I was at a nursery in Toronto and they were offering a discount of 30% on most of their nursery stock. I picked up a potted "Ryu Sei". (I had a place for a JM as long as it would remain compact). This specimen is probably about 4.5 feet in height. I would think this is the definition of root bound? And here it is now in the ground. I am curious if others have this variety and the height of your specimen. Would it benefit from protection this winter (I am a zone 5b Cdn)?
I planted this particular specimen just over a month ago. Given its narrow stature I am confident I could slip a "burlap" bag over the top that would provide protection from winter winds for the higher, more bare area, nearer the top and possibly from "marauding" rabbits for the lower branches and trunk. What do you think?
Nice one. I just bought one last month from a local nursery myself for 50% off. Mine is 3 ft. high. I planted it in a container. I'm not sure about the burlap thing but it might be a good idea in your zone. I'm in 7b and I don't protect any plants that are in ground. Most of the containerized JM's I move into an unheated garage except for a couple of real large ones. I haven't lost any yet, except maybe a Summer Gold that's in ground. I'll know for sure in the spring.
I have one in zone 5 Central Illinois and it sent off a tall leader in 17, which died back over the winter. I cut it back and it looks fine, just more of a weeping look. I think the burlap is a good idea or perhaps floating row cover. The lighter weight is better for me if we get heavy snows.
I bought my Summer Gold in April of 2017. I planted it in my backyard where it got full sun. It was doing OK this year until September. Sometime between 9/4 and 9/22 all the leaves just shriveled and dried up. There do not seem to be any viable buds.
Just a GUESS, but it looks like chemical death. Leaves that hold on much longer than typical very often signals that the leaves did not whither from being "used up" because a major part of that is being cut off from fluids in the tree, thus shutting off the pathway thru the petiole before the leaves whither verses the whole system suddenly drying simultaneously. Exceptions to this are Oak and young Beech that keeps the petiole in place which guards the bud in the axil. Gather some leaves, put them into a plastic bag and crush them into smithereens, and smell them a few days later to see if they smell like anything you think may be alien.
Interesting, but I can't envision chemical death when nothing else around it has suffered a similar fate. My dog doesn't even pee on that tree. There is a Garnet a few feet away that progressed normally and actually has most of its leaves still attached but seems to have viable buds. I noticed this year that a few of my JM's around my house kept their turned leaves longer than usual. Maybe because of a warmer fall season which delayed most of my trees turning this year? In any case, I will watch them closely in the spring and try that plastic bag trick to see if I notice anything.
This fits with the possibility of root death from exhaustion of stored starches. Possibly the trunk was girdled just above ground level? In some areas, the indigenous rodents are infamous for this kind of thing. Anything else that would cause the xylem to be plugged could do this as well, a pathogen such as verticillium or nectria canker. Again, girdling can lead to clogged xylem (as opposed to exhausted root starch).
