I have a question about the two semi dwarf apple trees (Yellow Delicious) we planted this year. I think we may have planted them too late for this season, or something is wrong. We are in zone 6. The trees have buds, but no leaves, and dont seem to be growing and its almost July. I have scratched the bark, and it still looks green under the there, but these trees dont have a single leaf on them. I cultivated the soil around the trees and added a layer of mulch to try keep the roots moist and cool. I am not sure if they are still dormant or if they are just dying. Is there anything I can do to help these trees? A neighbour said they might not do anything until next year, but that dont sound right to me. Is it possible that they not make any leaves until next year? I forgot to add that I did prune the tiny branches that grew low on the trunk of the trees. I left a little of the branch, about 1/2 inch, because I didnt want to prune too close and damage the trunk. I thought it might help because pruning seems to help bareroot roses when they are slow to come out of dormancy. I have tried misting the buds/trees too, but nothing has really worked. Is there anything I can do to save these trees or is it just too late for them. I wrote down the date I planted them in my gardening notebook it was 5/19/06. Is that much too late for planting fruit trees in zone 6? Thanks for your replies in advance
May not have been stored successfully before you got them. Not likely to amount to much at this point. Don't see how top pruning would help roses come out of dormancy. With barerooted trees and shrubs generally chemical signals sent from opening buds on stems prompt new roots to start growing from cut root ends. Nutrients stored in roots and stems used to fuel new growth in spring. The more top or roots are cut back the less growth plant can make following season. Bonsai enthusiasts unpot their subjects and prune the roots to dwarf the growth of the tops.
Ron B Thank you for your reply. I guess the trees arnt going to make it. Oh well, next year I will get an earlier start and hopefully get better trees or ones that were stored properly. I guess I will just take them back to the nursery if theres nothing that can be done for them. Oh about the roses. I had one this year that stayed dormant for at least a month (probably more like 6 weeks), after I planted it. It did nothing, no leaves, nothing. I thought it was dead, so I called the nursery to talk about a refund or exchange and they said to prune about one inch off the tops of the canes and see if that helped it. I did, and it grew like a champ. I figured it was the pruning that got it to going. I dont really know what got it to grow but it didnt seem to do anything until I pruned it. All my other bareroot roses grew leaves much faster and I didnt do any pruning on them. Go figure, I really dont know, it was just how it happened. Thanks again
I had some new Nectarines come in this year that took forever to leaf out. My older Nectarines had been leafed out almost two and a half months before these decided to leaf out. Sometimes the growing sources keep these bare root trees in cold storage too long and because of it really can upset the plants biological clock. Some growers will keep the trees in cold storage just so they can be held over and planted after the last frost in some locations. At any rate, do not prune this tree any more unless you have to. Really, green in the coloring of the trunk will not tell you much at this point in time as the trunks can stay green for a few more months and then wham, they turn brown and die out. Right now the buds will tell you what you need to know, even if you have to sacrifice one of them to see if they are still alive or not but you should be able to tell from the external coloring of them. Show us a representative photo of your tree and the buds and we will pretty well know if the buds are still alive or not but even then, as long as you have sap flow these trees should be leafing out for you soon. Jim
The cutting one inch off the ends probably had no effect on when the new growth came out. Ask the nursery how, exactly cutting one inch of the ends was supposed to make it shoot sooner.
Ron B As you probably guessed I am kind of new to gardening. So I guess pruning it had nothing to do with why it decided to grow? Well, it dont surprise me that they told me the wrong info, because around here I am lucky if I even get the right plants. We have several places that sell plants, (I am not sure if I am allowed to mention the names) but I have had some problems since I started gardening last year. Things like, buying bare root clematis last year that was supposed to be pink and white striped and when it finally bloomed this year, it was blue. It was pretty but not what I wanted. Tulips that were supposed to be pink (all differnt kinds of pink tulips) that turned out to be all red or white. And my personal favorite, because it took so long to grow, the pink iris, that is actually a day lilly, now that it has bloomed. Its not pink, its not even an iris. Also, I bought a bareroot rose from the same place that I have no clue what it is. It is not the one on the package because I only bought one red rose and somehow, after they bloomed, I now have two. Go figure, its pretty but it isnt what I thought I was buying at all. I had hoped the nursery that I bought the rose (the one I that I pruned) was better than the other one. They sold a famous brand of own root roses, so I thought they might be better than the other discount store type nurserys. I guess I should really learn more so I know if the info that someone is telling me is good or not. She has her nursery closed down for the season, or I would ask her your question. That nursery is only open for a limited amount of time and as soon as it gets hot, they discount everything and close down. We do have one high end nursery and I do like them except I am having trouble with the willow that I got from them. I am not sure what to do with it, or if its normal or not. It was a HUGE willow (15 to 20 feet?), in a giant pot. The biggest nursery pot I have ever saw. Is there a 50 gallon pot? My poor husband dug for hours to get that tree planted last year. Anyway, I read that you stake your trees for one year then remove the stakes so they will stand on their own. That was a really bad idea as the willow kissed the ground with the first strong wind. We put the stakes back on and dont know when this tree will be able to stand on its own. I think the canopy is just too massive for the trunk to support. I also removed the stick that was tied to the trunk because it was rubbing a hole into one of the branches. I am not sure what to do with this tree because its so beautiful and was so expensive, but its so weak it will just flop over if its not staked. I do want to thank you for your replies, I am going to read more of these posts and learn everything I can. Mr Shep, I will try to get some pictures of the apple trees today, if I can figure out how to post them. I am not the most computer savvy person. The buds are brown but look a little redish if you spray water on them. I will take one off the tree and try to get a good picture of it. Thanks again.
I tried to get some pictures of the buds of the apple tree. They arnt very good, its hard to get a close up picture of something that small. I also took a couple of pictures of my flopping willow, hopefully it will get stronger in time. I am not sure I did this right so if the pictures dont post, I will try again. Thanks again
Mislabeled stock from resellers (garden centers that are not growers) will be a problem with their suppliers sending the wrong stuff. I have also seen it claimed that at least one giant home store chain with a plant department puts their own familiar variety labels on certain items, regardless of what they came in as from the grower. If this is being done, it would not be usual, however.
Ron B Thanks for the info, I had no clue that getting the wrong plants was common. I have learned my lesson. For now on, I will buy either from the internet or plants in pots that have blooms so I know what plant I am getting. I thought I would post a picture of my "pink iris." I guess this daylilly goes ok with the catmint but the iris would have been better.
