Hello, I purchased 5 crimson sentry maples this winter from a local nursery and planted them. Of the 5, 4 leafed out beautifully and look great. Unfortunately, one had a problem. It had tiny buds, but they never developed beyond that. I scraped the bark with my fingernail and it looks green underneath. The tree appears to be alive. When purchased, the nursery recommended that I bury the tree up to the graft. It seemed to deep to me, that was several inches up the trunk. I followed his advice though. When it did not leaf out this spring, I dug back to the crown and then put an inch of soil over it. Obviously I am an amateur, and would appreciate any help available. Thanks in advance! Jeremy
sounds way too deep to me......they should be planted at the same level as they were grown in the pot, or if bare root, at the same level as it was in the field.
I agree, that is why I removed most of the soil back down to where it was potted to. Does a maple ever 'skip' a season of growth? How can it still be alive but have no leaves? Thanks again!
It would be possible for a tree to skip a whole year (i had a Prunus incisa do it once), but i would say 99.9% of trees in the situation yours is in will fail, or at least die back to a little stump with a few new shoots from the just above the graft.......it's still alive because it has a lot of stored energy. I still find it difficult to comprehend the guy telling you to bury it up to the graft. I say ask for a replacement.
I would take it back to the nursery as well; hopefully they have some sort of a guarantee. Otherwise, it is correct that maples should be planted no deeper than they have previously been grown, and certainly not to the graft.
Thanks all for the information. I will go ahead and return this tree. What a great community, the insights are appreciated.