I would try to find the best one for dominance and if possible prune back to it, or just let it grow and on the future growth choose a leader. It seems like if you chose one leader and chopped the rest the tree will be too bare. It's future growth should be thicker and sturdier, and will be a better leader anyway. Your current top will be eventually cut off to the trunk anyway it is low on the tree. There's no rush until it gets a bit thicker and taller IMHO.

The kindred spirit isn't a columnar variety of quercus Robur is it? I am probably wrong, but it sounds familiar as a cultivar of Q. Robur. I am probably wrong, but thought I would mention it.

I think if its not the right size or wrong species you are do credit, if this is just about windswept look from jammed in a box, then no.

Its only about the plant having a 1/2 dozen leaders vs the one dominant trunk I requested and they confirmed.

I had already staked it...with a 7' stake. Everybody has one of those on hand right?

Does this cultivar produce upward sweeping branches? In other words is this a normal growth pattern for the tree that has missed some needed guided pruning when it was younger? Honestly, all I can see is a bunch of stems parallel to each other in the pics.

I would certainly be PO'd they sent it the way they did but if it straightens out like many others said it would, it's NBD in the long run. I would ask them for a pic of the tree they are sending to me if I did business with them in the future. If they wouldn't provide it, then I'd pass.

Edit: all that said if I wanted it bad enough and they were the only source I'd probably bite. FF does this to me from time to time.

This post was edited by j0nd03 on Thu, Sep 19, 13 at 12:31

Apparently they are closing next year which is likley why they are saying have a nice day.

You're exactly right, its a bunch of parellel stems in which no single stem has any dominance. It can be trained with staking and heading cuts, although to poaky's point I don't know if it will back bud (not sure if oaks typically do that). Also based based on the request for single stem (they actually have them, just didn't chose one like I asked), the size and the price I'd expect better quality. Perhaps its just me because I'm a stickler!lol

At the end of the day I should likely vent elsewhere. Just get annoyed with questionable quality with mail order. Just had a kid and money is tight so I'm even more ticked when its wasted on junk like this and the vendor doesn't give two craps. They are just eying up their payday with the sale of their land.

More or less wanted to get feedback to see if I'm in the dark on this one.

I copied the first picture to Irfanview and blew up the lower portion of the tree to see the base of the tree.

It looks like there is one main truck going down to the root system. The first row of leaves looks like the are leaves and should come off.

The second row up looks like second year growth branches and should be taken off

I would continue working on this the primary truck and slowly cut the side branches. I believe the rule is no more that 1/3 of the branches with leaves per season. It may take a couple of years for it to truly become a tree.

whaas,
How about a hint as to who you got it from? Wonder if it is from that Oregon place I don't care for, but then again there is one not too far from me that I have wondered if they are not in the process of shutting down.

I would probable threaten them with back charging through the card company. That way not only do they lose revenue, but it cost them money as well. Give them a headache to deal with with Visa or whoever. Also I wouldn't demand a full refund, perhaps 1/3 - 1/2, but it would be a "REFUND" and not credit. You are also free to say wherever you like, "I'm not happy with XYZ company". They just LOVE that. ;-) Also file a BBB complaint. I've done this online before. Got letters from BBB for months, saying that very large company XYZ claimed the issue was resolved, when I had not heard anything from them. Finally got a call from their "closer" one day. Kept him on the line for hours. Cost them his salary etc. Finally he said "So we have this resolved?"...... my reply "He11 NO! Not ONE dxmn thing has changed!", followed by stunted silence on the other end. Got a letter from BBB saying as much shortly afterward. Point being, don't go quietly. Be the squealing wheel.

JMHO
Arktrees

This post was edited by arktrees on Thu, Sep 19, 13 at 16:32

"Be the squealing wheel"

lol said like a true razorback fan hahahaha

I typically don't name vendors as I never had a circumstance where the vendor didn't fix the issue, even if you had to be a bit pushy but this one has no desire to rectify the issue. In fact they went on LONG rants about their business model, how they pack, shipping costs, how long they've been in business, they'd be happy to pay $70 for this tree, I'm the first to complain, they are closing to sell the land for a more profitable proposition, ect ect that had nothing to do with the situation. Its Greer...didn't realize they don't have the best track record after the fact.

If my wife, who doesn't care what so ever about my plants...or how they look and comments that this tree looks jacked something has to be wrong!lol

knuttle,

Below is a pic of the branching structure immediately off the main trunk. These then divide out into multple leaders...thing almost reminds me of a junky chokeberry bush.

Well IF they are happy to pay $70 for a tree, then they should be happy to buy it back from you! I have ordered only one thing from them, and that resulted in a visit from the State Plant Board to test for a rather nasty disease. Came back negative, and at least I have the right plant, and now in excellent condition They were not going to be first choice, and if they are going to shut down, then I want nothing to do with them. I got to wonder if the positive tests has something to do with them shutting down. I'm sure they wouldn't bother to tell you that part of the equation.

Still, give them a headache. You might not win, but they will still pay for it.

As for John........ raised by my daddy since I was four to Razorback Red (in a deep south drawl), though I am hardly happy with them lately. :-P Beyond that ........ keep up like that, and I just might have to root for $uckhorns over the Land Theives int eh RRR coming up, and I hate those *()(^$W$#)^$%()*&()*@$^#&(##%$)(!&()#$@&@#$&*)^$)*()$*&^*)&$^()*#^#*($^*)&^#*)&^#$*)%^#*O%^%)!~&_*(_!. I feel ill at the very thought..... ;-)

Arktrees

I've ordered a half dozen or so times from Greer and only had an issue once. After dealing with the staff I sent an email directly to Harold Greer and he resolved it instantly.

It is hard to tell but I think I see what kuttle mentioned in that there seems to be a main trunk buried in there. Definitely let the branches obviously not part of the main trunk hang free, looks like you have all branches tied with tape. How high up can you follow that trunk before it becomes multiple leaders?

tj

I hear ya ark!

Hey Tom,

Haven't seen ya around lately! The picture to look at is the first pic. Its one single trunk about 8" off the ground, then it branches into two main trunks (I use this term loosely) and then into an array of several more y's.

I have about 1,000 plants on my porperty...its the only one I'd beat with an ugly stick right now.

Hey Will,

I've just been skimming most posts and not responding to many lately. Too much to do, suddenly.

That first pic must have me optically deluded as it looks like a traceable trunk up to about 2 or 3 feet. Evidently not. Normally, in a case like this you'd send them pix as a heads up and see how it responds by next year. With their going out of business, that adds a bit of urgency. Have you tried dealing directly with Harold Greer?

tj

Harold is the one that responded to me from the get go.

The last pic I posted is the branching above the main trunk.
In the first pic there is that little bit of new growth...main trunk goes a few more inches and that goes shrub style.