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| I have 2 dogwood tree suffering from (I think) bad pruning by previous owner. Last year when I moved in it was very spindly and the leaves all turned black toward the end of the season. This Feb/March, the tree started to grow and each tip was growing 5 to 8 long skinner soft new grow. It is not a pretty sight. Not really knowing what to do but felt a need to do something, I took the liberty to clip most of the new grow, leaving 2 on each tip.
Now, as you can imagine, the tree is still spindly, with puff of leaves at the end of each branch(see pictures). There are new leaves growing along some branches. What can be done now? Can it be pruned back to shape? If so, when would be a good time to do it, and how do I go about doing it? Another question I have is whether I can move one of them. The tree is about 5 years old so it is a good size but not super big. The tree is on the access path from the front of the house to the backyard. There were a few times I almost hit it with a full wheelbarrow. Any help is much appreciated! |
Here is a link that might be useful: pictures on flickr
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Mon, Jun 4, 12 at 1:18
| Far as moving it the logical thing would be to go grab a new one in the fall and plant it. Less stress on you and you aren't moving a stressed tree. Then again you should have seen me transplant this darned crepe myrtle and a white ash a few years back. Ug, will I ever learn. Far as pruning it, in my opinion let the fella be this year. It was stressed a bit by something to just be growing at the tips but I don't think it really looks bad in the pictures. Maybe smaller thinner foliage due to late frost killing some buds or water issues? You have until fall to decide on moving it. Summer just increases your chance of failure....it can be done but ug. AND it just might be 95 degrees the day you decide to go digging! |
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| Probably should've let what started growing continue. Usually feeling a "need to do something" is just human impatience. Anyway, I agree with toronado, just let it be for a while. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 4, 12 at 7:33
| if you dont like its placement .. GET RID OF IT ... period if you want to try to move it ... your next window of opportunity is when it is dormant .. and for your zone.. i will GUESS.. late fall, winter or very early spring.. others in your zone can be more specific ... give us the closest big city ... if this were some RARE specimen.. i could understand the need to 'save' it ... spending the next 5 years.. moving and doing surgery.. etc ... but it isnt.. and it isnt worth it .. IMHO ... start fresh and create your own nightmares.. lol ... the happiest day of my life in my first house.. was the day i finally got rid of the prior owners nightmares.. why that took me 5 years.. is unknown.. though hindsight is 20/20 ... lol ken |
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- Posted by cearbhaill Zone 6b Eastern KY (My Page) on Mon, Jun 4, 12 at 8:16
| When you don't know what to do, don't do anything. Find out what to do. Leaves are what make food. Do not move anything now. |
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| I agree - knowing when to cut down a failure, or try to be its savior is up to each gardener to decide. I planted 2 Kousa Dogwoods some 10 years ago. Both are healthy and grow moderately each year, but they have never produced a bloom. I transplanted a native dogwood volunteer into the same area, and it has bloomed each year from 3 ft high to it's current 8 ft size. This is the year I will cut down the Kousa's and mark them down as a failure not to be repeated. |
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- Posted by natalie403 7 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 4, 12 at 14:24
| Thanks for the input. I think I will leave them alone this year and see what they do next year. When I moved in last year the tree were in pretty bad shape. Each old cut was 2 inches from the trunk and hence dried up and cracked. The main trunk were clipped low giving the tree a twisted form. But then again, if there is a chance for saving them I should give it a try. |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 5, 12 at 15:23
| 1) Dogwoods do not respond favorably to heavy pruning. They tend to produce multiple growth points at each cut, creating this Medusa-like appearance over time. Generally, the recommendation is to keep pruning to the bare minimum. 2) Seed-grown kousa dogwoods are quite slow to flower. But very much worth the wait. It is not unusual for no flowers to appear until the tree is 7-15 years old. But when they are mature enough, they flower very heavily and with large and extremely showy bracts. |
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