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| I purchased a bare root Crimson Pointe Plum. I did a careful job planting and watering. However, I believe I received the tree slightly late for the spring planting. As you can see in the attached photo I only have one small branch currently growing below the lowest previously established branch. There are no buds anywhere on any of the established branches, or the central leader above the one you can see here. I am getting water sprouts on the bottom of the tree.
My questions are: 1. How should I prune this tree to encourage survival and proper growth. 2. Is it even possible to save the tree at this point? Thank you so much in advance for your help. I hate to see trees die, and want to do everything I can to help this one. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| As a follow up comment, everything above the growing branch appears to be dead. I've already taken the branches back a bit. I uploaded an illustration with some more info. |
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| If you have a warranty, use it and find a spot further from the house. Either way, I would start over with something much smaller for that spot so close to your house and walkway like a very small shrub, dwarf conifer, or perennial. John |
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| Sounds like you've lost the scion, and only the stock is growing. I ordered a small one through the mail awhile ago and it blighted off right after leafing out. While there are some examples that have been establishing in landscapes here (and I have seen the cultivar loaded with fruit while still in pots at a garden center) I have seen others with dieback problems. So you may have had bad luck and had yours get heavily infested and die or die back right after planting. Stone fruits in general are susceptible to multiple diseases and pests that may appear and spoil a planting. The general condition is for them to be fast-growing, short-lived trees that flower heavily from a young age and then die early. The normal habitat for the wild species is open, sunny recently disturbed or otherwise non-forested sites where they pop up early in the game and then die out as other trees come in and start to produce a different growing environment, with increased shade and decreased exposure. |
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| Thank you, the tree actually only has a 5-6' mature spread. The picture is deceving because it is actually just a wall there, not the house. It is about 8 feet from the house. And 2.5 feet to concrete on either side. |
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| You got a bad tree. I have planted barefoot stock like this in June and it has done fine, including a ornamental plum tree (Princess Kay). |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Fri, Jun 15, 12 at 19:34
| please review the link.. and find a spot at least 10 to 15 feet from the house ... DO NOT BE IN DENIAL ABOUT THIS ... ORNAMENTAL PLUMS ARE VERY SHORT LIVED TREES [10 years].. SUBJECT TO A MULTITUDE OF PROBLEMS.. SUCH AS THE ONE BBOY MENTIONED.. AND GUMMOSIS.. AND BLACK KNOT ... google every term .. i agree you should excersize your warranty.. for delivery in the next proper planting time.. which is probably october or so.. in z5.. depending where you are... and if possible.. find another red leafed tree ... that isnt a plum .. like fagus riversii .. or one of the pendula versions ... its too close to the house ... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
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| Thank you all for the information. It is very appreciated. |
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| The ridiculous short 10 year etc. spans repeatedly cited here would be based on premature deaths due to adverse site conditions and not an inherent feature of the kind of tree that occurs wherever it is planted. 10 years is not even enough time for a purple-leaved plum to reach full development. If you try another specimen of 'Cripoizam' do not count on it remaining only 6 ft. wide. |
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