|
| I planted a Chinese Pistache tree last Spring that is looking kind of spindly now. Is this typical of young Chinese Pistache trees? I planted the tree as a 7' sapling with a 1/2" caliper. The tree is now approximately 12' tall with a 1" caliper. Is that normal for a Chinese Pistache tree? If not, is there anything I can do to help get the caliper of the trunk a little thicker without mutilating the tree? I did prune several small branches off of the tree yesterday. Below is a photo I took of the tree this morning and a photo of the tree yesterday before I pruned it.
The Chinese Pistache tree this morning:
The Chinese Pistache tree yesterday before I pruned it:
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Jun 3, 12 at 8:44
| NEXT time ... at that width.. the tree should be no more than 4 feet .. its a height to trunk width ratio that makes for a healthy tree ... perhaps you though you were gaining height.. but now you have a problem ... i cant even imagine how tiny the pot was.. to the height of the tree ... i will have to mull over yours ... your links are no good ... i had to copy what was between the quote marks to see the pics .. look for an HTML code and paste it right where you type ... on preview.. if you see it .. we will .. ken |
|
| That looks pretty typical to me of a young chinese pistache. I went with 2' 'Keith Davey' pistaches hoping they wouldn't be too unsightly during the "ugly duckling" phase CP are known to have. I would give a couple more years before passing final judgement. I know there are others here more experienced with this tree than I am. I have yet to see an ugly adult, though. So something has to happen to transform them from gawky teenagers to their attractive adult silhouettes. As far as gaining trunk caliper, a good mulch pile and appropriate water are the best thing. John |
|
| Chinese Pistache have a strong tendency to do this. They grow ups, and then later out. So you do it talk skinny trees. With that said, I would think yours is way more spindly than usual though and it's probable due to improper pruning. Most that you see of any size in a nursery have had the growing tips pruned out of them at some point to force more branching, which results in more leaves, which results in greater caliper so that they more easily stand up to the wind. Should have left the small branches. Those small branches, especially on the trunk contribute greatly to the caliper of the trunk. By pruning those off, you made your tree even more spindly. You really need to google search some pruning guides. The University of Florida has an excellent one online that walks you through the process. It's not a one time deal. You need the temporary lower branches to feed the trunk caliper while the tree grows larger. At this point, put down the pruning shears, and don't pick them back up again for at least 3-4 years (probable longer), and hope for the best. I would say pinch the growing tip to force back branching, but at this point that would force so much more foliage with almost no support from the weak weak weak trunk, that it almost certainly would fail. DON'T FERTILIZE! DON'T PRUNE! DON'T BUY ANY SNAKE OIL CRAP! It won't help. DO loosen the staking some so that the tree can move around a LITTLE. This will help stimulate the trunk to add wood. BUT it can't move allot since it's soooo thin. DO dig up that pruning guide I mentioned above. DO hope you don't get an ice storm of any kind, as it will be VERY broken if you do. Arktrees |
|
- Posted by plantingman 6b (SC KS climate) (samnsarah620@yahoo.com) on Sun, Jun 3, 12 at 23:57
| If you notice in the first two photos below, I didn't remove any branches from the trunk. I only removed small lateral branches from other branches, so I'm not sure how they would have helped "thicken" the trunk if I would have left them. The trunk actually supports the tree really well without the stakes and ties, which it did not when I first planted it. So the trunk is getting stronger. It moves a lot in the wind but always springs back to an upright position, so maybe the stakes aren't necessary. However, I kept it staked because it was leaning a little bit in one direction, but I wanted it to grow straight. I was also concerned that in a really strong wind (like in a storm) it would break the trunk. So...are the stakes even necessary now? I guess I could just remove the stakes and see what happens. If it brakes, I'll just have to replace it. Before I pruned the tree: After I pruned the tree: Here is a pic of the tree in it's first year. I had to stake it then, because the tree would literally bend over at the trunk and the top branches would hang on the ground. |
|
| It would've been better to leave the smaller branches as they strengthen the larger branches which by extension strengthens the trunk (can't do one without the other). Anyway, yeah might as well bag the stakes now. Even if it breaks, you could cut it to the ground and it may grow back from there. |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 4, 12 at 9:01
| hey you got the pix in the post.. top job ... did you understand my thoughts about TREE SELECTION .. as the place to avoid these problems??? there is always a next time.. i would not have bought that tree not only for the height/width problems.. but also for the giant Y at height ... and i repeat that because i am simply baffled about how to deal with this ... when it breaks.. in the first major wind storm of the year.. and it will.. probably right where your ties are ... since that part will be static.. as compared the the part above whipping around .... just cut it off at about 3 feet.. and then select down to just one new bud ... and if i am wrong.. superb ... good luck ken |
|
- Posted by plantingman 6b (SC KS climate) (samnsarah620@yahoo.com) on Mon, Jun 4, 12 at 9:28
| Thanks, Ken. Yes, I understand what you mean by tree selection. I just wish I knew more about that before I spent the money on this tree. Oh well, I won't make that same mistake again. And I DO hope you are wrong about the tree breaking. :-) A little over two weeks ago we went through a tornado here with extremely high winds and golf ball size hail, and although it suffered some hail damage this tree is still there. (The pics above are two weeks after that storm.) I took the stakes off this morning and the tree is upright and not flopping around, so I guess we'll see what happens. Based on what you have said, it sounds like the tree will be less likely to break without being staked and tied. |
|
| I just want to add that a vast majority of CP I see for sale whether it be at a big box store or a garden center have similar appearance as the OP's at this age. Nearly all have co-dominant leaders, lean, and/or only have leaves at the end of the branches. Just not a real attractive tree in youth. John |
|
- Posted by plantingman 6b (SC KS climate) (samnsarah620@yahoo.com) on Mon, Jun 4, 12 at 10:24
| Thanks, John. I'm holding out hope that this one is the same way and will eventually transform into a very attractive tree. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Trees Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.