Good price.

Nyssa sylvatica has a different name in every zip code doesn't it lol.

FWIW, Nyssa sylvatica has been a difficult transplant for me. It dies back in the winter then goes to grow from the base the next spring. I goofed and moved a couple small transplants before having more patience with a larger locally bought one which did the same thing. The last one has not died back at all after that first winter.

If moving that big fella you are buying is not a big deal to you I say go right ahead and give it a try. It really sounds like quite the steal.

Oh, and update us with pictures and all!

When we planted one two years ago, I didn't have dieback problems, but the bunnies sure did a job on it over the winter and the poor plant had to start over again. I think it's growth has been better than 'slow' and it's turning a deep vibrant purple now and should be a nice addition to the fall landscape.

I love their fall color, but some of then have a rather unattractive form at maturity. It's quite variable, however, there are some absolutely stunning Nyssas around here, and they're just starting to show some spotty red color in their inner leaves.

They are slow growing, but not *that* slow, no slower than, say, a white oak or sugar maple would be.

Transplanting difficulty is the biggest "con" IMHO, as has been mentioned.

Leafspot is a given. We have four nyssas, all with blotchy leaves in summer, and I am not about to get hooked into preventive spraying for all of them.

They also have a funky branching structure that has me removing vertical and crossing branches like crazy in early spring.
I wish we had planted lindens instead.

Leafspot is a given. We have four nyssas, all with blotchy leaves in summer, and I am not about to get hooked into preventive spraying for all of them.

They also have a funky branching structure that has me removing vertical and crossing branches like crazy in early spring.
I wish we had planted lindens instead.

The cultivar 'Red Rage' has a nice, reliable red fall color, and is supposedly leaf spot resistant.

FWIW most wild N. sylvaticas around here have some variation of red, orange, or yellow (or a mix) of color, but every once in a while, you see a dud.

i have a baby only, so no long term experience, but couple of things i can think of off the top of my head:

1) they like acid soils. You MAY have problems in NE. Their range is west to about central MO, so not 100% sure that is because of soil type or rainfall. You may have to add acid and/or water
2) I have heard they are not excessively long lived, but a quick google search says they can live several hundred years, so you are probably fine there.
3) they seem to like sun. the more the better. The one i planted in more shade grew chlorotic and died, but it may also have better soil.

Well, define acid soils. Ours are neutral and we didn't amend at planting time, and all four trees adapted very well. They have also not gotten a whole lot of rainwater since they were planted three years ago, only hose water, which has a much higher pH than our rain. Everything here in Kansas was once made of limestone, I swear.

Anyone else experience a total die-back after this last hard winter? I'm in Northwest Arkansas, and the temps actually reached below zero 2-3 times. My tupelo did well last summer, the first year after fall transplant, leafing out fully and changing to red in the fall. This spring there were only buds, no leaves. But now a few new shoots have sprouted around the base. Worth keeping, or should I plant another tupelo and wish for better luck?

Sladkomn,
Let me guess... "Wildfire" Blackgum? Seems to be very common occurrence. Take a look at what is now a long read of the thread linked below. I had no such issue when I planted our seed grown tree several years ago, and I had to really cut the roots pretty hard. You might want to start a new thread with more details about planting and include picture.

BTW, I'm in NWA as well, and I saw sub-zero about 7 times. But I'm in a valley that favors colder temps.

Arktrees

Here is a link that might be useful: Blackgum Bud attachement.

This post was edited by arktrees on Mon, Jul 7, 14 at 15:28

Sladkomn, now that my wildfire is established it survived our worst winter in a few decades with no dieback. First year in the ground it died back to about six inches.

It may be difficult to tell but depending if it died back below the graft line you may have a regular species tree resprouting. Not a bad tree.

My black gum that died off is a Red Rage variety. This is what it looks like now: lots of sprouts at the base but dead buds and no leaves.

Glad you found the linked thread of interest.

Sorry about your tree, Red Rage is my personal preferred Blackgum selection.

For whatever reason, Blackgum seem to be a bit on the sensitive side for several years after planting. Or perhaps it because of grafting, after all grafting is not something that would expect to happen in a wild environment. I have also noticed that the selections available of Blackgum seem to begin growing sooner than the local native population. This leads me to believe that they originate from a more southern seed source, which could make them more susceptible to winter,spring damage. My own tree is a seed grown tree, and begins to grow VERY late. This suggests that is it northern source tree. Whatever the reason(s), Blackgum seem to be a bit sensitive for a period of time after transplanting (another very un-natural event). I bring this up because the picture appear that your tree began to grow in spring and then was zapped by the mid-April freeze (I got to 18 at my house IIRC). If this is correct, then my guess is that this is the likely cause for the top dieback. We had a grafted Ginkgo in 2007 that this happened to.

As for prognosis, it appears to be sprouting back from below the graft (hard to tell for certain). Recovery would be much quicker than growing from seed, but you will not get the same tree back in a single year. Blackgum CAN grow surprisingly fast under optimal conditions, and it will look much better after just a year or two. But it will require management and timing. My own tree grows about 15-20"/year in far from optimal conditions (lots of competition). Have seen them grow up to 3'+/year. One reason 'Wildfire' is so common in nurseries is that is is supposed to grow much faster,

It is up to you want to work this one out, replant, or plant something else there.

Arktrees

Hi, why you said "fruits without messiness"? Could you please explain more? Does it drop seeds? Thanks.

Was wondering how the black gum turned out, we bought one here in GA 4 years ago $99 from a spring plant show, it is slow growing but has taken off and it is beautiful about 16 ft tall, red tips now on green leaves. We had to spray it numerous times as it would get a fungus on the leaves but it has finally come into its own. Just curious what came of yours