for some reason.

  • Embothrium
    11 years ago

    Conditions at the root, as already mentioned. Intact soil balls of field grown stock can dry out inside, shed water - specimen dries up and dies even though soil around outside of original ball is being watered.

  • botann
    11 years ago

    bboy, that's my read on it.
    Sometimes that Willamette Valley clay is hard to tease the roots out of the rootball. When dry, it sheds water like shingles. It's all about the interface between the rootball and the surrounding soil. I always try to expose the roots enough so that osmosis will happen as fast as the plant needs the water....and I supply it.
    B&B can be kinda tricky. Know your rootball!. Look at it. Do what's required.

    Mike

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    now that the branches are bare.. you can track back.. by the different barks .. its annual growth rate ...

    i simply dont understand.. why you would waste time and money on plants that grow a foot or two per year ... and buy big size ...

    you could have bought this plant at 2 feet.. never in the ground.. unwrapped the potted roots.. and had the same tree in 3 or 4 years.. instead.. you lost a lot of money.. and the year ...

    on aggressive pines ... which all are.. but for dwarf/mini.. i just dont see where chopping off 9 tenths of the root mass.. is a favorable thing to do ...

    once they put out that 12 to 18 inches of growth .. from stored energy.. whats left to regrow the lost root mass????

    besides.. for what you paid for this big one.. you could have to 3 or 4 prime smaller plants.. to line that driveway .... lol.. its the collector speaking there.. as i like to say.. i have more time than money.. i buy more.. small .... and brag about how many i have.. lol ... they achieve size.. sooner or later ...

    ken

    ps: this is an interesting plant.. because the leader is NOT within the dwarf growth range.. but all side branches are ... its a weirdo ... some claim its an understock issue ....

  • keefesn1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi ken,

    It was only a hundred bucks, so I'm not too concerned about that. Plus the nursery that sold it to me gives me credit for a hundred bucks now that I will use to either get the same plant again or get that acer palmatum corallinum I was talking about.

  • Embothrium
    11 years ago

    You'll really have to be sure you have the right rooting environment for that one.