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kristie73

Newport Purpleleaf plum is dying...I think

kristie73
14 years ago

We planted a Newport Purpleleaf plum a few years ago. It's still relatively small. I think we have it in the wrong place, because it got a lot of water this year with all the rain. It sits along an area that gets the rain water draining right by it and then it's also next to the grass so when the sprinklers go off, it gets hit there too.

I started first noticing how some branches never leafed out. Also some leaves look like something is eating it. We trimmed some of the dead branches, but it's still looking bare. It never really bloomed very much this year either. Can it survive and grow better next season or has the rain and over watered area killed it? How can I help this tree?

Comments (5)

  • treebarb Z5 Denver
    14 years ago

    It's been an odd year. Post a picture if you can. Has the tree leafed out the first few years and is just doing it this year? We had almost no precip over the winter and a lot of trees suffered die back from lack of moisture, followed by our wet spring and summer. What you are seeing may be from the drought last winter. There's not a lot you can do if that's the problem. If you've trimmed out the deadwood I would leave it and see how it blooms out next spring. The problem with fall pruning as I understand it is that you encourage tender new growth that will freeze and die over the winter. What percentage of the tree is dead? If it's mostly dead you can replace it now or in the next few weeks to a month to give the new tree a chance for some root development before winter. If a lot of the tree still has green wood you may want to let it be till spring. I wouldn't recommend transplanting a stressed out tree. Most trees can handle the amount of water they get in a lawn area. If most of the trees is getting soaked from the sprinkler that may encourage disease but that doesn't sound like the problem. Lastly can you see the root flare at the base of the trunk? I have recently learned a great deal about proper planting depth and that it's pretty easy to plant a tree too deep for optimum growth. If Dan doesn't poke his head in here you may want to post this on the tree forum as well. Good luck!

  • david52 Zone 6
    14 years ago

    Let me fearlessly and cluelessly wander in here. I've lost half a dozen grafted plum trees to wet soil, and looks like another one this year as well. Non-grafted plum 'bushes' seem to do much better, and I see them growing along the ditches all over the place.

  • Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
    14 years ago

    Pictures help.

    Guessing, with the scant information given, that about all you can do is dig up after leaf drop in fall, pot up in a large pot and hope you can get the tree to recover some of its lost roots. Then in 2011 plant back out in landscape in a well-drained soil in full sun that is allowed to dry out between waterings. If you don't have such a spot in the yard, there's not much you can do as what these plants like best is well-drained and not too moist. They'll take clay as long as not too moist. They are amenable to transplanting but are short-lived and prone to all kinds of critters when healthy, so the enjoyment of the nice lvs and fls is short-lived for many.

    Dan

  • kristie73
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Here's a picture. It's not much, but it's all I could find right now. This was taken earlier this summer. I'll try to take another one that is more close up and recent.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
    14 years ago

    You'll want to water several times in the winter to break the lawn mite life cycle as well ;o)

    Lots of possible reasons why the tree may be unhappy, including that rock as well as what I wrote above...

    Dan