My guess (without much information about this particular case), would be soil moisture issues. A small tree of that size needs to be watered at least once per day during hot weather. Temperatures in black pots, without partial shade (you didn't mention if it had that) can get very, very hot and cook roots in no time. Unless you have a very good sense of how much moisture you potting medium has at various times, you'll need to check with a finger poked down a couple of inches into the medium (you can't judge at all by surface moisture).

Although moisture issues are almost certainly involved, other factors could be contributing. There are lots of variable we don't know. An example is the composition of your potting medium. I don't know what "organic" soil is all about. It looks like maybe you have at least a little decomposed bark fines in there (which is good), but that's about all I can tell. Sand is unnecessary in most potting mixes and can be good or bad depending on what type of sand it is, how much there is, and the composition of the rest of the mix. If your medium is comprised partially or mainly of "dirt", that may be a problem. Planting medium in pots has specific requirements that are often unobtainable by using plain ol' dirt.

If you are still looking for more info, I would suggest placing a post in the Trees Forum and include as much detail as possible. Give us information about what, how, and when you've done things, etc.

Thank you so much for your reply! For the most part the seedlings have been exposed in direct morning sunlight, and then later I've tried full shade. I've been concerned that I might have been over watering them for a bit, but due to a move a month ago they may have been too dry for a couple of days. I'm keeping it in a partial sunny area now and making sure the soil is moist, not soaking wet. I'll see if this helps.

Thanks for the tips!

Your mix looks like compost.....is that what you meant by organic? If so, that is your answer.

'organic mixed with sand'....I'm not sure what that means. Rarely does actual soil provide the right drainage or aeration in containers if that's what you've used - better is a soilless mix formulated for use in pots. It can make all the difference in the world for root formation in containers.

I had always thought that ginkgo required a prolonged, solid freeze in the winter, such as zone 7 or colder, so the trouble may be related to that? There are very large ones growing not too far from me, here in coastal Connecticut, zone 6. If you collected your seeds from a tree in your local area, then I withdraw my theory!

Good luck!

--Rick

I agree that there is a lot of information that we do not have.

If you collected the seed from a tree in your area, why not collect some more when it next fruits and try again?

I would recommend that next time, you plant them in your garden, in the soil. There are several advantages to doing this:

Less likely to over-water or under-water;
Less likely to be sitting in a too hot micro-climate (black pots can get so hot, especially when the sides of the pot are exposed to the sun, as they often are);
Your garden soil is probably a LOT better than a bought potting mix (a lot of potting mixes are 'orrible).

Are you in a climate that gets cold winters? Your Ginkgos will need that.

'Organic' when applied to anything means very little. I learned recently that chook poo from battery hens that is sold in Austalia (under the name of Dynamic Lifter) is labelled as organic. Apparently it is OK to call it 'organic' but they can't call it 'certified organic'.

You just can't trust anything on a label anymore. Or maybe we never could.