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debhpgh

Metasequoia dying??

deb
9 years ago

Hi,
I am really worried about a metasequoia that I planted last fall (Nov 2013). We had a very long and hard winter here in Pittsburgh, and I wasn't sure that it would survive. It did make it, grew 3 feet this summer (now it's 10 feet tall), and seemed fine until about 4-5 days ago. VERY suddenly the top 3 ft of the tree is dead. Nothing unusual happened. The rest of the tree seems perfectly fine, but the top seemed to turn brown in a period of just a few days. I snapped off a top twig that's about 1/4" diameter and it's completely dry and dead.

Comments (11)

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    9 years ago

    Did it get enough water during dry spell?

  • deb
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for your response.
    Yes, I think so. I ran a hose at a slow dribble right at the root ball whenever it was dry. Maybe it wasn't enough though?

  • hairmetal4ever
    9 years ago

    Possibly a random borer or girdling of some sort?

  • 123cococo
    9 years ago

    I have had an unusual bad year for aphids. Have you ruled that out as a possibility ?

  • coniferapprentice
    9 years ago

    do you have any Japanese beetles in the area?

  • deb
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks everyone for your input. I don't see any insects. If there was a borer, how would I know that? And what exactly is meant by girdling? I got it from a nursery and when I went to plant it, it was terribly root bound. I used a box cutter and cut through the roots all around the sides and bottom, loosened them, then planted it. Actually the roots had grown out and around the bottom of the container, and I had to take a hack saw and cut off the bottom of the container and root ball, because there was no way I could get it out of the container! I wasn't sure it would make it, but actually up until now it's done very well. The soil around the hole was very compacted, as I had a hard time digging a large enough hole, and I was digging for several hours. Do you think one of those conditions was the problem?

  • Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
    9 years ago

    A couple summers ago during the historic heat and drought my watering was not enough for my big metasequoia and it defoliated 95% over the course of a couple days. Google Earth even snapped a pic of it looking like a brown circle from above. Not saying yours isn't doing the same thing but it just looks different.

    It has been a couple years, but four or five times the top foot of my big tree has broken and it has always releadered. Birds, wind, bugs? Who knows. I can't get up there anymore. All being equal I bet yours will.

    Also, off and on ever since mine got fifteen feet or so tall it loses a green stemmed branch to something. Bird landing on it, wind, who knows. I just see it hanging there and the next day it is brown like yours.

    Before you follow my advice go stick your finger into the rootball and see if it is we.

    I have several reasons to say water the shucks out of it.
    -In 2012 when mine defolated I went from watering an hour or so every three days to 6 or 8 hours a night sprinkler on full as often. I would have done it more but other parts of the yard needed watered also. Mine recovered.
    -Metasequoia is very tolerant of damp soils. It should be difficult to over water it during a dry spell.
    -Your root ball was mangled and your transplant large so establishment should take longer than average.

    If you can get there I would love to see a picture of the break in the leader.

    This one is about a decade old now.
    {{gwi:394752}}

    Here is a link that might be useful: My tree looked worse than this shows, I just couldn't bring myself to take a pic

    This post was edited by toronado3800 on Tue, Aug 5, 14 at 1:14

  • deb
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the info and encouragement. I just got home and set the hose on a dribble for overnight. Then re-assess tomorrow to see if its thoroughly saturated. Do you think I should cut off the dead leader? Or just let it go. I actually think there is another secondary leader that was already on my tree.

  • gardener365
    9 years ago

    Your tree is fine and do water, certainly.

    It's likely a bird snapped that branch. Japanese beetles would've defoliated it, aphids would've caused stippling of the foliage (very noticeable = "dots" all over), girdling could be used as a word for bird damage...I suppose, but... girdling suggests the branch had an obstruction of some sort (rope tied too tight around it (seeing your stake suggests a rope or other could've been tied to that branch and to the stake - too tightly), or girdling from an old plant label never having been removed that obstructed the flow of sugars in and out of that, branch.

    It definitely appears 'mechanical'. I've never seen a borer of any kind on a Metasequoia... it could be possible however I've never read anything or have life experience of them. I'd discount that as bird damage or girdling caused from one of the suggested methods I commented on.

    There's no reason for the stake. Remove it. Keep it a single leader but let it grow at least another year from now to sort itself out. If more than one leader this time next year... prune to a single.

    Dax

  • deb
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you SO MUCH for this information. I will remove the stake and check for any nursery tags. Have had a dribble going on it for 8hrs. I so appreciate everyone's input. Glad that i found this site.
    -deb

  • deb
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Dax, I think you may be right. I just went outside and removed the stake. There was a tight plastic band immediately below where the dead area starts. I feel much better now.
    -deb